The Shattered Spire
A Lich's Legacy
A haunted wizard's tower. A half-completed phylactery with a will of its own. An apprentice consumed by the very evil she tried to destroy. Your party has three days.
The Campaign Hook
How the adventure begins — and why the party can't refuse.
The wizard Aldric Greymoor vanished seven years ago. His apprentice, Velna Ashward, was supposed to seal his tower and deliver his research to the Arcane Consortium. She did neither.
Now the tower — once a gleaming needle of white stone on the cliffs above Thornhaven— has gone dark. Livestock near the base are found drained of life. Strange lights pulse behind the upper windows at midnight. And last week, a shepherd stumbled into the village tavern clutching a bone wand that spoke to him in Aldric's voice:
“She is unmaking me. She is unmaking everything. The fifth floor. The mirror. Break the mirror before the new moon.”
The new moon is in three days.
The village elder, Maren Dunwood, is offering 200 gold pieces and a parcel of farmland to anyone brave enough to enter the Shattered Spire. What she hasn't told the party: her daughter was Velna's childhood friend, and she fears Velna is not the villain — she's the victim.
The Twist (DM Eyes Only)
Aldric Greymoor was not a benevolent scholar. He was a lich in the making, and his “research” was a phylactery ritual. Velna discovered the truth and tried to destroy his work — but the half-completed phylactery has taken on a will of its own, slowly possessing her. The party must decide: destroy Velna to stop the phylactery, find a way to separate her from it, or risk the phylactery completing its purpose and birthing a new lich.
Non-Player Characters
Three central figures, each with their own agenda. None are quite what they seem.
Velna Ashward
Human Wizard (Necromancy), age 28
Chaotic Neutral → Chaotic Evil (under phylactery influence)
Appearance
Gaunt, with dark circles under sharp green eyes. Her left hand is blackened to the elbow — necrotic corruption spreading from the phylactery shard embedded in her palm. She wears Aldric's old robes, now too large for her thinning frame. Her auburn hair is streaked with white.
Personality Traits
- ✦Brilliant but increasingly erratic. Alternates between lucid desperation and cold, calculating menace.
- ✦Bites her lip until it bleeds when fighting the phylactery's influence.
- ✦Still uses polite academic language even when threatening violence ("I would strongly advise you reconsider, colleagues").
Motivation
Velna wants to destroy the phylactery but has failed every attempt. She's now convinced the only way to prevent it from completing is to keep it bound to herself — even as it consumes her. She fears what happens if she dies while bonded to it.
Secret (DM Only)
She has already died once. The phylactery resurrected her three months ago. She doesn't know if she's still truly alive.
Maren Dunwood
Human Commoner (Noble background), age 62
Lawful Good
Appearance
Silver-haired, straight-backed, with calloused hands that betray a life of manual labor despite her noble bearing. Wears a faded blue shawl embroidered with protective sigils — a gift from Aldric, years ago.
Personality Traits
- ✦Speaks slowly and deliberately, as if every word is a stone being placed in a wall.
- ✦Never raises her voice. Her anger manifests as terrifying quiet.
- ✦Keeps a locket with portraits of her daughter (Sera) and Velna as children.
Motivation
Maren knows more than she lets on. Her daughter Sera was Aldric's first test subject for the phylactery ritual — she died two years before his disappearance. Maren has been waiting for someone strong enough to enter the tower and either save Velna or avenge Sera.
Secret (DM Only)
The "protective sigils" on her shawl are actually binding runes that Aldric gave her. If placed on the phylactery mirror, they weaken it significantly (AC drops by 5, Reflective Curse suppressed). She reveals this only if trusted (DC 15 Persuasion, or if they mention Sera).
The Echo of Aldric Greymoor
Human Lich (incomplete) — disembodied consciousness
Neutral Evil
Appearance
No physical form. Manifests as whispers from bone fragments, spectral afterimages in mirrors, and occasionally a translucent figure — a tall, thin man with a neatly trimmed beard and eyes like empty lanterns.
Personality Traits
- ✦Unfailingly polite and professorial, even when describing horrific things.
- ✦Refers to his own death as "an interruption in my research."
- ✦Genuinely believes his pursuit of lichdom was a moral act — he wanted to preserve knowledge forever.
