The Tomb of Xander

Avaliação (DmYan Framework)

[The Tomb of Xander] - Score: 4/10

WHAT WORKS:

• Tema do covil/monstro é claro (nome dá direção).
• Algumas descrições visuais do livro dão cor inicial.

WHAT FAILS:

• Bloco de preparação genérico não preenchido; faltam ganchos, relógios e encontros específicos.
• Mistura EN/PT e resíduos de referência de livro prejudicam fluidez.
• Sem layout/táticas/tesouros amarrados ao tema; risco genérico.

BRUTAL TRUTH:

• Recorte do livro com checklist genérico; não está pronto para mesa paga.

FIX IT:

• Preencher ganchos com objetivos e recompensas específicas deste local (não genéricas).
• Escrever relógio de resposta + 2-3 encontros nomeados com risco/benefício claros.
• Revisar linguagem para PT-BR fluido e remover metatexto do livro/regras genéricas.
• Desenhar 3-4 zonas/salas com hazards, pistas e loot temático; táticas do chefe e rotas de fuga.

The Tomb of Xander

Fonte: 05 Chapter 2- The Great Labors.md — seção “The Tomb of Xander”

This is the burial tomb of Xander Huorath, the first Dragonlord. The heroes must enter this tomb to claim the armaments of the Dragonlords in order to complete one of their Great Labors.

The tomb is guarded by Graxis, a powerful minotaur. He is the last of a bloodthirsty tribe that Lutheria created during the First War. After Rizon Phobas defeated them, Damon cursed the survivors to live forever as guardians of the Necropolis. Consequently, when these minotaurs die, they return as undead skeletons.

Graxis refused to share the fate of his kindred. He murdered them all, just to be safe, and he continues to stalk the region, searching for fresh meat. He despises Damon, Xander, and all the Dragonlords.

Graxis the Butcher

Graxis is a Minotaur Hero who uses a shield (AC 19). He has desecrated the tomb of Xander by plundering the Axe of Xander and the Golden Shield of Volkan. The axe is dull, while the shield is dented and pieces are missing. These don’t currently have magical properties, but they can still be used as normal, non-magical items.

Graxis tries to make hit and run attacks against trespassers in the tomb. He makes a charge attack and then disengages on the following round. Then he returns to his lair and eats hungrily to recover lost hit points. He needs to spend five rounds eating to recover all of his hit points. Once Xander’s sarcophagus has been opened, Graxis will stop retreating and fight to the death.

Graxis the Minotaur

“I have no sympathy for the minotaurs. True, they are not the brutish beasts that the people of Mytros would have you believe, but all it takes is one monster wearing skulls for ornaments to show the world that your kind is not to be trusted.”

— Chondrus, Priest of Lutheria

X16. The Tomb Entrance

This white marble tomb is carved into the side of the mountain and sheltered by an imposing portico of weathered columns. The entrance to the sepulcher is blocked by a heavy, chiseled slab, flanked by two statues of sitting lions. The center of the slab is fitted with an inset bronze handle. The pediment above the tomb is engraved with the name “XANDER”amidst intricate vines and laurel leaves.

Xander’s tomb is sealed with a marble door that has an inset bronze handle. It can be pulled open with a successful DC 15 Strength check.

Lesser Tombs. Four lesser tombs are adjacent to Xander’s, for his closest companions and friends. Each one is sealed by a block of marble measuring 5 feet wide, 5 feet tall, and 5 feet thick. Removing or resetting one of these blocks requires an action and a successful DC 25 Strength check. There are three names inscribed on the tombs—Aetius, Pericles, and Eustace.

The last tomb is unlabeled and empty, because it was built for Damon but never used. Inside the three tombs, the bodies of Aetius, Pericles, and Eustace are all equipped with steel breastplates, shields, and short swords. All of the items are in perfect condition, but none are magical.

X17. The Hall of Xander

This expansive hall is dark and wet. Stone archways hold up the ceiling, and empty torch brackets line the walls at regular intervals. The floor descends in wide steps of interlocking stone. At the rear of the hall, a stairwell leads down into the lower reaches of the tomb. Guarding the stairwell is a bronze statue of a kneeling, bull-headed minotaur.

