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Curator of Souls

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95 views11 pages

Curator of Souls

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coydog2000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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Empusia,

Curator
of Souls
Patreon rewards for
Nerdarchy patrons,
written by Sean McGovern
with art by Nelson Vieira
Nerdarchist Dave here from Nerdarchy. Now you might be asking yourself what is a Nerdarchy? It is a website, YouTube channel, and a Patreon where
we are creating content for Fifth Edition. We play Dungeons & Dragons and other roleplaying games, discuss many aspects of storytelling, worldbuilding
and game mechanics, Game Master and player tips, and even answer viewer questions about your game through our GM 911 series. Collectively, we have
nearly a century of gaming experience and we’ve always loved discussing the RPG hobby — now we’re just doing it in front of a camera! We’ve made thou-
sands of gaming related videos and there’s no end in sight. Then there’s Nerdarchy.com where a virtual army of writers write about gaming and other nerdy
topics. So buckle up your armor, sharpen your sword, and join us in Nerdarchist Ted’s basement!

This free PDF is our way of giving back to the community and showcasing the cool content we’re creating over on our Patreon and what you can expect
to receive if you become a patron. There are five levels to check out.

Going forward, our Patreon rewards will continue to offer the same variety of content, but we are enlisting a rotating selection of professional artists,
writers and designers to re-envision content from our videos into the rewards you’ll receive as a patron. This free package showcases the work of Sean
McGovern, inspired by the Devil’s Museum of the Macabre video from our YouTube channel.

MAGE FORGE: Magic & special items for your Fifth Edition game TERRIBLE TERRAIN: Battlegrounds & encounters for your Fifth Edition game
$2 or more per month $7 or more per month
At this level our magewrights are hard at work at their arcane forges At this level you receive all content from the prior levels plus detailed encoun-
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month.
LOST LORE: Gamemaster & player options for your Fifth Edition game
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At this level you receive content from the prior level and you get to see the to enhance your game world and players’ experience such as traps, hazards, or-
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you to a new NPC to use in your game every month. — Nerdarchist Dave

Credits
Written by: Sean McGovern
Editing: Doug Vehovec
Layout: Doug Vehovec
Cover and Interior Art: Nelson Vieira
Product identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version
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other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