Motivation
Aldric wants the phylactery to complete. He doesn't care about Velna — she's merely a vessel. He will try to manipulate the party into destroying Velna (freeing the phylactery to seek a new host) while pretending to be an ally.
Secret (DM Only)
He's lying about the mirror. Breaking it won't destroy the phylactery — it will release it. The real solution: remove the shard from Velna's hand (DC 18 Medicine or Lesser Restoration at 3rd level) and submerge it in holy water while speaking the name of his first victim: Sera Dunwood.
Treasure Table
Ten items scattered across the Shattered Spire. Some are valuable, some are useful, and some will ruin your day.
Greymoor's Reading Spectacles
MundaneFloor 1Gold-rimmed half-moon glasses. Grants advantage on Investigation checks to decipher written text. Worth 25 gp to a collector.
Dust of Dryness (3 pellets)
MagicalFloor 2Standard item per DMG. Found in a shattered display case on Floor 2.
Vial of Coagulated Shadows
Mundane (Reagent)Floor 3A stoppered crystal vial containing liquid darkness. Worth 50 gp. If poured, creates a 5-ft square of dim light for 1 hour.
Wand of the Apprentice
Magical (Uncommon)Floor 2A slender yew wand with a crack. Functions as an Arcane Focus. 1/day reroll a failed spell attack. Whispers "insufficient" in Aldric's voice on a second miss.
The Shepherd's Bone Wand
CursedFloor 5Aldric's finger bone. Functions as a Wand of Magic Detection. Curse: attuned wielder hears Aldric's whispered commentary — increasingly critical and manipulative. Requires Remove Curse.
Sera's Locket
Quest ItemFloor 3Silver locket with two portraits: Sera and Velna as children. Shown to Maren → reveals binding runes. Shown to Velna → advantage on phylactery saves for 1 hour.
Cloak of Lingering Warmth
Magical (Uncommon)Floor 3Heavy wool cloak radiating comfort. Cold resistance. 1/long rest: cast Gentle Repose without components. Found draped over a chair as if Aldric just stepped away.
Mirror Shard
CursedFloor 4Reflects Aldric's face instead of the holder's. Curse: sleeping with it requires DC 13 Wis save or Aldric invades dreams to learn plans and secrets.
Spellbook of Aldric Greymoor
Magical (Rare)Floor 5Contains: Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Gentle Repose, Magic Circle, Speak with Dead, Vampiric Touch, plus 1d4 spells (levels 1-3). Margins filled with notes about "the threshold between life and legacy."
Phylactery Shard
Cursed (Artifact)Floor 5Embedded in Velna's palm. If removed, seeks a new host within 1 hour (DC 15 Dex to avoid). New host: DC 16 Cha save each dawn or lose 1 Charisma. Destroyed by holy water + speaking Sera Dunwood's name.
Encounter Descriptions
Two set-piece battles designed for tension, tactics, and meaningful choices.
The Foyer of Restless Service
Floor 1 · Medium Difficulty (Adjusted CR 4) · 4 Players, Level 3-4
The tower's ground floor was once an elegant receiving hall. Now the furniture is overturned, the chandelier hangs at a broken angle, and the air smells of dust and old copper. Four figures in servants' livery stand motionless around the room — Aldric's household staff, killed and raised as undead.
Enemies
Terrain
Tactics
- R1Servants don't attack immediately. One rasps: “Master Greymoor is not receiving visitors.” If the party doesn't leave, they attack on initiative.
- R2-3Zombies block the staircase. Fight in pairs, attempting to grapple spellcasters.
- R4+When the last zombie drops, Corwin materializes. Uses Life Drain on nearest martial character. Below 10 HP, flees upward: “She knows you're here now.”
Rewards
75 XP per zombie, 200 XP for Corwin · Treasure #1 (Spectacles) and #3 (Shadow Vial) found on this floor
The Mirror's Last Defense
Floor 5 · Hard Difficulty (Adjusted CR 6) · 4-5 Players, Level 4-5
The top floor is a single circular chamber, open to the sky through a shattered dome. At the center stands a full-length mirror in a frame of blackened silver — the Soul Anchor. It doesn't reflect the room. Instead it shows Aldric's study as it was seven years ago, with Aldric himself sitting at his desk, smiling.
