Page 51 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

33. ROPER'S CAVERN
•
ne rock stairs climb steeply, turn north, and then de-
scend toward the east into a cavern very much like the
one you just left, but smaller. A ledge along the river con-
tinues east to a door on the north wall, and the rushing
river separates you from a ledge on the southern side.
A large, strange-looking stalagmite stands in the mid-
dle of the southern ledge. A cave fish flops helplessly on
the bank nearby.

Creature. The southern ledge is the home of a rav-
enous roper that has been feeding on fish from the
stream. Unsatisfied with this diet, the roper is eager for
larger prey.
Even characters who look closely at the roper can't
tell that it's anything other than a stalagmite unless it
moves. The roper is difficult to sneak up on. If a charac-
ter manages to approach without alerting it, continue:

A strand extends from the stalagmite, with the thrashing
cave fish in its grasp. It pulls the fish toward the rock
formation-and then, suddenly, a fang-filled maw gapes
open in the stalagmite and devours the fish in one bite.

The roper attacks when any character gets at least 20
feet into the cave, gaining surprise if its presence hasn't
been revealed. It can target up to four characters with its
tendrils, possibly pulling those it has grappled into the
rushing river. Characters in the water have advantage on
checks to escape the grapple due to the force of the cur-
rent. The river poses a severe hazard in itself, though;
see "Fast-Flowing Water," page 51.
Development. The roper is satisfied, ending the
attack, after it devours one Small or larger creature.
It can't speak or understand languages, but it has a
bestial intelligence and might be persuaded to accept a
substitute meal. As long as the food is alive, the roper
isn't picky.
Treasure. Cutting open the roper's stony gizzard
reveals a ring of spell storing and six gemstones: a ruby
worth 1,000 gp, two emeralds worth 400 gp each, and
three serpentines worth 60 gp apiece.
34. PRISON
If the characters get past the roper in area 33, they
can explore an area that was used as a prison in
Durgeddin's day.

A sturdy door of iron plate stands open in the north wall
of the cavern. Inside you see a short passageway with
three small iron doors set into the west wall. The first two
are open, but the door at the end of the hall is closed.

The door to the northern cell is locked. With a search of
the grimy floor and a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perep-