~

RQl For 4-6 players, levels l - ~

ADVENTURE
 

Introduction ......................... .2
Part I: The Swamp .................... .6
Part II: Marais dTarascon ............... 13
Part 111: Lair of the Zombie Lord.......... 7
Center Pull-outs:
Hyskosa’s Scrol l .................... 15
Marcel Tara scon, Zombie Lord ......... 16
Je an Tarascon, Madman .............. 17
Clues ............................. 18
Maps:
Marais dTarascon . . . . . . nside Front Cover
Zombie Lo rds Lair ...... nside Back Cover
Souragne ........................... 5

CREDITS
c Design: Bill Slavicsek
Editing: Andria Hayday
Cover Art: Robh Ruppel
Interior Art: Ste phen Fabian
Graph ic Design: Roy E. Pa rker
Carto graph y: David C. Suth erl and 111
Typesetting: Tracey Zamagne
Production: Sarah Feggestad
Playtesting: Paul Balsa mo, Jo hn Hardy, Curtis
Mars, Rich Oderm att, Sco tt Trantel
Special Thanks: Bruce Nesmith, Thom as Reid

TSR, nc. TSR Ltd.

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Lake Geneva Cherry Hinton
WI 53147 Cambridge CBl3LB
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ADVANCED DUNGEONS E DRAGONS s a registered trademark owned by TSR, hc.

RAVENLOFT and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, nc.
O1992 TSR, nc. All Rights Resewed. Printed in the U.S.A.
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language products of TSR, Inc. Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.
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ISBN 1-56076-350-7 LAKEGENEVA, i’\ fi” 9352


ree branches claw acros s the
window pane, lights flicker as th e
storm intensifies, and th e wind
wails like a banshee in th e night.
The hour of fear is once again upon
us, calling us back to the s hores of
Ravenloft for ano the r terrifying
adventure. Are you ready to enter
th e demiplan e of dread ?
This is an adve nture for four to
six players with cha racte rs of 1st to
3rd level. A good mix of cha racte rs
is required to survive th e events
which unfold herein. A cleric is
essential. Further, the party’s
experience levels should total at
least nine.
Be forewarned Th e
RAVENLOFT” campaign setting is no pla ce for
the weak or squeamish. We have done our
utmost to m ake this adventure suitable for
starting-level characters, but the denizens of
th e de miplane remain ready, willing, and eager
to e nd heroic caree rs before they’ve even had a
cha nce t o begin. Do you and your players still
wish to continue? Then st ep forward and enter
the Mists. . .
for the OM
he mate rial th at follows is for the DM only.
I T Players should s to p reading now
s DM, you should read t he enti re
adventure at least once before attempting t o
run it for your gami ng group. The players and
their char acter s should enjoy being surprised
and mystified during ga me play; you should
not . You n eed t o know what’s happening in
order to best utilize pacing, tension, an d
mood -the pri me el em ents of any RAVENLOFT
adventure. The better you pr epare, the better
you an d your players will enjoy the gaming
session.
This is an introductory-level adventure,
designed specifically t o open t he demiplane to
new players, new characters, or both. That
doesn’t mean t he adventure is a ca ke walk-far
from it. If the PCs try to go toe-to-toewith every
menac e that awaits them without first finding
out all they can and preparing themselves
thoroughly, then feel free to show them the
error of their ways.
Night ofthe Walking Dead tak es place in
Souragne (pronounced so0 RAW n y a , a n island
dom ain first int rod uce d in th e RAVENLOFT
boxed set. (See Chapter XII, “Islands of Terror.”)
Don’t reveal this t o your players. T hey shoul d
discover where the adventure ta kes place
through the actions of their characters.
Storg Background
arais d’Tarascon is a small village on the
M southeastern edge of Souragne’s great
wamp. Pierre Tarascon founded th e
village m any generations ag o to supp ort his
vast plantation (no one can r emem ber exactly
how old the sett lement is but it has existed at
least two centuries). Today th e village is fairly
prosperous, and the Tarascon family still runs
th e nearby plantation. But nothing escapes th e
shado ws forever in th e demipl ane of d read.
Recently a da rkness has descen ded u pon
Marais d’ Tarascon.
Until three weeks ago , th e Tarascon
plantation was administered by Marcel and
Je an Tarascon, twin brothers and t he direct
desce ndant s of Pierre. Both brothers were
formally in charge, but it was Je an who sp ent
his days running the family business. Marcel
was too intrigued with h is family’s past t o offer
much help to Je an . Years ago , Marcel found
Pierre Tarascon’s tat ter ed journal locked in an
old trunk. After reading th e journal, Marcel
could not sto p thinking of th e details within.
Pierre’s words paint ed a picture of th e early
days in Marais dTarascon . Moreover, they told of
a str ange visitor named Hyskosa, whom Pierre
had befriended. According to Pierre, Hyskosa
was a famous Vistani seer whose visions of t he
future w e r e remarkably acc urat e, especially
since most gypsy seers were then (as now)

women. The last entry to mention Hyskosa told
of his most powerful revelation, a prescience
called the Six Signs. The journal did not
descr ibe th e vision in detail , but Marcel’s
forefather did record a tantalizing notation: that
th e Vistani had left behind a scroll on which the
vision was record ed. Pierre hid the scroll, but
the journal did not say where.
As years pass ed, Marcel became increasingly
obsess ed with finding that scroll. H e was sur e it
contained the secrets of power and immortality.
The demip lane fueled his obsession, filling
Marcel’s drea ms with visions of the power he
craved, night after night.
J ea n an d Marcel had a broth er, Luc, nearly
15 years youn ger. (Their mot her died giving
birth t o him.) Luc was exceedingly devoted to
Marcel. A few mo nt hs a go, Luc joined Marcel in
his quest to find th e scroll of Hyskosa. Luc
cared nothing for power or visions of t he futur e,
but h e idolized Marcel and wanted to help his
brother in any way he could. Jean attempted to
sway the m both. H e warned Marcel tha t his
obsess ion would lead to nothing but despair
and d eath. J ea n did not, however, foresee how
truly horrid the fu ture would become.
Thr ee weeks a go , Luc saw a Vistani wagon
parked o n a road just outside the village, and
he paid a youn g gypsy name d Valana t o tell h i s
future. S he recited a cryptic verse which guided
Luc to a hidden passage at th e edge of the
village. T he pass age led into the old cemetery.
Together Luc and Marcel followed the tunn el
into th e ancient burial grounds. There, hidden
within a n above-ground crypt, the two brothers
found the scroll of Hyskosa.
Luc was reading t he ancient verses aloud
when zombies emerged from the shadows
between the overgrown burial chambers. As the
young m an watched in horror, the foul undead
struck down and mutilated his older brother.
Luc was shattered . The dreadful scene,
combi ned with th e knowledge that he had led
his brother t o his death, dro ve Luc into a
trancelike state. He beca me what many
inhabitants of Ravenloft call a “lost one.” (See
. ‘
“Men” in th e RAVENLOFT Monstrous
Compendium Appendix.)
As Luc stood helpless in the old cemetery,
Je an Tarascon arrived, saving young Luc from
the zombies. After driving off the undead, Jean
lifted Marcel’s mangled form and carried it
through t he cemetery’s secret passage. Luc
followed, but his vacant sta re never altere d, and
he never let go of t he scroll.
Je an took Marcel straight t o th e village
shaman, who attemp ted t o raise Marcel, but
failed. Je an cried ou t in pain and left with his
brother‘s body. The sh ama n did not und erstan d
the true outcome of his failure, but Je an did,
for his bond with his twin was strong. Instead of
regaining life, Marcel had bec ome an undead
creature of th e foulest sort . Marcel Tarascon
had b eco me a zombie lord
Je an blamed himself for the fate which had
befallen Marcel and Luc. He beca me mad-not
in th e mindless fashion of his younger brother,
but in th e way of i ntelligent fiends who
carefully hide their insanity from others. In his
twisted mind, Je an felt he still needed t o
“prote ct” his twin from the obs essio n which led
to this terrible event. (Though Je an knew
Marcel was a zombie lord, in his ma dne ss he
still felt the scroll would bring Marcel further
misery.) First, Jea n took the scroll from Luc
and hid it. Then, when he noticed t hat t he only
words Luc spok e w e r e twisted version s of the
Hyskosa scroll, he sent the youth into the
swamp. Jean promised to locate the scroll for
Marcel, swearing to searc h for it a s long as he
drew breath. Never did he reveal to Marcel that
he had hidd en it, nor did he reveal to anyone
what his brother Marcel had beco me.
Marcel now resides in the old cemetery, intent
on creating undead servants while Je an continues
to search for the scroll. For three weeks Marcel
has used his powers to kill villagers; when they
rise, they become zombies under his control.
Though Marcel does not have the scroll, he
believes that an army of undead will help him
take over this island of terror. (To date, the true
lord of Souragne has not intervened.)

The village has t o contend with more than
just Marcel, however. Je an ha s become a
murderer as well a s a madman. H e takes
victims to the zombie lord as both an offering
and a sign of his growing affection for th e
0
esp ite Marcel Tarascon’s delusion s, there
is no power to be gained by finding th e
yskosa scroll. The scroll only porten ds a
time of terror-a tim e which is fast
approaching t he demiplane of dread.
As note d above , Hyskosa was a Vistani seer
who lived mor e than two centur ies ago. At the
pe ak of his power, Hyskosa foresaw a ca tacly sm
an d th e six signs which would mark its coming.
H e wrote a cryptic and dissonant verse about
th e signs, and recorded it on many scrolls.
Throughout the rest of his life, he left copi es in
every domain h e visited. T he scrolls are often
called “The Six Signs” or “The Hex S igns of
Hyskosa.” Many of the scrolls w e r e destroyed,
but a few, like th e o ne in this adventure, still
survive. Men of power throughout Ravenloft
have sough t to unravel his verse over the years.
So me , like Marcel Tarascon, erroneously
believe the ve rse hol ds the key to untold power.
See page 15 for a copy of Hyskosa’sverse.
The first paragraph is written in a different style
than th e others. The verse end s abruptly
becau se th e pap er has b een torn away. Only
five signs remain intact; one is missing.
Each sign has been (or will be) revealed in a
separate RAVENLOFT” adventure. The first sign
of Hyskosa refers to the Crown of Souls ound in
~
Feast o Goblyns.The s econd sign was revealed
in Ship o Horror a s the child ghost of Charlotte
Stern. Th e third ca me t o pa ss in Touch o Death
with the seventh rising of the phara oh Anhktepot.
The fourth sign app ears in an adventure set in S r i
Raji (‘93 elease). The fifth sign, a lunar eclipse
which occ urs while the dead walk the land, is an
event in this adventure. (The sixth sign will be
revealed in another product.)
In Night o the Walking Dead, t h e scroll of
Hyskosa is important beca use of Marcel’s
obsession. While one of the signs does come to
pass in this adventure, the scroll has no direct
impact on the adventure’s outcome. Together
the signs foretell a future event in,Ravenloft,
which will be featured in another product.
Adwntun Sgnoprb
th e adven ture begins, th e PCs find
rnemselves lost in a sw amp (presumably in
whatever campa ign world they call
“home”). Soon t he Mists of Ravenloft transport
them into the eerie swamps of Sourag ne, where
they encoun ter a crocodile, giant frogs, and
myste rious Vistani. After days , when in all
likelihood they a re feeling hopelessly lost, the
PCs happen upo n a hou se on stilts. In the house
they me et Luc Tarascon, a young man in a
trancelike st ate , who has sever ed his link to
reality. The only clue t o thi s youth’s identity is a
book of poetry that he holds, which bears the
following inscription: “To Luc, my beloved
brother.” Th e note is signed “Marcel.”
Luc is not completely silent. From time to
time, he sp out s nonsensical rh ymes, which are
actua lly twisted verses from th e Hyskosa Scroll.
If th e PCs leave th e little ho us e, Luc follows
them. ( H e is not completely oblivious to his
surroundings.) If they wait a t Luc’s house,
Sha man Brucian arrives in two days, bringing
more food for th e young ma n, and leading
everyone back t o th e village.
During their entire journey through the
swamp, a strange st orm is building. Eventually
th e PCs reach t he small village of Marais
dTarascon, just as the storm s eems about to
break. However and whenev er they get to the
village, the PCs arrive in tim e to witness a
bizarre funeral procession in the village square.
A coffin wrapped in heavy chains is being
carted toward a nearby ceme tery. Though every
villager see ms to b e ignoring it, the PCs can
clearly hear a noise co min g from inside the
coffin, as if someone is trying t o ge t out. The
 

