Defend Your Fortress Against an Undead Army in a New Free Adventure on D&D Beyond

By Mike Bernier

Published on February 4, 2025

Defend Ironspine Keep from Szass Tam’s undead horde in Hold Back the Dead, a free D&D adventure packed with siege action!

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Face Undead Foes in Hold Back the Dead

Hold Back the Dead is a free, single-session adventure that’s part of D&D’s yearlong 50th-anniversary celebration. Designed for four to six level 4 characters, this thrilling scenario places players at the heart of a desperate battle as they defend Ironspine Keep from the undead legions of the infamous lich, Szass Tam.

Alongside their allies in the Lord’s Alliance, the heroes must hold the line as wave after wave of skeletons, zombies, and other sinister creatures emerge from an ominous, magical fog. With powerful siege weapons at their disposal and the support of one of the five great cities of the Sword Coast—Baldur’s Gate, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, or Waterdeep—the defenders must push back the tide of death or risk losing the region to Szass Tam’s dark machinations.

This adventure includes everything you need to jump right into the action: stat blocks for a variety of undead foes, maps of the fortress defense zones, details on siege weapons that players can use to devastating effect, and pre-generated character sheets featuring the heroes of the beloved 1980s Dungeons & Dragons animated series—Bobby, Diana, Eric, Hank, Presto, Sheila, and Niko.

Who is Szass Tam and the Red Wizards of Thay?

Szass Tam, the creepy-looking guy on the cover of the adventure, is one of the most feared necromancers in the Forgotten Realms. He is a lich who leads the Red Wizards, and you might remember him from his brief cameo in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

Alongside their ruler, the Red Wizards of Thay don’t have a particularly savory reputation, as they are known for their ruthless pursuit of power and necromantic experiments. The siege of Ironspine Keep appears to be just one step in Szass Tam’s grander scheme to cement his control over the Western Heartlands.

How It Starts

The adventure begins with the characters arriving at Ironspine Keep, expecting a routine guard duty assignment. Instead, they find a fortress in turmoil. Corlie Halvachar, a stalwart halfling commander, briefs them on the dire situation: Szass Tam’s forces are marching, and an illusion of the lich himself has already appeared above the fortress, warning of their impending doom. The Lord’s Alliance refuses to back down, but with limited defenders, the characters must take up arms and choose a section of the fortress to hold.

As the undead horde advances, the characters will have to make tactical decisions: Will they man a powerful siege weapon, engage in brutal melee combat, or uncover the infiltrators lurking within their ranks? With every wave, the battle grows fiercer, leading to a climactic showdown with a spectral warlord leading the assault.

Holding Back the Dead

The battle for Ironspine Keep unfolds in four waves:

  • First Wave: Skeletons and ogre zombies, some carrying ladders, attempt to breach the walls.
  • Second Wave: Mangonels hurl undead reinforcements, including severed hands that come to life upon impact.
  • Sabotage! A doppelganger disguised as Corlie and its minions attempt to destroy the characters’ siege weapon.
  • Final Stand: The horde’s wraith commander arrives, seeking to eliminate the defenders and claim the fortress.

If the party can weather these waves of attacks, they fend of the Red Wizard’s assault, but Szass Tam’s interest in the fortress hints at greater dangers on the horizon. The keep itself could become a powerful base of operations for future adventures—or the next target in the lich’s relentless campaign.

You can claim your copy of Hold Back the Dead for free with a D&D Beyond account and prepare to defend the keep at all costs! The fate of Ironspine Keep—and the Sword Coast—rests in your hands.

Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

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