30) Dungeon Level Access: This is the staircase leading down to level 2.
35) Reliquary: The ghostly chant is coming from the south. You can hear multiple voices saying, over and over, “She is the Ancient. She is our queen.”
The cult amassed several “relics” that it used in its
rituals. These worthless items are stored in thirteen
niches along the walls:
• A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws (a
goblin’s hand) on a loop of rope
• A knife carved from a human bone
• A dagger with a rat’s skull set into the pommel
• An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a
nothic’s eye
• An aspergillum carved from bone
• A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin
• A desiccated frog lashed to a stick (could be mistaken
for a wand of polymorph)
• A bag full of bat guano
• A hag’s severed finger
• A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms
crossed over its chest
• An iron pendant adorned with a devil’s face
• The shrunken, shriveled head of a halfling
• A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf’s withered
tongue
The southernmost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree
angle into a chamber with murky water.
36) Prison: You see skeletal remains shackled from the wall.
[The cultists shackled prisoners to the back walls of alcoves here. The prisoners are long dead. Skeletons hang from the walls by rusty shackles].
▶ Treasure: Hanging on the back wall of the cell marked X on the
map is a human skeleton clad in a tattered black robe.
The skeleton belongs to a cult member who questioned
the cult’s blind devotion to Takhisis. Characters who
search the skeleton find a gold ring (worth 25 stl) on one
of its bony fingers.
37) Entrance: This tunnel is partially blocked by a rusty iron double doors. It stands partially opened.
38) Portal Room: The floor just on the otherside of the double doors is submerged under 2 feet of murky water.
[Peaking through the double doors . . . ]
The chanting stops as you peer into this forty-foot-square room. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the south wall leads to a dark cave that appears to be heaped with all kinds of refuse/trash. Murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls.
In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal raised platform that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with depictions of different colored evil dragons (red, black, blue etc etc) and is stained with dry blood.
The water is 2 feet deep. The ledges and central dais are 5 feet high (3 feet higher than the water’s surface), and the chamber’s ceiling is 16 feet high (11 feet above the dais and ledges). The chains dangling from the ceiling are 8 feet long. Torches mounted to 5 foot tall poles surround this raised platform but the torch’s fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where faces should be on each figure, you only see a void with two red eyes.
[The cultists would shackle prisoners to the chains, dangle them above the altar, cut them open with knives, and allow the altar to be bathed in blood].
The chanting rises once more as 4 dark robed figures are kneeling in front of this alter of sorts. It has a shimmering effect to it but at this distance you cannot tell exactly what it is. Each one resembles a black-robed figure. “They must die!” they chant, over and over. “They must die! They must die!”
The apparitions are harmless figments that can’t be damaged, turned, or dispelled.
Characters approaching the raised platform cause the figures to stop chanting and turn to face the characters.
• Who are you that approaches us?
• Do you follow the teachings of the Dark Queen? (DC11 to know this means Takhisis)
• [Only if the party has no Wizard: If questioned about the alter - They figures will state they need to speak the word (Shalrick) for the portal to be entered from either side].
The Altar is an arched frame with a glowing mist within it. Carved into the top curved section of the altar reads in a strange "faded" script [DC10 to make out the words] "The Dark Ruins".
When conversation ends: The main figure says I'll speak no more and they all fade away, but their tireless chant of “She is the Ancient. She is the Land,” echoes once again in the dungeon. Our queen is aware, Ansalon shall fall.
The hole in the south wall leads to a naturally formed alcove. Half-submerged pile of refuse fills it.
Animated Refuse Creature: This creature seems to have taken form from the trash and refuse in this natural cave. Save this encounter until after the Cultist are dead and they are searching the room.
AC [12], HD 4* (25hp), Att 2 × clubbing
fist (1d8), THAC0 12 [+7], MV 60’ (20’),
SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (5), ML 12, AL
Neutral, XP 1,600, NA 1d3 (1d3), TT B
▶ Suffocation: If a victim is hit by both
fists in the same round, they are entangled
in the shambler’s roots and tendrils
and suffocate in 2d4 rounds. The victim
can only be freed if the shambler is killed.
▶ Weapon damage reduction: All weapon
damage reduced by half.
▶ Fire immunity: Unharmed by fire, due
to being soaked with slime.
▶ Lightning growth: If damaged by
lightning, gains 1d8hp.
▶ Seep: Can flatten body to squeeze
through small holes through the floor to escape.
▶ Treasure (in the refuse): 4 Healing Potions, One scroll of teleportation (If a Wizard exists), two scrolls of disguise, 250stl.
Upon stepping through the portal (or end of session) Award each character 1,000xp for finishing this part of the adventure.
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