village adven ture (Part 11 has begun. The PCs must enter th e old cemetery to
After d ealing with the zom bie in the confront Marcel b efore th e ent ire village is
coffin-or watching th e coffin be interred-the destroyed. They must deal with zombies, rats,
PCs may try t o find some one who knows Luc, and skeleton s to reach th e zombie lords air in
or they may decide to ask questions about the the ancient Tarascon mausoleum. Can they st op
stra nge burial. Th e sto rm continues to threaten Marcel, or will the PCs be forced to submit t o
as th e PCs explore th e village a nd talk t o its the zombie lor ds will and become m ember s of
inhabitants, but no rain falls. Through his undead army? To find ou t, you must bear
investigation, th e PCs learn of the strange witn ess to th e Night of th e Walking Dead.
event s that have gripped t he village in recent
weeks. Tales of gruesome murders, mysterious
disap pearan ces, even word of th e walking
dead-all are soon whispered in the PCs’ ears. ages 15 to 18 in the center of this booklet
What’s worse, s ome one tries t o murder poor
Luc (who follows the PCs from place to place
like a faithful hound).
P contain props and references for use
uring play. To remove th em from th e
book, carefully bend the staple s open, lift th e
Before long, the PCs should deduce that the pages, and then bend the st aples back. You may
tro ubl es be gan with th e Tarascon family. By wish to photocopy the Hyskosa scroll and give
search ing Je an Tarascon’s ho use in the village, th e c‘opy t o players when their PCs discover th e
th e PCs can find the Hyskosa scroll a s well as scroll. (Or you may simply show them t hat
evidence of foul murders. From the local page, and allow them to copy th e text by hand.)
shama n, the PCs can learn of Marcel’s death Never show th e players pag e 18, the clue sheet.
roughly th ree weeks earlier. They can even That’s your gu ide to information revealed
discover that many of th e recently deceased are during the cour se of th e adventure.
becom ing zombies. This portion of the
adventure, “Marais dTarascon,” comes to an
en d when the PCs encounter the madman and
murderer that J ean Tarascon has become.
Snuffed out by th e bold player characters,
Jean’s reign of terror comes to an end.
At this point, th e player c haracte rs probably
think t he worst is over. They have a ch ance to
rest and heal. As Part 111 begins, the s torm
finally break s, batt ering th e village with large,
slimy drops of rain. From out of the storm
comes an army of shambling shapes-Marcel’s
zombies They see k th e scroll and youn g Luc,
both of which hap pen t o be in the PCs’ care
(provided, of course, th e PCs have been
successful so far).
As th e zombies attac k, Luc prattles through
his verses. H e has added a few new lines to th e
repertoire which by now is familiar to the PCs.
Luc finally reveals th e clu e which led him an d
Marcel to th e secret passage behind the
cemet ery’s hill.

Ln
he startup presented here assumes
tha t th e PCs enter Ravenloft from
ano the r realm. While a PC or two
may have heard legends about the
dem ipl ane of d rea d, ideally none of
Ithem will have visited it prior to
thi s advent ure. (The Mists of
Ravenloft should cat ch the m
Y unaware.). If your PCs have visited
th e demiplane before, or are
alrea dy in Ravenloft, adjust the
descriptions in this section
accordingly.
tarting the Adventure
M, the first thing you must do is
m a n g e for th e PCs to enter a swamp. Any
Jwamp in any realm will do, for th e Mists
of Ravenloft can penet rate even the most
distant lands. How do you arra nge this startup ?
Perhaps the PCs must cross a swamp to reach
their “true” destination. Or perhaps th e PCs are
just looking for someone or something, and
their sea rch lea ds to a swa mp. It doesn’t really
matte r how they get there: what matt ers is that
they do.
Travel through a swam p is difficult. In some
places th e water is several feet deep ,
concealing roots, pits, and even more sinister
dangers. The opening of this adventure
assu mes that t he PCs are navigating the swamp
in their original loca tion by poling a raft. If your
PCs decide t o m ake the trek o n foot, you’ll
you might arr ange for them to find a broken
and battered raft in the swamp of Souragne.)
Whatever their reason for being in the
swamp, it shouldn’t take long for the PCs to
bec ome hopelessly lost-especially with th e
help of Ravenloft’s myste rious mists . Nightfall
approaches. Describe th e scene a s follows:
Night begins to s ettle over t he swam p,
cloaking the d ense undergrowth in darkn ess
and turning th e water’s surfa ce to black.
With it come s a clinging, creepi ng fo g, rising
from the water like spectral steam. The fog
surrounds you, its dam pness caressing you
like cold, dead hands. The swamp seem s to
retreat from the mists, its sights and soun ds
disappearing into some unseen distance. All
that remai ns visible is the cold, choking fog.
Even your compan ions see m far away. For a
mome nt, everything is quiet. What few
sounds you can hear a re amplified by th e
surrou nding mists: your own breathing, your
beating heart. Then the fog begins to
dissipate, fading away as quickly a s it
appeared, leaving you and your compa nions
alone in the dismal swarm.
If the PCs react suspiciously to the
mysterious fog or ask about the swamp, each
should make a Wisdom check (l d2 0 roll).
Successful PCs noti ce th e following:
The swamp seems even darker than it did
before. The nearby trees have bec ome
twisted shadows with clawlike branches
reaching out, and a foul odor rises from the
murky water. Overhead, through th e tangled
branches, the sky also appears strange. The
sta rs have subtly changed positions, and t he
moon is closer, nearly full. Menacing cl oud s
begin to roll across th e western sky like a
curtain of black smok e. In but a few
moments, the clouds blot out the feeble
starlight completely.
A storm is brewing-a very bad storm.
The PCs may try to retrace their path a nd
fin d a way out. Of co urs e, they’ re in Ravenloft
now, and here they will stay until the demiplane
decides to release them. Though fog cloaks the
swamp, player char act ers can readily discern
that their surroundings are no longer those of
the realm they left behind.

Swamp Lneounturs
he Mists of Ravenloft have deposited the
T PCs in th e great swamp of Souragne, just
ive miles from Marais d Tarascon. The
Mists are disorienting; whatever route t he PCs
tak e, they remain lost in the swamp for four
days, often traveling in circles. O n day five,
they reach th e village (the mysterious mists
st op interfering).
While many dangers lurk in the swamp, only
a few ta ke notice of th e adventurers. This
section o utline s four swamp encounters: a
crocodile, giant frogs, a Vistani camp, and Luc
Tarascon in his “floating” house. The adventure
is designed so that o ne encounter occurs each
day. If this pacing is to o slow for your players,
you may wish to modify th e adventure and run
th e crocodile and frog encounters on the sa me
day. Or you may skip on e of those encounters
entirely, perhaps saving the other in case the
PCs return t o t he swam p later. However, the
Vistani a nd t he floating house encounters must
occur during t he two days immediately
preceding th e PCs’ arrival in Marais d
Tarascon. In any case , don’t dwell on th e time
between encount ers; proceed swiftly and
smoothly from on e day to the next.
While the PCs a re in th e swamp, the storm
(noted earlier) continues t o brew. With th e
approach of each nightfall, the sky becomes
black and boiling, yet it is strangely silent: no
thunder booms, no lightning flashes, and no
rain falls. When morning come s, the sky has
cleared somewhat, but it is still overcast, a nd
grows darker througho ut th e day. After a string
of such d ays and nights, when at last th e PCs
leave th e swamp to enter Marais dTarascon, the
storm se em s ready to break. “The Gathering
Storm” (at the end of this section) describes
that event.
It is assumed that th e PCs travel through the
swamp by day and s et ca mp at night. With th e
ever-thickening clouds overhead, it is too dark
t o navigate after nightfall, regardless of
torchlight. Even during t he day, the nature of
the swamp and the building sto rm ma ke
everything shadowy and gray.
Feel free to add events to “flesh out” th e
adventure in th e swamp. All of these
supplementary events should be atmosph ere
and tension builders-not outright combat with
more swamp creatures. For example, the PCs
may hear something slide through t he water
just beyond a nearby clump of trees. Or
perhaps something bumps up against the
bottom of their raft from time to time-and
while they’re shoving a pole into th e water to
investigate, a snake (nonpoisonous) drops ont o
the raft from the trees overhead. Paint a scene
with mood-setting adjectives, imply that danger
is imminent, and then go on with th e adventure
outlined here. Don’t reveal that nothing is really
waiting to consume the PCs. Let the players
think‘that something which they don’t fully
understand has occurred, or that their
characters have just narrowly escaped som e
dreadful event. In this way, you can enhanc e
tension and suspense without throwing wave
after wave of creatures at the player characters.
The C r d i l e
The day is dark and dismal, painted gray by
the mist an d clouds. The sun has not shown
its face since you arrived, and t he air is
clammy and cold. The water below the raft is
several feet deep. To one si de, black logs
drift lazily atop the stag nant water. To th e
other, shadows slip through the tree s and t he
underbrush, moving in time with the raft.
The eyes of the swamp are upon you.
A hungry crocodile is lurking on t he surface
of t he water among the drift of dark logs. If the
PCs decide to poke a t th e logs, they have a 20
percent chance f spotting th e crocodile. If they
ignore the logs, the crocodile surprises them
after they move past (-2 penalty to the PCs’
surprise roll). The crocodile targets one PC who
of

. ~
victim into th e water, content to grab one meal
and flee before the o thers can react.
Croco dile: AC 5; MV 6/12; HD 3; hp 14; AT 2;
Dmg 2-8/1-12; S D surprise; AL N; XP 65 each;
THACO 16.
The Giant frogs
The raft slips through a tangle of tall reed s
growing up from beneath th e black, murky
water. The fog has dissipated, but t he
surrou ndings ar e still gloomy. Overhead,
branches entwine to form a dense canopy.
The s ound s of the swam p are louder now,
and they e cho through the trees. Unseen
creatur es slide through th e reeds below the
water’s surface. A chorus of cro aks and
ribbits begins, as if to gr eet you, growing so
loud that every other sound is drowned out
by their raucous song. Then, all at once, the
chorus stops.
Th e PCs must m ake su rpris e rolls with a -3
penalty. Char acters who are successful can see
a trio of giant frogs a split second before the
creatur es strike. Characters who fail the
surprise roll can hear somethi ng large moving
through th e vegetation before the frogs emerge
from t he shadow-filled swam p.
Each giant frog weighs 15 0 pounds and
measures 4 feet long. It use s its long, sticky
tongue to cat ch prey. While th e tongue caus es
no dama ge, it doe s receive a + 4 attack bonus.
Characters struck by a to ngue ar e reeled in
toward th e frog’s deadly bite. With an att ack
roll of 20, a g iant fr og can swallow a small-sized
victim whole (including demih uma ns under
four fe et tall). The PCs have inadvertently
wandered into the frogs’ feeding ground, and
have been mistaken for today’s meal.
An old flat-botto med boat lies hidden in this
area , concealed by reeds an d nearly
submerged. T he boat has a gaping hole in its
side jus t above the waterline. After defeating
.- ~
the frogs, any PC who decides to look around
can find th e wreck by making a successf ul
Wisdom check. All that remains of any interest
in the boat is a locked chest. The chest contains
water-logged food, clothes, and two 1 short
swords wrapped in soaking wet clo th.
Giant Frogs 3):AC 7; MV 3/9; D 2; hp 5, 8,
10; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6;SA ton gue; AL nil; XP 1 75
ea ch ; THACO 16.
The Uistani Camp
Time is beginning to lose meaning for the
player characters a s gray, sunless days merge
into black, moonless nights. Each night the sky
blackens and boils, but still no rain falls.
When this en counter occurs, twilight is nigh.
In the di stance , the PCs see a light. Descri be
the scene a s they draw near to investigate:
A little island of dry land rises out of the
stagnan t water. The light comes from a fire
that form s th e center of a small camp. In the
flickering light, you can clearly see a colorful
gypsy wagon, two old mares, thr ee gaily-clad
children, and an old woman. A mom ent later,
two men step into view. One is old and thin,
the other young and strong. They settle
themselves beside the fire. Then the old man
looks up, directing the gaze of his good eye
upon you. The other eye is milky and blank.
The man smiles and motions with his
withered hand, inviting you to join his gr oup.
How this wagon, called a vardo by its owners,
made its way to this spot is unclear; th e PCs
may be sus picious or nervous. The ways of the
Vistani are strang e, however, and th e Mists
often help them travel where they want t o go.
This vardo is the sam e one Luc Tarascon
visited roughly three weeks ago , receiving the
clue which led him and his bro ther t o the
Hyskosa scroll. Now, with increasingly horrid
events occurring in Marais dTa ras con , this