Copyright © 2018 Nerdarchy LLC


www.nerdarchy.com
Lost Lore
souls are red or green. Chaotic good souls are blue and
Empusia, Curator of Souls yellow. Lawful good souls are gold and white.
Cold, elegant, and beautiful, Empusia is a devil whose There are a number of methods and agents Empusia
life is devoted to using art for the purposes of evil. As one utilizes to obtain souls.
of the many rabblekin archdevils on the first layer of the Hags. Hags scour the Shadowfell for soul larvae and lost
Nine Hells, Empusia schemes in a remote art gallery far souls. A number of hags have trade agreement with Empusia.
removed from the other would-be despots and their pit Contracts. Claviger devils that serve Empusia coerce
fiend lackeys. mortals to sign their souls over, often in exchange for
Empusia utilizes the bodies of paralyzed mortals as ea- artistic ability, or creative inspiration.
sels, desks and chairs. All of the mortals are conscious and Abduction. Her claviger devils head out into the world
suffering, many of whom foolishly signed their soul over and try to abduct the most pure and good mortal souls.
to the archdevil for a minor boon. They are brought back to Empusia, who extracts their
She has four horns and always wear garments of the souls for use in her infernal creations.
finest quality. She is often found sipping blood wine and Traps. Luring mortals into one of her art galleries full of
staring at a painting, lost in thought. soul traps has netted her some of her most prized souls –
Her finest creation is her brass leg, said to have been those of good-aligned clerics and paladins.
made from the soul of a celestial, either a planetar or a Stealing souls is a risky business. Gods and otherworldly
solar. This leg enables her to fly and gives her resistance entities are only as powerful as their following is strong.
to radiant damage. Her other leg is goat-like and hooved. Faithful souls make for fine planar agents and thus are
It is believed she longs to replace that leg with another fiercely defended. Gods of death in particular despise Em-
angelic construct of her making. pusia’s thefts. All souls are meant to be judged and sorted
Empusia is served by her claviger devils and her chief by death gods, and then sent off to their appropriate
underling, Sabazios. Together, they harvest both raw afterlife destination. In many mortal realms, death gods
magic and souls from mortal realms so that the archdevil send shadar kai, angels of death or even sorrowsworn
can use them for her own nefarious purposes.. Empusia to strike down Empusia’s devils and take back the stolen
enjoys collecting souls of mortals, but certain mortals are souls.
utilized in a different way. Empusia has a special affinity for bards. Bard who
Empusia’s devils create art using two types of substanc- stumble upon one of her galleries find that the creatures
es: Magic and souls. within will avoid harming them if possible. Any bard with
Her devils scour the lands for magic items. Anything im- a modicum of talent will be invited by Empusia to carve
bued with magical energy (any type of magic item except a tattoo onto her body, usually on her back or one of her
for common magic items) is snatched and brought back arms. Any bard who does so unwittingly transfers their
to her. The magic is stripped from the objects and poured talent to her, sharing it with her until the bard dies. At
into a basin. The glowing thick liquid magic extract is that time, the bard’s soul becomes hers and he acquires
known as residuum. all of their talent as her own.
Souls. Empusia’s devils mainly create art using souls. Empusia employs a small number of warlocks as mortal
The purer the soul, the more dazzling the final product agents. She crafts a special painting of each of them.
can be. Different types of souls translate into different Whenever she desires, Empusia can use a painting to scry
kinds of materials. The souls of evil creatures are linked on and communicate with the warlock that the painting
to necrotic energy, brownish black and unsightly. Neutral depicts. The infernal pact between the archdevil and the
souls tend to be gray and linked to force energy, although warlock is written on the back of the painting. In order
every chaotic neutral soul has unique properties. Most to end the agreement, the warlock would have to either
good souls are linked to radiant energy. Neutral good destroy the painting or “X” out the written pact.
What is Empusia’s ultimate goal? There are two main
theories. Empusia hopes to create a masterpiece of such
splendor that it touches the black heart of Asmodeus,
lord of the Nine Hells. She hopes that he will make her
Queen of the Nine Hells, putting her right at the top of
the food chain in the infernal hierarchy.
Most devils are trapped in the Nine Hells. Empusia has
a somewhat unique situation — she has a way to reach
out from Hell to connect with mortal realms and acquire
souls. The more souls she has in her gallery, the more power
she gains in Hell. By quietly filling her vast halls with tor-
mented souls, she could eventually accrue enough power
to blindside the ruler of Avernus and take it for herself.

Using Empusia
Empusia can be used in a number of ways. She
could be a standard villain, an archdevil
who harvests souls and butts heads with
the heroes when she targets people close
to the them. In this scenario, she’d send
her clavinger devils after the group’s souls
and items or try to lure them to a gallery by
trapping a loved one, or turning some of
their magic items into residuum. As a pseu-
do-ally, she could be even more interesting.
As a warlock patron, she would be in regular
contact with the character, granting advice
and direction. Devils hate demons and chaos,
so in some instances the group will be bat-
tling creatures she’s happy to see destroyed.
She also is fond of bards. If a char-
acter gives a legendary performance
in a crucial moment or venue, she
might take notice and try to
entice the character to her side
as a mortal agent. Empusia is a
creature lost in her interests,
fully devoted to cre-
ating hideous works
of art – turning
pain and suffering
into a twisted form
of beauty. She re-
spects other artists
and despises those
she deems too dim
to grasp the intent
behind her works.
Empusia saving throw, taking 22 (5d8) psychic damage and
Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil becoming paralyzed for 1 minute on a failed save.
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end
Armor Class 21 (natural armor) of their next turn to end the effect. Creatures who
Hit Points 253 (22d8+154) succeed on the saving throw take half damage.
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
Legendary Actions
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 16 (+3) 24 (+7) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 26 (+8) Empusia can take 3 legendary actions, choosing
from the options below. Only one legendary ac-
Saving Throws DEX +10, CON +14, WIS +11 tion option can be used at a time and only at the
Skills Performance +22, Perception _18 end of another creature’s turn. Empusia regains
Damage Resistances cold, fire, radiant; bludgeoning, spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
piercing, and slashing that aren’t silvered
Damage Immunities poison Bring Art to Life. Empusia can turn one object that
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, fright- is not worn or carried into an animated ally, using
ened, poisoned the statistics of either a rug of smothering or a
Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 24 flying sword.
Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.
Challenge 22 (41,000 XP) Skin Canvas. One creature within 30 feet of Empu-
sia must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Empusia fails a saving Failure means that the flesh of their face begins
throw, she can choose to succeed instead. to warp and their skin covers their eyes, blinding
them until the end of their next turn.
Magic Resistance. Empusia has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects. Operatic Shriek (Costs 2 Actions). Empusia lets
out a sonic blast in a 30-foot cone. Creatures in
Magic Weapons. Empusia’s weapon attacks are magical. the cone must make a DC 18 Constitution saving
throw, taking 22 (5d8) thunder damage on a failed
Actions saving throw, or half as much damage on a suc-
cessful one. Nonmagical objects that aren’t being
Multiattack. Empusia makes three attacks: One worn or carried in the spell’s area also take the
with incisive wit and two claw attacks. damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 5 ft.,