Once lit by torchlight:

The walls are covered by colorful mosaics depicting ancient battles against centaurs, cyclopes, and six-armed gygans. The Dragonlord Xander is shown hewing the head from a basilisk with a mighty swing of his axe. He is shown with three warrior companions.

This hall has mosaics that illustrate the history of Xander and the Dragonlords who came to Thylea five centuries ago. The initial mosaics show great kings and queens granting Xander and his companions the ships and money needed to embark on a great voyage of discovery. Next, they show the five dragons making an alliance with Xander. The central mosaics show the discovery of Thylea, while the final ones detail the war of conquest against the inhabitants of Thylea, including the centaurs, minotaurs, and gygans.

An inscription above the stairs reads: “Those who trespass in order to seek an audience with Xander Huorath must deal with the horned ones.”

X18. The Catacomb Maze

As you descend into the yawning tunnel below the stairway, you feel a penetrating cold seep through your armor and into your bones. The air is choked with dust, and your footfalls echo through the silence. After a short distance, you come to a fork in the tunnel and you must choose which path you will take to continue onward.

The maze is patrolled by two kinds of enemies.

Skeletons. These skeletons wear breastplates and use shields, giving them AC 18. They patrol in groups of three, and they are trained in hoplite soldier tactics.

Minotaur Skeletons. The minotaur skeletons patrol in pairs, with one minotaur attacking the heroes from the front while the other comes from the rear.

Skeletons of Ancient Hoplites

The skeletons in Xander’s tomb are equipped differently than standard skeletons. All of them have breastplates, shields, short swords, and pikes. The skeletons fight in a phalanx formation, with the skeleton in front using its shield, and the skeletons in the back using two handed pikes. The skeletons in front using shields and short swords have an AC of 18. The skeletons in the back have AC 16 and attack using extra-long pikes. They attack with +4 to hit, reach 15 ft. and inflict 1d10+2 damage on hit.

You may choose to allow the party to try and navigate the labyrinth as if they were solving an actual maze, but this may take quite a bit of time. For a simpler approach, you might consider having the party stumble through the catacombs, discovering each area in the order that it has been presented (area X19, X20, X21, etc.)

For every 5 minutes of exploration, roll on the following table. As an alternative, you can roll on the table when the heroes enter a new area in the maze.

| | | | --- | --- |Labyrinth Encounters

r d20	Result
1-8	Nothing
9-12	Graxis
13-16	3 @creature[Skeleton|ArcanumWorldsOdysseyoftheDragonlords|skeletons]
17-20	2 minotaur skeletons

X19. The Skeletal Minotaurs

This room has a single marble alcove with a burning torch. Stone shelves line the walls, littered with cobwebs and human skulls. The floor is covered by a thick blanket of dust. Large, yellowed bones are scattered around three heavy bronze axes in the center of the room.

After 2 rounds:

The bones in the center of the room suddenly begin to twitch. Invisible forces pull sockets back into joints, reconstituting into the forms of three towering skeletal minotaurs!

The three minotaur skeletons are the only enemies in the room. They attack immediately, but will not leave the maze. Each carries a weathered bronze great axe.

X20. The False Tomb

This circular chamber has a domed ceiling with an oculus that lets in some light from above. The chamber is dominated by a large stone sarcophagus engraved with gilded letters. The floor at the foot of the sarcophagus is covered by an old but beautifully- woven rug. The rug depicts Xander conquering a race of bull-headed minotaurs. One of the creatures kneels at Xander’s feet with a peace offering held above his head.

The inscription on the sarcophagus is written in Draconic, and it reads:

• XANDER HUORATH
• FIRST OF HIS ORDER

This room is a false tomb, and a trap for those who would loot Xander’s treasures. The sarcophagus is a Mimic and the rug is an @creature[Animated Rug|MM]. The first person to touch the sarcophagus will become stuck to it because of the mimic’s adhesive ability. The rug and mimic will then attack with surprise.

There is nothing of value here. The lever at the back resets the trap in The Trap (X23). Whenever it is pulled, there is a screeching sound of metal against metal.

