Module
The Old Manor (Hammers Hideout)
Ruined estate cellar — Hammers & Gang of Four hideout featuring Rulden, sealed tomb, and secret letter.
Module — The Old Manor (Hammers Hideout)
Status: Ready to run. Tactical cellar delve and investigation module following the Blue Moon brawl.
Canonical Stat Blocks & PDFs:
Prior Module: Blue Moon & Fallcrest Arrival Module
Overview & Dungeon Background
Located two miles east of Fallcrest along the forest ridge lies the Old Manor — an ancient noble estate destroyed decades ago during the Orc-Blood War. While the upper stone walls have crumbled into overgrown ruin, the subterranean cellars remain intact.
A local cell of the Hammers gang, led by a rogue hedge-wizard named Rulden, has repurposed the cellar as a base of operations. Rulden receives orders and funding from Maelis Varn (a representative of the sinister Gang of Four), who tasked the cell with capturing Ethium research maps and acquiring Ethium stones from unsuspecting travelers.
Key Areas & Read-Aloud Descriptions
1 — Ruined Manor Ground Floor & Cellar Entrance
Shattered stone walls choked with ivy and thorny briars. A dark stone archway leads down into the cellar.
Read Aloud: Crumbling granite walls and fallen oak beams are all that remain of the old manor house. Weeds choke the inner courtyard. Tucked beneath a half-collapsed staircase, a heavy iron-bound archway descends into cool, damp darkness. Faint torchlight glimmers from below.
- Stealth Approach (DC 11 Stealth): Party sneaks down the stairs without alerting the cellar sentries.
- Perception (DC 10): Spots fresh boot prints and discarded ale bottles near the cellar door.
2 — Entrance Cellar (Hammers Guard Camp)
A vaulted stone cellar room fitted with crude wooden tables, sleeping cots, and weapon racks.
Read Aloud: The cellar opens into a vaulted stone chamber smelling of woodsmoke and stale ale. Torches flicking in iron sconces illuminate wooden cots, weapon racks, and a rough gambling table. Three heavy-set thugs lounge around a hearth fire, their clubs resting nearby.
- Encounter: 3 Hammer Thugs.
- Tactics: If alerted, one thug attempts to run into Area 3 to warn Rulden while the other two block the doorway.
3 — Damp Mushroom Chamber (Rulden’s Command Center)
Moisture drips from the ceiling into pool of stagnant water. Glowing blue and green fungi illuminate a strategy table.
Read Aloud: The air grows cold and damp. Patches of bioluminescent blue and green mushrooms cling to the wet stone walls, casting an eerie glow over a large chamber. Standing over a table covered in parchment maps and alchemy vials is a tall man in midnight-blue robes, holding a glowing green crystal staff. Two armed guards stand beside him.
- Encounter: Rulden (Mage) + 1 Plated Fighter (Gang Leader stats) + 1 Hammer Thug.
- Tactics: Rulden casts Sleep or Ray of Sickness on heavy melee fighters while his guards choke the narrow entryway.
- Rulden’s Ethium Stone: Resting on Rulden’s strategy table is an unrefined Ethium Stone emitting a faint blue pulse.
4 — The Sealed Family Tomb
A heavy iron-reinforced oak door sealed with a rusted iron lock.
Read Aloud: Beyond a reinforced iron door lies an ancient family crypt. Dust coats four ornate granite sarcophagi carved with noble crests. As the air enters the sealed room, the heavy stone lids shift with a scraping roar, and bony hands reach over the granite edges.
- Door Lock / Breach: DC 13 Strength check (or crowbar) to breach the door.
- Encounter: 4 Skeletons (ancient noble ancestors cursed by dark magic).
- Tactics: Skeletons attack the nearest living creature with shortswords. Note: Sleep spell does not affect undead.
Encounters & Creature Stats
Area 2 & Area 3 Guards
| Creature | AC | HP | Attacks & Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammer Thug (×4) | 12 | 11 | Club +3 (1d6+1), Heavy Crossbow +3 (1d10+1). Reckless. |
| Plated Fighter (Gang Leader) | 14 | 18 | Longsword +4 (1d8+2), Shield. Ally Advantage (+1d6 damage when near an ally). |
Area 3 Boss Fight
| Creature | AC | HP | Attacks & Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rulden the Mage | 12 (15 Mage Armor) | 22 | Dagger +3 (1d4+1), Green Ray +4 (1d8 poison + DC 12 CON vs poisoned). Spells: Shield (1/day), Sleep (5d8 HP pool), Ray of Sickness. |
Area 4 Crypt Fight
| Creature | AC | HP | Attacks & Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Skeleton (×4) | 13 | 13 | Shortsword +4 (1d6+2). Vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage (takes double damage from hammers/maces). |
Investigation & Loot Table
Strategy Table Search (DC 12 Investigation)
Searching Rulden’s desk reveals a secret parchment letter bearing the seal of Maelis Varn:
“Rulden — Intercept the courier from the North Road. Acquire the Ethium plateau map at all costs. Bring any blue crystal stones directly to the rendezvous site near the plateau waterfall.”
Complete Loot Cache
- Ethium Stone: Recovered from Rulden’s desk (can be used later to activate the Healing Pool).
- Magic Shortsword (+1): Found inside the noble tomb sarcophagus.
- Spellbook: Rulden’s spellbook containing Mage Armor, Sleep, Ray of Sickness, and Detect Magic.
- Scrolls & Potions: 1 × Scroll of Identify, 2 × Potion of Healing (2d4+2 HP).
- Coin Pouch: 65 gp, 140 sp, 220 cp.
Key NPCs
| NPC Profile | Role & Personality |
|---|---|
| Murgaddin Profile | Guard Captain who rewards the party (50 gp bounty) for clearing the manor hideout. |
| Rulden the Mage | Arrogant hedge-wizard working for Maelis Varn; obsessed with Ethium magic. |
| Maelis Varn Profile | High-ranking agent of the Gang of Four (author of the captured letter). |
Related Documentation & Links
| Category | Reference Link |
|---|---|
| Session Log | Session 3 Play Log (Part 1) |
| Novel Chapter | Chapter 3: The Old Manor |
| Prior Module | Blue Moon & Fallcrest Arrival Module |
| Next Module | Journey to Ethium Module |
| Factions Lore | Hammers Gang Lore · Gang of Four Faction Lore |