one target. Hit: 19 (2d8 + 10) slashing damage,
and Empusia carves a small, permanent artistic “We mustn’t compare ourselves to regular
design on the flesh of the target.
people. We’re artists. You’ll join me in the
Incisive Wit. Empusia issues a scathing critique
in Infernal. One target creature within 60 ft. must avant garde. You see, this soul has been
make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw, taking 19
(2d8 + 10) psychic damage on a failed saving made over in line with my philosophy.
throw, or half as much damage on a successful
one. Now, like me, it’s a living work of art.”

Enthralling Victive. Empusia utters an infernal — Empusia


poem. All creatures of Empusia’s choosing within
50 feet who can hear must make a DC 18 Wisdom
Mage Forge
Most of these items were created by Empusia herself to
entice mortals to her side. Anyone who creates an innovative Painting of Immortalization
work of art might grab her attention, whether wanted or not. Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
Those who pledge their soul to Empusia are sometimes
given a magical painting of themselves created by the archdevil
Infernal Brush of Empusia herself. As long as the painting remains intact, the character
Wondrous item, very rare does not age. If the painting is destroyed, the character dies
This paint brush can be used to paint a picture of whatever and their soul teleports to Empusia’s domain.
the artist wants. If the art is destroyed, anything granted by it
ceases to exist.
You can use an action to make a DC 16 Charisma (Perfor- Ring of Empusia
mance) check. If you succeed, your wish is granted as the spell Wondrous item, very rare
and the effect remains for a long as the painting remains intact. This ring is made of gleaming white metal and bears a red
If you fail this check, the wish is fulfilled in some twisted way infernal sigil on its face.
by Empusia herself. This effect is permanent, even if the paint- As a bonus action, you can touch the Ring of Empusia to a
ing is destroyed. stone statue no larger than 15 feet tall, which then animates un-
Each Infernal Brush can only be used once. der your control for up to 1 minute. If the statue does not remain
within 150 feet of you, the link is broken and cannot be regained.
As an action, you can command the statue to move and
Ink of Forging attack. The statue has stats identical to a stone golem. The stats
Wondrous item, common could be altered at the Dungeon Master’s discretion, in the case
Anyone using this ink to create a document can create a per- of statues such as lions or dragons. If you touch the ring to a
fect forgery of someone else’s handwriting or sketch. This bottle gargoyle, the gargoyle is under your control for up to one hour.
of ink is empty once the ink has been used 5 times. Once used, the power of the ring can’t be used again until
the next dawn.

