“Heroes” in the eyes of the city ostensibly receive funerals with pomp and circumstance before their remains are interred in the mausoleum the city reserves for just such an occasion, the Hall of Righteous Bones. In addition to being a site honoring heroes, this mausoleum is home to an undead creature in service to the city.
A character knows the following information about the Hall, including some state secrets, with a successful History or Streetwise skill check.
- DC 16:Periodically the city will host an elaborate funeral to honor an individual named “hero.” Those honored are interred in Hall of Righteous Bones, a mausoleum reserved for people who did a great service to the city. Members of the city watch guard the mausoleum at all times.
- DC 18: There is an entrance to the city Necropolis located at the bottom of the mausoleum.
- DC 20: True heroes are rarely interred in Hall of Righteous Bones, the people interred there are those the city government finds it expedient to bury with honors and fanfare. This includes more merchants than soldiers.
- DC 22: Several generations ago the city’s then government selectively and secretly employed undead for defensive purposes, including several death knights. A later government reputedly destroyed all the undead.
- DC 24: A half dozen knights in service to the city were ordered to become death knights during the period when the city kept undead.
- DC 26: Not all of the undead the city kept were destroyed. This is a state secret.
- DC 28: At least two outright traitors are interred in the hall because the city government wished to cover up their crimes. This is a state secret.
- DC 30: A single death knight, named Immanuel, is kept by the city in an iron coffin, in Hall of Righteous Bones. The members of the watch guarding the tomb keep people away from the death knight. This is a state secret.
- DC 32: The city government agreed to support the knight’s family in exchange for his willing submission to the ritual that transformed him into a death knight. However, when the city destroyed most of the undead, they also killed Immanuel’s living family members in a poorly-thought out attempt maintain the cover story of Immanuel’s destruction. Since that time, they have been lying to the death knight about its family’s situation. This is a state secret.
- DC 34: For reasons unknown, the death knight functions as an oracle twice a year, during the Days of the Dead and this is why the city keeps it. This is a state secret.
- DC 36: The death knight’s sword is at the bottom of the pool of water beneath the iron coffin. This is a state secret.
The Mausoleum
The Hall of Righteous Bones is a cylindrical brick structure, only the domed top of which is above ground.
The mausoleum is guarded and aside from Immanuel is home to no undead. As such, there are not going to be any confrontations, unless the PCs create one.
About 15-feet of the dome extends above ground level and at the top of the dome is an open area five-feet in diameter (one-square in size). A locked and hinged iron grating covers the opening in the dome. A successful Thievery DC 20 skill check unlocks he grating, a failure (or forcing the lock) triggers a Glyph of Warding trap.
Three chains, each located 120 degrees from the others, are set into the mortar around the inside of the opening in the dome. A successful Acrobatic DC 20 skill check is required to climb down the chain without falling. Anyone who falls drops 100-feet to the bottom of the mausoleum, potentially taking 10d10 damage.
Two members of the city watch are here at all times, posted to the main entrance. Refer to Human Guards in the Monster Manual for the appropriate statistics. Duty at the Hall is tedious and considered punishment.
A flight of stairs leads from the entrance to the first level of the mausoleum, a circular area 10-feet across (two-squares wide) with 30-foot diameter (six-squares wide) open space in the center. An iron coffin is visible suspended, by three iron chains, in the open space below this circular platform
Along the inside wall of the mausoleum’s central open shaft is a descending ramp five-feet wide (one-square) that spirals around the area as it descend to the bottom of the structure 70-feet below the level of the ring. There is no railing on the ramp or the circular platform. Approximately 600 notches, including space for coffins, urns and ossuaries (there are twice as many spaces for urns and ossuaries as for coffins), are in the walls adjacent to the ramp.
The bottom level, a circular area 30 feet (six-squares) across, of the mausoleum contains an entrance to the Necropolis (however the gate is shut and locked by order of the city government) and a 10-foot wide (two-squares) pool of water, which reflects the mausoleum and hanging coffin above. At the bottom of the pool rests Immanuel’s soulsword. Suspended about 10-feet above the bottom of the central shaft and directly over the reflecting pool is an iron coffin, inside of which is Immanuel.
The Talking Remains
The death knight is willing to discuss itself, its situation, the city, what it knows of the government and the undead (what it knows in general and information the death knight acquired from past uses of the Consult Oracle ritual) without being compelled, assuming the PCs attempt to engage it in conversation. The city government considers the death knight to be a valuable and vulnerable asset and limits access to Immanuel. A city official queries the death knight on each of the Days of the Dead, usually when the sun is high enough in the sky to send light down over the iron coffin.
