Encounter

Echoes in the Cemetery

Combat

Area T2 — The Cemetery (Night)

After dark, the Thornwick Cemetery takes on an unnatural glow. A stone perimeter wall seals in a grid of weathered graves, family mausoleums, and four small stone vaults anchored at the corners. At the center of the yard, enclosed by broken iron railings, stands the grand Central Tomb—its carved Pharasmin symbols humming with a low vibration.

Pale blue light seeps directly from the soil, fed by the psychic feedback leaking from the Threshold Seed beneath the church. Translucent, silent figures drift aimlessly among the headstones, trapped in perpetual death-throes—including the three missing villagers whose faces remain locked in unnatural, wide smiles. None of them initially acknowledge your arrival.

Without warning, a violent pulse rolls through the earth. The blue light flares, the floating spirits freeze, and every face slowly snaps toward you as four distinct echoes coalesce with lethal intent.

Tactical Features & Map Layout (15×20 Grid)

  • Entry Points: The southern Main Gate (col 07–08, row 19–20) serves as the primary entrance. Side gates exist at West Gate (col 01, row 10), East Gate (col 15, row 10), and North Gate (col 07–08, row 01–02).
  • Central Tomb (col 07–08, row 10–11): Sits within a fenced perimeter (col 06–09, row 08–12). The stone structure provides standard cover (+2 AC).
  • Mausoleum (col 07–08, row 04–05): A northern family vault providing total cover behind its walls. Echoes pass through it freely.
  • Corner Stone Vaults (2×2): Located at col 03–04 & col 10–11 on row 06, and col 03–04 & col 10–11 on row 16. These grant standard cover.
  • Headstones & Environment: Dozens of 1×1 grave markers fill the yard (lesser cover, +1 AC). Pale blue ground fog conceals prone or crouching creatures (DC 5 flat check). Fractured soil from planar tremors counts as difficult terrain.

Encounter Budget (Moderate 3)

This encounter features 4 Thornwick Echoes (Creature 3), totaling 80 XP—a Moderate encounter for a 3rd-level party.

Initial Echo Positions & Tactics

When the tremor triggers, the four Thornwick Echoes coalesce at specific sites around the graveyard:

  • Echo 1 (Northern Mausoleum): Starts inside the North Mausoleum (col 07, row 04) and glides through the rear wall to flank targets moving up the central aisle.
  • Echo 2 (Central Tomb): Starts perched atop the Central Tomb (col 08, row 10) and swoops down to engage anyone entering through the Main Gate.
  • Echo 3 (Southwest Vault): Starts behind the Southwest Vault (col 03, row 16) and cuts off retreat toward the West Gate.
  • Echo 4 (Southeast Vault): Starts emerging from the Southeast Vault (col 11, row 16) to target spellcasters or ranged characters seeking cover behind eastern graves.

Driven by the pulse of the Threshold Seed, the echoes attack with reckless hostility, bypassing physical obstacles entirely. They open with Draining Wail when multiple targets are within range, prioritizing anyone carrying Graveward Dust or channeling Pharasmin rites, before closing in with Spectral Grasp.