Legacy of Dread

It has been a decade since the restoration of Eldermoor. Our campaign begins in the remote and windswept realm of Vaasa (VA-SHA), the westernmost edge of the Cold Lands—a barren tundra where icy winds blow ceaselessly from the Great Glacier to the north.

Here lies the Order of Lotus Monastery, the most secluded outpost of the Order. Despite its isolation, it is home to one of the Order’s great libraries and has trained some of its most storied Field Marshals and Knights.

The Players Assemble

• Anaphiel, a drow and the Monastery’s Field Marshal, is charged with protecting the library and offering guidance to the scattered inhabitants of Vaasa. While some see her posting here as a punishment, Anaphiel finds solace in the long nights and short days.Toedd the Great Lion
• Kain, a seasoned warrior, has taken up residence in the monastery seeking peace after years of conflict. The Order of Lotus welcomes warriors of all paths.
• Sono, lost and searching for answers about his lineage and arcane talents, came in search of knowledge. Here, he finally finds a place where no one questions who—or what—he is.
• Luciel, far from the burning sands of the Cailm Desert, adapted quickly to the cold. A faithful cleric of Toedd, the Great Lion, Luciel joined the Order to refine his healing abilities and live by the ideals of his hero, a legendary pit-fighting paladin.

Attack on the Monastery

While the party rests, an explosion rocks the monastery. They rush outside to find its garrison locked in battle with a horde of mummies. Anaphiel commands them to defend the library—now ablaze.

Inside, they confront a Mummy Lord and a fearsome Winter Knight looting sacred tomes. The Mummy Lord escapes through a teleportation circle, declaring in Abyssal, “You cannot stop the Cult of the Eternal.”

In the aftermath, Anaphiel and Tain, the monastery's librarian, take inventory. One book is missing—stolen by the Eternal Lord. Anaphiel tasks the party with discovering the truth behind the Cult of the Eternal and teleports them to Rubicon Tower in Eldermoor to seek an audience with Grand Marshal Vespasian.

A Deeper Threat

At Rubicon Tower, Vespasian confirms this isn’t the first he's heard of the Cult. He reveals that an agent named Echo, on loan from another organization, was investigating the cult but has gone missing. His last known location was in the South Wood, east of Waterdeep, tracking a former Candlekeep wizard named Orion.

Vespasian grants the party access to the tower’s teleportation circle, sending them to Waterdeep.

There, they meet Azaka Stormfang, a known member of Blackwing and Echo’s contact. She shares what she knows of Orion and his secluded tower. The party heads south.

The Tower of Orion

After a day’s travel, the group finds Orion’s tower in a desolate clearing, defended by gargoyles and a molten earth elemental. Inside, they discover disturbing experiments, forbidden tomes, and a blood-drawn magic circle for summoning undead.

The tower hides many secrets—sealed floors, arcane traps, and eventually, a way down. Along the way, they meet Zion, an elf paladin hired by Xanathar to track the party and locate Orion. Zion agrees to assist.

On the lower floor, they uncover a hidden chamber. In the west wing, stone caskets line the walls—quickly incinerated by a fireball. In the east, they face Orion and his terrifying guardian, a Zombie Beholder.

With Orion defeated, they find Echo—real name Lyndon—alive. He reveals that Blackwing was hired to investigate Vespasian himself and that they can seek more answers either at Candlekeep or from Hadrian Blackwing, founder of the order.

Aboard the Curious Jester

The party rests, then returns to Waterdeep and meets with Xanathar. He arranges their travel to Candlekeep to pursue more answers about Orion and the Cult of the Eternal.

Their voyage is interrupted on the first night by a surprise attack from the Winter Knight and undead frost-werewolves. The party prevails and sails the Curious Jester safely to port.

At Candlekeep, the wizards reward the party for recovering the necromancy tome and offer them sanctuary and access to their vast archives.

The Fall of Anaphiel

While at the keep, the party receives a letter—Anaphiel has been excommunicated from the Order. Soon after, Luciel is summoned to the Sending Room, where he receives a direct message from her. She confesses to hiring Blackwing to investigate Vespasian. Her message is brief, but clear: "Anyone who mentions Rubicon can be trusted."

The next day, the party meets Pelk, a dragonborn librarian and follower of Rubicon. She presents them with a disguised tome—The Common Law of Gardening and Barrel Making—which, when properly read, reveals its true contents: The Chronology of Acererak the Eternal.

The book contains the lich’s dark history, possible phylactery locations, and details of sacrificial rituals used to restore him—rituals linked to a Jade Pyramid off the coast of the Shining Sea.

The Jade Pyramid

The party sets sail for Coppertree Island, named after the famed Lizardfolk Captain who helped close the Death Curse years ago. Khabar Cimmo, a trusted seafarer, helms their voyage.

They arrive to find wreckage of a ship—the Jade Wake—and are immediately attacked by a giant crab possessed by a Glabrezu, a demon known to hunt followers of Toedd.

Venturing deeper, they reach the Jade Pyramid and face a Stone Golem in its grand hall. Their victory reveals a staircase descending into a vast, underground cavern system.

Into the Depths

In the dark caverns, the party finds the Whispering Skull, a sentient artifact named “W” who once inhabited cursed armor but remembers little else.

They press on and encounter the Eternal Lord and his ally Chey, an artificer piloting a Hellfire Engine. In a brutal confrontation, the party emerges victorious and reclaims the stolen tome.

With their mission complete, they face a grim decision: What to do with this powerful artifact?

Back to Vaasa—And Beyond

The party returns to Candlekeep to rest and regroup. Once recovered, they travel back to the monastery in Vaasa. With Pelk’s help, they teleport directly into a warzone.

Vespasian, now revealed as a traitor, leads the attack. The defenders, including Anaphiel, rally. The party joins the desperate fight. Amid the chaos, Vespasian opens a portal—to the hidden domain of Acererak.

Anaphiel is struck down, but revived. Vespasian is defeated, and the monastery reclaimed. Anaphiel urges the party to pursue the lich and destroy him. She remains behind to rebuild the Rubicon Order.

Barovia Beckons

The party steps through the portal—and into Barovia, a cursed land within the dreaded Plane of Dread. As the mists close in, they know the trials ahead will test not just their strength, but their very souls.