Page 66 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

Each niche contains a diorama depicting so e ;;s:e::
of tribal life. The six-inch-tall figures in a· o' • e : s::i a s
appear to be made of stucco, realistica1 ly a d ::i 5 ;
painted. The scenes portrayed represent fis I g 'a•::, "g
religion, warfare, the creation story, and crafting.
A cave-in completely blocks the west end oft e c am-
ber. At short intervals, small amounts of rubble and dirt
come spilling into the room. Several large stones appear
to have wedged themselves tightly, closing the collapse.

The figures of people and animals in all of the dioramas
are loose and can be picked up and manipulated. If any
of the people, and some of the animals, are removed
·rom a display and placed on the floor of this vault,
·he item grows to full-size dimensions immediately,
and spirits of the ancestors animate the creature and
it attacks. These beings are constructs, but otherwise
unction according to the statistics for a certain kind of
creature, as noted below.
Center Display. The diorama in the alcove holds
welve tribal warriors, one scout, a mastiff, and a pan-
ther. The deer don't animate.
Niche A. In a river scene, a dozen commoners gather Treasure. The staff held by the scout figure in the
~ushes, fish with nets, and carve a dugout. central diorama is actually a key and may be separated
from the figure without affecting it. The key (worth 2 gp)
Niche B. Twelve commoners are engaged in farming,
is used to open the door to this room.
planting maize and harvesting wheat. Five tribal war-
Cave-In. Attempting to dig upward through the rubble
riors stand guard, and a cult fanatic (priest) in a bird
in the west end of the room results only in more detritus
ostume is blessing the fields.
Niche C. The display portrays a temple upon a tiered falling into the area.
pyramid. Seven commoners are bringing small offer- Any further collapse deals 2 (ld4) bludgeoning dam-
age to each digger. Each digger must also succeed on
_ngs of gold and jade. Before the temple stands a cult
a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be buried by the
fanatic handling a constrictor snake. Around him
rubble and take another 7 (3d4) bludgeoning damage. If
·tand three costumed tribal warriors. One, dressed as
the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the rubble engulfs
a winged serpent, holds a spear; another is dressed as
the digger completely, and the trapped character can't
a bear with razor claws; the third represents a coyote
breathe until dug out. Struggling out on one's own re-
holding a torch. There are also several stone statues of
quires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check,
·he gods. The bits of gold and jade are worth 5 gp each,
and doing so takes 1 minute.
and there are fifteen such items.
Door. When the characters investigate the door that
Niche D. A scene of tribal warfare involves twenty
tribal warriors in combat. The ten warriors of one side offers an exit from the chamber, read:
are painted black, while the ten others are done in red.
'\'arriors that are animated will fight animated enemy The door is carved with a sun symbol and appears to
•:arriors first, but once they vanquish their foes they
open into the room; there are hinges on this side and
·urn on the characters.
scratches on the floor. There is no visible lock or handle
Niche E. In the display that depicts the creation of
he world, all the statuettes are stylized and obviously on it, although a slight gap stretches across the top of
nonhuman. These figures can be removed, but they the door. Eight holes seem to have been bored into the
don't animate. A god, adorned in green quetzal feathers, door; they are about an inch in diameter, but nothing can
mixing ashes with blood to form sculptures of a man
be seen in them. The door seems to be fairly thick. The
and woman, while four towering figures painted red,
lintel is arched, with a keystone at the top.
black, blue, and white are standing about a fire com-
mitting suicide with their daggers. Two smaller figures
are ringed by the four- the modest "Pimply One" is This door can be opened in a number of ways.
being consumed by the fire, while the braggart "Lord of The key found in the diorama about hunting can be
-nails" cowers in fear.
used to spring the door open when it is turned in the
Niche F. In a scene that shows various forms of craft- keyhole hidden under the keystone over the door. The
ng, twelve commoners are busy weaving rugs and bas- keyhole can be found with a successful DC 20 Wisdom
.·ets, carving totems, making pots, grinding stones for (Perception) check.
,·eapons, and making clothes.
CHAPTER 3 I THE HIDDEN SHRINE OF TAMOAGHAN