Another sunset has brought another wave of ethereal noises to disrupt the people’s sleep. But this time, the distant sounds are cut through by calls for help. A young couple did not return to their respective homes, and their families now search for them, hoping that it is mere coincidence. Unfortunately, their worst fears are true. The pair have been lured, or perhaps dragged, to the chapel by its ethereal hosts, where ghostly memories of past unions now force them to reenact their old, cursed weddings. None can say what the result of this may be, but it most assuredly won’t be good. They must be saved from whatever fate awaits them, and the ghosts that have revealed themselves within the chapel must be stopped.

The Wedding Chapel

The first sign of the chapel is the glow of soft light that warms the night air. It flutters from candles that have been set atop weathered stone border walls, as well as on several tables that have been set around the building. The structure and its wooden furniture are painted white, with bunting of the same color strung up in decoration, the crisp paint contrasting with the vibrancy of crimson roses and petals that adorn the chapel steps and pathway. Yet despite the warm welcome, the night remains cold. Wind blows through in waves, rustling nearby trees yet not shifting the candle flames an inch. Old, weary creaking likewise drones from the chapel’s wood, despite it showing none of the age or damage that one would expect of a long-abandoned venue such as this.

The doors swing open with a dramatic groan, unveiling a candlelit interior of the same white wood as its outer walls. Three rows of pews are set to either side of a long rug scattered with rose petals, all leading to a grand floral arch at the heart of the chapel. A lectern is set behind it, and a piano is to one side of the room, the entire space set as if in the midst of ceremony.

The old chapel sits to the side of a sandy path out of town. It is a solitary building far enough away for its ceremonies to not be disturbed by nightly bustle, hemmed by trees and the nearby shoreline that fill the air with soothing white noise. These idyllic surrounds made for a perfect venue for weddings and similar ceremonies. But its popularity proved to be its undoing, at least in part, when stories of failed marriages and spurned love began to be traced back to those who were wed in the seaside chapel. These tales grew and spread over time, even mundane partings morphing into legends of ghosts and curses through repeated retellings. And as they built, the chapel’s popularity dwindled, until its owners gave up on its upkeep altogether.

The chapel is now a derelict ruin of what it once was, broken down by coastal winds and water damage. Yet, as night falls and the spectral ceremony commences, it becomes veiled in a glamour of its glory days. This transformed version of the chapel is in pristine condition, freshly painted and with all the decorations for a wedding ceremony, with space for guests, the officiant, musicians, and of course, the loving couple. And though these may fade once the festivities conclude and dawn breaks, they are very real for as long as the illusion persists.

Moonlight mirage. The chapel and its furnishings are magically transformed into undamaged versions of themselves. This magic lasts until the wedding concludes or all of the wedding party are defeated, after which the area returns to its true, decrepit state. The illusion also fades from individual items if they are destroyed or taken beyond the property’s perimeter walls.

When the illusion fades, a pair of bands of cursed union are left behind on the lectern, visibly glinting in the moonlight.

Haunted hostages. The ghosts are in the midst of the ceremony when the party arrives at the chapel, the missing couple standing together beneath the flower arch. Both of the couple are commoners. They are surrounded by the rest of the ghosts, all in their respective positions, as the wedding proceeds.

A character that makes a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Insight) check of the situation, particularly the focal couple, recognizes their unnaturally sedate expressions and postures, and deduces that they are likely enchanted or otherwise being controlled. In truth, they are each possessed by an eternal paramour and charmed by the other paramour.

Any character that enters the chapel also notices the eternal officiant’s speech, which continues despite their interruption. Listening even briefly exposes that the ceremony is nearing its end, suggesting that it must be stopped quickly in order to save the hostages. If the wedding is allowed to reach its climax and the two eternal paramours kiss each other, their Lovers’ Kiss actions kill the hostages.

The exact length of the ceremony is up to you, and should depend on how urgent you wish it to be and how quickly you think the party may fight through the ghosts and force the paramours from their hostages. Just be sure to emphasize its progression so that the characters know that the clock is ticking. One way to do so is by delivering another line of the eternal officiant’s speech at initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties) of each round, counting down until the fateful, “You may now kiss the bride.”

Map & Asset Downloads

The wedding party and their ceremony were created as an encounter to go with our ‘Wedding Chapel’ battle map, but the spectral creatures are perfect for use in darker, far spookier settings…

The Eternal Wedding Party

The ghosts that have taken form inside the chapel are those of a wedding party. Or rather, they fulfill their roles, carrying out the ceremony despite none of them possessing any single, defined persona. They are manifestations of remembered actions, undeath having twisted old traditions into darker, far more sinister magics.