small Vistani clan ha s decided to move on. The
gypsies ar e here to pass o n a warning to the
PCs (though even th e gypsies may be unaware
of that fact at the start of this encounter).
Of the seven Vistani in the camp, three ar e
small children. Old Scarengi, the ancient
Vistani with o n e blind eye , is th e leader of this
small brood. H i s wife, Ryana, a plump woman
with silver hair and laughing eyes, is almost as
ancient. Their s on, Carloni, is a stron g young
man with black hair and a matching mustache.
The th ree small children ar e his. (Their mother
is deceased.) Carloni drives the horses, an d he
is eager to put as much distance as he can
between his family and Marais dTarascon. It is
Carloni’s sister, Valana, who should catch t he
PCs’ attention. This young woman’s enchanting
black eyes and red lips can set a man aflame.
S h e is gifted with the power to see th e future,
and it was her vision which led to th e recent
Tarascon tragedy. Sh e remains in the wagon for
a time after the PCs arrive.
If the PCs approach this clan in a friendly
manner, Scarengi responds in kind, though
Carlon,i remains distant and makes no effort t o
hide his desire t o resume their journey.
Scarengi and his wife tell the PCs that a village
called Marais dTarascon lies at the edge of the
swamp. “It is not Far,” Scarengi says, “but it is
not a place t o visit on a night su ch as this.”
Under his breath, Carloni adds, “Better to st ay
in the swamp.” Scarengi refuses to reveal more.
H i s wife, Ryana, agree s and says, “To speak of
evil is to invite it to dinner.”
Scarengi invites the player ch aracter s to join
his family for dinner and t o shar e their f i r e until
morning comes. “Perhaps,” he s ays with a
sparkle in his eye, “there will even be time for a
fortune.” After dinner, when the children have
been put to bed, Valana emerge s from the back
of the wagon with her pouch of runes. It is the
first time the PCs have seen her.
 

- 
The door a t th e back of the wagon opens to
asleep, no matter how hard he or she tries to
PCs awake, they ar e alone.
reveal a shape ly young woman with dark, ere they left it, but no
Expressive eyes. Sh e smil es shyly, then
settles nearby, beside the fire. “This,”
Scarengi pro claims proudly, “is my beautiful Ryana puts a curse
daug hte r Valana. Sh e will tell your fortune.” been washed by a
Valana gazes a t eac h of you in turn, with
the firelight shinin g in her large, black eyes.
“The trouble began when I cast the runes for
that quie t and lost young man,” she explains s have done seven
sadly. “Perh aps it will end with another
casting.” S he holds a flat pan i
stone tiles in her hands. Then,
once again into your eyes, she drops the tiles e other things to do
into t he pan. rascon a t this time.
“The lost on e ha s calle d you ” Valana
gasps. Each member of her family hastily innoce nt Vista
makes a protec tive ges ture. “The dead will
walk with the c oming sto rm, and you must
find a way to put the m t o rest. If you cannot, f the RAVENLOW
th e rain will tu rn to blood It will drown
you-you and all of Marais dTarascon.”
Scarengi quickly ushers his wife and Vistani (7): AC 6 ; MV 12;HD 4 X 4, 1 3; hp
daughte r into t he wagon. “No charge for 21 X 4 , 4 X 3 ; AT 1; Dmg 1-8;ALNE; XP
your fortune,” t he ol d ma n add s hastily. “It is 105X4,7X3;THACO 17.
tim e t o rest after t he adventu res of the day.
Be our
Thu floatiw H o w
Nothing the PCs do can sto p Scarengi and his
At so me point during their fourth day in the
family from retiring. Only Carloni rema ins
swamp, the P f s come across the house in
outside, settling upright into the driver’s seat of
which LucTaraskon resides. The house shou ld
th e wagon with a heavy cloak around him. H e
be as mysbrious a nd threatening as any
closes his eyes as if to sleep. unknown location in Ravenloft.
As the PCs begin to settle for the night, they
see Valana’s sha pely form outlined in the
wagon doorway. S he spea ks barely above a this part of the swamp close in
whisper, but the PCs can hear her clearly. raft, forming a thick tan gle of
“Beware the mad man , she says. “Beware his nd exposed roots, making
blood.” (This is important; b e sure to say the ow and difficult. Shar p, broken
words slowly so th e players remember this tch your arms and legs as you
clue.) Then th e door closes and Valana is gone. ft forward, and th e wind whistles
Valana’s final words refer t o Je an Tarascon eless tune a s it rushes through th e
(the madman) and Marcel th e zombie lord (his As you break thro
blood, as in kin). If th e PCs set a watch, , a light ap pear s in
som etim e before morning t he watch falls
 

warm an d inviting in the cold, da mp air. The

light is not a t eye level. It hovers in th e dark
so hat you must look up to see it.
Like moths to a flame, you an d your raft
slide easily toward the sou rce of th e light. It
is a small wooden house, hardly larger than a
shack. Light spills from its two front windows
and a wide open door. The hous e appears to
be suspended in th e air above the surface of
the swam p, its reflection shimmering in the
dank pool before it.

Th e house isn't actuall y floating in the air; it

just looks that way in the darkness. Four stout
poles rise from t he swamp, lifting the house
some 8 feet abov e the water. Th e poles
obviously serve protect th e house from rising
water and the creatures of the swamp. Other
than a n occasional croak or cricket song, th e
swamp around the house is still.
The PCs can approac h the small house in any
manner they choose. A s noted, the front of the
shac k has two windows and a n open door. No
curtains cover th e windows. From t he angl e the
PCs have, they ca nnot see inside. T here ar e no
windows or doors on the sides of the structure,
and t he back wall holds only a single window,
also bare. The water beneath and around th e
house is no more than 4 feet deep; in most
places, it measur es about 2 feet. The house ha s
no porch. There is no sign of a boat.
Any attemp t t o get the attention of someone
inside the s hac k results in failure. After the PCs
are about t o declare the house deserted or look
inside, th e following occurs:

Suddenly a rope ladder drops from the

doorway. No figure steps into the light to greet
you, and not even a shadow passes the open
door. Th e ladder, construct ed of wooden steps
and thick rope, simply rolls out with a brief
clatter of knocking wood. T he last ste p hangs
just above the surface of th e fetid water,
inviting you to climb u p into th e warm light.
-
 

The ladder waits patiently for the PCs to The boo k up on Luc’s lap is a collection of
cli mb it. N o one appe ars at the doorway to children’s poems. H e gives it up without a
encourage (or discourage) them; Luc just si ts struggle. Every poem is a sh ort rhyme, similar
inside the shack, unmoving. The ladder gently to the confused verses which the you th utters.
sways above t he black water of the swamp. The first pag e co nta ins an inscription: “To Luc,
When a PC has climbed th e rope ladder, read my beloved brother.” It is sig ned “Marcel.”
th e following aloud: Luc do es not c omm uni cat e in any way,
except for the occasional verse (see page 18).
The youth will neither fight nor de fend himself,
The little house h as only one room. All told,
thoug h h e will fly into a r age if someone
mor e than two dozen lanterns hang from
extinguishes one of his lant erns. Even the n, Luc
pegs on t he wall a nd sit o n th e warped
only poses a danger t o himself a s he bashes his
wooden floor, flooding th e sha ck with light.
head a nd body a gains t a wall or the floor. To
To the right of th e door, unopened boxes
calm him, the lantern must be relit.
have been neatly stacked against th e wall.
The PCs can spen d th e night safely within
An open-topped barrel sits beside th e boxes.
Luc’s shack . In the m ornin g, they see the
In th e center of th e room, facing the door,
smoke of a nearby village and can journey to
is a young man. He sit s within a circle of five
Marais dTarasco n. If they decide to stay at the
burning lanterns, with his large, blank e yes
shack for more than two days, Sh ama n Brucian
fixed in place. T he young man is unusually
arrives with fresh food a nd cloth ing for Luc. He
thin a nd pale, and his long, blond hair hangs
9
limply to his shoulders. His features are
I for information o n Brucian.)
tortured. The simple shirt and pants that h e
However th e P Cs wind up headi ng for Marais
wears are clean and fresh. H e clutches a
dTara scon, Luc follows the m like a faithful dog.
small book in his lap, but mak es no move to Nothing the PCs do short of killing th e youth
get up or gre et you-except to slowly
can st op him from accompanying them. If they
struggle out an incomprehensible phrase:
do kill Luc, the youth returns later as a ghost
“The on desce nd shall evil of night the land,
(see “Luc the Ghost” on page 18).Killing Luc is
at near is signs of hexad this when hand.”
an evil act and requires a powers check.
Then h e returns to his quiet state, neither
spe aki ng nor r espon ding in any way.
Luc Tarascon (lost one): AC 1 0 MV 6; HD 1 1;
hp 7; #AT 1; Dmg l d2 ; SA rage; S D nil; AL N;
The youth is Luc, youngest of the Tarascon
XP 7; THACO 2 0 .
brothers. H e has become one of the shattered,
broken souls known a s th e “lost ones.” He ha s
retrea ted int o himself to block out th e terrors The Gathtring Storm
tha t have oc curred in Marais dTarascon. The
As the PCs begin to leave th e swamp and
phrases h e sometimes speaks are twisted
approach the village of Marais d Tarascon, the
verses from t he Hyskosa Scroll, the last thing
sky fills with roiling black cloud s. Fo r th e first
he was re ading when his b rother Marcel was
time, lightning plays across th e heavens. Still,
killed by zo mbies and h e s hut out the world.
no rain falls. The storm simply hangs over the
The unop ened boxes contain fresh food
swamp and t he village, occasionally sendi ng a
brought out t o th e swamp by Sha man Brucian,
bolt of lightning toward t he ground or letting
the priest of Marais dTarascon. The stores are
loose a clap of omi nou s thunder. When it finally
substa ntial ; the PCs can e at heartily. Th e barrel
breaks, the sto rm promises to be spectacular.
conta ins fresh drinking water.