X21. Graxis’s Lair

This room stinks of blood and offal. Animal carcasses and slabs of meat hang from the ceiling on heavy chains. Two of the hanging bodies appear to be those of human farmers. The stone floor is stained black by centuries of the minotaur’s bloody appetites. This appears to be his lair.

This room is Graxis’ lair. He goes hunting once a month and stores his kills in here. His curse prevents him from sleeping, so there is no place for him to rest. It is possible for heroes to set up an ambush here for Graxis.

Treasure

Graxis keeps baubles and coins that he has taken from those he has hunted and killed. In a bag he has 600 cp, 254 sp, 115 gp, and six pieces of jewelry worth 25 gp each.

X22. The Chamber of Supplicants

This barrel-vaulted chamber is littered with bones, discarded weapons, and rusted shields. Pillars and alcoves along the walls house marble statues of priests and supplicants.

After 2 rounds:

The bones and weapons that litter the floor begin to rattle and lock together, sockets clicking into joints. Within moments, six armored skeletons stand before you, slamming their swords against their shields!

The six @creature[Ancient Hoplite Skeleton|ArcanumWorldsOdysseyoftheDragonlords|skeletons] in this room form up with three in front (to block anyone from getting past) and three behind. The front three skeletons use breastplates, shields, and shortswords, while those in the rear ranks are armed with pikes.

X23. The Trap

This rectangular room has a high ceiling, sculpted walls, and a flagstone floor. A mangled skeleton lies near the entryway. The walls are embellished with rows of screaming stone faces. The far end of the room features a pair of heavy bronze double doors. Two skeletons are sprawled on the floor in front of the doors. Their bones are partially crushed, and their armor is mangled.

This trap triggers when more than 300 pounds of weight have gathered in the room.

Bronze Doors. The bronze doors are barred from the other side and require a DC 30 Strength check to open. If the trap is triggered the doors will become unbarred, but will still be stuck and will still require a Strength check to open as discussed below.

Smash Trap. The trap works over 4 rounds. Have all players roll initiative. On initiative 20 of the first round, a portcullis descends in the entrance, cutting off any retreat. The south wall then begins to push forward with a screech of metal against metal (characters who pulled the lever in The False Tomb (X20) will recognize this noise as being the same one they heard).

On initiative count 10 of the second round, spikes protrude from the mouths of the wall carvings, dealing 10 (damage 3d6 type=piercing) damage to everyone in the room (one time only). At initiative count 1 of the fourth round, anyone who is still alive in the room takes 32 (damage 10d6 type=bludgeoning) damage as the wall smashes inward. Anyone reduced to 0 hit points is crushed to a paste.

There are three ways to escape the trap:

• Pulling the lever in The False Tomb (X20) will stop it. This causes the spikes and portcullis to return to their original positions, and the trap will remain inactive for a full hour.
• It is also possible to force open the bronze doors. A successful DC 15 Strength check opens the door in 3 rounds. A check of 20+ opens the door in 2 rounds, while a check of 25+ opens them immediately.
• Lifting the portcullis requires a successful DC 25 Strength check.

Treasure

Scattered amongst the skeletal remains of the victims of the trap are 112 gp and 245 sp.

“Even with the gods on our side, we were never the same without our dragons. And when Xander died, all hope of victory died with him.”

— Rizon Phobas, Dragonlord (38 CE)

X24. Tomb of Xander

This large, barrel-vaulted chamber is decorated with polished bronze fittings, which flicker like gold in the dim red light of a single torch. The center of the room is dominated by a black marble sarcophagus, engraved with the likeness of Dragonlord Xander. Whispers break the silence, solemn voices from ages past, extolling the deeds of the man interred here…

The chamber is lit by a single @item[everburning torch|DMG]. The lid of the sarcophagus weighs nearly a ton. It takes a combined Strength of 22 to slide the lid off the sarcophagus. As soon as the sarcophagus is opened, if Graxis is alive, he will arrive to attack the heroes.

The hulking form of Graxis suddenly looms in the tomb entryway. He snorts derisively. “Come to pay your respects, have you? Well, what do you think of your great hero? Xander the conqueror. Xander the murderer. I am the last of my tribe. I cannot rest. I cannot sleep. Xander slaughtered my people. He enslaved my family and bound us to this cursed place. Among your kind, he is revered for this. But I spit on his bones.”

