22. Wizard’s Chamber

Occult symbols drawn on the floor in blood, alongside multiple piles of bloody bones. A miserable bed is formed of a pile of grave shrouds atop a sarcophagus. A robed figure (Quintius) hunches over the Dead Grimoire, laid out on an overturned coffer.

• Undead guards: There is a 2-in-6 chance per turn that one of the skeletons from Area 21 comes to check on Quintius’s progress with the (supposed) ritual to grant them living flesh.
• Speaking with Quintius: If convinced of the party’s non-threatening intentions, he describes his current situation (see Denizens), and says he has been trying unsuccessfully to find a way to reverse the ritual that raised the barrow’s dead. He offers 1,000gp if the PCs can get him out alive and keep this whole thing secret (in the form of a ruby amulet he has concealed under his robes).
• Asking about the hostages: Claims the undead took them for their own purposes, but if pressed admits that he’s used “some” of the living in his experiments.
• If Quintius leaves this room: The undead discover his absence in 1d3 turns. They proceed to rush madly throughout the barrow searching for him, half heading south to Area 4 via Area 20 and half via Area 11.
• Killing Quintius: Causes all undead in the dungeon to discorporate.