Litany of the Dead Part One: The Necropolis : DDO News

The Litany of the Dead Part One will be released to live servers this August. Find out what horrors await adventurers in The Necropolis.


After a few drinks and a few laughs at the tavern, I set out to find adventure (and more to the point, gold). I hit the busy streets of Stormreach, wading through the dense traffic of peddlers and would-be heroes. In the distance, a cacophonous din reaches my ears; my eyes make out a terrifying image: a wild-eyed bard singing fragmented melodies of harsh whispers and piercing screams. His song is like none other I've heard before, yet I move closer to listen, fascinated by the lyrics:

They lie here at eternal rest
The dead of ages past
And when his power reaches out
They will serve at his behest

Four tombs comprise a wicked heart
A scholar sits in solitude
A thrice-cursed text and magic-hexed
The bloody prophet crafts his art

He'll hold the living in his hands
Like worms pulled from the soil
The Dead Time comes for one and all
The Abbot's mark will scar the land

Necropolis (CR 5-6)
Several centuries ago, the Blood of Vol splintered, and a group of cultists formed an off-shoot that has, until now, remained a mystery. The abbot serving as the leader of this group had great aspirations and sought to usurp Vol's place and become a godlike being himself. In order to preserve his fragile existence through the ages, he invoked dark rituals to become an immortal lich. His goal was to create a powerful artifact, a "Litany of the Dead" that would herald a mythic age when the abbot would rule. To do this he enlisted the aid of his three most-faithful servants -- the vampires he called his Black Prophets.

Each vampire was tasked with the creation of a part of the Litany. Each chapter contained the magic necessary for the Abbot's ascension. Until the chapters are finished, he told them, you must remain locked away. But now, the first chapter (the "Heretical Path") is complete and the Black Prophet known as Brother Cuore is free to roam the night once more.

The Silver Flame and the Emerald Claw both have a keen interest in these events. While the groups are openly hostile to one another, a truce was called to fight the threat that the Black Abbot poses. To this end, they seek to capture the Litany and use it against the lich when his mausoleum becomes unlocked.

Tomb of the Crimson Heart
Brother Cuore was a powerful alchemist in life and used these chambers to keep prisoners and subjects for his experiments. The Silver Flame attempted to storm the tomb and destroy Cuore's guardians but they were taken as prisoner... there's a slim chance that they're still alive. Followers of Cuore and the Black Abbot are here patrolling the tomb and "caring" for the prisoners. Ghouls and ghasts haunt the dark corridors, on the prowl for would-be escapees.

Tomb of the Sanguine Heart
The Necropolis is old and decrepit and requires constant upkeep. The lich's servants employ mindless zombies for the task and the Sanguine Heart serves as a repository and "breeding ground" for this kind of cheap labor.

Tomb of the Burning Heart
The Abbot will need soldiers for his armies when the Dead Time comes, thus the purpose behind this tomb. The Burning Heart is where undead warriors train their deadly skills, secure behind gated walls.

Tomb of the Immortal Heart
The sprawling library contains much of Cuore's magical lore and it's all at the disposal of the human cultists that live and work here. Many, if not all, possess some kind of magical skill and bolstered by Cuore's knowledge, they are fearsome adversaries.

The Bloody Crypt
The heart of Cuore's subterranean realm is his Crypt of Blood. A powerful spell guards the entrance and can only be breached by defeating the guardians of the four tombs. Only when this is done may the doors to the crypt be unlocked. And a warning for those who dare enter: Cuore's dark magic protects him well. No man who ever faced him lived to tell the tale. Still, there must be a way to defeat him and retrieve the Heretical Path... or is there?