two-and-a-half miles
from Port d’Elhour,
on the eastern edge
of Souragne’s vast
I swamp. The PCs
approa ch th e village
from th e west,
emerging from the
swamp on the
afternoon of day
4five. The sto rm
clouds continue to
build despite the
early hour, it seems
like dusk. As noted,
if th e PCs have not harm ed Luc, he travels with
them. H e walks just a few ste ps behind th e last
PC, carrying his bo ok of poetry and an
ever-blazing lantern.
This portion of the adventure is divided into
two sections: a guid e to Marais dTara scon (see
the ma p on the inside cover), an d a list of
event s that ta ke pla ce in and near t he village.
All events are keyed to a certain time; some are
also keyed t o a location. For example, “The
Funeral” occurs near the church as the PCs
enter t he village; it is assum ed that the activity
will draw them to t hat area. Be sure to
familiari ze yourself with t he ev ent s in Marais
dTarascon before th e PCs explore th e town.
As soon a s the PCs enter the village, J ea n
Tarascon learns of thei r arrival. If Luc is with
th e party, J ea n begins t o plan how to “protect”
Marcel from the knowledge th e youth has
retained about Hyskosa’s scroll. If th e PCs have
killed Luc, Jean doesn’t become overly
conce rned with th e party until they try to find
the murderer (him), get to o close t o Marcel, or
until Luc appears as a ghost (see page 18).
ais dTarascon is a cluster of small
ood-and-thatch buildings at th e ed ge of
th e swamp, housing about 300 people. A
cemetery is perched on a hill overlooking th e
village. T he graveyard is divided into two
sections, one old (area 1 1 on the map), the
other new (area 10). he old graveyard contain s
Marcel’s lair. East of th e village is the Tarascon
plantation. From a distance it looks impressive,
but on closer inspection, it is obvious that the
fields have not been tend ed in weeks.
The PCs c an wander freely, speak ing with
whomever they wish. Murders, zombies,
disappearances-the events of the past weeks
have caused a fearful mood to s ettle over the
village. (Assume that Marcel died thr ee weeks
ago: regardless of how long th e PCs have spent
in th e swamp.) Everyone is nervous and more
tha n a little afraid. S om e have even spo ken of
fleeing to Port dElhour, but a t the moment
such a cour se of acti on is still only talk.
Charisma Checks: To gain any personal
information about the village, i ts inhabitants or
recent events, the PCs must m ake successful
Charisma ch ecks. It’s easie st to deal with
shopkeepers; no modifier t o th e chec k applies.
Dealing with c omm on villagers is more
difficult; a Charisma ch eck with a -5 modifier
is required to ent ice them to ope n up. Only one
PC is allowed to ma ke a Charisma check a t a
given shop or cottage. If th e PC fails the check ,
another chara cter can return t o try later, but
with a -2 cumulativ e modifier for eac h failure.
Some of the clues that PCs can obtain are
noted in the guide to the village below. To ill
out enco unters in other locations, see “What
Villagers Say” on pag e 18.
1. Full Moon Inn. The PCs are likely to ta ke a
room here during their stay in Marais
dTarascon. (Certainly t he villagers will
recommend it.) A fence surrounds th e inn,
which is a large, two-story building with an
atta ched stabl e. The Full Moon Inn serves a s a

meeting place for the villagers, especially
during the se dark time s when everyone seeks
comfo rt and the protection of others. A large
com mon room features a bar and a dozen
tables. Food is serve d from early morning until
a respect able night hour, and rooms can be
rent ed by the day.
Jera ld Bascolm and his wife, Henrietta, run
th e inn. Their da ughte r Lillin head s a staff of
four barmaids, and their son Jeral d, Jr. tends
th e stable. One of the barmaids is a chatty
young woman named Katha. If she warms up to
a PC, sh e tells an in teresting story:
“Over a week ago , Francois, a local fellow,
well he fell dead right here in the comm on
room. I was taking a break in the kitchen at
th e time , resting my weary feet near t he ba.ck
door. I remember, just before people starte d
hollering in th e com mon room , got a whiff
of so me awful odor blowing in from outside.
It was kind of like rotte n meat-not that we
serve any here, mind you-but worse.
Luckily, I’ve got qui te a str ong stoma ch. In
fact, I was just ab out t o go outside to find out
what could be causing that odor when the
scream s began. Then I saw Francois being
carted off to be buried. You know, forgot all
about t hat awful odor until just a few days
ag o when old Fiora ment ioned that s he had
smelled it, too. I’d lock your door while
you’re sleeping if I was you. Everybody in the
village do es now.”
Though Katha doesn’t realize it, she
experienced the odor of death that surrounds
Marcel Tarascon-the odo r which surrou nds
every zombie lord. Fiora lives in the village (see
location 12). Katha will point th e way to Fiora’s
house should th e PCs ask, with this precaution:
“Fiora doesn’t spea k to anyone much lately, not
ev en me.”
Currently, t he Full Moon Inn has only one
guest oth er than the PCs: Duncan dLut e.
Duncan travels t o Marais dTarascon every few
mont hs to conduct business. He’s an agent for
several businesses in Port dEl hour, m aking
deals and t rad es between t he two towns. He
knows nothing of use about recent events here.
H e only knows tha t he wants to finish his
business and leave a s soon a s he can.
2. Bakery. Louise dC an n op erate s the bakery,
turning out cakes, rolls, and candies. Her
specialty is red licorice. Her best customers are
Mordu, Jea n Tarascon, and th e Bordell children
(all of whom like licorice). Besides t his juicy
tidbit, she can offer the PCs on e piece of
information from the list on page 18.
3. Carpenter. Marcus Bordell, th e village
carpenter, builds cabin ets and furniture here. A
half-dozen children-Marcus’s so ns and
daughters-run around outside the sho p during
th e day. H e can offer the PCs one piece of
information from page 18.
4. Pierot’s Cottage. Pierot is the cemetery
caretaker. By day, he’s in area 10. When night
falls, he comes home, locks the doo rs, lights a
lantern, eat s supper, goes to bed, and hopes to
wake in th e morning. H e believes that Marais
d’Tarascon is cursed by all of this death, and he
is seriously considering leaving th e village after
the coming storm h as passed.
5.Constable’s Cottage. Constable Gremin
maintains an office and a h ome in this cottage .
H e does not like strangers, and he distrusts the
PCs because of their untimely arrival. His
village is in the grip of s om e terrible evil, and
he d oes not know how t o protect it. What’s
worse, about two weeks ag o his son fell prey to
th e mysterious ailment that kills its victims and
then quickly tur ns them into zombies.
His son’s death, comb ined with grisly
murders and missing people, has pushed the
constable toward th e edge. H e believes the
murders and some of th e missing people ar e
connected, for he has found the sa me item a t

Zombie Lord: AC 6; MV 6; HD 6; hp 39; AT 2;
Dmg 2-4/2-4; SA see below; S D see below; AL NE;
THACO 15; XP 650.
Marcel has all the powers of a normal zombie lord
(see the RAVENLOFT" Monstrous Compendium
Appendix). So me of these powers have been
enhanc ed by th e Land of Ravenloft, a s noted
below.
Spucial Attacks
1
ike any zombie lord, Marcel delivers crushing
blows with his fists (two attacks per round,
d4 damage each). In addition, th e odor of
death that surrounds Marcel affects all living
beings who co me within 30 yards of him.
Characters mu st save vs. poison or suffer one of
th e following effects:
l d 6 Roll Effect
1 Weakness (as t he spell)
2 Cause Disease (as the spell)
3 1 Point of Constitution
4 Contagion ( as the spell)
5 Character unable to act for l d 4
rounds du e to nausea a nd vomiting
6 Character dies instantly and
becomes a zombie under zombie
lo rds control
Three times per day, Marcel can cast animate
dead t o creat e zombies. By using this power on
living beings, he can also turn them into zombies.
In either case, th e range of this innate power is
100 yards. If a living target fails a saving throw vs.
death, he is instantly slain and rises in l d 4 rounds
as a zombie under Marcel's control. (Marcel's
ability to create zombies has been enhanced.)
Spucial Ouf'unsus
ike zombies, Marcel is immune to sleep,
charm, hold, death magic, poison and
old-based spells. H e can be turned a s a
vampire, however, and suffers 2d4 points of
dam age from direct contact with holy water or
holy symbols.
Spucial Abilitius
arcel can converse freely with th e living
dead through a mystical, telepathic ability.
H e can also speak t o dead (per t he spell) by
merely touching the corpse. Further, Marcel can
control zom bies within a one-mile radius,
including monster and ju-ju zombies, an d he can
use their sense s to know what is happening in the
area. (This is an enhanced ability.)
Background
arcel Tarascon was obsesse d with finding
th e Hyskosa scroll when he was alive.
Although he was not evil, his morals did
become increasingly twisted a s he searched for
th e legendary scroll.
As noted in th e introduction, Marcel still
believes the Hyskosa scroll holds t he key t o
untold power-even now that he is a zombie lord.
Marcel's mad twin brother, Jean, has promised to
find the scroll. (He has no intention of doing so,
however.) In the meantime, Marcel is building his
zombie army by animating cor pses and slaying
villagers with his special powers. Jea n helps. H e
has already murdered many villagers an d has
given some of the corpses t o Marcel.
The PCs battle (and probably kill) Je an a s Part II
of a
begins, Marcel unleashes his zombies on the
village, ordering them to find the scroll at all
costs. When th e PCs approach Marcel's lair in the
old cemetery, th e zombie lord calls some of his
minions back to aid him.
Combat
M
arcel refuses to fight hand-t o-hand until an
opponent ste ps upon t he platform of bones
n his lair. H e prefers to direct his undead
servants and use his special abilities. When the
PCs reach his lair, he has already used his animate
dead power once that day. H e can use it twice
against t he PCs if he desires.
 

4th Level FighterIMadman: AC 6; MV 9; HD 4; hp
25; #AT 1; Dmg 1-3or 1-4 1 SA surprise; SD nil;
AL C E THACO 17; XP 210. Str 14; Dex 1 0 Con
12 ; Int 11; Wis 9; Cha 9.
Equipment: Studd ed leather armor, ring of
protection 1 dagger 1 in walking stick,
pocketful of red licorice pieces, two potions of
healing, black cloak with hood.
Sperial Attacks
ean is a convincing actor. If he attempts to
his servants into ghouls. H e himself, however, has
yet to partake in th e nightly feasts.
The villagers still see Je an Tarascon as he
was-a wealthy villager an d leader of th e
community. His recent lapses of violent outb ursts
and signs of foul temper are excused due t o th e
When Luc returns to th e village, Je an beco mes
furious. He immediately decides to kill th e
interlopers who have befriended the youth, but he
will not attack them in public. Instead, he stalks
them at night. H e also tries t o kill Luc so that his
beloved brother Marcel will forget about his

J give the PCs a false sense of security, they

uffer a -2 penalty t o their surprise rolls.
Victims thus surprised ta ke triple damage, as if
they had be en backstabbed by a 5th-level thief.
Bachground
ean Tarascon was driven mad by the event s of
obsession with th e cursed scroll. H e hates Luc and
th e scroll, blaming both for what has happened to
Marcel. He hid the scroll and s ent Luc away before
Luc if he has th e opportunity. If th e scroll should
appear before Jean , he will attem pt to destroy it.
He holds Shaman Brucian responsible for Marcel’s
current state , but has not yet fallen so deeply into

J recent weeks. When he found his twin brother

Marcel murde red by zombies, his grief knew
madness that he would attack a holy man.

no bounds. H e knew that his brother’s obsession

with that ancient scroll would lead to sorrow and
Combat
ean prefers to stalk an d attack his victims

J
death , and his prediction held true. Still, he hoped
th e village priest, Sham an Brucian, could perform through surprise. He normally runs from
som e kind of miracle on Marcel. For a moment, it superior numbers. If pressed into direct battle,
looked as if h e did. he us es his healing potions t o replace lost hit
But the priest’s use of a raise dead scroll failed. points and fights savagely with his wicked dagger.
Je an knew what Marcel had become. H e took his H e tries to attac k single individuals away from
brother’s body t o t he old cemetery, where Marcel crowds. If necessary, he will call on his
soon rose as a zombie lord. These events drove servants-turned-ghouls to aid him against th e
Je an toward t he brink of insanity. When he player characters.
watched his brother feast on carrion, Je an became
more than just mad, he became a murderer.
As noted in t he introduction, Je an has pledged
himself to “protecting” Marcel from his obsession.
Je an has hidden th e scroll of Hyskosa in his
townhouse, and h as se nt his brother Luc into the
swamp to hide him from Marcel. Je an also dons a
black, hooded cloak in th e dim hours of the night
and stalks victims for Marcel to fea st upon. In his
mad state of mind, Je an has taken t o leaving a
piece of red licorice behind a t every murder
scene.
To fully participate in Marcel’s new stat e of
existence, J ea n h as ordered th e family servants to
feast o n dead huma n flesh as well. This has turned

