The Black Monastery

"Way back in 1977, a bunch of the older kids I knew taught me how to play Dungeons & Dragons. Quickly this evolved into myself and one other guy, Scott Stabbert, being the primary DMs. Thus was born Rappan Athuk (my main campaign hub, maps originally drawn by Scott), the dungeon adventures from Demons and Devils, and many of the other adventures I have published or planned to publish over the last 12 years." -- Bill Webb, 2011 The Black Monastery is a classic style adventure module for parties of five to seven characters of 7th to 10th level, with the average player character being 9th level. The adventure includes maps and descriptions of the monastery’s main level, two towers, and three dungeon levels. There are two separate dungeons, one of which has two levels. There are enough things to do, choices to make, and monsters to fight to occupy a gaming group for a dozen gaming sessions or more. The Legend of the Black Monastery Two centuries have passed since the terrible events associated with the hideous cult known as the Black Brotherhood.  Only scholars and storytellers remember now how the kingdom was nearly laid to waste and the Black Monastery rose to grandeur and fell into haunted ruins. The Brothers first appeared as an order of benevolent priests and humble monks in black robes who followed a creed of kindness to the poor and service to the kingdom.  Their rules called for humility and self-denial.  Other religious orders had no quarrel with their theology or their behavior.  Their ranks grew as many commoners and nobles were drawn to the order by its good reputation. The first headquarters for the order was a campsite, located in a forest near the edge of the realm.  The Brothers said that their poverty and dedication to service allowed them no resources for more grand accommodations.  Members of the Black Brotherhood built chapels in caves or constructed small temples on common land near villages.  They said that these rustic shrines allowed them to be near the people they served.  Services held by the Brothers at these locations attracted large numbers of common people, who supported the Black Brotherhood with alms. Within 50 years of their first appearance, the Black Brotherhood had a number of larger temples and abbeys around the kingdom.  Wealthy patrons endowed them with lands and buildings in order to buy favor and further the work of the Brothers.  The lands they gained were slowly expanded as the order’s influence grew.  Many merchants willed part of their fortunes to the Black Brotherhood, allowing the order to expand their work even further.  The Brothers became bankers, loaning money and becoming partners in trade throughout the kingdom.  Within 200 years of their founding, the order was wealthy and influential, with chapters throughout the kingdom and spreading into nearby realms. With their order well-established, the Black Brotherhood received royal permission to build a grand monastery in the hill country north of the kingdom’s center.  Their abbot, a cousin of the king, asked for the royal grant of a specific hilltop called the Hill of Mornay.  This hill was already crowned by ancient ruins that the monks proposed to clear away.  Because it was land not wanted for agriculture, the king was happy to grant the request.  He even donated money to build the monastery and encouraged others to contribute.  With funds from around the realm, the Brothers completed their new monastery within a decade.  It was a grand, sprawling edifice built of black stone and called the Black Monastery. From the very beginning, there were some who said that the Black Brotherhood was not what it seemed.  There were always hints of corruption and moral lapses among the Brothers, but no more than any other religious order.  There were some who told stories of greed, gluttony, and depravity among the monks, but these tales did not weaken the order’s reputation during their early years.  All of that changed with the construction of the Black Monastery. Within two decades of the Black Monastery’s completion, locals began to speak of troubling events there.  Sometimes, Brothers made strange demands.  They began to cheat farmers of their crops.  They loaned money at ruinous rates, taking the property of anyone who could not pay.  They pressured or even threatened wealthy patrons, extorting money in larger and larger amounts.  Everywhere, the Black Brotherhood grew stronger, prouder, and more aggressive. And there was more…