Passing through a village, the party notices a cemetery with an unusual number of fresh graves. A closer look at the headstones reveals that several of the recently buried were clerics of the same faith as a party member. The priest inside the adjacent temple is eager to talk. He explains that several months ago a dungeon was discovered a few miles away, and adventuring parties have been exploring it. The temple’s acolytes go along, given the rumors of a powerful evil presence within. The parties come back shaken but alive, but the young clerics never survive.
The pattern is too consistent to be coincidence. Every group that’s gone in has lost their cleric, and the priest has started to put it together. Something inside that dungeon is specifically targeting characters of holy alignment, which means whatever is down there isn’t just dangerous, it’s deliberate. He’ll pay the party handsomely to go in, find out why, and put a stop to it.
What the party discovers is a portal that was opened at some point during the dungeon’s recent history, and a minor demon came through it. The demon’s minions focus their attacks on any holy presence that enters. The party has to fight their way to the portal, deal with the demon, and close the gate back to the Abyss. If the party has a cleric of their own, that character will draw attention from the moment they step inside, which changes how the party has to move and think.
Party Level: 4-7. The targeted threat against a cleric adds real pressure that scales well at this range. Lower-level parties won’t have the resources to handle a minor demon, and higher-level parties won’t feel the heat.
World: Any
Rules-set: OSR originally, but can be modified to 5e easily enough.
If this made your session better, buying me a coffee keeps the Vault stocked.