What Lue Sags
he following twisted verses are spoken by
T Luc throughout th e adventure. Do not use
verses before th e proper time.
Chapter One
The on descend shall evil of night t he land, at
near are signs of hexad th is when hand.
In sorcerer the Daegon of house the born,
though shall unliving, unlife, life scorn.
The mother stern of child lifeless found, heralds
evil of night a time unbound.
Cha pte r Two
Seventh doth suns of son the time rise, to of
eternity an t o knave the send cries.
lnajira fortunes his make will reverse, dooming
th e dre aded with live t o all curse.
The o v e r shining sky the of light th e dead, shall
t o all turning fail and gutte r red.
Chapter Three
(This is th e clue given to Luc by th e Vistani.)
Look for th e scroll where t he old rest fine, behind
th e st one where six st ars shine. The finding,
however, will cause much pain, beware th e time of
the falling rain.
Luc the Ghost
f Luc is killed anytime during t he adventure,
his ghost returns t o haun t t he PCs. (The first
time h e appear s, PCs should make horror
chec ks with a + 4 bonus.) H i s state as a lost one
does not c hange, nor does his desire to see the
evil of his family stopped . There is only one key
difference between Luc alive and Luc dead: th e
ghost doe s not follow th e PCs around with a
lantern. Instead, the spirit appears from time to
time to recite a verse or give the PCs a clue. Luc’s
spirit canno t rest until th e evil of his brothers,
Je an and Marcel, comes to an end.
W hat U i l l a p r s Sag
he following clues, both true and false, can
be gat hered from conversations with th e
villagers.
1 . In the past thre e weeks, th e villagers know of
nine “sud den” deaths that have occurred. (True.
This is Marcel’s work.)
2. Of th e nine who died suddenly, seven were
buried in sealed coffins, and two escaped into the
night as zombies. (True.)
3. Six villagers are missing. (True. This is Jean’s
doing.)
4. Red licorice pieces were found along with
articles belonging to four of the missing people.
(True. This is Jean’s work.)
5. Lady Grissim, on e of th e missing, was seen
walking in front of the cemetery. (False.)
I/
6. Besides licorice, there is always lots of blood
at the scene of a murder or disappearance. (True.)
7. Three weeks ago, Hogarth the field worker fell
dead, quickly decayed, and rose as a zombie. (True.)
8. Just over three weeks ago, Marcel Tarascon
died. Some say he was killed by the undead, too.
(True.)
9. Je an Tarascon has taken full control of the
family business. (True.)
10. If Marcel was given a funeral, none of t he
villagers attended . (True.)
1 1 . Cultists loyal to th e Lord of the Dead are
operating in the village. (False.)
12. The old cemetery is haunted by wraiths.
(False.)
13. The constable’s son was the second to die,
simply falling t o the ground inexplicably. (True.)
14. The Vistani told Old Fiora that the night of the
dead was fast approaching. (True. The night is nigh.)
15. Sha man Brucian worships the Lord of the
Dead. (False.)
16. The night Marcel died, villagers saw Jea n
carry him to the church. (True.)
17. Sham an Brucian has gone into th e swamp
frequently since Marcel died. (True.)
18. A vampire has been stalking the village
street s. (False.)
19. Many people ar e missing. (True.)
20. The Old Cemetery was sealed long ago, and
no one has entered it in decades. (True, until Luc
and Marcel found the secret entrance.)

many of these scenes: a piece of red licorice.
If th e PCs give Gremin any trouble, he
threatens to arrest them. A c h a m spell or a
very convincing argument can prevent th e
arres t (Charisma -5). With the second
provocation, however, Gremin locks them in
the small stone jaik tor ag e shed next to his
cottage-at least overnight.
Escap e from t he jail is fairly simple: t he lock
can easily be picked by a thief, and th e door
can be broken with a successful bend bardlift
gate attempt. A wiser tactic is persuasion; with
a successful Charisma check, modified by 10,
th e jailed PCs can convince the constable that
the y ca n he lp th e town. In this way, they avoid
being known through out town as “escaped
convicts.” When th e zomb ies attac k in Part 111,
th e constable releases the PCs, no matter what
may have transpired between them.
Co ns ta bl e Gremin (2nd-level fighter): AC 4
(chain mail and shield); MV 12; HD 2; hp 15; Str
16, Dex 12, Con 14 , Int 1 5, Wis 13, Cha 1 0 #AT
1 Dmg 1d 8 1 (long sword); AL LG; THACO
19.
6. Mordu’s Cotta ge. Mordu, the town eccentric,
lives alone in this small cott age. Unlike most
oth er villag ers, Mordu welcomes th e PCs with
open ar ms an d friendly greetings. He does not
see m the least bit nervous or upset by recent
events. the contrary, he see ms quite excited
by it all. He offers them red licorice from an
earth en jar, then as ks what they know about the
happ ening s in Marais d’Tarascon.
Mordu, of course, has his own theories about
th e mysterious deaths and disappearances. H e
believes they have something t o d o with a n
ancient swamp god that ha s been called to
Soura gne by a group of cultists. (He is wrong,
but h e should sound credible and sincere to th e
PCs.) H e promises to find proof, and as ks the
PCs to return the next day to talk further.
Before the PCs leave, Mordu shares two oth er
pieces of information from pag e 18.
Mordu h as long b een an am ateur scholar. H e
has dozens of scrolls and books concerning the
Sou rag ne and “l ands beyond.” (Like most
inhabitants of the demiplane of dread, he is
unaware that h e is trapped in a realm called
Ravenloft.) Few of Mordu’s boo ks a re seriou s
works. In fact, only on e contain s any pertine nt
information. It concerns th e history of Anton
Misroi, lord of Souragne. Unfortunately, it is
written in an a ncien t lang uage which Mordu
cannot read. The othe rs are more fanciful than
scholarly, including Mordu’s favorite, a boo k
titled The Cult o the Swamp God
7 . General Store. This large, cluttered building
is th e village’s general sto re. It is run by the
dwarf Deruno and his family, who happen ed
upon Marais dTarascon m uch like the PCs and
decided t o stay. Deruno sells traveling
eq dp me nt , foodstuffs, household goods, and
dairy (goat’s milk) pr oduc ts a t fair prices. He
buys items for th e stor e at half m arket price.
Deruno has a few items that may interest the
PCs, kept hidden and locked away. The dwarf
will only bring th em out o nce h e ge ts to know
and trust t he PCs. If they have been openly
helping the village, he offers th e item s for free.
These include three potions o healing, six 1
arrows, bracers o A C 6, and a long sword I.
8. Blacksmith. The blacksmith is a large,
powerful man named Jordi. H e is quiet an d shy,
and initially refuses to talk a bou t anything but
business. If Luc is with th e PCs (and he will be
unless something has happened to him), Jordi
clutc hes his hamm er an d ba cks away. H e fears
th e young man. Any kind of racket will bring
Jor di’s wife, Nadine, running.
Nadine is deeply saddened by the
disap peara nce of Colin, her only so n, who
worked for th e Tarascons. (Colin is now a ghou l,
but s he doesn’t know it.) If persuaded, Nadine
explains that Colin never returne d from work
five days ago, and any inquiry at th e plantation
ha s met with indifference. The const able has
been t oo occupied with othe r happenings,
including th e death of h is own son, but he h as

I promised to check with Jean larascon as soon
a s h e is able.
Jor di c an provide the PCs with on e piece of
information from page 18. His wife responds to
question s with tea rs and pleas for help, but
9. Church. Sh ama n Brucian is th e village
priest. H i s church honors th e gods of good,
paying equal service to law, neutrality and
chaos, though Brucian himself is neutral good.
His residence is the adjacent cottage, but lately
he sta ys in the church.
If persuad ed, Brucian reluctantly describes
recent even ts in the village. H e says that
villagers have been dying suddenly, even those
who appeared str ong and healthy a moment
before. The first such d eath, about thr ee weeks
ago, was a field worker nam ed Hogarth. Only
minutes after falling dead t o the ground,
Hogarth rose a s a zombie. Now Brucian always
seals th e coffins of the recently dead.
The priest do es not tell th e PCs about the
Tarascon family on their first meeting, even if
Luc is with them. If the PCs did not meet
Brucian in the swamp, h e appea rs surprised to
see Luc now. H e goes to the youth to make sure
he is all right, and Luc responds by reciting a
twisted verse. During this first meeting with the
PCs, the priest is rather curt in response to
question s about Luc. H e say s Luc is a “lost one”
from th e village, but reve als no family ties.
Brucian also explain s that he to ok pity on Luc,
~ occasionally venturing into th e swamp to
deliver food and fresh water.
The priest is secretive becaus e he does not
trust t he PCs yet. If they return later and
confro nt him with things they have learned, or
if they man age to convince him through
subseque nt ac tions that they ar e willing to help
th e village, Brucian nervously explains more.
H e sa ys that Marcel Tarascon was th e first to d ie
in this string of horror. H e also describes the
unfortunate changes which this death wrought
in Je an Tarascon, a s well a s in his younger
bro ther Luc. Brucian do es not, however,
mention th at J ea n brought Marcel’s body to
him. Nor doe s he des cribe his failure to revive
Marcel until Part 111 of this adventu re.
The priest has the normal comple ment of
spells. In a locked chest in the chur ch, Brucian
also keeps a scroll with four cure serious
wounds pells, a scroll with two cure disease
and two cure light wounds pells, and a scroll
with two raise dead spells. Because of his failure
to restore Marcel, he is reluctant to use the
raise dead spells.
Sh am an Brucian (2nd-level priest): AC 10; MV
12; HD 2; hp 9; Str 13 Dex 8, Con 11, Int 14,
Wis 16, Cha 12; #AT 1; D m g l d 6 + 2 footman’s
mace I ; AL NG; THACO 20.
10. The Cemetery. T he village cemetery si ts
atop a small rise overlooking the town,
appropriately dubbed “Cemetery Hill” by the
villagers. A 10-foot-highston e wall surr ounds
the entire graveyard, and an iron gate on t he
south side provides access. The original
graveyard is sealed s hut an d overgrown with
vines. (See area 11 ) In con tras t, the new
cemetery is well tended an d ope n to th e public.
A single path leads to t he gate.
If the PCs visit the new cemetery during th e
day, they can walk freely am ong t he dea d.
Because of the high water table, bodies ar e
interred above ground. Instead of headstones,
the cemetery is filled with ma uso leum s (st one
buildings contain ing nume rou s vaults). The
cemetery also holds several dozen stacked
vaults, not house d in any building, providing
affordable interment for com mon villagers.
The vaults containing those who recently
died have been sealed a nd locked (the villagers
know them to be undead). If the PCs enter the
Tarascon mausoleum-the most promi nent in
the new cemetery-they discover that it doe s
not hold Marcel’s body. The most recent
addition to the mausoleum is Claudine, mother
of Marcel, Jean , and Luc. Sh e died years ago.
During the day, Pierot, the gr oundsk eeper
and caretaker, can be encountered. (By night,

