Page 58 - Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations

A large building stands at the side of the road ahead. It appears The door exiting the inn to the south is kept locked; the key
to be a tavern, with a dome-shaped roof and a two-story tower is hidden on a nearby shelf and can be found with a DC 25
attached to the far side. A newer extension, apparently a stable, Search check. The lock itself is of good quality and can be
juts off to the east of the main building, but the stable doors picked with a DC 30 Open Lock check.
are boarded over and a sign has been nailed over the boards. All of the patrons found here, as well as the two serving
Several posts to tie up horses have been placed recently along girls and the matronly barkeep, are members of the Cult of the
the stable’s northern side. A sweeping arc of wooden steps leads Hungry Eye. They take a passing interest in anyone who enters
up to the main entrance, over which swings a sign depicting a the tavern, and one of the serving girls invites the visitors to
ravenous sea gull tearing into a dead fi sh. sit at the table farthest from the exit while the other quietly
slips out of the room to alert Akeni of the new arrivals. The
The doors into the stable were boarded up by Akeni because cultists remain calm and put on a relaxed air, waiting for the
the stables serve as temporary barracks for the cultists. The smoke or the food and drink to do most of the work. Each table TYRANTS CHAPTER 3
sign on the boards reads: “Stables closed for repair. Please hitch (except for the one the serving girl leads the PCs to) has a pair THE EYE
horses here and come inside to get stablehands.” of light crossbows and ten bolts cleverly hidden in a hollow
underneath the surface. A character who simply walks by a
1. COMMON ROOM table notices the hidden crossbows with a DC 35 Spot check;
(EL 12, 15 IF AKENI IS PRESENT) if the character actually sits at one of these tables, he gains a +4
The main entrance is at the north end of the common room. circumstance bonus on the check. Characters who are smaller
than Medium size also gain a +4 circumstance bonus on the
The air in this large room is thick with a strange but rather check.
pleasant smoke. Several tables are occupied by patrons. The The smoke in the air is actually a diluted form of insanity
place is relaxed and quiet, and none of the customers seem mist that Akeni keeps burning in several well-hidden incense
willing to break the mood with conversation or games, appar- burners throughout the room. The drug is of drow manufac-
ently content to sit and drink. Several windows, sooty and ture, and while it smells exotic and relaxing, it is hard to place.
diffi cult to see through, line the wall to the west, and a bar A character who smells it and makes a DC 30 Knowledge
sits to the south. (nature) check recognizes the odor as diluted insanity mist
and knows of its effects. The smoke does not cause ability score

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