Soul's Rest

This place is two things at once: A Graveyard, still and peacefull and a graveyard, prison and solution, at the same time.

This place is split into two:

1. The Material World Version: A heavily misty graveyard with empty graves and empty tomb stones and crypts, devoid of threats but cursed with the inability to rest here for bad dreams of the deceased haunting the ones who try. People talk of this Material Version as "Not being the real Soul's Rest".
2. Shadowfell Demiplane: If entered through a Mortis Portal during the night it is a heavily misty graveyard within the Shadowfell, where the sun never shines and restless souls and undead run rampant. Other weather effects never apply here. This is the actual "Soul's Rest" and will be referred to as such in the rest of this article. The stench of death lies in the air but nonetheless this place does not feel forsaken, but tainted. This is a holy place of Mortis that was poisoned by the existence of Monoris. This place exists to show the complexity of live, death and undeath. All of them can be good, evil or neutral but non of them are lawfull or chaotic.

Mortis Portal

A Mortis Portal can lead to specific points in the Shadowfell or Hades. A Mortis Portal within the Stormlands will always lead to this Shadowfell Demiplane of Soul's Rest.

A Mortis Portal can be many things: A Gate, a door, a mirror, a window or many other things.

Rules of the Shadowfell Demiplane "Soul's Rest"

People can just enter this plane during the night and through a Portal of Mortis. Otherwise it will be a deserted graveyard (The Material World Version).

Bring a "Rest Candle" and Body, Soul, Coffin or even reaper, so a Lamp Bearer will light you the way to protect you from harm. If you don't, the undead will make you theirs.

People entering through a gate should bring at least 1 of the 5 components to set a soul to rest as described below and a "Rest Candle" :

1. If they bring at least one of the 5 components: The Characters will be greated by a "Deathlamp Bearer", a servant of mortis

Nearly all of the quests leading to souls rest are to lay one or multiple souls to rest. To Lay a Restless Soul to rest it needs 5 Components:

1. The Reaper: Every Restless soul has one mute reaper in Soul's Rest. It always stands at the position where Soul, Body and Coffin needs to be transported to, for it marks the final resting place.
2. A Ghost/Soul: A ghost in Soul's Rest represents a soul, that needs to be brought to it's final resting place within this domain. Ghosts in Soul's Rest just remember 3 facts about their live or way of dying and all look the same. If their real name is spoken and not just baseless guessed allows the ghost to transform into a ghostly representation of itself with all memories it had in life.
3. A Body: To be put to rest in Soul's Rest also needs a body. If the body is still intact in the real world it needs to be transfered from the real world into Soul's Rest. If the Body was destroyed a corpse representation will appear somewhere in Soul's Rest and needs to be transported to it's resting place.
4. A Coffin: To be put to rest in Soul's Rest also needs a coffin. If the Corpse had a coffin in the real world it needs to be brought to Soul's Rest. If it had no coffin one will appear somewhere in Soul's Rest.
5. The Name of the deceised (Calling a ghost by it's real name allowes it to transform into a ghostly form of it's former self. If this happens it regains all it's memories and thus maybe can help to find the other components to be layed to rest).

Soul's Rest Map, Originally Created by Vorlov.

4. Soul's Rest City

Soul's rest City is, as the name suggests, a city but filled with wandering undead, most of them of humanoid stature. It is a mix of civilization and ruin, some buildings being collapsed, showing the past, others just finished building. The contrasts shows the finite nature of everything civilization, while bands of zombies and other lower undead walk the streets. Aside from these corporal undead every now and then a glimmer of blue can be seen, ghosts that reside in this town but never seem to wander of, but stay where they are.

Original Artwork by: Jarled Fletcher, Link: https://inkarnate.com/explore/maps/16633335

1. The Kitchen-Hut

A small and simple building with a fireplace in the middle, flame still burning with a cold but extremely bright flame under a pot. The smell of spices and burned meet fills the air around the pot hanging over the fireplace. Broken barrels and crates with charred and evaporated contents can be found here with a chemical scent hanging over them. On the ground the players find two bodies, one of a young woman in simple clothing with red marks around her neck like those of a robe, lying there in a position of religious peace and an old male in well made armor, dried blood around his mouth, next to a broken plate, eyes open, shouting with a silent expression while a large piercing wound can be seen in his back. Two Ghosts hang in the air of the room.

The following seems to peak the interest of the players (Dc varies on the DM):

1. The Pot, Cooking Supplies: The Pot is filled with terrible ingredients, those that no cook would ever use. No cook would use these ingredients if they want to make something tasty.
2. The Smell of burned flesh. Survival Check: The smell that lies in the air is charred flesh to the point where it can not be decerned what kind of flesh it was. It's like burning flesh for hours in an open flame.
3. The Crates, Alchemist, Brewers or Posion Supplies: The Crates and barrels have been soaked in oil used usually for lamps.
4. The Female Body, Religion Check: The Body was placed in this position after her death. A pose that the deceased are put in to wish them good fortune. It seems sloppy though, as if time was running out.
5. The Male Body, Insight: The expression shows the surprise of a guilty man regretting, sadness, understanding and accepting.

