The Bleeding Bells
The Bleeding Bells
A series of ritualistic murders plagues the city's lower districts, each victim bearing arcane scars that glow in moonlight. The party must navigate corrupt city politics, uncover a cult operating beneath the grand cathedral, and confront a cabal of mad clerics before the final bell tolls at midnight—when a planar rift will tear open above the city, flooding the streets with shadow entities.
Read Aloud
The city's damp cobblestones echo with your footsteps as you navigate the cramped streets of the Narrows, where rusted gutters weep rainwater and the stench of rot clings to every corner. The city watch has cordoned off a narrow alley with fraying rope, and beyond it lies the twisted corpse of a middle-aged merchant, her back arched impossibly, her pale skin mapped with intricate scars that seem to catch the grey morning light like threads of silver. Above, church bells ring out the hour—but something is wrong with the sound, as if the metal has been corrupted, each toll a fraction too high or low, grating against the ear.
Description
The party is summoned by a nervous city watch captain, Aldric Venn, who suspects arcane foul play. The body—Marta Kolev, a cloth merchant—bears ritual scarification across her spine forming an incomplete sigil. DC 14 Arcana check reveals the marks are linked to shadow magic and communion with extraplanar entities. A leather journal found in her belongings contains coded entries referencing "the Choir" and "midnight convergence." The scene is contaminated; multiple watch officers report headaches and mild psychic disturbance. The cathedral bells have been ringing irregularly for three days.
DM Notes
Allow players to investigate freely. Key NPCs present: Captain Aldric Venn (lawful but incompetent—he wants this solved quietly to avoid panic). A young watch officer named Kess may be turned as an informant if the party shows her respect; she's been tracking the murders independently. Encourage social checks to extract information. The journal uses a simple substitution cipher (easily cracked with DC 12 Intelligence check or spellcasting like Comprehend Languages). The headaches are real but not dangerous—atmospheric foreshadowing. If the party asks about the bells, Venn dismisses it as "the cathedral maintainers fixing a crack." This is a lie; he's been bribed by someone in the cathedral.
Read Aloud
Descending into the cathedral's crypt, you push past rotting funeral shrouds and crumbling stone tombs, the air growing thick with incense and something fouler—a stench like burnt flesh and copper. The walls are covered in chalk runes that seem to writhe in your peripheral vision. In the central chamber, seven stone sarcophagi form a circle around an altar of black iron, atop which sits a ledger bound in what appears to be human skin, and a ceremonial dagger still wet with blood. Two robed figures—members of the Choir—stand hunched over a binding ritual, chanting in a language that makes your teeth ache. One is clearly a cleric (High Priestess Morvain), her left arm grotesquely elongated and wrapped in shadow; the other is a thin, scarred man you recognize from wanted posters as Silas, a wanted murderer from a neighboring kingdom.
Description
The party discovers the cult's operational base beneath the Cathedral of the Silver Swan. The ledger contains names of twelve victims (six dead, six scheduled for tonight). The ritual is nearly complete—at midnight, the crypt will serve as an anchor point for a shadow entity called the Thrall Unseen to cross into the city. Morvain is a human cleric (cult leader), profoundly mad, convinced she is merging with her god. Silas is a murderer hired as the "blade"—he lacks magical ability but is athletically lethal. Six cultists total occupy the crypt (including the two above). The walls have chalk wards that can be disrupted (DC 14 Intelligence check to understand; destroying them grants the party advantage on saving throws in this space). The altar is trapped: touching it without proper ritual words (written in the ledger) triggers a *glyph of warding* dealing 5d6 lightning damage (DC 14 Dexterity save).