he resides at area 4. Pierot never e nters the old
cemetery, and he doesn’t know what happened
to the keys for the heavy locks on th e old gate.
In fact, he’s su re those locks are rusted shut. If
a PC persuad es him to talk, Pierot offers one
clue from pag e 18. In addition, if they ask him
abou t t he Tarascon family, he say s that Marcel’s
body was never brought to him a t the cemetery
for interment.
After Dark: N o one, not even Pierot, goes to
the new cemetery (or old) at night. If the PCs
visit after dark, they en counter two ghouls. The
ghouls are opening u p the mo st recently sealed
vault: Jeremiah’s if th e PCs allow him to be
buried (see “Village Events”); Jaz eel Toreng’s if
the PCs stopp ed Jerem iah’s burial. If the PCs
pause t o watch the disinterment, then they
mus t dea l with th e newly-freed zombie as well
as the ghouls. If the PCs act before the vault is
opened , they need only battle th e ghouls.
Both ghouls flee if they lose mor e tha n half
their hit point s or if they are turned. If the
creatu res esc ape, o ne leaves behind a bit of
cloth, which the village tailor can later identify.
If the PCs defeat one of the creatures, the
con sta ble ca n identify him as Colin, son of
Jordi the blacksmith. If the PCs defeat the
other ghoul, too, th e constable knows her as
Teresa, da ught er of Fiora. Both were servants at
the Tarascon plantation.
If the ghouls prove to be too much for the
PCs, Sha man Brucian arrives and turns the
creatures before the party is killed.
Ghouls 2):AC 6; MV 9; HD 2; hp 6, 9; #AT 3;
Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6;SA paralyzation; SD as
undead; AL CE; XP 1 75 ea ch ; THACO 19.
1 1. The Old Cemetery. This ancient graveyard
has been sealed for more than 100 years.
Whatever caused su ch drastic action has been
lost to legend, but the villagers remember
enough t o avoid it at all costs. The only known
ways into the old ceme tery ar e to climb over
the 10-foot-highst one wall or to break the
heavy chain s and locks that hold the iron gate.
A secret passage leads from beneath a statu e
(“A” on th e village map) to an opening in the
hillside (“B’). nly the Tarascon brothers a nd
th e zombies know of this passage.
By looking th rough t he ga te or over t he wall,
the PCs see an overgrown forest of vines and
trees. They can barely make out crypts through
th e wild growths, and th e path is almost
nonexistent. The villagers an d Pierot
discourage the PCs from exploring the old
cemetery. Ideally, t he PCs won’t enter this are a
until Part begins, but you should not overtly
prevent them from doing so. During the day,
Constable Gremin might arrive and forbid them
from trespassing. At night, strange rustling and
slavering noises might discourage them from
entering the pitch-black area.
If the PCs decide to explore the old cemetery
before all th e “Village Events” have occu rred,
go to Part I l l and run the e ncounte rs listed
there. You’ll have to make two changes. First,
the zombies have not yet been unleashed upon
the village. As a result, there will be more at
Marcel’s side; double th e amo unt of zom bies
listed in each encounter. Second, Jea n is still
on th e loose. H e comes to Marcel’s aid an d
fights alongside him in the final battle unless
the PCs have dealt with him before hand.
12. Fiora’s Cottage. The old woman known as
Fiora lives here. Sh e has been badly frightened
by recent events, and usually refuse s to deal
with anyone, villagers and str angers alike. Sh e
has barricaded herself in her home, and
adorned t he d oors and windows with clumps of
garlic, wolvesbane, and holy symbols.
At times, Fiora can be heard calling for her
daughter, Teresa. If the PCs convince Fiora to
speak with them, s he says that foul flesh eater s
(ghouls) have been rummaging through the
cemetery each night. Sh e has not see n Teresa
for nearly two weeks; she never return ed ho me
from work a t th e Tarascon plantation.
13. Tarascon Townhouse. In additi on to the
plantation manor (area 15 , th e Tarascon family

maintains this two-story home in th e village.
Je an spe nds much of his time hiding here,
plan ning ways to improve his family’s present
situation. Je an is mad; all plans now revolve
aroun d murder and joining Marcel as a membe r
of the undead. During the day, there is an 80
percent chan ce that Je an will be here. At night,
the chance drops to 20 percent.
The townhouse is locked up tight, and heavy
cur tai ns cover every window. All locks a re of
masterful quality ( - 60 o pen locks modifier). If
he is home , Je an Tarascon refuses to answer
knocks, pretending t o be gone. H e has nothing
to say to the PCs or anyone else. Any attemp t
t o force entry cou ld be noticed by villagers (50
percent chance, with bonuses for ”cautionand
quie t” a s th e DM sees fit). If the PCs are
spotted, the constable arrives in l d 6 rounds.
Breaking into a locked hom e is a crime; the‘
PCs may be carted off to jail. (See area 5.)
If they do manag e to break in while Je an is
home , he av oids the PCs. H e knows where to
hide an d how to move to keep ahea d of the m.
He does not attack even if he has the
opportunity t o kill them o ne by one. But he will
reme mber th is transgression, and will g o after
th e PCs elsewhere at t he earliest opportunity.
The house is well- app ointe d an d full of
expe nsive (albeit dust y) furniture. Downstairs
there is a parlor, dining ro om, sitting room,
kitchen, and c oo k s room. Upstairs are three
bedro oms an d Jean’ s study. If the PCs search
for a se cret do or in th e study, they find a small
spa ce hidd en behind a bookshelf. In the hiding
place is a black, hooded cloak and a scroll tube
containing t he Hyskosa scroll. The pockets of
th e black cl oak ar e filled with red licorice.
14. Tailor Sho p. Tomas Levi is th e proprietor.
H e and his family make an d repair all type s of
clothing. Tomas tries to interest the PCs in the
lates t f ashio ns from Port d’Elhour, showing off
gaudy fabric s and foppish patterns.
If th e PCs mak e the necessary Charisma
che ck (n o modifier), Tomas provides one piece
of information from pa ge 18. In addition, if the
PCs show him th e cloth rip ped from a ghoul in
the cemetery, he identifies it: th e cloth is from a
uniform worn by all servant s at th e Tarascon
manor house. (Tomas ma de t he uniforms.)
15. Tarascon Plantation (not shown). Th e
manor house and servant quarters beside it are
in excellent repair. The state ly mano r house is a
white, two-story building with tall col umn s at
th e front. T he servant’s house has b ut a single
floor. If the PCs arrive during th e day, both
houses are locked tight (masterful quality
locks, -60 modifier). If th e PCs stop by in the
evening, go t o “The Dinner Party” event.
uillage Euents
he following events occur over a number
T of days, starting with the afternoon o n
which the PCs arrive. Spee d or slow th e
events to match the pace of your players.
Dag One: The Funeral
Upon arriving in th e village, th e PCs can g o
wherever they choo se. Activity in front of the
church shoul d catch their a ttention, however.
An outdo or funeral is being conducted (despite
th e threat enin g sky). Until it en ds, every sho p in
proclaim “Closed for Funeral” and “Gone to th e
Church.” Even the c ottag es are locked up tight.
If th e PCs wait in fron t of o ne of the shops for
the funeral to end, they watch from a distan ce
a s a small crowd follows a wagon up to th e
cemetery. After a sh ort period of ti me, th e
crowd emerges and the shops reopen. If the
PCs decide to approach the churchyard to get a
closer look, procee d with this event.
Solemn faces gaze a t you suspiciously, but
no o ne says a word. The villagers soo n return
their attention to t he priest who stan ds over
a coffin wrapped with heavy chains.
 

The priest’s booming voice ech oes I

throug hout th e churchyard. “Friends and
family, we mou rn t he untimely de ath of
Jer emi ah dGris,” he laments. “Let us ake
comfort in the fact that he g oes to a better
place, and let us pray that his eternal rest is

 
peaceful a nd without incident. Jere mia h, you
will be misse d, but you will not b e welcome
here again. Depart this plane and go to th e
next world with our blessing.”
The priest con tinues his liturgy, even
though a muffled bang causes him a
mome nt’s pause. The villagers flinch but
quickly regain their composure. T he bang
sou nds agai n from within t he coffin. Th e
coffin rock s back an d forth, but th e priest
and t he crowd ignore it.
~

If th e PCs simply watch, the priest directs the

mule-drawn cart up t he hill toward th e
cemetery. T he crowd follows. All the way up the
hill, sounds of something trying to es cape
eme rge from th e shak ing coffin. The villagers
ignore it, but th e priest waves his holy symbol
over th e box and whispers, “Jer emiah, be still.”
At the gate, Pierot, the cemetery keeper, meets
the cart. H e directs the procession toward an
ope n vault. T he att enda nts slide the coffin
inside and quickly seal th e vault. Then, without
a word, th e crowd retu rns to t he village.
If the PCs decide to set the “poor man” in the
coffin free, the priest an d village constable
implore the characters to stop, and t o
reconsider their rash actions. Neither man
fights, however, an d if t he PCs insist, th e
atte ndan ts reluctantly move aside. Once they
start t o break th e chains, the crowd disperses.
Even the constable flees. Only the priest
remains, watching with sad eyes.
Inside th e coffin is Jeremia h dG ris, who died
last night and ha s now risen a s a zombie. Once
free, he attacks the party and tries to escape
into the fields east of th e village. (PCs should
mak e horror checks.) The zombie battles to the
deat h if n o esc ape is possible.

Zombie 1): AC 8; MV 6 HD 2; hp 14; #AT 1;
Dmg 1 8 A nil; SD a s und ea d AL N; XP 6 5
THACO 19.
Following Zom bies and Ghouls: f at any time
th e PCs decid e to follow a fleeing ghoul or
zombie, they can easily track the undead
creatu re to th e fields beyond the Tarascon
plantation. After that, th e creature loses them
in the rows of crop s and back tracks to the
passage in the side of th e cemetery hill. D o not
allow t he PCs to discover this passage yet.
Dag Two: tune o f the Crime
If th e PCs ar e exploring the village, they
notice the co nstabl e kneeling in an alley,
peerin g a t the ground . Read th e following:
The constable regards you sternly. Spattered
all around him on the ground and walls are
flecks of reddish brown. Before him is a large
stain of the sam e substance, apparently dried
blood. In th e cent er of th e stain is a single
piece of bright red licorice.
During th e early hours o the night, Jean
Tarascon stalked one of the barmaids from the
inn as sh e ma de her way home. S he never got
the re. Th e only proof of her passing is the
drying blood. If th e PCs offer to help t he
constab le, he reluctantly accepts. This event
serves to alert t he PCs to the presence of a
murder er; it do es not reveal who the killer is,
however, or even who t he victim is.
Jea n took the body to the old cemetery as
carrion for his brother. The murderer always
cleans th e blood from his hands and clothes
before returning to his townhouse to rest.
Nisht Two: The Odor o f Death
While the PCs are at t he inn, a vile stench
wafts in to the building. It is the odor of the
zombie lord; all PCs must sa ve vs. poison (see
page 16). Successful PCs can investigate the
odor's source. If the PCs are in the c ommon
room, at least one other patron succumbs.
Marcel is stalking the village stre ets this
night, seeking to turn t he living into zombies. If
the PCs rush into the stree t, they find bits of
flesh and ichor on t he dirt path behind t he inn.
There is no other sign of Marcel, however. H e
has fled t o his lair.
If the PCs check on Duncan dL ute , who was
in his room when Marcel passed, the y arrive in
tim e to find him rising a s a zombie. If they do
not think to check on the man, h e is missing
when morning arrives. Duncan th e zombie has
the same statistics as the zombie in t he funeral
event , but roll t o determi ne his hit points.
,ate in th e after noon, a ...- grows black
with stor m clouds, the PCs get a chance to stop
a murder. Pick an opportune time t o stage this
event. T he PCs could be relaxing a t th e inn or
talking with so me of t he villagers. In the m idst
of this relative quiet, terror strikes.
A scream shatters the quiet afternoon,
echoing throughout the village street s.
~ ~~
Nothing more occurs; there's only a scream.
Secretly make a Wisdom check for eac h PC.
Those who fail think that th e scream cam e from
th e wrong direction. Those who succeed can
identify the direction from which the scream
really came, but nothing more. The players
have no way of knowing for sur e who is correct;
let th e PCs discuss their impressions.
If the PCs choose the wrong way, a sec ond
scream alerts them t o their mistake. They
arrive too lat e and find Lillin, th e innkee per's
daughter, lying dead in a pool of her own blood.
Red licorice pieces have been scatter ed around
her corpse-one piece for ea ch PC.
If the PCs choose t he corr ect way, they arrive
in time to encounter Tarascon, and surprise th e