Enemies
Mirror Properties
Resolution Options
Option A — Break the Mirror (Aldric's Plan)
3d8 necrotic explosion (DC 14 Con half). Shard goes dormant 24h, then reactivates. Delays the problem but doesn't solve it.
Option B — Remove the Shard (True Solution)
DC 18 Medicine or 3rd-level Lesser Restoration. Then submerge in holy water + speak “Sera Dunwood.” Permanently destroys the phylactery.
Option C — Velna's Sacrifice
Velna walks into the mirror, trapping herself and the phylactery permanently. Bittersweet — village saved, Velna gone. Maren is devastated.
Rewards
450 XP for the encounter · Treasure #9 (Spellbook), #10 (Phylactery Shard if removed) · 200 gp bounty + Treasure #7 (Cloak) from Maren
The Shattered Spire
A five-floor wizard's tower, room by room. Each floor escalates tension toward the final confrontation.
The Receiving Hall
30 ft. diameter, 15 ft. ceiling · Dim (shuttered windows)
Read Aloud
Once elegant, now a mausoleum of broken hospitality. A grand oak table lies on its side, plates still set for a dinner seven years past. The chandelier hangs by a single chain, crystals tinkling in a draft from nowhere. Four figures in moth-eaten livery stand at attention around the room, their eyes milky and vacant.
Main Door: Heavy oak, swollen shut (DC 10 Strength).
Staircase: Stone spiral, northwest corner, ascending all floors.
Fireplace:Hidden compartment (DC 14 Investigation) — Treasure #1 and a journal fragment about Aldric's true nature.
The Dinner Table: Set for five. DC 12 History: silverware bears the Arcane Consortium crest — Aldric was entertaining peers the night something went wrong.
The Library of Whispers
30 ft. diameter, 12 ft. ceiling · Darkness (no windows)
Read Aloud
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line every wall, but half the books have crumbled to dust. The air is thick with old paper and something acrid — alchemical reagents left to rot. A reading desk sits in the center, covered in open books pinned down with bone paperweights. Whispers emanate from the walls — fragments of Aldric's voice, reading aloud in an endless, droning loop.
The Whispers: 10+ minutes without ear protection → DC 11 Wis save or 1 exhaustion level.
Reading Desk:Treasure #2. Research journal on “Project Threshold” — DC 13 Arcana reveals the ritual requires a willing sacrifice (it was not willing).
Hidden Shelf: DC 15 Investigation — Treasure #4 and an unsent letter from Velna to the Consortium, begging for help. Dated five years ago.
Aldric's Echo: May manifest here (see NPC #3). Encourages the party toward the mirror.
The Laboratory
30 ft. diameter, 12 ft. ceiling · Faint green glow (residual magic)
Read Aloud
Glass apparatus lines the walls — distillation coils, alembics, and devices with no obvious purpose, all coated in a faintly luminescent green residue. The center of the room is dominated by a stone slab with leather restraints. The restraints have been used recently — the leather is worn smooth and stained dark. A chalk circle on the floor, partially scuffed, surrounds the slab.
The Slab: DC 12 Medicine: stains from at least three people over years. DC 14 Arcana: incomplete soul-binding circle.
Reagent Shelves: Mostly destroyed. Treasure #3 found intact.
Velna's Cot:Narrow cot in the corner. Under the pillow: Treasure #6 (Sera's Locket) and a charcoal sketch of Sera and Velna as teenagers, laughing.
Trap — Warding Glyph: Doorway to Floor 4 is trapped. DC 14 to spot, DC 14 Dex save or 3d8 thunder damage. Dispel Magic or DC 16 Arcana to disarm.
Velna's Sanctum
25 ft. diameter, 10 ft. ceiling · Candlelight (dozens of floating candles)
Read Aloud
This is where Velna lives now. The room is a paradox — half organized study, half desperate chaos. One side features neatly shelved notes, a writing desk with quill and ink, and a small shrine to Mystra. The other side is covered in frantic charcoal scrawl: diagrams, equations, and the words "NOT YET NOT YET NOT YET" written over and over in increasingly unsteady handwriting.
Velna: Present here if not encountered earlier. See NPC #1 for dialogue.
Research Notes:DC 13 Arcana — Velna identified the holy water method but is missing the name of Aldric's first victim. She doesn't know it was Sera.
Shrine to Mystra: Contains a flask of holy water (enough for the ritual). Radiates faint abjuration.