Dario, Duke of Westville:

The Ghost of Dario, Duke of Westville hovers over the male, noble body. He has the following information to give: 1. I was murdered 2. I Regret 3. I leave the best of me.

Story: Dario, Duke of Westville took Aleska as mistress even though she did not like it. He went for long walks in armour after sunset, pretending to keep the streets save but he always just visited her. The last time he got there she refused him and tried to serve him the worst food possible to get rid of him. He noticed and got frustrated, draged her into the garden and hang her for his affection was not returned. By accident he was seen by his son David. His son plunged a sword into his fathers back, killing him. Since Dario was a great Duke, David covered up the whole situation by moving the corpses of his father and Aleska back to her hut and setting it ablaze with the use of oil, destroying any evidence. After that he went on a fake hunting trip, returned and proclaimed his father died against an unworthy foe, starting the Quest line of "Grave Bearer" (Riesbruck). His Coffin is braught with players who started the "Grave Bearer" Quest Line. This is also the plane where the real name can learned. His Body and soul can be found in The Kitchen-Hut and his Reaper can be found in "Sailor's End at the peer near the water.

Aleska, Cooking Made of Westville

The Ghost hovering over the female body is the ghost of Aleska, a young and beatifull Cook of Westville. She has the following information to give: 1. I never killed anyone 2. Life was torment 3. I tried, but failed.

Story: Aleska often delivered her fantastic food to the noble house of Westville. She unwillingly became the mistress of Dario, the Duke of Westville. He ordered more often, usually directly to his Hobby Room, a place filled with books, accessories and a large bed. She tried to get rid of him by feeding him bad food, but he did not care. On her last day she tried to poison him with the worst meat she could find but he saw through her ruse and got very upset. In his rage for not being loved back he hang her in the backyard using the old tree. She died asking herself why she deserved this.

10. Rooftop

Dominated by Swarms of Zombies:

1. There is a large crypt in the center, high enough to evade the surrounding zombie hords. The players can make a shortrest here.

5. Sailor's End

A great ship dock with space for plenty of large boats can be seen while a huge lighthouse towers over the scenery.

1. Lighthouse: In the lighthouse there are several Will-O-Whisps.

6. Pointy Tower

A large chucrch like structure can be seen. The tower has been heavily damaged. This place it crowded with skeletons, Skeleton Warhorses and Burning Skeletons.

1. The Tower: History DC 12 - The walls allow to see a part of the Aravaile Storyline.

7. Hornbreak Tower

A large military fortress and the remains of a strong stone wall can be seen surrounded by piles of large bones and rubble that at some point must have been primitive houses. Minotaur Skeletons of different sizes seem to be stuck in an endless combat against each other. No Alliances can be notes from this behaviour. The combat seems as brutal as it seems pointless. In the center of the fighting the heroes spot a castle with high walls. It seems to snow on the rooftop and even the other undead don't get closer to it. They seem to not even notice that it is there.

1. Rooftop of the Fortress:

8. Mortis Gate

A tall blackened gate made of stone is the entrance to the graveyard called Soul's Rest. A long stone pier leads into the water and allowes even big ships to anchor here. A clean river passes a dirty swamp here and the gate seems to be the dividing factor.

When the Players enter with a good reason praising Mortis there is a ghoul or other undead waiting for them at the gate, equipped with a green glowing lamp. It calles himself the "Lamp Bearer" and Calls the Lamp "Mortis Lamp"(Stormlands, Items)

- (Artefact, Legendary, Flail). 1. This weapon deals 2d12radiant or necrotic+mod damage. 2. Bonus Action: Cast fear (Int, Wis or Cha DC), can work on undead despite immune. 3. Attacks aginst user by undead creatures are made with disadvantage. 4. Whenever this weapon deals damage or causes a creature to fail a saving throw the user looses X HP equal to Max Hit Point Die of user if it is not a servant of Mortis. 5. Just works as long as the fire of Mortis burns in it(Treat like normal flame)). This Character will support the players if they have a just reason, swore or sweare the oath of silence (Secrecy about this place) to get into the graveyard. Otherwise it will lead them to ruin (Into a trap).

Starting Quest: Grave bearer (See below)

9. Sinking Cove

A long landing stage made of crumbling wood leads into the river. A loley boat is floating in the stream, seemingly untouched by it. By Whisteling the boak moves towards you like it is steared by invisible winds. On top of it you'll fin 2 old wooden rows.

Quests