Page 178 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

of carrion crawlers lurk. They come up o potency and quality, it has a market value of 500 gp per
time to time to breed or to devour prey th cask if characters can transport it safely out of the dun-
tures have dragged here to consume at geon and back to civilization.
of bones, human and otherwise. are heaped a
here and there. Seldom does any other~ o o -eature 26. GALLERY UNDER CLEARANCE
venture into the place, for any that do u_ually end up by The north face of this area is being cleared, and a few
adding their bones to the litter. tools are scattered about. The place is otherwise unre-
Two carrion crawlers are in the nonhea;; -nger of markable and empty.
the cavern when the characters first enter. E\·ery 10
27. CHAMBER UNDER CLEARANCE
minutes, there is a 30 percent chance thar ld3 more
Another unlit and unremarkable place with a few tools
of these monsters appear from either the northern or
left lying around.
southern sinkhole.
Treasure. Significant treasure has accumulated in
28. QUARTERS FOR STONE GIANT MINERS
the creatures' lair over the centuries, but it can be hard
The chamber at the end of the corridor holds piles of
to find among all the bones and other debris. It takes
skins, five cots, several stools, two tables, and several
three persons 30 minutes to thoroughly search the
chests and sacks containing personal gear (including
entire area. If such a search is conducted. refer to the
several huge, thin books on mining techniques written
Treasure Hoard: Challenge 5- 10 table in Chapter 7 of
in Giant, with many illustrations).
the Dungeon Master's Guide. Roll once for each type of
Two stone giants, subordinates of the one currently in
coin, then roll dlOO to determine whether any gems, art
the great hall, make this room their abode. These giants
objects, or magic items are also found.
are the master miners and engineers for all work in the
dungeon. They are not interested in fighting for the hill
24. STORAGE ROOM
giants and politely decline combat with intruders unless
The chamber at the end of the corridor leading north- they are attacked or extorted.
west contains various tools for digging and stone Treasure. If characters search through the personal
masonry-shovels, pickaxes, hammers, drills, chisels, gear, the third chest opened contains the giants' accu-
baskets, and so forth, many sized for giants but some for mulated pay, amounting to 4,800 gp.
smaller creatures.
The door to the north is locked with a huge padlock. 29. FALSE TREASURE
Unlocking it requires thieves' tools and a successful If the characters descend the stairs in area lOA and
DC 15 Dexterity check. The door can be forced open by follow the obvious route, they come to a large chamber
someone who succeeds on a DC 25 Strength (Athlet- in which a faint glint of light shines from the far western
ics) check. wall. A collection of coffers can be found in that area,
one tipped so that some of the gems it held are strewn
25. WINE CELLAR before it. (The gems are worthless rocks, and the un-
A padlocked door identical to the one at area 24 blocks opened coffers hold more of the same.)
entry to the wine cellar. Inside, in addition to several To the south, thick iron bars separate this room from
large barrels, and various kegs, thirteen casks of ex- another chamber that is shrouded in darkness.
ceptional wine, holding 5 gallons each, are stored here. If a character touches one of the coffers or the spilled
Each of the casks has a bung seal with a blob of black contents, thick iron bars drop from above the entrance.
wax impressed with a death's head. This portcullis can be lifted by someone who makes
The wine is black, has a slightly earthy smell, tastes a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. At the
like no other drink, and is of such excellence that it is same time, the bars that block entry into the adjacent
difficult to stop drinking it. A character who tastes the room (area 30) lift into the ceiling, allowing the crea-
wine must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution or Wisdom tures therein to emerge and attack.
saving throw (drinker's choice) to keep from becoming
intoxicated. (One quart is enough to make a giant reel, 30. IMPRISONED GUARDS
while a pint will make a human drunk.) On a failed save, Four manticores are confined here by Nosnra to serve
the drinker becomes drunk (poisoned) for 1 hour, and as guards for his treasure. Fed kitchen garbage dumped
must then repeat the saving throw. down a chute from above, these monsters are wild with
On a successful save after 1 hour, a character stops rage at their captivity and attack any creature if the op-
drinking and is no longer drunk. On a failed save after portunity presents itself. The manticores can fire their
1 hour, the character continues to drink until falling un- tail spikes through the gaps in the bars but cannot at-
conscious for several hours, then awakens and remains tack through the bars with bites or claws.
drunk for 1 hour thereafter. If the bars across the entrance are down, they can
Once a character's drunken state ends. whether after be lifted by someone who makes a successful DC 25
1 hour or several hours, the drinker suffers one level of Strength (Athletics) check. A separate check is required
exhaustion. for each 10-foot section.
Treasure. This wine is a gift to Chief , T o nra. in re-
turn for his good services, from the creatures that are 31. MINOR TREASURE ROOM
masterminding the attacks by the giant . although at The place that the manticores are supposed to guard is
best the characters can only guess at thi fact. Due to its the storage area for the chief's excess coinage.

CHAPTER 6 j .\GAIN~ f THE GIANTS