DM Notes
This is a mid-session revelation. The party may arrive during the ritual or discover the location through investigation. If they interrupt the ritual, Morvain will attempt to accelerate the timeline, forcing the midnight deadline even harder. Silas fights to the death but Morvain may attempt escape if bloodied, teleporting via a *shadow step* ability (reflavored Dimension Door, once per day). The ledger is crucial plot evidence. Encourage creative problem-solving: counterspells, dispel magic, or disrupting wards all provide legitimate tactical options. If the party captures Morvain alive, she can be interrogated for the true nature of the entity being summoned and the identity of her patron (see NPC section). The chalk wards can be destroyed; doing so destabilizes the ritual and adds 2 hours to the midnight deadline if the party hasn't learned the counter-ritual yet.
Read Aloud
You confront the cathedral's high priest, Aldwin Corthe, in his private chambers—a sunlit study that feels obscenely clean compared to the horrors beneath. He stands at the window, hands trembling, watching the city's towers and spires with the expression of a man watching his own tomb being built. When you enter, he turns slowly, and you see the same ritual scars beneath his vestments, though his are incomplete, unfinished. His voice cracks as he speaks, explaining that he was approached three years ago by a representative of the Unseen, promised power over death itself, promised to see his daughter—long dead—return to him.
Description
Aldwin Corthe is the true puppet master, a grief-stricken priest who genuinely believed he was serving a savior. He can be reasoned with or intimidated. If confronted with evidence of the murders, he breaks and confesses everything: the Thrall Unseen is not a god but a shadow entity imprisoned in the Shadowfell, and Morvain—his estranged sister—has been orchestrating the ritual using his position and access. He has the genuine counter-ritual written in his personal grimoire (locked in a chest, DC 16 Thieves' Tools or Strength check to open). Aldwin does not have combat stats; he is a frail 60-year-old man who will surrender immediately if threatened. His information is vital: the ritual requires either completion (all twelve victims dead) or a powerful dispel/counter-ritual performed at the altar before midnight. He may offer to help the party if forgiven, but redemption is narratively complex and not required for success.
DM Notes
This scene is investigative/social. Encourage Insight checks (DC 13) to read Aldwin's sincerity. He is broken, not evil—a tragic figure manipulated by genuine grief. If the party offers sympathy, he becomes an ally. If they execute him or arrest him coldly, he dies without providing the counter-ritual information, forcing the party to find another solution (the ledger itself contains hints, DC 17 Arcana). His grimoire is the key to the session's climax. Sherlock Holmes-style deduction moments shine here: the party might connect Morvain and Aldwin as siblings (he has a portrait of her as a child on his shelf), or notice that he wears the same unseen sigils beneath his robes. Play Aldwin with vulnerable hesitation, not villainous bravado.
Read Aloud
The crypt has transformed. What was once merely profane is now genuinely otherworldly—the shadows themselves seem to move with volition, and the air tastes of iron and breaking glass. The black iron altar pulses with sickly violet light, and the seven sarcophagi have cracked open, exposing nothing but roiling shadow within. The bells above toll midnight, each strike accompanied by a tearing sound, as if reality itself is coming undone. High Priestess Morvain stands at the altar's center, her ritual nearly complete, her elongated arm now trailing wisps of shadow like smoke. Behind her, the space itself is beginning to split, revealing a void that hungers.
Description
The final confrontation. Morvain will complete her ritual unless interrupted. The party has one round before the rift fully opens. The counter-ritual takes one full action to complete (DC 16 Arcana, or automatic if they possess Aldwin's grimoire). On the first round, Morvain and the remaining cultists attack. If the party has obtained Aldwin's grimoire, they may begin the counter-ritual immediately (competing ritual check, both sides roll d20+Arcana at DC 16; the party wins ties). If they haven't, dispel magic or counterspell can suppress the ritual for one round. Morvain will use her shadow abilities defensively if losing; she has no desire to die but will complete the ritual even if it kills her. The summoned entity (the Thrall Unseen—a shadow elemental variant) manifests partially during the final round if not stopped, but does not fully enter unless the ritual completes. If the party succeeds, they banish the entity; if they fail, they must fight a deadly encounter (below).
