Nightmare Keep is a 2nd-edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure module for the Forgotten Realms.
- "Oh, look, an underground labyrinth filled with treasure. No one who's gone in ever came out alive. Gosh, we've never seen that before, oh no." (Stifled yawn.)
What they say early on in Nightmare Keep:
- "Hold it! What's going on? Oh, yucccch! We're getting out! This way, this way! What's that? Oh, no!"
Halfway through Nightmare Keep:
- "Okay. If we stick close and look sharp and don't act stupid, I think we might get out of this alive."
At the climax of Nightmare Keep:
- "Oh no. Oh no."
A would-be conqueror is raising hordes of undead insects beneath Wolover's Keep in the Veilstone Peaks. This evil being was once a lich, a powerful undead wizard... but that was not enough. Now something strange exists beneath the Keep, something repellent – and strong beyond measure.
Nightmare Keep: for the AD&D game adventurer with courage, a strong stomach, and superior firepower. This adventure is set near northwestern Cormyr in the Forgotten Realms, but it fits easily into any ongoing high-level campaign.Description[]
Nightmare Keep is set within the Veilstone Peaks, located to the northwest of Cormyr, approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of the Farsea Marshes. This narrative unfolds subsequent to the Time of Troubles and follows the demise of the deity Bane.
Synopsis[]
Icelia, a member of the Witches of Rashemen, harbored ambitions to expand her control across the globe. Currently in exile, her unquenchable thirst for power has transformed her into a demilich. Within the confines of her concealed tower, Icelia has cultivated an army of horrors, poised to be unleashed imminently.
The player characters are convened by Balko Verdemeer, a delegate of King Azoun IV of Cormyr, following the discovery of a malevolent, unusual insect near the Veilstone Peaks, alongside the disfigured remains of a man and a horse. King Azoun IV commissions the party to ascertain the existence of additional such insects and to eradicate them, offering substantial rewards in gold and land. No adventurer tasked with this quest has returned from the Peaks thus far.
In their investigation, the party traverses the impoverished settlements surrounding the Veilstone Peaks, where they encounter whispers of the benevolent sorcerer Amry Wolover and the nearby fortress known as Wolover's Keep, from which Wolover has been conspicuously absent. Their exploration leads them to the tower, where they confront various monsters and encounter an enigmatic orange mist in the subterranean levels.
Their journey takes them to a vast cavern characterized by serrated walls and inhabited by bats. A stone bridge spans over an underground lake, and as they navigate this somber maze, the fate of some who ventured before them becomes apparent.
Pushing further into the depths, the party discovers the remnants of other ill-fated adventurers and encounters a haughty survivor, who reluctantly exchanges information. This section of the labyrinth, permeated with the stench of decay and inhabited by hostile insects, oozes, shadows, and the undead, gradually reveals the malevolent intentions of Icelia and her method of executing them.
In the labyrinth's deepest level, the party enters the colossal, petrified remains of an enormous creature, its interior a network of ducts and organs filled with bizarre fluids. Here, they encounter the tormented spirit of Amry Wolover, who unveils the full extent of Icelia's atrocities and the genesis of her blasphemous legion. The culminating challenge faces the party against the demilich Icelia and her spectral ally Zhorach.
