Page 87 - Tales from the Yawning Portal

42. THE CHAPEL OF KUKULKAN
- -c ed into each nook where the arms of the cross
(Koo-KOOL-kahn, the feathered serpent)
::i e together is a low shelf on which are placed small
dfe• 11gs: silver bracelets, earrings, neck collars, anklets,
Beyond the secret door, the passage bends around to the
:, es of coral beads, and silver and jade statuettes.
left. At the end of a narrow corridor hangs an ornate mir-
ror, and a door is set in the eastern wall next to it.
Trapped Mask. The mask (worth 25 gp) is the trig-
ger to a trap. If the mask is taken off the wall, the lever
Magic Mirror. The first creature to come within 10 it hangs on pivots up and three sets of iron bars drop,
feet of the mirror at the end of the corridor must make caging whoever is in the square in front of the mask.
a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed check, the The bars are old, and they can be bent or lifted away
creature believes that it is in deadly combat with a feath- from the floor with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athlet-
ered warrior that has emerged from the mirror. This ics) check.
effect is like that of a phantasmal force spell, with the Trapped Treasure. If any of the items on the shelves
character battling a warrior that has a +6 bonus to hit (worth a total of 450 gp) are touched, the exit door seals
and deals 3 (ld6) psychic damage, as described in the with an effect like that of an arcane lock spell, requiring
spell. The effect ends if the affected creature deals the the use of magic or a successful DC 25 Strength (Athlet-
imaginary warrior a total amount of damage equal to ics) check to force the door open.
the creature's own hit point maximum. Creature. Coiled about the pillar, trapped within the
While under the effect of this magic, the creature is magic walls of the crystal cylinder surrounding it, is a
actually paralyzed, appearing to others as if it were just couatl. Because of its especially potent Shielded Mind
standing there staring into the mirror. If someone dis- trait, it is effectively invisible.
turbs the affected creature, that creature can repeat the If the characters disturb any of the items on the
saving throw, ending the effect on a successful save. shelves, the couatl speaks to the party in Common, its
The Door. When anyone get close to the door, read: voice seeming to come from everywhere in the chamber.

The door seems to be very heavy, and it has many glyphs "Interlopers, you have trespassed on my sacred chapel.
carved upon it. In the center of the door is carved an For this affront, retribution has already begun, for you are
eagle killing a serpent. Two stone warriors dressed in now breathing a toxic gas which will kill you shortly. It is
loincloths and wearing panther masks are sculpted into possible your actions were not from malice or greed, but
the door posts. just idle curiosity. Therefore, you will find the cure upon
the stone in the middle of the dais, if you can solve the
puzzle to reach it by the proper route. Choose your path
The glyphs on the door tell a story in ancient Olman of
wisely, and act quickly."
a journey to find truth and light, which ended in failure
and imprisonment in the land of the dead.
The door opens outward. When the characters pass
There is actually no poison gas in the room, but as
through the doorway, read:
the characters spend time in here trying to get to the
cure, describe how they seem to be getting weaker and
Beyond the door is a wide foyer that leads into a circular weaker. They should feel as if time is running out.
Aura. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of evoca-
room. On the south wall of this hall is a jade death mask
tion magic emanating from inside the crystal cylinder.
affixed at chest height.
The Right Path. To reach the "cure," the characters
Taking up the middle of the chamber is a cross-shaped must first face the challenge of ascending the northern
dais with sets of stairs leading up to it along each of the steps, where the warrior stands. The warrior, a helmed
four ends. In the center of the dais rises a cylindrical horror, animates and attacks when it is approached.
Once the construct is defeated, the characters can pro-
structure that appears to be made of transparent walls of
ceed to the center of the dais.
crystal enclosing an oddly carved, stone pillar.
A character who attempts to reach the dais another
The stairs that face the room's entrance are carved way has no luck:
with the heads of many gods. The steps on the north side
• Someone who tries climbing up the shelves takes 2
are bloodstained, and atop the landing stands a statue
(ld4) force damage and is pushed back 10 feet.
of a warrior. The stairs to the east, across the room, are • The heads carved into the western stairs babble when
partly obscured by shadow. The southern staircase is lu- a character steps on them. That character feels too
minescent, appearing to change colors in the light. weak to continue, and sits down until helped away
from the stairs.
• The eastern stairs are shrouded in dim light, which
can't be made brighter by any means. Any character

CHAPTER 3 I THE HIDDEN SHRINE OF TAMOACHAN
86