Eberron - Rising from the Last War

(Jeff_L) #1

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LIBRARY VAULT
Map 4.9 shows a library vault maintained by the Order
of the Emerald Claw. The order collects dark materials
and forbidden magic and holds them for safekeeping in
these heavily defended locations. Each vault also func­
tions as a chapter house or a sanctuary for a local cell.

LIBRARY VAULT FEATURES
Library vaults can be found in a variety of locations.
Some of them are crypts or dungeons secreted away
underground, while others are hidden in plain sight
inside a home or a business. Whatever its specific loca­
tion, a vault is always equipped with defensive features,
some of which remain active even after the outer door
is breached.

LIBRARY VAULT ADVENTURES
The Library Vault Adventures table outlines some possi­
bilities for adventure involving one of these locations.

LIBRARY VAULT ADVENTURES
d6 Adventure Goal

2

3

4

Destroy a scroll containing an incantation that allows
even non-spellcasters to animate the dead.
Steal the journal of a powerfu l necromancer that's
being held in the vault's collection.
Trade a powerful dark magic weapon in return for the
rescue of important hostages taken by the order.
Steal a suit of armor that contains the soul of a hero
slain during the Last War.
5 Search the collection for information on the Queen of
the Dead, or "Lady Ill marrow," as she is known.
6 Infiltrate the vault to get close to a new Emerald Claw
recruit, then convince them to come to their senses
and return to their family.

ORDER OF THE
EMER ALD CLAW NPCs
Given the undeniable nature of the order, villains asso­
ciated with the Emerald Claw present an opportunity to
provide characters with adversaries that are memorably
evil, and that revel in their villainy.

EMERALD CLAW NPCs
d6 NPC
Though mortal, this fanatical warrior drinks the blood
of those he slays in battle.
2 A cleric tries to convince her enemies to embrace the
order, promising eternal life through undeath.
3 A noble with sym pathies toward the order hides a
cell's library vault within the grounds of their estate.
4 A suave vampire would rather charm its enemies than
crush them in battle.
5 An artificer is obsessed with infusing necromantic
curses into their construct creations.
6 A changeling necromancer often poses as a vampire
or a mummy, even though it's still alive.

CHAPTER 4 I BUILDING EBERRON ADVENTURES

EMERALD CLAW CAMPAIGN THEMES
At low levels, adventurers can clash with Emerald Claw
skeletons and zombies. As the characters grow more
capable, the threats escalate. They might have to protect
a village from a necromancer who is sucking the life out
of the land, or race through a dungeon to acquire a nec­
romantic relic before the Claw can claim it. The Emer­
ald Claw is ideally suited to pulp action; it's a force that
is blatant in its villainy and has hordes of evil minions
to do its bidding. Defeating the schemes of the Emerald
Claw should always feel like the right thing to do.
Although many members of the Emerald Claw believe
that they are fighting for Karrnath, they are truly serving
the lich Lady Illmarrow (see chapter 6). The greatest
necromancer of the age, she seeks to unlock the secrets
of her inactive dragonmark, the Mark of Death. If she
succeeds, she could come to possess unimaginable
power. This makes her a formidable villain to drive the
action of an entire campaign.

EMERALD CLAW ADVENTURE HOOKS
The Emerald Claw Adventure Hooks table offers some
options to kick off adventures featuring the Emerald
Claw that take place outside their sanctuaries.

EMERALD CLAW ADVENTURE HOOKS
d8 NPC
What at first appears to be a renegade group of
Aundairian soldiers turn out to be undead under the
order's control.
2 The order strikes at a small keep, demanding the
inhabitants surrender a particular volume from their
library.
3

4

5

6

Investigating strange lights and sounds emanating
from a crypt in the dead of night reveals the Emerald
Claw experimenting on the corpses within.
The Emerald Claw violates graves near a small village,
animating the corpses into undead laborers to help
build an eldritch machine.
The Emerald Claw claims a village's town hall for its
own use, and any who come near are attacked. The
sounds of torture ring out from within the building.
Investigating disappearances among an elf commu­
nity reveals that the Order of the Emerald Claw has
been attempting to inscribe something like a dragon­
mark in their skin, then reanimating the failed experi­
ments as zombies.
7 While searching for a magic item in Dhakaani ruins
across southern Khorvaire, the characters discover
that Emerald Claw agents are looking for the same
thing and seem to have access to information the ad­
venturers lack.
8 A large force of Emerald Claw knights offers the char­
acters a choice: join the order, or submit themselves
to death and an eternity of servitude from beyond the
grave.
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