Iron Key Crypt

Before the coming of the necromancer’s armies, the crypts and tombs of the Dreaming Islands were built as mounds with an entrance in the centre of the mound, with stairs down to the doorway. After the age of the necromancer, the dead are burned instead of buried to keep them from being raised again. This particular set of tombs had a much more impressive name when it was built, but now is known for the massive rusted iron key that is embedded into the wall over the locked stone door that leads within. The lock built into the stone door has obviously been oiled and worked, with scratches into the metal that are quite recent.

The crypt has been partially looted on several occasions. Some expeditions were luckier than others – one returned with a few grave goods, one returned with grave goods and a rotting curse, and at least a few never returned at all or returned empty-handed and frightened. All agreed that the dead within are restless and do not entertain visitors with kindness.

The crypt can be broken up into several sections. The first is the great hall when one enters. This area appears well-looted and the only defenders here are those that wander in from other areas. Unfortunately for looters, the dead in those other areas have been awakened and will come if they hear any noises of sarcophagi being opened (or if heavy tools had to be used to get past the door). The two chambers to the north have also been well-plundered, and the desiccated bodies of both defenders and looters can be found in both.

The southernmost chambers are the sepulchre and tombs of the noble family the crypt was built for, and those chambers appear almost untouched – the doors to the three tombs around the sepulchre are still sealed and have not been breached. Both routes down to these chambers, however, pass through the crypts of many of the noble family’s warriors and henchmen, many of which will rise to stop intruders – but who can also be a fine source of grave goods for those brave enough to rob them. The final tombs contain the real treasure that would bring adventurers here – the sword and shield of the prince that were brought to this world from the crystal plains of the crimson hells.

*The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 7,200 x 9,900 pixels (24 x 33 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the 10‘ foot squares that work with the srcophagi as shown) – so resizing the image to 1,680 x 2,310 pixels or 3,360 x 4,620 pixels, respectively.*

[https://dysonlogos.blog/2026/07/10/iron-key-crypt/](https://dysonlogos.blog/2026/07/10/iron-key-crypt/)