Painting of Respite
Wondrous item, rare Soulweave Garments
This painting is one foot tall and half a foot wide, and is kept Wondrous item; rare
in an ornate iron frame engraved with depictions of leering Empusia will sometimes use a soul to create a coat, dress,
devils. The painting is of a small, sinister cavern lit by a soft red cape, or tunic. If a detect evil and good spell is cast on a character
glow. Anyone who speaks the word “Empusia” can step into the wearing a soulweave garment, they will detect the type of the
painting and enter into a tiny demiplane that looks just like the soul infused in the garment rather than the character.
cave in the painting. It can hold up to 8 medium-sized crea- Garments have different abilities depending on the align-
tures. Anyone inside for more than 12 hours is ejected. ment f the soul used in their creation.
Whoever is in the realm appears in the painting as they were Evil. Resistance to necrotic damage.
dressed when they entered. Neutral. Cast detect thoughts once per long rest.
If the painting is destroyed while inhabited, all within appear Good. Resistance to radiant damage.
in the astral plane, floating among the titanic stone bodies of A paladin or cleric of the same alignment as the garment can
dead gods. free the soul with a greater restoration spell.
Monster Menagerie
Claviger Devil Claviger devil
Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil
It is said that when Empusia obtains evil souls, she
often crafts them into claviger devils. The starving Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
artists of the Nine Hells, claviger devils do her bidding Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13)
for all eternity. Speed 30 ft.
Adorned with a monocle over an eye held fast by
overgrown flesh, and with a pale reddish body covered STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
in glowing animated tattoos of mouths lined with 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)
sharp teeth, these creatures hunger for residuum – raw
magic. Saving Throws WIS +3, CHA +3
Claviger devils have the ability to transform magic Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing,
into liquid arcane essence. Devouring it lets them and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t
stave off the hunger for a short time, but thanks to silvered
the endless cruelties of the Nine Hells, claviger devils Damage Immunities fire, poison
eventually become sickened by the residuum and have Condition Immunities poisoned
to expel it. Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Empusia sends her claviger devils into the world to Languages Infernal, Common, telepathy 120 ft.
feed. They return to her, vomiting up the residuum for Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
her to use as material to create more of her diabolical
art objects. Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the
The animated mouths on a claviger devil’s body can claviger devil’s darkvision.
actually be used to store things. Frequently, a claviger Magic Siphon. Any magical item that comes in con-
devil will keep parchment, quills, ink and art supplies tact with the claviger devil has its power siphoned.
in the many infernal compartments. A weapon that deals damage to the claviger devil
Often, corpses are their canvas. They enjoy killing take a permanent and cumulative -1 penalty to
a mortal and then tattooing an infernal image on the damage rolls. If its penalty drops to -5, the weapon
victim’s back or chest. Each claviger devil has its own is destroyed.
motif, including skulls, sigils, poems written in a type of
jagged calligraphy, or landscapes. Actions
Mortals with flesh free of blemishes are the perfect
canvas for one of these fiends. Multiattack. The claviger devil can make two
bite attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.
Infernal Howl (Recharge 5-6). Every mouth
tattoo on the claviger devil’s body lets out
an earth-shaking howl. Each creature in a
15-foot-radius sphere of the claviger devil must
make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking
16 (3d10) thunder damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one.
Friend or Foe
and he remembers everything up to his death. If slain in the
Sabazios Nine Hells, he is destroyed for good. The phylactery hand is
usually hidden in a secret room in whichever gallery he is
Sabazios is a unique devil who is, for all intents and pur- looking after.
poses, the chief underling of Empusia. He seems old and Sabazios acts as a guide for those who enter one of
somewhat feeble, walking with a stooped gait. He has red, Empusia’s galleries, hobbling about, clutching his staff in
scaled skin and always wears a black bathrobe. His boots are one hand and waving around his lightning finger as he
made of brass and are designed to look like ram’s heads. His describes the works of art in the gallery. His main duty is to
left hand is infused with lighting and the pinky finger on his usher mortals into the waiting traps. He will quietly show
right hand is a serpent. visitors around, reminding them to be quiet (even though
Sabazios holds a staff tipped with a bronze replica of his right they are likely the only living mortals in the entire build-
hand, offering a certain gesture. This staff has powers that work ing). If visitors are loud or touch a work of art, he becomes
only for him. Anyone else holding the staff is wracked with pain enraged and attacks until slain. Once he dies, he reforms in
and terrible energy as long as they are in contact with it. an hour, and returns to the group, calm once more.
Sabazios is not a lich, but he does have a phylactery. Empusia Sabazios is not an overly ambitious devil. He was badly
created a 5 foot tall hand of brass that is linked to Sabazios. If humiliated by Mammon centuries ago and he has been in
Sabazios is reduced to 0 hit points, his body reforms in one hiding ever since. Rumor has it that Sabazios tried to depose
hour in the palm of the hand. He regains all of his hit points Mammon, and that Mammon thrashed him utterly.