Eternal Celebrant

CR 1/8

A faint silhouette glides inches off the ground, a humanoid shape shimmering like a ghostly impression of celebration. They seem to cheer, drink, and dance, their body and face warping between different identities as they move, as if the ghost is simply a collection of revelrous memories given spectral form.

Crowd of Eternal Celebrants

CR 1

A crowd of faint silhouettes glides inches off the ground, humanoid shapes shimmering like ghostly impressions of celebration. They seem to cheer, drink, and dance together, each one’s body and face warping between different identities as they move, as if each ghost is simply a collection of memories given spectral form, now bound together in a joyous, unified crowd.

The most ephemeral and most numerous of the ghosts within the chapel are the eternal celebrants. They are vague, spectral imprints of wedding guests and similar revelers, memories barely strong enough to maintain their form. Like all ghosts in the chapel, the celebrants continue to play out the moments they embody. They cheer and party as the festivities proceed, crowding any objectors in an attempt to charm them into joining the celebration as they drain their victim’s life away.

Eternal Flowerbearer

CR 1/2

Two small ghosts move together, a young boy and girl skipping along with an arm each interlocked, binding their specters as one. The former holds a wicker basket of ethereal flowers that she reaches to, casting scatterings of petals around them as the two merrily proceed.

The eternal flowerbearer is a ghost comprised of and named for its two constituent roles, the flower girl and ringbearer. Though its existence suggests a grim origin, the flowerbearer remains cheerfully ignorant of whatever tragedy created it. The illusive specter dances through the chapel like a child that’s grown bored of behaving. It deftly slips from the reach of anyone who would stop it, all the while leaving a trail of ghostly petals that grow impeding thorns wherever they land.

Eternal Choir

CR 2

A spectral choir stands in rows, each member holding a book of hymns to read from. They wear long robes that drape down and melt together into a single ghostly mass that binds the many forms together. Their heads raise, mouths distending, as a warped cacophony rings out.

The eternal choir is a single ghost formed from the conglomerated souls of numerous choristers. Perhaps its members died together and their souls entwined, or perhaps their bonding only came about after death, drawn together by shared interest or forces far less natural. Regardless of how their afterlife came to such a state, the result is an addled amalgamation playing out a mockery of its lives. The choir sings with distorted harmonies, its musical drone shifting in pitch to rupture its enemies’ ears with ringing soprano or blast them away with forceful bass.

Eternal Officiant

CR 2

A ghostly form stands with empty eyes, resplendent ceremonial robes shimmering and fading away at their bottom. A thick tome is open in one hand while the other is outstretched, gesturing towards its audience as whispers leak from its mouth.

Commanding the ceremony is the eternal officiant, a ghost of ordained clerics and priests that continues to oversee unions long after its mortal death. The officiant wields its authority to govern marriages by forcibly linking the fates of anyone who would interrupt its work. Its victims are bound in sickness and in health, any wounds inflicted upon one being reflected on the other. This, alongside the spellcasting it still possesses, ensures that every ‘couple’ the officiant meets remains together for the rest of their lives, however short that may be.

Eternal Paramour

CR 3

The ghost wears a vacant but satisfied expression, a soft smile below empty eyes, as if lost in the gaze of its beloved. It is dressed in a finely tailored suit, the intricate details and embellishments faded into the swimming mist of its ethereal body.

The ghost wears a vacant but satisfied expression, a soft smile below empty eyes, as if lost in the gaze of its beloved. It is dressed in an elegant, flowing dress, the intricate details and embellishments faded into the swimming mist of its ethereal body.

A wedding would be nothing without a couple to wed. This lucky pair, set to be bound in matrimony beyond death, are the eternal paramours. As one might expect, the paramours are nigh always found in sets of two, possessing whomever they deem to be suitable hosts in order to play out their fantasy wedding. And while this union may seem like a pantomime, its effects go beyond simple ceremony. The paramours’ vows are an inviolable bond, the ghosts sustaining each other by trading life force while protected by their victims’.

Support the Creators

If you enjoy this content and would like to support Troy in creating more, please consider joining the community that makes it all possible. You can receive discounts, early access, and other exclusive bonuses in exchange!

Visit Troy's Patreon Become a Patron!

You can also further support our talented token artists by buying them a cup of coffee!

Buy Hammertheshark a coffee

Before You Go

You may also want to be notified when we upload something new. Please come join us on social media, or subscribe to the email newsletter!