Contents[]
- Introduction
- Prologue: Flies and Lizards
- Chapter 1: Squirrels and Wasps
- Chapter 2: Goldfish and Turtles
- Chapter 3: Leeches and Butterflies
- Chapter 4: Spiders and Worms
- New Magic: Rod of Immobile Insects
- New Monster: Lichling
Index[]
Characters[]
- Amry Wolover • Arlin Wolover • Balko Verdemeer • Cord Shoddar • Culhane Ohna • Eveneye • Garf • Hakem • Hurcol Nirimor • Icelia • Jharold the Chosen • Jenzen • Kharla • Lenzmin Tier • Lorris Larr • Lynce • Terrett • Xamine • Zhorach
- Referenced only
- Azoun Obarskyr IV • Laudan Wolover
Creatures[]
- banshee • black pudding • bream • brown mold • butterfly • canary • chicken • cockroach • demilich • elf • fire elemental • fly (insect) • flying glass skeleton • frog • ghost • ghost bat • giant leech • giant slug • giant squirrel • glass golem • goat • goldfish • gray ochre ooze • heart spider • horse • human • hydra • juju zombie • killer mimic • leech • lichling • lichling servitor • living web • lizard • loach • lurker above • megalocentipede • minnow • muck-man • piercer • pike • purple worm • red wasp • scrags • shadow • spectre • tube worm • umber hulk • worm • wraith • zombie dragon turtle
- Referenced only
- alligator • eagle • giant centipede • lich • owl • tunnel worm • zombie
Locations[]
- Settlements
- Anster • Bedford • Garnerr • Hetchit • Melcher • Redronde • Terrinton
- Buildings & Sites
- "King" Jenzen's home • Roster of the Dead • Wolover's Keep
- Wilderness
- Farsea Marshes • Veilstone Peaks
- Bodies of Water
- Doff's Lake • Lilac Pond
- Regions
- Cormyr
- Referenced only
- Rashemen
Organizations[]
- Purple Dragons • Sons of Stone • Witches of Rashemen
- Referenced only
- King's Agricultural Council
Magic[]
- Magic Armor
- Silver Shield of Cormyr
- Magic Accessories
- amulet of life protection • necklace of missiles • ring of jumping • ring of warmth
- Wands
- rod of immobile insects • wand of lightning
- Potions
- beaker of plentiful potions • potion of healing
- Spells
- charm person • continual light • curse • dancing lights • death ray • destroy water • fireball • firetrap • gate • hold person • magic jar • magic mouth • permanent illusion • polymorph • putrefy food and drink • trap the soul • wall of force • wizard lock
- Referenced only
- Stonesplitter
Other[]
- Weapons
- axe • club • dagger • javelin • mace • scimitar • short sword • spear • staff
- Armor
- chainmail • chest plate • shield
- Accessories
- amulet • bracelet • medalion • ring
- Clothing
- boots • cloak • robe • shirt • trousers • tunic • waistcoat
- Gems
- amethyst • diamond • emerald • turquoise • onyx • opal • pearl • ruby • sapphire
- Materials
- burlap • canvas • cellulose • clay • copper • cotton • fool's gold • gold • granite • ivory • iron • marble • parchment • silk • silver • velvet • wax
- Vegetation
- algae birch • oak • seaweed • strangleweed
- Food & Drink
- apple • black cookie • grape • green cookie • herb • pea • potato • raspberry wine • wine
- Works
- Chickens: From the Egg to the Dinner Table • The Gentleman Farmer • Merk's Guide to Animal Husbandry • Modern Alchemical Fertilizer Techniques
- Miscellaneous
- book • button • candle • fishing pole • manure • megalocentipede venom • pencil • scissors • soap • substance 2C/XA • substance S3/A • violin
- Referenced only
- amber • charcoal • cracker • cinnamon • egg • honey • lilac • mint • oat • orange • vinegar • sugar • sulfur
Notes[]
- ↑ The only clue of when the adventure takes place is Azoun Obarskyr IV as he is mentioned by name as the current monarch of Cormyr.
Gallery[]
Credits[]
- Design: Rick Swan
- Editing: Allen Varney
- Cartography: Dennis Kauth
- Keylining: Paul Hanchette
- Typesetting: Tracey Zamagne
- Cover Art: Brom
- Interior Art: Valerie Valusek, Terry Dykstra
Appendix[]
See Also[]
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
References[]
- ↑ Shannon Appelcline. FA2 Nightmare Keep (2e). Dungeon Masters Guild. Retrieved on 2015-06-28.