black-cloaked madm an. H i s hood conceals his
face completely. H e has just stabbed the young
woman onc e but h e has yet t o finish her off.
Tarascon drop s his victim and flees, leading the
PCs on a cha se through t he village. Make the
ch as e exciting. Let th e PCs get close from time
to time, but never allow the m t o catch him.
(Tarascon knows th e village mu ch bett er th an
out.) The madman eventually disappears
around a corner, leaving but o ne trace on t he
ground a piece of r e d licorice for eac h PC.
The constab le arrives right after th e PCs,
whether o r not they a re in time t o save Lillin. If
she is dead, h e helps the PCs look for th e killer.
If she is alive, he takes h er t o the church. In that
case, sh e survives and manages to tell her
story. A dark figure leaped out of the shadows
above her, sh e says. She sc reamed and felt his
dagger st ab her; sh e remembers nothing else.
€went: The Dinner Par@
This event occurs if th e PCs visit the
plantatipn h n i r e n z a r n m 1 5 i n t h n - \ r a n i n n
Under no circum stances will Luc accom pany
them t o the plantation. If they discuss their
plans to g o there, he st ays behind. If they just
decide to go t here while exploring th e town,
Luc turns around and walks back to t he inn. H e
does not want t o go back to his old home for
fear of remembering what he ha s tried so hard
to forget.
When they arrive, the large house is mostly
dark. The only so urce of light spills from
windows around th e back. If the PCs peer inside
a lighted window, read the following:
Beyond the window lies a spacious dining
room with fine appointments, showing taste
and wealth. A chandelier of burning candles
fills the room with a warm an d plea sant light.
A number of large, covered serving trays lie
up6n the table in the center of the room, and
places have been set for four.
Three servants enter from a side passage,
their hea ds bowed deeply a s they walk. One
of th e servants goes to the table. With a
flourish, he lifts the lid from the grandest
 

safe is to kill young Luc. On d ay four, Je an kills

platter, revealing tonight’s meal: the remains
his younger brother and t he PCs.
of a freshly de ad young ma n. Dried blood
J e a n follows the party around town. H i s goal
cover s much of his pale flesh, and a wicked
is to pick them off one by one, so he strikes
cu t str etches from e ar t o ear. Suddenly, a
when the best opportunity to attack a single
face a ppea rs in t he window, staring with
character presents itself. If no such opportunity
malevolent eyes-the eye s of a ghoul
arises, the madman attacks in desperation
when the PCs enter a concealed or
Je an Tarascon’s servants have all b ecome
out-of-the-way ocation (such a s his townhouse).
ghouls, turned into the foul creatures by eating
Je an goes after a wizard or cleric first,
carrion at th e madman’s insistence. (The PCs
attempting to use his surprise bonus to
should ma ke horror checks.) Je an wants to
eliminate the spellcaster. Then he turns his
emula te an d please his brother Marcel, who
attention on Luc, thoug h he will fight oth ers
now exists by eating rotting flesh. But Je an
who get in his way. If Luc is already dead for
himself has yet to muster the courage to e at
som e reason, his ghost appear s beside th e PCs.
dead flesh; he simply kills and then f eeds his
(See “Luc th e Ghost” on pa ge 18.)
victims to his servants. H e now he h as a pack of
When Jean first attacks, read the following:
ghouls at his beck an d call.
The ghouls notice the PCs and move to
attack . All thr ee have gam e statistics matching The madman s tands before you, completely
th e ghouls in th e cemetery (area lo), but you enshrouded by a black, hooded cloak. Only
should roll eac h creature’s hit po ints separately. th e curved dagger in his pale right hand s
The ghouls battle to the death. As in the visible. Then he toss es back t he hood,
cemetery encounter, if th e PCs are losing, revealing a fac e twisted by ma dnes s and ey es
Shaman Brucian can show up to aid them. lit by the fire of insanity. That fire is clearly
After t he battle, th e PCs can look around the consum ing him, burning away what is left of
house. Except for th e silver platters, all that his mind and his humanity.
remains of much value is furniture. The PCs “You should not have co me t o Marais
als o ca n find a number of the missing dTarascon,” th e ma dman hisses. “And you
villagers-all dead at Je an ’s hands. Clumps of should not have brought that whelp of a
dirt lie in som e of the rooms, but no other trace brother with you ” h e sho uts , waving his
of th e undead exists. Given this sc ant evidence, dagger a t Luc. “You have forced t his
th e PCs will probably think th e ghouls are confrontation Let the blood be on your
responsible for th e murders. Nothing here hands as you taste the blade of Jean
points t o Je an Tarascon himself. The PCs may Tarascon ”
even think that J ean has been murdered, too, With that, t he madm an attacks.
though no physical remains can be found.
Je an Tarascon battles to th e death. During

Oay four: fadB the Madman the fight, th e constable and Sha man Brucian
conveniently arrive if th e PCs need assistance.
After talking to villagers for four days and After th e battle, Brucian offers whatever spells
experiencing the e vents above, the PCs should and scrolls he has left to heal the party.
be close to connecting J ea n Tarascon with
s o m e of th e village woes. Even if they haven’t
mad e this connection, Je an thi nks they have.
Plus, he believes the only way to kee p Marcel

it this far, they
probably believe
they have stopped
~ the menace and
wed the village.
w After all, Je an
Tarascon is dead.)
The menace still
exists, but don’t
destroy their
illusions just yet.
Let t he PCs spend
th e rest of t he day
healing at t he inn,
learning spells, and
then gathering
supplies for their
journey away from Marais dTaras con. Luc
continu es to follow them a round, but he has
fallen silent since t he day before, spouting no
mor e nonsense verses.
All t he villagers a re friendly toward the PCs,
and willing to s trike so me excellent deals for
supplies and equipment. Of course, no one can
provide directions t o plac es larger than Port
dElhour, but most people are sure the PCs can
learn what they need t o know about escaping
Souragne there. The villagers are anxious to
celebrate; they invite t he player characters t o
spend one more night at th e inn. That allows
the PCs a fresh start in the morning, and after
all, the weather is poor for travel.
All throu gh t he day o n which Je an Tarascon
dies, stor m clouds hover over th e village, just
a s they have for days. Thunder boom s on
occasi on, followed by a flash of lightning, but
otherwise this day is a s dark and dismal a s
those preceding it. Still no rain comes.
If th e PCs decid e to leave before nightfall,
Luc accompan ies them. The farther they travel,
the more ag itated h e becomes. Finally, he
begins to repeat a new verse, the on e which the
gypsy Valana g ave him (s ee page 18). f Luc is
dead at this point, he comes to the PCs as a
ghost t o direct them back to the village.
Finally, night covers the land and t he rain
begins t o fall.
The Storm
With the com ing of night, thunder sh ake s the
village. It sta rt s as a low rumble in th e
distance and builds to a terrible, long-lasting
explosion that rocks cottages and knocks
items from shelves. Lightning danc es wildly
across the sky, casting stark shadows in its
skitt ering flash. Then th e rain begins, falling
in large, foul drops that soon become a
deluge. The street s quickly turn t o mud;
small streams form in the cracks and
depres sions. Vision is obscured by the
unending sh eets of d ark water, and th e rain
falls with such force that it hurts those who
ventur e into it s fury. Through it all, the
thunder continu es to roll above th e village,
and th e lightning intensifies. The stor m has
arrived.
As the storm batters the sm all village, th e
tim e for telling storie s around the fire has
begun. The PCs ar e probably in th e inn’s
common room, sitting before th e large
firepl ace with villagers who are waiting out th e
s t o r m As everyone sips their drinks, listening
to the thunder and t orrents, Luc begins to
recite his verses. Now, however, he is saying
them correctly, quo ting directly from Hyskosa’s
scroll. (If Luc died earlier, his ghost appe ars t o
ramble thro ugh t he verses.)
If the PCs have not found the scroll in the
Tarascon townhouse, one of t hem may wish to
write down Luck words. After a moment,
Sham an Brucian spea ks up. As the priest
begins t o talk, Luc lowers his voice, but he does
not st op reciting. “I have a stor y to tell you,” th e
sha man begins. “ do not think t he worst is over
in Marais dTarascon.”
He describes the stormy night on which Je an
brought Marcel to him about a mon th ago .
Marcel was quite dea d, torn apa rt by undead

hands. “I retrieved a scroll from my small
collec tion and at tem pted t o raise poor Marcel,”
Brucian continues, “but something went wrong.
Marcel remained dead, and J ea n cried out in
anguish. H e spirited away the cor pse of his
brother. That was th e last saw of Marcel, and
the last time I saw J ea n alive.” (Presumably,
Brucian knows the PCs killed Jean.)
Brucian d oes not know what his failed
mirac le wrought; Marcel did not rise a s a
zombie lord until later. However, the priest has
suspecte d all along that som e undead agency
has been at work in his village. Until now, he
thought t hat Marcel fell victim to the sa me
agency a s the other villagers. Now he realizes
that the time of trouble began after Marcel
died-and not a mom ent before. Brucian
doesn’t know what that m eans , but he is sure
the events are connected, and he shares his
suspic ions with th e PCs.
Two things occur just a s the sh aman finishes
his tale. First, an othe r villager falls over dead.
In l d 4 rounds he rises as a zombie and rushes
to capture Luc (if he is alive) or th e PC holding
either t he Hyskosa scroll or the copied verses
that Luc recited. The zombie has the same
statistics as the o ne in “The Funeral” (see Part
ll , but roll its hit points randomly. (Horror
chec ks may not be required, depending on the
number of previous zombie enounter s and the
outcome of thos e checks.) Second, Luc stops
reciting the Hyskosa text. Instead, he recites the
prophe cy which was given him by the gypsy
Valana. H e repeats her prophesy over and over
until th e PCs get the hint.
Zombits on the Mow
After th e PCs have dealt with t he
newly-created zombie, the do or to t he inn
bursts open. A villager, soaked t o th e bone
despite the cloak he wears, rushes into the
common room. H e is out of breath and
obviously very frightened. “ The dead a re
approaching Marais dTarascon ” he m anages t o
say between shivers and coughs. “An army of
the walking dead ” The villager suc cum bs to a
racking fit of coughs, and all he ca n man age in
response to questions is to point toward th e
easter n fields.
The constable decides to investigate. If the
PCs follow, they witness the sce ne described
below. If they don’t, the co nstable returns to tell
about it.
You ma ke your way throug h the pou ndin g,
slimy rain like blind men. You can barely see
a foot in front of you unless lightning flashe s,
briefly illuminating the area. Even then, th e
houses and trees ar e nothing more than
vague shapes obscured by a shimmering
curtain of rain. Walking is difficult, for t he
dirt paths have become muddy and slick.
Finally, you reach th e east ern path. T he
fields beyond remain hidden by darkness
and the storm. Peels of thunder and the
driving rain muffle nearly every sound.
Then, in a spectacular crack of lightning,
th e figures com e into view-dark for ms
moving slowly toward t he village. T hey loo k
like misshapen humans , but it’s hard to tell.
A flash of lighting illum inates th e entire
field. The dark shapes ar e everywhere The
closest are but 50 feet away, sham bling
forward. Darkness returns. It seems as if a n
eternity passes, or maybe just a heartbeat,
and then a brilliant flash lights t he sky. N o w
you can s ee th e figures clearly, if only for a
second . They are zombies , a literal a rmy of
them, and they are marching on Marais
dTarascon
 

-:

LAIR O THE Z
This is th e Night of the Walking Dead, when
no fewer tha n 25 zombies march on Marais
d’Tarascon. (Each PC should m ake a fear ch eck
with a + 2 bonus.) With th e death of Je an ,
Marcel has decided to sear ch for the Hyskosa
if
village, his efforts will be rewarded; he wants to
demonst rate his total control over the undead.
The zombies have been ordered to lay siege to
the village, killing defender s and tearing ap art I
cottages as they search for the scroll Marcel
desires.
The constable asks th e PCs to return to the
village t o help him prep are a def ense. Almost
before they can respond, Luc begins repeat the
Vistani verse tha t led him an d Marcel to th e old
cemetery. This is his way of urging the PCs to
I
go after Marcel, for they must destroy the
zombie lord to defeat h is army. If the PCs
decide to help th e constabl e and t he villagers
set barricades, Sham an Brucian urges them
toward a different cour se. “Find Marcel’s body,”
he pl eads, a ddin g his voice t o Luc’s. “ am
certain that it holds the key to the terrors which
have befallen us ”
If the PCs head for the old cemetery
immediately upon s eeing t he zombie army,
they can rea ch it without incident. If the PCs
first return t o the village, and later head toward
the cemetery, they must battle zombies to
reach it. Th e rain helps to hid e the PCs, but it
also hides zombies. Have the players trace the
path t he PCs wish to t ake o n the village m ap.
(Conceal the secret pass age if necessary.)
For every 60 feet of progress, roll ld6. If the
result is 1 or 2, l d 4 zombies surprise the party.
If the result is 3 or 4, the PCs surprise l d 4
zombies and c an avoid them if they wish. If the I
result is 5 or 6, n o encounter occurs.

