Page 82 - Tales from the Yawning Portal
P. 82
Fire Trap. On the floor just inside the doo a_ The chest holds nine coin necklaces, eight bracelets
glyph of warding (save DC 17). The first chara er o of beads (5 gp apiece), four small figurines of jade and
tep through the door and onto the glyph cau _ a 1rnll coral (25 gp each), and three rings carved of jade and
of fire spell to spring up in the doorway. with the dam- alabaster (10 gp each).
aging side facing away from the character who entered. Chest 3. Operating the catch of the third chest re-
The wall remains in place for 1 minute. quires more force than with the other two. If the catch
Creature. Within the copper coffin is a doppelganger. is pressed, the chest lid sprays perfumed oil on anyone
The creature emerges from the coffin through a hole in within 5 feet of it. The nozzles that produce this spray
the side facing away from the entrance as soon a the can be discovered by someone who succeeds on a DC
glyph is triggered. It assumes the form of any character 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The only way to disarm
rapped alone in the room and tries to attack with sur- the "trap" is to disassemble the chest lid and remove it
prise. If it succeeds in slaying the character before the without pressing the catch. Doing so takes 10 minutes
~ml/ of fire expires, then it hides the body in the coffin. of work with thieves' tools.
The doppelganger is unfamiliar with the rest of the When the catch is pressed, a lever wedged in the lid
ruins but tries to act like the character it has killed until pops up, triggering the launch of darts. The tubes that
t is discovered. If the doppelganger is forced to fight hold these darts are sealed with a thin layer of stucco,
the party, it assumes the shape of a creature of molten so they're all but impossible to discover without dam-
metal that shrouded in flames. The fire is an illusion and aging the chest. Someone who cautiously opens the
doesn't burn. chest can feel the pressure from the lever and see it by
Liquid Fire. The first time a creature or an object en- peeking into the chest. If someone can reach the lever
·ers or touches the silvery liquid metal of the sea or the through the half-open lid and hold it in place, the trap
rivers on a turn, or a creature starts its turn in such a doesn't function. Holding the lever in place as the lid is
place, the creature or object takes 3 (ld6) fire damage. If opened requires a successful DC 12 Strength check.
any of this fluid is carried out of this room, it evaporates This check must be repeated in every round that the le-
n 1 minute. The ships and the coffin floating on the liq- ver is held down. If the trap triggers, four darts fire from
uid deal similar fire damage if they are touched. each of the chest's front and back sides. Each dart flies
Treasure Chests. Three of the pyramid-temples, up to 60 feet, has a +6 bonus to hit, and deals 5 (2d4)
•.-hich are fastened to the floor, conceal treasure. The piercing damage on a hit.
•op of each temple is hinged like the lid of a chest, and The third chest holds eleven coin necklaces, fifteen
·he catch is released by pressing down on the altar at bracelets of obsidian, bronze, and shell (10 gp each), and
·he top. Each of these chests holds several coin neck- two piles of gems (tourmalines, spinels, and topazes;
iaces, each made of three hundred sixty silver coins sixty gems worth 5 gp each) lying upon two silver plat-
pierced and threaded on a piece of gut, and other as- ters 15 gp apiece).
sorted valuables. Other Treasure. The clay pots on the porch are
Chest 1. The lid is jammed on the first chest that sealed with wax, and they hold scented oils and per-
the characters examine, requiring a successful DC 15 fumes-there are twenty such containers, each weighing
trength (Athletics) check to pry open. The chest holds 10 pounds and with contents worth 15 gp.
·en coin necklaces, six pairs of jade earplugs (worth 15 Several places that represent royal granaries in the
gp a set), an alabaster statuette (worth 50 gp), and an modeled city are actually stone bins that hold aromatic
agate ring (worth 5 gp). woods and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, quince,
Chest 2. The second chest is trapped. When hands are cinchona, sandalwood, and pepper). This haul is worth a
thrust into the treasure, a mechanical vise in the wall total of 250 gp and weighs 10 pounds.
of the chest grabs the limbs within. A character must Inside the coffin are the bones of Tlacaelel, for the
succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or become doppelganger has eaten the flesh. Scattered around the
grappled by the device (escape DC 15). A creature is interior are the ornaments once worn by the corpse.
:-estrained while grappled in this way. Roll initiative. These items include a stone box, two jade bracelets
-ix mechanical needles spring out from the sides of (worth 20 gp apiece), and an alabaster statuette of
·he chest on initiative count 0. The needles can be at- Coatlicue (Koh-WA-tlee-cue), the snake woman, mother
acked (AC 12, 5 hit points). Each needle deals 1 pierc- of the gods (worth 25 gp). The stone box (worth 75 gp)
ing damage. holds five small figurines carved of coral (25 gp each), a
A creature struck by one or more of the needles must large jade thumb ring (10 gp), and eight ceramic minia-
make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. The creature ture flasks of perfumes and essences (10 gp apiece).
takes 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half Cradled in the crook of the elbow of the corpse's right
as much damage on a successful one. In either event, arm is a baton of granite. The baton is a scroll case with
·he creature is poisoned. The poisoned creature must a cleverly fashioned plug. Within the case is a piece of
repeat the saving throw every 24 hours, taking 3 (ld6) faded parchment-a spell scroll of stone shape, written
poison damage on a failure. The poison ends when the in astrological symbols of the Olman.
creature makes five successful saves against it. Until the Upon the skull is a ferret-faced, feathered mask that
poison ends, any hit points lost to it can't be regained. functions as a hat of disguise.
The poisoned creature is feverish and occasionally trem-
bles, gibbers, or retches.
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CHAPTER 3 THE HIDDEK SHRINE OF TAMOACHAN
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