As the party approaches the crypt's entrance, they find themselves standing before a set of heavy, weathered stone doors engraved with faded runes. A successful DC 15 Arcana or History check might reveal that these runes are remnants of an ancient protective spell, long since weakened but still imposing.
Environment: The entry chamber beyond the doors is roughly 30 feet by 30 feet, with 10-foot-high ceilings. Dank and musty, it is dimly illuminated by a few sputtering torches affixed to the walls. The floor is covered in a thin layer of dust, undisturbed except for a path leading inward, marked by footprints of creatures unknown.
Encounters: Beneath the dust lie pressure plates that activate a series of dart traps. A passive Perception score of 14 or higher allows the characters to notice something unusual about the floor. If the players actively search for traps, a DC 13 Investigation check will reveal the pressure plates. Triggering a plate sends darts whistling through the air, requiring all characters in the area to make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d4 piercing damage on a failure or half as much on a success.
Skill Challenges: There are cracked stone archways leading deeper into the crypt, framed by delicate carvings of entwined vines. Investigating the walls with a DC 10 Nature check can provide insights into the old forest magic that was once powerful here. Encouraging this connection might give any spellcaster among the party advantage on nature-related magic while inside the crypt.
Interaction: An old wooden bench sits to one side, heaped with debris. Beneath the debris, hidden from view, is a small locked chest. Picking the lock requires a DC 14 Dexterity check with thieves' tools. Inside, the players find a Potion of Healing and a cryptic journal speaking of the relic they seek. This journal hints at challenges deeper in the crypt and refers to a 'guardian of bones.'
Once the players are ready, they can proceed through the archways to explore further into the crypt, moving into areas teeming with greater dangers and secrets.
As the characters proceed deeper into the crypt, they arrive at a large, oppressive chamber. The air here is thick with the scent of age and forgotten valor. Ancient stone sarcophagi line the walls, their faces carved with worn and almost unrecognizable figures of somber warriors.
Environment: The chamber is roughly 40 feet long and 30 feet wide, with a vaulted ceiling arching above. Faint magical light emanates from sconces on the walls, casting eerie shadows across the room. The floor is uneven, with scattered bones that crunch underfoot. A successful DC 12 Perception check might alert the players to a faint sound of shifting bones.
Encounters: At the far end of the chamber lies the remains of the crypt's guardian — a skeletal warrior clad in decaying armor. Upon the party's entry, it animates and rises to challenge them in a grating voice: "Who dares disturb the rest of the forgotten?" It wields a rusted longsword and carries a shield.
Combat: The skeletal guardian is a Skeleton (as per the SRD stats) but with a minor enhancement due to its warrior past. It has 15 HP and carries a rusting sword that inflicts an extra 1 point of damage due to ancient enchantments still lingering.
Tactics: The guardian fights until destroyed but prioritizes attacking spellcasters first, focusing on those it perceives as weak or significant threats to its duty.
Treasure: Upon defeating the guardian, a hidden compartment within the largest sarcophagus opens, revealing a silver amulet embossed with a tree motif. This amulet provides resistance to necrotic damage while worn.
Additionally, a DC 15 Investigation check around the sarcophagi might reveal a series of ancient engravings indicating the existence of a secret door, leading further into the depths of the crypt.
Moving cautiously through the revealed secret door, the adventurers step into a narrow, seemingly never-ending corridor known as the Hall of Echoes. The very walls of this hallway seem to breathe with whispered secrets from the past, creating a sense of hesitation and disquiet among the party.
Environment: The corridor stretches for about 50 feet and is only 10 feet wide. The sound in this place is unnaturally distorted, causing whispered echoes to be misleading and confusing. The walls are marked with ancient glyphs that pulse faintly with an otherworldly light, their meanings obscured by age and time.
Skill Challenges: Every few moments, characters can hear faint, echoing whispers calling them by name or speaking of long-suppressed fears. Each player must succeed at a DC 13 Wisdom (Insight) saving throw or fall into a frightened state. Those who fail become unnerved, eager to flee back down the corridor for 1 minute or until they succeed on a subsequent saving throw at the end of their turns.
Attempting to understand the whispers with a successful DC 15 Arcana or Religion check allows a character to sift through the confusion, revealing that these echoes are remnants of past visitors ensnared by the crypt’s magic.
Encounters: As the players make their way through, a DC 16 Perception check will alert them to a hidden alcove along one wall. Peering inside reveals a spectral keeper who emerges, manifesting to protect the crypt’s depths. The party must confront this incorporeal being, which serves to heighten their fears (use Ghost stats with modified HP for a level-appropriate challenge).
Resolution: Successfully navigating the Hall of Echoes by either defeating the spectral keeper or resisting its effects imparts glimpses of the crypt's history, glimpses that can provide a crucial hint about the nature of the relic they seek.
Successfully calming the whispering voices can bring a sense of calm among the group, granting advantage on Wisdom saving throws for the next challenge they face.
The adventurers finally reach the heart of the crypt, a magnificent chamber that feels like a world apart from the somber corridors that led them here. The Heart of the Forest Shrine is bathed in ethereal light, with vines and roots that have broken through the stone to reclaim the space.
Environment: The chamber is circular, and its walls are covered in vibrant, luminescent moss. In the center, atop a raised stone dais, sits the "Heart of the Forest" — a pulsating orb of emerald light suspended within an intricate lattice of roots and branches, seemingly floating in mid-air.
Encounters: As the players approach, the defensive wards of the shrine become activated. The air shimmers with arcane energy, manifesting as a magical barrier around the dais. This barrier can only be dispelled by solving the puzzle inscribed on the floor: a series of interconnected druidic runes.
Puzzle Challenge: The floor is marked with a complex pattern of stones, each bearing a rune representing an aspect of nature (e.g., fire, water, earth, air, life, and decay). To disable the barrier, characters must arrange the runes in their proper elemental cycle. This requires a combined DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) check from the group. Using druidic knowledge or magical insight will grant advantage on this check.
Magic Barrier: For every failed attempt, the barrier retaliates with a burst of psychic energy. Characters must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 psychic damage. Success on this saving throw reduces the damage by half.
Resolution: Once the puzzle is solved, the barrier dissipates, and the party can finally reach the Heart of the Forest. Touching the orb instills a vision of the forest rejuvenated, underscoring the purpose of their quest.
Treasure: Along with the orb, the dais holds several items half-buried under the roots: a Ring of Protection, a Wand of the War Mage (+1), and an Amulet of Natural Armor.
Conclusion: With the "Heart of the Forest" in their possession, the adventurers have the means to restore life to the Whispering Woods. Their success is celebrated by the villagers of Windhaven, ensuring that the heroes' deeds will echo through the ages as a testament to their courage and perseverance.