DM Notes
This is the climax. Time pressure is key—emphasize the ticking bells and the growing rift. The counter-ritual is intentionally difficult (DC 16) to encourage creative solutions: counterspells, dispel magic, forcing Morvain to break concentration, or simply ending her life. The ritual is tied to her will; if she dies, it collapses. If the party doesn't have the grimoire, hint at the competing ritual check option as a challenge. The shadows in the sarcophagi are atmospheric; they don't attack unless the rift opens fully (in which case the party faces a deadly encounter). Allow clever tactics: attacking the altar, severing Morvain's shadow arm with sunlight-based spells, or using banishment spells to suppress the entity. Reward creative problem-solving with success.
Monsters
Tactics
Morvain initiates combat with *spiritual weapon* and *darkness* spells to control the battlefield, staying at medium range. Silas uses Cunning Action and Sneak Attack to focus fire on the party's casters or lowest-AC targets, attempting to stay hidden. The four cultists form a protective barrier around Morvain, using the crypt's sarcophagi for cover and readying *glyph of warding* traps on the altar. If Morvain is reduced below 20 HP, she will attempt to accelerate the ritual (forcing a DC 16 Arcana check from the party to interrupt), using her remaining cultists as sacrifices. Silas will flee if reduced below 10 HP or if more than half his allies are incapacitated.
Terrain
The crypt consists of seven stone sarcophagi arranged in a circle, with crumbling tombs lining the walls. The central altar (15 feet tall, 10 feet in diameter) stands atop a raised dais with a 5-foot-wide stone staircase. Chalk runes cover the floor, creating difficult terrain (DC 12 Acrobatics check to move through without breaking stride). The runes can be destroyed by a successful DC 14 Intelligence check or with any AoE damage, destabilizing the ritual space (cultists have disadvantage on saving throws after runes are destroyed). The crypt is 30 feet wide and 40 feet long, with a 15-foot ceiling. Magical darkness (from *darkness* spell) obscures vision unless the party has darkvision or casts *light*. The sarcophagi provide half cover and can be used as platforms for melee positioning.
Monsters
Tactics
The Thrall Unseen manifests only if the party fails to stop Morvain's ritual or dispel the summoning before the rift fully opens. It is a malevolent entity of pure shadow with a hunger for living flesh. It uses its slam attack (Multiattack: 2 slams per action) to target the nearest party member, then attempts to grapple and engulf on subsequent turns. Shadow Servants (manifested from the entity's essence) flank party members, using Shadow Step to Disengage and attack from unexpected angles. The entity focuses on eliminating any spellcasters or source of light damage. It has resistance to non-magical damage and vulnerability to radiant damage (daylight spells, cure wounds, etc.). If the party manages to disrupt the ritual after the entity has partially manifested, it becomes uncontrolled and chaotic, turning on the remaining cultists as well as the party.
Terrain
The rift has torn open above the altar, spilling shadow and eldritch energy into the crypt. The entire space is now under the effect of *magical darkness* (cannot be dispelled while the entity exists). The sarcophagi have shattered, and the ground has cracked, revealing glimpses of the Shadowfell beyond (DC 15 Dexterity save to avoid falling through, 3d6 damage, but creatures end up in a parallel shadow space rather than dead). The altar itself pulses with violent energy and is dangerous to touch (4d6 necrotic damage, DC 14 Dexterity save). Radiant light sources (sunlight, *daylight* spell, *light* cast at higher levels) create sanctuaries where the entity cannot approach within 10 feet.
A leather-bound spellbook containing the counter-ritual to banish the Thrall Unseen, along with 8 additional cleric spells (DC 14). The grimoire is worth 250 gp to a scholar and grants advantage on Arcana checks related to shadow magic and planar entities. It is key to stopping the ritual; it can also be sold for a significant sum or kept as a reference for future planar threats.
