Page 70 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

Those who approach within reach of it feel a c _d chill 8. COURSES OF THE GODS
run up and down their spine, and anyone who es o
pull the axe from the wall finds it impos ible o do o.
This room is wet, and the walls are covered with a slimy,
The weapon is a berserker axe that has a -1 bonus to
attack and damage rolls instead of the normal -1. The white buildup. There is about an inch and a half of water
axe can't be picked up by another as long as it current and mud blanketing the floor. Many overturned pedestals
owner, Tloques, remains alive. Concealed beneath the and pieces of broken statuary lie on the floor, partially
wrappings around the handle is a parchment containing buried in the mud. Opposite the entrance to this room is
the spells pass wall, burning hands, and gust of wind.
another door.
When the attuned wielder uses an action to say the cor-
rect words of power, which are engraved in Olman on Only one pedestal remains standing, in the northwest
the axe blade, one of these spells can be cast. corner. On it sits a small, metallic, three-sided pyramid.
The axe has 12 charges and regains ld6 + 4 expended Overhead in the shadow-draped ceiling are inlaid colored
charges daily at dawn. Casting a spell from it takes a tiles depicting a starry sky and forming strange patterns
number of charges equal to the level at which the spell in the areas above the pedestals.
is cast (5th for passwall, 2nd for gust of wind, and 1st
or higher for burning hands; spell save DC 15). If the
parchment is removed from the axe, the axe loses the A dark, wet mass clings to the wall above the western
capability of casting these spells forever. door. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be green
Treasure. The mask has a value of 200 gp, and the in color. The mass is a large colony of algae, though it
pendant is worth 50 gp. Describe the other contents resembles green slime; a successful DC 15 intelligence
of the tomb if the characters examine portions of the (Nature) check enables a character to tell the differ-
corpse more closely: ence. Fire will have little effect on it, because the algae
Beneath the mask are fragments of bone, as though is oozing wet and fire doesn't burn with much vigor in
the skull has been crushed. Within the fragments of the presence of the poisonous gas that fills this level.
the jaw is a spherical white onyx (15 gp). Attempts to dislodge the slime will result in slippery sec-
Strands of hair still remain on the skull, gathered into tions of it dropping on the characters.
black obsidian and red pipestone tubes (worth 50 gp Caustic Lime. The walls of this room are heavily
as a bunch). coated with caustic lime. Any flesh that comes in contact
Above the mask, on the corpse's forehead, is a diadem with this lime will take 1 acid damage per round. The
of dark opals and jade discs (worth 200 gp). lime must be removed from the skin to stop the damage,
To either side of the mask are jade earplugs carved in and can be either wiped off or washed away.
several pieces to resemble budding flowers (the pair Treasure. The small pyramid is made of silver (worth
worth 30 gp). 5 gp). It represents the god of the moon and lightning,
Draped over the rib cage is a breastplate made of Apocatequil (A-poe-ka-TAY-kel). The fallen statuary
loops of tubular jade interspersed with bone dividers was made of stucco and depicted other Olman gods.
(protects like studded leather, worth 200 gp). These include a coyote, a crab-headed figure, an alliga-
Scattered around the neck and through the rib cage of tor-headed god, a feathered warrior, and a jaguar.
the corpse are one hundred fifty-six jade beads (each
worth 1 gp) shaped like spheres, cylinders, tri-lobed 9. STONE STATUE
beads, floral buds, open flowers, pumpkins, melons,
and a snake's head. The walls and ceiling of this hallway are coated with
About the wrists are wide jade bead bracelets (bracers
slime, and the floor of the passage is covered with a layer
of defense).
On the middle finger of each hand are carved jade of mud. Through this muck a steady stream of water
rings, one in the form of a man holding the moon (a trickles northward. The stucco on the walls is flaking off,
ring of resistance [fire]) and the other a panther ready and there are glowing silver tracks in the slime crisscross-
to strike (a ring of animal influence). ing the walls and ceiling.
Pressed into the fingers of each hand is a large bead, Along the east wall of the passage stands a twelve-
a jade cube (150 gp) in the right hand and a spherical
foot-tall stone statue of a man outfitted in fine clothing
agate (50 gp) in the left hand.
At the feet of the skeleton lie two small containers, ap- and holding a stone tray in his raised arms. Its eyes ap-
parently of glazed clay, one fitted with flower-shaped pear to be black gemstones; the right one droops out of
plugs in both ends (it contains the dried remains of a its socket, balancing on the statue's cheek. From behind
potion of invisibility), the other holding a 1-inch-diame-
the left shoulder protrudes the hilt of a weapon, most
ter piece of mother-of-pearl (5 gp). likely a sword. The stone tray, as well as the forehead and
Lying among the hip bones is a 6-inch-long statue of a
faceless man with large pointed ears. Plugged at the the nose of the statue, are chipped and scratched.
bottom, it is a bottle that contains an elixir of health.

CHAPTER 3 I THE HIDDEN SHRINE OF TAMOACHAN
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