Sabazios and instantly emerge from another work of art within


Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil 40 feet as part of a move action. Sabazios cannot end
his move action inside a work of art.
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 85 (10d8 + 40) Actions
Speed 30 ft.
Multiattack. Sabazios make two attacks; One
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA with his lightning hand and one with his claw.
18 (+4) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +4) piercing damage and
Saving Throws CON +7, WIS +4, CHA +5 plus 10 (3d6) poison damage.
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and Lightning Hand. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) lightning
Damage Immunities fire, poison damage.
Condition Immunities poisoned The Staff of Sabazios. One creature of Sabazios’
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11 choosing within 30 feet must make a DC 13 Dex-
Languages Infernal, Common, telepathy 120 ft. terity saving throw or else become stunned and
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) magically trapped in a work of art of Sabazios’
choosing within 50 feet. The character is stunned
Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the clav- for one minute, making a saving throw at the
iger devil’s darkvision. tart of each of their turns, ending the effect on
Magic Resistance. The devil has advantage on saving a success. Any creature who grasps the Staff of
throws against spells and other magical effects. Sabazios takes 5 necrotic damage at the start of
Artistic Sojourn. Sabazios can walk into a work of art their turn. Releasing the staff ends this effect.
Terrible Terrain
tures must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6
Museum of the Macabre acid damage on a failed save and none on a successful one.

It is believed that Empusia has six different art galleries Blasphemous Embrace. This crystal sculpture depicts an
and museums that appear in mortal realms in a complex angel and a succubus locked in an unwholesome embrace.
cycle that take place over hundreds of years. These galler- The interior is filled with swirling souls, giving off a lava
ies are used to attract mortals and their highly-prized souls. lamp type of effect. Anyone who looks at it must make a
Explorers are inevitably struck down by one of her artistic DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute.
traps, and then their souls are taken by her for use in her They can repeat the save at the end of their turn, ending
vile artistic experiments. the effect on a success.
One gallery is known to appear mainly in the Astral If a creature becomes paralyzed, hideous cackling crones
Plane, targeting small earthmote communities and for the with devil horns appear in a puff of brimstone and attempt
most part avoiding planar settlements. to “embrace” anyone paralyzed. They attempt to strangle
She also welcomes evil visitors who she hopes to impress their victims with their large, reddish clawed hands. Escape
and collaborate with, including drow, mind flayers, drag- DC 13. They have the statistics of ghouls.
ons, liches, and beholders.
Budding Stems. This room has long green stems rising
Touching the artwork. Obviously, touching the art is up from the floor and ending on a bulb. The stems can be
frowned upon. When a creature does so, roll a d4. climbed to reach a balcony that leads to another level of
1. Make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the gallery. Those who climb the long stems are dismayed
the appendage or item touching the art withers and dies (a to find that thorns suddenly spring out and possibly impale
finger, a staff, etc.) Gloves do not protect appendages. them. Creatures climbing the stems must make a DC 13
2. The character is affected as if a flesh to stone spell was Dexterity saving throw or take 1 piercing damage, 6 poison
cast upon them. damage, grabbed (Escape DC 14) and poisoned. As long as
3. The character is affected by a silence spell until they the character is impaled, they remain poisoned and take
take a long rest. another 6 poison damage at the start of their turns.
4. A large, infernal hand reaches out of the art, touching Anyone poisoned finds that their eye turn completely
the character in the same manner. Melee Weapon Attack: black and remain so until the end of their next long rest.
+10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 fire damage. The bulbs at the top blossom into silky black roses.