A ceremonial dagger (reflavored Dagger of Venom, magical weapon dealing 1d4+1 piercing and allowing the wielder to expend a charge to coat the blade with shadow poison; DC 14 Constitution save or take 3d6 necrotic damage. 3 charges, regains 1d3 charges at dawn). The dagger is stained with ritualistic blood and bears the sigil of the Choir on its pommel. Worth 200 gp to a collector or 100 gp to a merchant.
A ring of dark silver that allows the wearer to cast *invisibility* once per long rest (shadow variant: grants advantage on Stealth checks while invisible). The ring also grants resistance to necrotic damage. It was worn by Morvain and fell from her hand during the final battle.
A leather-bound book bound with human skin (deeply disturbing) containing the names, dates, and ritual purposes of all twelve intended victims. The ledger is evidence of the conspiracy and can be used to identify surviving cult members. It is also a historical record of the entity's interest in the city and hints at a larger conspiracy. The book is worth nothing monetarily but is invaluable for future investigations.
The altar contained 450 gp in offerings and ritual materials (gemstones, silver coins, etc.). Additionally, searching the cultists' robes yields 85 gp total and two healing potions (cure wounds, 2d4+2 healing).
Story Hooks
The Ledger of the Choir reveals that several powerful city figures were on the intended victim list, suggesting a larger conspiracy—perhaps this was not a rogue cult but a deliberate assassination attempt orchestrated by rivals or enemies. The Ring of Shadows and the Dagger of the Choir suggest Morvain was not acting alone; the entities she served may have other agents in the city. Aldwin's Grimoire contains references to other dimensional rifts in nearby cities, hinting at a wider threat. If Aldwin is imprisoned rather than executed, he could become a future ally or source of information about other planar entities. The sarcophagi in the crypt, now shattered, contained corpses far older than the murders—possible victims of previous rituals. Future sessions could explore: the identity of the entity's true patron, the existence of sister cults in neighboring cities, the fate of the six souls whose bodies were used in the ritual, or a revenge plot by Morvain's surviving followers.
Conclusion
Wrap Up
With the ritual disrupted and the Thrall Unseen banished (or destroyed), the unnatural darkness that has plagued the city for days finally lifts. The cathedral bells cease their discordant ringing, returning to their natural pitch. If Morvain is killed, her corpse crumbles to ash, and her shadow arm dissipates into nothing. If she is captured alive, the city watch (led by a newly-motivated Captain Venn or the party themselves) secures her in the city's deepest prison. Aldwin Corthe either faces trial for his complicity or, if the party has shown mercy, becomes a broken hermit providing occasional counsel on matters of the Shadowfell. Officer Kess is promoted and becomes a recurring contact for the party. The bodies of the six victims are given proper funerary rites, and their families begin the slow work of mourning. The city breathes easier, but there is a lingering unease—the question of who sent Morvain, and why, remains unanswered.
Cliffhanger
In the aftermath, as the party rests at their lodgings, they receive a visitor: a cloaked figure who introduces herself as an agent of the Invisible Circle—a shadowy organization that has been monitoring the Thrall Unseen's activity across the continent. She informs them that the ritual they stopped was merely one node in a larger network of incursions. The entity they defeated was not the true Thrall Unseen but a fragment, a scout. The real horror waits in the Shadowfell itself, growing stronger each time a gateway is opened. The Invisible Circle requires capable agents to investigate and seal rifts in other cities before it is too late. She offers payment, resources, and a cryptic warning: "In three months' time, the barriers between worlds grow thin. If you cannot close the rifts before the Convergence, all will fall to shadow." She then vanishes, leaving only a token—a silver coin bearing the symbol of a broken circle.
Next Session Hooks
- The identity and motives of the Invisible Circle—are they heroes or another cabal with their own agenda?
- A similar ritual detected in a neighboring city: the party must travel overland, recruit allies, and race to stop another summoning before it completes.
- Morvain's followers seek revenge: splinter cells of the Choir emerge from hiding, viewing the party as architects of their god's defeat. The party becomes hunted.
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