Lair o f the Zombie Master

Near the old cemetery, all is quiet. If the PCs
search t he hillside carefully, they ca n find a
secret passage behind a ston e slab with six
star s carved upon it. (See “ B ’ on the village

map. The passage leads to “A” in the cemetery.)
The PCs can also enter t he old cemetery by
climb ing over th e wall or breaking through the
gate. On ce the char acters are inside, refer to
th e m ap titled “The Zombie Lor ds Lair” (inside
cover). The nu mbers below match those on t he
map.
1. Ancient Gate. Two grotesque gargoyles
guard this gate. (They are no more than statue s,
but don’t reveal tha t.) In every flash of
lightning, the sta tue s appear to move.
The g ate can be ope ned with a successful
bend bars roll, or by shattering th e heavy
chains tha t secure it. To break th e chains, the
PCs must inflict 25 hit points of dam age. Either
way, the resulting noise al ert s Marcel to their
presence, d espite the pounding rain.
2. Emp ty Mausoleum. Only dust lies within.
3. Zombie Mausoleum. If the PCs explore this
mausoleum, two zombies shambl e out of open
vaults and attack. If the PCs walk past the
building without entering, t he zombies follow
and atta ck from behind. Use the zombie
statist ics from “The Funeral” in Part 11 but roll
for hit points.
4. Decrepit Mausoleum. This crumbling
building ha s become the home of giant bats. If
the PCs disturb the tomb, th e bat s attack.
Giant Bats ( l d 6 appear): AC 8; V 3/18; p
l d 4 (roll randomly); #AT 1; Dmg 1-2; A nil; S D
-3 from missi le at ta ck s while flying; AL nil; XP
35 ea ch ; THACO 20.
5. Flooded Mausoleum. The roof of this
mausoleum is crack ed, allowing rainwater t o
form a pool several feet deep upon t he
fractured ston e floor. The pool ripples as dr op
after drop falls from above, echoing throughout
th e chamber. If any PC enters the flooded tomb,
roll ld6.On a result of 5 r 6 he PC bumps
into a submerged skeleton. The skeleton stands
up, placing its grinning skull face to face with
th e PC.
Any PC who bum ps into a skele ton mus t
make a fear check. Failure indicates that the
character dro ps whatever he is holding and
runs quickly toward the exit. Ther e is a 50
percent chance that a dropped item is lost
forever beneath t he water a nd mud.
Ske le to ns (3): AC 7; V 12;HD 1; hp 3 4 5;
#AT 1; Dmg 1-6; A nil; S D as undead, edged
weapons do half damage; AL N; XP 65 ach;
THACO 19.
6. Tomb of Rats. Giant rats inhabit this
mausoleum, and they defend it from any
invaders. If the PCs enter the tomb, the rats
leap out of o pen vaults and attac k.
Giant Ra ts (3 d6 appear): AC 7; MV 12/6; p
l d 4 (roll randomly); #AT 1; Dmg 1-3; A
disease; S D nil; AL NE; XP 15 ea ch ; THACO 20.
7 . Crypts. These above-ground burial vaults
contain the ancient remains of long-dead
villagers. Little more than dust and bones, none
ha s been raised by Marcel, and the y pose no
danger t o th e PCs.
8 . The Crypt of Stars. One of the vaults in this
crypt is open when the PCs approach it. The
door to the vault has six stars carved into
it-the sign that designate s it as a depos itory
for Hyskosa’s scroll. This is where Luc and
Marcel found the scroll weeks ago. It is also
where Marcel met his deat h at th e hand s of t he
old cemetery’s zombie guardians. The m ain
guardian is a ju-ju zombie. Like th e oth er
zombies, it now serves Marcel.
When Luc approaches this spot, h e beco mes
extremely agitated. H e remains beside t he PCs,
but obviously it’s a great effort to d o so.
9. The Tarascon Tomb. Stain ed-gla ss windows
are located high upon th e wall at th e front of
th e tomb , spilling a sickly yellow light o nto t he

cracked sto ne st eps below. The stai rs lead to a
pair of stone doors. Once the PCs ascend the
stairs, the rain sud denly stops. The “Final
Battle” is about to occur.
hu final b t t l u
Read this text when the PCs are about to
open the doors to area 9, the zombie lords lair.
As the doo rs creak op en, th e yellow light
fr om within bat hes you in its pale glow. A
vile, fetid air flows out t he doorway in a gust.
The huge cham ber before you is littered with
a carpet of bones a nd half-eaten carrion. The
ceiling is a gl ass dome, through which you
can see the storm clou ds parting to unleash
a stream of moonlight.
A platform of bones lies in the middle of
th e chamber, flanked by two flaming braziers
that are fashioned from stacke d skulls. Atop
th e platform is a finelycra fted throne.
Seated there is a hideous cr eatur e who
resembles Jean Tarascon, but with rotting,
pale gray skin.
“Welcome to my domain,” inton es the
figure with a cold, rasping voice. “I a m
Marcel Tarascon, lord of the undead. Give
me what I seek. Give me t he scroll of the six
s i g n s . . . or join the rest of Marais d’Tarascon
in living death ”
With that, large shapes shamb le out of the
dark recesses that line the chamber walls. As
they ste p into the light cast by the foul
braziers, you see that they ar e zombies-and
they a re moving toward you
First things first: each PC must immediately
make a saving throw vs. poison or fall victim to
Marcel’s odor of deat h. (The sce nt is so
well-concealed by the to mb t hat the usual
30-yard range do es not apply.) After that , the
final battle can proceed normally. Be sure to
study Marcel’s background sh eet on p age 16

for details on his enhanced powers.
Three regular z ombies move to protect their
master. They have th e sam e statistics a s the
zombies in Part 11, but again, roll to determine
their hit points. A fourth zombie-actually th e
ju-ju zombi e th at killed Marcel-also sta nd s
ready to fight. Even if the PCs agree to turn
over Luc or the scroll, Marcel still orders his
zombies t o attack. (He knows that adventurers
ca n becom e valuable soldiers in his army.)
Marcel’s regular zombies engag e t he PCs
first, while the ju-ju zombie waits to see which
character a ppears t o be the most powerful.
That is th e character it attacks. Marcel battles
any PC who climbs on to his platform of bones.
On th e sixth round of comba t (or just before
th e zombie lord is destroyed, whichever co mes
first), a special event occurs which momentarily
sto ps the battle. G o to “The Eclipse.”
Ju-Ju Zombie (1): AC 6; V 9; HD 3 12; hp
22; #AT 1; Dmg 3-12 ; SA strike normally in
round, hurl s pears (one each); SD 1 or better
weapon t o hit, blunt and piercing weapons do
half damage , turn a s spectres, immune to sleep,
charm, hold, dea th magic, poisons, cold-based
spells, mind-affecting spells, electricity, magic
missiles, a nd fire d oe s half damage; AL NE; XP
975 each ; THACO 15.
The Eelipsu
In th e midst of the battle, a great thunder
shak es the chamber. Then lightning strikes
the dom e overhead a nd the glass explodes,
showering th e chambe r with glittering
shards. Th e full moon above fills the room
with a pale red light. Immediately, Luc
begins to d rone repeatedly, “The light of the
sky, shining over the dead, shall gutter and
fail, turning all to red. . . .”
The zombie lord shrieks and looks into the
sky. The moon is indeed red, and
The eclipse is o n e of th e six sig ns of
Hyskosa’s vision. Throug hout th e round s which
and over, and the moon continues to shrink
until it disappears c ompletely from th e clear
night sky. (After a time, th e moon will slowly
return, a s the unseen monster is releasing it
from its mout h bit by bit.)
When the eclipse first starts, Marcel and his
zombies pause for l d 4 rounds. During this
period of time, the PCs can attack freely. When
th e momentary pause ends, Marcel screams in
primal rage and joins the battle in earnest.
The battle e nds when th e zombie lord is
destroyed. When that occurs, all zombies under
his command lose direction and wander off.
Thu Sun Returns
th the coming of dawn, Marais
dTarascon tries t o return to normal.
There are many dead, but t he zombie
army lost its drive before th e entire village
could be destroyed. If Luc is alive, he come s
out of his trancelike state. If he is dead, the
destruction of Marcel puts Luck spirit t o rest.
The PCs are given supplies and equipment to
replace what they have lost. The villagers tha nk
them for their help, but do not ask them if they
want t o stay. The PCs are a reminder of dark
times, and t he villagers simply want to p ut this
period behind them.
With the warmth of the welcome sun shining
down upon the m, th e party leaves the village.
What happens to them next is largely up to you.
They can either return t o th e world from which
they w e r e plucked, or journey t o another island
domain in the foul sea of mists. Whatever lies
ahead, the Mists rise up somewhere upon the
road. When the tendrils of fog fade away, who
knows what ad ventu re awaits?
 

  To PlantationlFields 1 5

I
 

NIGHT O THE WALHING OEAP

By Bill Slavicsek

I
n a rain-soaked graveyard, a small group
of men s tan ds round a coffin bound with
heavy chains. “We are here to mourn the
passing of Je an de Cardeau,” intones the
village priest. “Let us pray that his rest is
eternal, an d that he never returns.”
A s the pallbearers lift the coffin,
something scrapes o n the wood from
inside. Quickly and without emo tion, the
attendants slide the c asket into a crypt.
Then they seal the door a nd flee. Behind
them, unheard, a dull thudding begins,
growing louder with the ons et of twilight.
There can be no peace those who linger
in the earthly realm after death. And the re
can be no sanctuary on the Night of the
Walking Dead
Se t in a zombie-infested swampland,
Night o the WalkingDead is an ideal
first-time RA VE NL OV adventure. Players
must unravel the mystery behind a string
of murders and disappearance s in a village
plagued by ambulant undead-and all is
not a s simple as it seems
The hour of fear is upon us. A r e you
ready t o face the demiplane of dread?
4 t o 6 players, levels 1 to 3.

TSR, nc. TSR, Ltd.

POB 756 120 Church End
Lake Geneva Cherry Hinton
WI 5314:
USA , Cambridge CB1 3LB

ISBN 1-56076-350-7

6.95 U.S. 24.50 U.K. CAN 8.50

ADVANCED DUNGEONS G DRAGONS i s a registered rademark owned by TSR. Inc. RAVENL OFT and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR. In=.
1992 TSR. inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.