The infernal pond. There is a painting of a pond on the Graves of the Heroes. The heroes come upon a room
floor. It is painted in such a way as to suggest four people that has a grassy floor. There are beautifully-engraved
were chained to an anchor and have drowned at the bot- tombstones and freshly-dug graves. Each tombstone bears
tom of the pond. the name of one of the heroes, and they feel a strange
In order to get to the next area in the gallery, the char- magical connection wash over them. They notice muffled
acters will have to dive into the pond and swim past the speech in the dirt in voices that sound like their own.
drowned souls through a watery tunnel that leads to the The graves are very shallow, and take 45 seconds (about
next room. The drowned souls have the statistics of ghouls. 6 rounds) for each to be dug up.
Inside each grave is a rotted zombie with the Intelligence
Hall of Scoundrels. This long hallway is lined with ten and personality of one of the heroes. It begs the group not
paintings of lowlifes of many different races. As a creature to kill it. It promises that it can help. For each minute that
walks past one such painting, it spits acid at them. Crea- the zombie remains intact, one max hit point is transferred
from the character to its undead double. Once all max hit blade that sprays blood onto the canvas so that it appears
points have shifted over, the character becomes a zombie, like an abstract expressionist painting. Melee Weapon
and the zombie becomes the living character. Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2)
Even if the characters do not dig up the graves, they lose bludgeoning damage. Each blade only activates once.
1 max hit point per minute. The character with the highest Constitution out of those
When the zombies are slain, the characters regain all of struck by the trap has the most intriguing painting. Empu-
the max hit points that they lost. sia bestows upon them her favor in the form of inspiration.

Tryptich of Madness. This room contain a triptych, a Art Class. The group stumbles into a room where ten
massive three-paneled painting depicting three scenes claviger devils are in the middle of art class. The devils will
most vile: assume the group are their models, and will expect the
1. People in a lake of fire, screaming in pain. The people heroes to pose as the devils paint them in truly ghastly
are NPCs and allies close to the heroes, such as parents, situations such as being hanged, being burned, being
siblings, and friends. drowned or being strangled.
2. A loved one of one of the characters impaled on a The devils might catch on that the heroes are not the
spike. A devil watches, laughing. models they claim to be and will let them go if the group
3. Empusia holding the heroes in the palm of her hand, hands over 1d4 magic items.
ready to devour them. As an alternative scenario, the group might walk in on
the devils making a sculpture of mortals being stitched
Any creature who looks at the triptych must make a DC together to form a giant skull or devil face. The sculpture
13 Charisma saving throw or acquire a short-term madness actually has a life of its own, and only cutting the stitching
as follows: “I must create a work of art that encapsulates will free the poor mortals that make up the monster.
the essence of my being.” This work of art can be mulled
over and crafted on the go. It could be a song, a poem, The Basement. The heroes might stumble on a secret
a painting, a dance, whatever. If the character actually hatch that leads to the storage area of works long for-
completes the work of art, they must make a Charisma gotten. This dusty chamber might contain truly foul or
(Performance) check. If they roll 15 or higher, their soul has pathetic monstrosities, including a rogue, forgotten aspect
been linked to Empusia. If they roll less than 15, they feel of Empusia impaled on a column, still alive. She would
compelled to start again. beg the heroes to free her, promising to help them escape
the gallery and even to help them battle against the true
Anyone viewing a triptych can attempt to force their will Empusia.
upon it. A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Charisma Driven half-mad by isolation and torture, the aspect is a
check can change the image in a panel to whatever they brilliant artist that Empusia would be incredibly jealous of
like. Each character can make this check only once per if left on her own to create.
image.

At the Dungeon Master’s discretion, failure could mean


that five manes emerge and attack.

If all three images are transformed, anyone suffering


from short-term madness is cured. If anyone envisions an
image that harms Empusia or one of her devils, it actually
does affect them to a degree. The devils or Empusia will try
to avoid them and make attack rolls against that character
with disadvantage.

Blank Canvas. The heroes enter a room where each wall


has a massive blank painting. The floor has pressure plates
that activate, slicing a character with a magical spinning
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