A small grating, at the level of the death knight’s face, in the iron lid of the coffin makes conversation possible without opening the coffin.
“Who/what are you?” I am Immanuel, a knight in service to this city. I am undead.
“What are you doing here?” I serve this city. I served this city in life and death and I serve the city in undeath. There are no limits to duty.
“May we help?/What do you want?” Tell me about my family. If you will, tell me about that part of me that is still alive.
“What is it like being undead?” Have you ever had a nightmare? It is not experiencing the nightmare. It is being the nightmare.
“Do you desire peace?/Do you want to really die?” Yes. To truly be dead… that would be glorious. But I have an assigned task and there are no limits on a soldier’s obligations.
“Why do people have to die?” I don’t know. The necessity of death is no longer something in which I believe.
Immanuel, the Death Knight (Human Fighter) Level 17 Elite Soldier
Medium natural humanoid (undead) XP 3,200
Initiative +11
Senses +8; darkvision
HP 260 Bloodied 130
AC 35 Fortitude 32, Reflex 26, Will 27
Speed Fly 5
Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 10 radiant; Saving Throws +2
Action Points1
Traits
Oracle Powers (Unique)
One each of the Days of the Dead the death knight may facilitate the Consult Oracle ritual, serving as the oracle, allowing the ritual to be performed free of charge if the questions are about death and the undead. Under these circumstances, Immanuel’s knowledge of the current activities and status of the undead is unique and without reasonable explanation. The individual performing the ritual will still need to make a religion check to determine the number of questions that may be asked.
(MW) Soulsword (Necrotic, Weapon) • At-Will
Attack: +23 vs. AC
Damage: 1d8 + 12 damage plus 5 necrotic damage (plus an extra 2d6 necrotic damage on a critical hit).
A death knight is dazed and weakened while it does not have possession of its soul weapon. Any creature other than the death knight is dazed and weakened while carrying the soul weapon.
Standard Actions
(M) Containing Strike (Necrotic, Weapon) • At-Will
Attack: Requires soulsword; +23 vs. AC
Damage: 1d8 + 12 plus 5 necrotic damage
The death knight may make a melee basic attack as an immediate interrupt against the target if the target shifts on its next turn.
(M) Warrior’s Challenge (Necrotic, Weapon) • Encounter
Attack: Requires soulsword; +23 vs. AC
Damage: 3d8 + 12 plus 5 necrotic damage
The target is pushed 2 squares. All enemies within 2 squares of the target are marked until the end of the death knight’s next turn.
(CB) Unholy Flames (Fire, Necrotic) • Recharge on a roll of 5 or 6
Attack: Close Burst 2; +19 vs. Reflex
Damage: 6d8 + 12 fire and necrotic damage to living creatures.
Undead creatures within the burst (including the death knight) deal an extra 2d6 fi re damage with melee attacks until the end of the death knight’s next turn.
Combat Challenge
Every time the death knight attacks an enemy, whether that attack hits or misses, the death knight may mark that target. The mark lasts until the end of the death knight’s next turn. In addition, whenever an adjacent enemy shifts, the death knight makes a melee basic attack against that enemy (as an immediate interrupt).
Second Wind(Healing) • Encounter
The death knight spends a healing surge and regains 66 hit points. The death knight gains a +2 bonus to all defenses until the start of its next turn.
Skills Religion 18
Alignment Evil Languages Common
Str 20 (+13) Dex 12 (+9) Wis 11 (+8)
Con 18 (+12) Int 13 (+9) Cha 14 (+10)
Equipment plate armor, light shield.
The death knight possesses a sense of humor so subtle many people miss it. As such, of someone asks Immanuel “Can you tell us about the undead?” it will respond with a simple “Yes.”
Unlike a standard oracle, Immanuel is willing to discuss the questions and the issues with people petitioning it. However, eliciting a positive reaction from the death knight will require a successful Diplomacy skill roll. A failure means the death knight will not engage in conversation and answer Consult Oracle questions no more than it absolutely has to, while a successful roll will result in Immanuel being positively chatty.
It does want to truly die and it does want to hear about its family, unfortunately the city will not willingly let it go and there is nothing to tell it about its family.
The death knight is bound by the iron coffin and cannot use its powers, except its capacity to serve as an oracle.
If the PCs free Immanuel, it will not attack them but will defend itself if attacked. However, its sense of duty is so great it will return to its coffin and close it after it once it is inside, even if the PCs tell it about what happened to its family. Its situation makes it miserable, but it truly believes duty has no end.
