Dramatis Personae
The following characters appear in this adventure:
Cyril Lambrecht, a powerful necromancer conducting a ritual to consume thousands of souls in order to ascend to godhood.
Eveline Olivier, one of Cyril's two senior apprentices guarding the way to Cyril's ritual.
Sebastien Janvier, one of Cyril's two senior apprentices guarding the way to Cyril's ritual.
Guillaume Beaufort, the spirit of a serial killer inhabiting a stitched undead abomination created by Sebastien.
Roan Reynders, a long-dead imperial mage whose skeletal remains were animated by Eveline to join her undead forces.
Themiel, an angelic guardian sealed within a statue.
When the adventure begins:
The players are in a small hall immediately south of the Chapel of Phodias, at the base of a dusty stone staircase (which leads back to the upper floors behind them).
Eveline is guarding the Hall of Heroes with twelve skeleton soldiers, and twelve skeleton archers.
Sebastien is (ostensibly) monitoring the seal in the Vault of Dusk, accompanied by six reserve skeleton archers, while repeatedly assembling, animating, deanimating, and disassembling a skeleton cat inside.
Guillaume is (ostensibly) monitoring the seal in the Vault of Day, accompanied by twelve reserve skeleton soldiers, while systematically cracking, sucking, and savoring the marrow from each set of bones in the crypts within.
Roan is pretending to monitor the seal in the Vault of Dawn, accompanied by twelve reserve skeleton soldiers, while secretly studying the arcane runes on his skull binding him to Eveline's control.
Cyril is in the Gathering Hall with his zombie adult dragon, thirteen skeleton soldiers, twelve skeleton archers, and two zombie brutes, as well as three zombies beating a heartbeat rhythm on human-skin drums. (If one, two, or three zombies die, Cyril must use his Bonus Action, Reaction, and Action, accumulating, each round to prevent the ritual from collapsing. On initiative count 0 one round after the ritual collapses, each creature within a 30-foot radius must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 8d8 necrotic damage on a failure or half as much on a success.)
However, Eveline, Sebastien, Guillaume, and Roan freely move between rooms if prompted, alerted, or disturbed.