Hold Back The Dead - Hold Back The Dead

Hold Back The Dead. Ironspine Keep is all that stands before a monstrous horde sent by the villainous lich Szass Tam. The heroes must defend a section of the fortress walls from encroaching monsters and internal spies, or the region will fall to Szass Tam's tide of death. "Hold Back the Dead" is part of a yearlong celebration of Dungeons & Dragons and its 50th anniversary. The adventure is designed for four to six level 4 characters. Accompanying the adventure are character sheets for the six protagonists of the beloved 1980s Dungeons & Dragons animated series: Bobby, Diana, Eric, Hank, Presto, and Sheila, all presented in young adulthood. The seventh character sheet presents Niko, a Cleric from a different set of adventurers who recently tumbled into the D&D multiverse. Each player can choose one of these characters or provide a character of their own. Using This Supplement This document and the 2024 Player's Handbook contain all you need to run the adventure. The following appendixes are included: Appendix A provides stat blocks for the creatures encountered in this adventure. Their names appear in bold in the adventure. Appendix B provides maps of the fortress defense zones; you will need only one of these maps. Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased for the players when their characters first arrive at a location or under a specific circumstance, as described in the text. Background Ironspine Keep has stood abandoned for many years. Representatives of the Lord's Alliance, an organization of the strongest cities on the Sword Coast, recently funded an expedition to reclaim the fortress. The fortress would allow the Lord's Alliance to keep a closer watch over dangers in the region. The characters are initially hired to help guard Ironspine Keep, which is expected to be an easy task. Szass Tam, a scheming lich in command of the malevolent Red Wizards of Thay, plans to amass an army in this area of the Western Heartlands. Iro...