The Scrawl Wall:DC 11 Insight — handwriting shifts between two styles: Velna's neat script and something angular, harsh. Aldric bleeding through.
Treasure #8 (Mirror Shard) sits on the desk, wrapped in cloth. Velna warns against touching it.
The Observatory (The Mirror Chamber)
25 ft. diameter, open dome (20 ft. to broken rim) · Moonlight and silver glow from the Soul Anchor
Read Aloud
The dome above is shattered, open to the sky. Wind moans through the gap, carrying the smell of ozone and old death. The floor is inscribed with a massive arcane circle — silver inlay in black stone, still faintly pulsing with power. At the center stands the mirror: seven feet tall, framed in blackened silver carved with screaming faces. Its surface doesn't reflect the room. Instead, it shows a warm, lamplit study — and the smiling face of Aldric Greymoor, watching. Waiting.
The Soul Anchor Mirror:See Encounter 2. The adventure's climax.
Arcane Circle: Amplifies necrotic magic — +1d4 necrotic damage within. Benefits Reflections and clever necromancer PCs.
Shattered Dome: Open sky. Flying entry/exit possible. Wind imposes disadvantage on ranged attacks past 30 ft.
Aldric's Desk (in reflection): Touching the mirror reveals a list of names. Sera Dunwood is first. Eleven others follow. Evidence of his crimes.
Treasure #5 (Bone Wand) found on the floor near the mirror, under a broken telescope.
Weekly Plot Hook Email
This is what Journeyman and Archmage subscribers receive each week — personalized to their active campaign.
Hail, Dungeon Master.
Your party recently survived The Shattered Spireand saved (or failed to save) Thornhaven. Here's a thread to pull in your next session:
This Week's Hook: “The Debt Collector”
Two weeks after the tower incident, a representative of the Arcane Consortium arrives in Thornhaven. Lethis Vane — a tall, severe tiefling in immaculate gray robes with a ledger chained to her wrist.
She's not here to thank the party. Aldric Greymoor had an outstanding debt: seven years of unpaid dues plus damages for “unauthorized soul manipulation research.” Total: 12,000 gold pieces.
And since the party “claimed” the tower by clearing it... the debt falls to them.
Where This Goes
- ✦Lethis offers an alternative: work off the debt with three Consortium tasks (three full adventure modules).
- ✦Task 1: Retrieve a stolen grimoire from a black-market dealer in port city Velundra.
- ✦Task 2: Investigate a Consortium member suspected of Aldric-like research.
- ✦Task 3: Escort a fragile artifact through bandit-infested territory.
Quick NPC: Lethis Vane
- Personality: Precisely polite. Uses contracts like spells.
- Quirk:Takes meticulous notes on everything. “For the record.”
- Motivation:Prevent another Aldric situation. The debt is real, but it's also recruitment.
Roll well,
— The ScrollMage Familiar
Session Pacing Notes
A minute-by-minute guide to keep your sessions tight, dramatic, and on schedule.
Session 1: The Hook and the Foyer (2.5–3 hours)
Session 1 Cliffhanger
As the party clears Floor 3, they hear Velna's voice from above — either calling for help or warning them to leave. End on that ambiguity.
Session 2: The Confrontation (2.5–3 hours)
General DM Tips
- ✦Watch for analysis paralysis on Floor 4.Velna's situation has no clean answer. If debate exceeds 20 minutes, have Velna push: “The new moon is tomorrow night. Decide.”
- ✦The Mirror fight should feel urgent, not grindy. If Reflections trivialize it, have the mirror crack and pulse — visual cue that time is running out.
- ✦Reward creative solutions. Detect Thoughts on Aldric's Echo? Say yes and make it matter.
- ✦Emotional beats > combat balance.The locket. Velna's cracking voice. Aldric dropping his facade. These are what players remember. Protect those moments from mechanical interruption.
- ✦End strong. If Velna walks into the mirror, describe her looking back one last time. If the phylactery is destroyed, describe the tower shuddering, the lights dying, and silence — real silence — for the first time in seven years.
Generated by ScrollMage
Ready to Generate Your Own?
This sample demonstrates Archmage-tier output quality. Every element — NPCs, encounters, treasure, locations, pacing — is session-ready with zero additional prep.