Page 113 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

5. DRY CAVE 8B. KARSTIS'S CAVE
Karstis (LE male Mulhorandi human mage) lurks here
This dry, 20-foot-high cavern stands empty and serves
with four minotaur skeletons. The 10-foot-high cave is
as a good place to rest on this level.
lit by a hooded lantern that rests on a portable writing
desk covered in quills, ink jars, and books. A folding cot
6. REFLECTIONS
rests near the back wall.
This swampy cavern has a SO-foot-high ceiling of jagged Treasure. Amid the clutter on the desk, characters
rock. Rising from the mire is an island of dry rock, upon can find Karstis's spellbook. The book is bound in
which are the following features: human flesh and contains all the spells Karstis has pre-
Ruins and Statue. Amid the ruins of a dome built of pared, plus animate dead and glyph of warding.
black stone is a statue of a snake with closed eyes
9. TEMPLE OF THE GREAT SNAKE
swallowing its own tail.
Apparition. The ghostly image of an adventurer moves This 30-foot-high cavern is dominated by a ruin that
through the area, looking lost. contains the following:
The ghostly image of a male human warrior in plate Carvings. The interior walls are covered in carvings of
armor wanders around the statue as though searching snakes, fanged maws, and open ophidian eyes.
for something he has lost. The image cannot be harmed Black Statue. The northwest section of the temple con-
and does not acknowledge the characters. If a character tains a black stone statue of a masked, hooded male
dies on this level, the image changes to appear as that humanoid dressed in leather armor and clutching a
character, even if the character is later raised from the dripping dagger in each hand. Harmless centipedes
dead. A dispel magic spell that targets the image causes crawl all over the statue.
it to disappear for 1 hour. Green Statue. The middle chamber contains a statue
A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check sug- carved of green stone, depicting a 15-foot-tall winged
gests that the statue is a representation of Dendar the snake with its fangs bared. Harmless snakes slither
Night Serpent, the yuan-ti god of nightmares. Any char- around the statue's base.
acter who touches the statue is cursed. Until the curse Ghost. Wandering through the ruin is a spectral woman
is ended with a remove curse spell or similar magic, the wearing a soiled black gown and a featureless white
character is beset by nightmares and gains no benefit mask (actually the ghost of a slain yuan-ti priest).
from a long rest.
A yuan-ti pureblood priest named Yoastal was slain by
the Ssethian Scourges and remains bound to the tem-
7. WARDED CAVERN
ple. Because she cannot leave, she tries to trick others
Aglyph of warding spell has been cast on the floor at into completing her unfinished business, knowing that
the center of the 10-foot-high cavern. The glyph triggers she cannot rest until the Ssethian Scourges are dead.
a cloudkill spell (save DC 15) when any creature other Yoastal can be both friend and foe to an adventuring
than Karstis passes the midpoint of the cavern. The party. The ghost claims to have once been a cleric of
spell's cloud lasts for 10 minutes. Mask, cursed to remain in Slitherswamp until the nagas
are destroyed. She provides characters with the layout
8. DwEOMERCORE HIDEOUT
-------- of the level in exchange for promises to free her. But her
These caves are used by the mages of Dweomercore information is always slanted toward leading the char-
(level 9) to keep an eye on their neighbors. The caves' acters into situations that might further escalate the war
inhabitants include a mage named Karstis. between the Ssethian Scourges and the Blacktongues.
If death or capture seems likely, Karstis grabs his If Yoastal is destroyed while any of the nagas live, she
spellbook in area 8b and flees to level 9 after instructing re-forms in this ruined building in ld4 days.
his bodyguards to cover his escape. Thereafter, Karstis
BLACK STATUE
can be encountered in area 8c on level 9.
Water trickling down from the ceiling falls onto this
8A. GUARDS statue and drips off its daggers like poison. A character
who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check
Golem. A flesh golem stands watch in the middle of this
recognizes the statue as a representation of the yuan-ti
10-foot-high cave, facing the entrance.
god Sseth.
Wights. Two wights are on guard at the south end of the
A character who searches through the mud around
cave (outside area 8b).
the statue and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Percep-
Crates. Three open crates are stored in the western-
tion) check discovers a rotting sack and also digs up a
most alcove. They contain sheets of parchment, small
hostile swarm of insects (centipedes).
jars of ink, quills, 10 days of edible rations, and five
Treasure. The sack contains 550 gp.
2-gallon casks of clean water.
If the glyph in area 7 triggers, the flesh golem and the GREEN STATUE
wights can't be surprised. The golem was crafted by A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Reli-
Wormriddle the night hag (see level 9). If the golem goes gion) check recognizes this statue as another represen-
berserk, neither Karstis nor any of his other servants tation of Sseth.
can regain control of it.
LRVEL 8 I SUTH ERSWAMP