Graxis soon loses patience:

The hulking minotaur hefts his great axe and bellows so loudly that the very walls of the tomb seem to quake. He charges at you!

After two rounds of combat with Graxis, read the following at the start of the third round.

Without a sound, Xander’s desiccated corpse rises from his sarcophagus. He raises his hands towards Graxis. The minotaur’s great axe appears to jump from the beast’s hands of its own volition, flying into the grasp of the undead king. Xander turns to face your party. Then, curiously, he changes his withered grip on the weapon and presents its handle to you.

Without his weapon, Graxis can only use his Gore attack for the remainder of the battle.

Xander is a wight with a Strength of 22 and maximum hit points (66). He wears the Breastplate of Mytros (AC 18), though the armor is badly dented. Xander’s alignment is true neutral, and he will not fight unless absolutely forced to by the party.

When Graxis is dead, Xander will stand up, silently remove his breastplate, and lay it on the ground in front of his sarcophagus. This done, he will silently return to his sarcophagus and drags the lid back into place.

Treasure

Other than Xander’s famed equipment, there is no other treasure in the room. The @item[Shield of Volkan|ArcanumWorldsOdysseyoftheDragonlords] can be looted from Graxis’s corpse.

Epic Path: The Vanished One

Xander has information concerning the location of the Vanished One’s fabled armor. He will speak to this hero. He also carries two crowns of the dragonlords, which he awards to the Vanished One and the Gifted One. Refer to the Running the Epic Paths section for details.

The Armaments of the Dragonlord

Xander’s three legendary items radiate magic and can be attuned. The items are:

• Axe of Xander
• Breastplate of Mytros
• Shield of Volkan

However, the axe and the shield are badly damaged, and their magical properties aren’t working. These items must be taken to the Mithral Forge (F21) for repair. Volkan must use Pythor’s Hammer to repair them. He can repair one item per week of work.

“Xander was never one to shy away from battle, but he possessed a certain nobility of spirit that the other Dragonlords lacked. My mother believed that he would carry on fighting even in her absence, but after she ascended, he seemed to no longer care whether he survived to see the peace restored.”

— Kyrah, Goddess of Music

Gancho e Objetivo

• Por que ir a este covil? Defina 1-2 motivações fortes (resgatar alguém, roubar algo único, forjar aliança ou destruir a ameaça central de The Tomb of Xander).
• Estabeleça objetivo claro de saída (conquistar, escapar, negociar) e custo do fracasso.

Clima e Sensações

• Traga 3 sentidos em cena (som, cheiro, textura) que diferenciem este covil; repita-os para manter a identidade do lugar.
• Mostre sinais de poder local (patrulhas, rituais, marcas no terreno) antes do confronto principal.

Perigos e Relógios

• Crie um relógio de 4 partes: patrulha chega / terreno piora / líder reage / colapso ou contra-ataque.
• Liste 2-3 perigos ambientais específicos de The Tomb of Xander (armadilhas naturais, terreno difícil, clima, magia latente).

Pistas e Agência

• Entregue 3 pistas que apontem rotas alternativas (atalho, aliado possível, fraqueza do chefe). Nenhuma pista deve ser única.
• Permita escolhas: infiltração, diplomacia, barganha ou ataque frontal devem ter consequências claras.

Encontros e Táticas

• Escreva 2 encontros menores que revelem o tom do lugar antes do clímax; varie interação social/combate/exploração.
• Para o chefe ou força dominante, defina táticas de abertura, reação a fuga/rendição e o que acontece se forem enganados.

Recompensas e Consequências

• Vincule recompensas a objetivos (informação rara, bênção, recurso logístico) e não só a tesouro genérico.
• Anote como o mundo reage ao resultado (facções locais, deuses, rivais) para manter continuidade.

Preparação Rápida

• Mapas/zonas essenciais (entrada, coração do local, rota de fuga) em 3 camadas.
• Nomes e vozes de 3 NPCs-chave; 3 detalhes visuais prontos para improviso; 1 rumor verdadeiro e 1 falso.