Revenge of the Corpse Lord: A 4th Level Adventure for 5th Edition

Long ago, a powerful necromancer made his lair in the Stonespire Mountains on the eastern coast of Arden. From this dark stone complex, he tormented the residents of the nearby valley by sending countless hordes of undead to attack the villages and drag back the living for horrific experiments. Eventually, the necromancer was slain by a group of adventurers and sealed away beneath the mountains in the very complex he once called home. Over time, the people of the valley forgot the necromancer, stories of him becoming nothing more than myths told to frighten small children into behaving. He would have stayed forgotten too if not for the monks of the abbey of St. Cadius.

Each year, the abbot of the abbey takes a trip to the tallest peak in the Stonespire Mountains. There, he holds a brief ceremony honoring those who have fallen in service to Odis as St. Cadius once did. This year, however, a terrible storm set upon him as he traveled and he was forced to seek shelter along the way. Spotting a narrow cave entrance, the abbot entered to escape the storm. As he explored deeper, he discovered an overgrown stone door at the back of the cave. Curiosity got the better of him and he forced open the door revealing the necromancer's lair for the first time in centuries. As the abbot delved deeper into the unknown, he activated latent arcane wards that the necromancer had put in place in case of his demise. Specters of the dead quickly overtook the abbot and their his force was used to raise up the necromancer once again.

Now, the necromancer plots his revenge. Not entirely living, and not quite dead, he exists in a state of perpetual hunger. His undead minions have begun to march on the nearby village of Rivermeet, and those who are unfortunate enough to survive the attacks find themselves dragged back into the mountains to serve as fodder for the necromancer's vile experiments... or perhaps simply fuel for his wretched existence. Desperate for salvation, the people of Rivermeet have put out a call for aid, one they hope is answered sooner rather than later.