Page 126 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

Any creature that is not a fiend triggers the symbol 17. 8PELLCASTING HALL
spell when it steps on the circular rug or disturbs the
This room has a vaulted ceiling 30 feet high. It is lit by
rug in any way. Because the rug covers the spell's trig-
continual flame spells cast on stone wall sconces shaped
gering glyph, the characters have little chance of spot-
ting the glyph unless they use a detect magic spell or like fiendish claws. The walls, floor, and ceiling are
scorched and pitted from spell damage.
magic that allows them to see through the rug.
If the characters are visiting the room for the first
When the glyph triggers, all creatures in this room
time, a black-robed female tiefting mage named Turbu-
and area 15a must make a DC 17 Constitution saving
lence (see "The Horned Sisters," page 118) is engaged
throw, taking 55 (lOdlO) necrotic damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one. in a spell duel with three archmages, one of whom
Treasure. The arcanaloth is an avid reader and has appears to be Halaster. Turbulence is losing badly and
has only 3 hit points remaining. Before the archmages
collected countless books from across the multiverse.
can finish her off, the tiefting shouts, "I surrender!" On
Most of the books cover mundane subjects such as eti-
quette, oratory, and poetry. Twenty of the books are trea- their next turns, the archmages retreat into alcoves and
tises on the Outer Planes and chronicles of historical become inanimate gray statues (see "Statues" below).
Turbulence tells the characters whatever they want
events on various Material Plane worlds, including Tori!,
to know about Dweomercore, with the intent of pitting
Oerth, Athas, and others; these tomes are worth 100 gp
them against Halaster. She mentions that the Mad Mage
each to an interested buyer. A character who spends 1
hour searching can find one of these rare tomes. has a private sanctuary on this level (area 45), hoping
The arcanaloth keeps its spellbook here. The book they'll try to rob it and create a big enough distraction
for her and her sister Violence to escape.
has leather covers with dreadful images branded into
them. The script in the book is invisible and can be
STATUES
read only by a creature who has truesight or by means The room's three statues are life-size carvings of robed
of the see invisibility spell or similar magic. The book human wizards. They are used for testing the spellcast-
contains all the spells the arcanaloth has prepared, plus ing abilities of pupils. A detect magic spell reveals an
antimagic field, cloudkill, circle of death, delayed blast
aura of transmutation magic around each one:
fireball, ice storm, legend Jore, scrying, and symbol.
East Statue. This statue depicts a young Shou woman
16. MAGIC CAULDRON whose face is half ruined by acid. She clutches an orb
in one hand.
Nylasjowd. NylasJowd, the Thayan mage (see "Nylas
South Statue. This statue stands atop a stone dais and
Jowd," page 118), lurks in the eastern alcove with his
invisible companions, two will-o'-wisps. depicts Halaster Blackcloak in a robe covered with
Pillars and Cauldron. Five stone pillars buttress the unblinking eyes. He clutches a staff.
20-foot-high ceiling of this hall. A cavity in the south- West Statue. This statue depicts a long-haired woman
armed with a gnarled wand. She looks out from be-
ernmost pillar contains a covered lead cauldron vis-
ible to anyone south of the pillar. A stained wooden hind a smooth, featureless mask.
spoon hangs from a hook above the cauldron. The statues are indestructible in their inanimate
Illusory Wall. An illusory wall hides area 18. A detect state. When a creature moves between the west and
magic spell cast on the wall reveals an aura of illusion east statues, all three become flesh and attack all other
magic. The wall has no substance, and creatures and creatures in the room. Roll initiative for each statue
objects can pass right through it. The wall can be re- separately. While animated, the statues are archmages,
moved with a successful dispel magic spell (DC 14). with these changes:
Nylas plans to ambush and kill Turbulence (see area • The statues are unaligned constructs that speak only
17) when she enters the hall to drink from the cauldron. when casting spells that have verbal components.
If the characters catch Nylas here, he tries to convince They can't leave the room.
them to kill Turbulence for him and attacks them if they • They have the ice storm spell prepared instead of ban-
refuse. The will-o'-wisps gang up on the enemy nearest ishment, and the finger of death spell prepared instead
to Nylas, protecting their master. of teleport.
• If incapacitated or reduced to 0 hit points, a statue
C AULDRON instantly teleports to its alcove, where it reverts to its
A detect magic spell can't penetrate the cauldron's lead inanimate form and regains all its hit points. It can't
shell. It weighs 10 pounds and contains ldlO doses of a reanimate again until all three archmages have re-
transparent magic liquid that smells and tastes like vine- verted to statues.
gar. Any creature that drinks a dose of the liquid regains • The statues return to their alcoves, revert to their in-
one expended spell slot of any level. If the cauldron is re- animate forms, and regain all their hit points if, when
moved from its niche, the magic liquid contained therein their turn comes up, no other creatures remain in the
turns to ordinary vinegar. The same thing occurs if the room that aren't incapacitated. This also happens if a
vinegar becomes mixed with any other substance. If the creature in the room speaks the words "I surrender!"
empty cauldron is left in the niche, it automatically fills in any language.
with twelve doses of the magic liquid at the next dawn. • Any creature reduced to 0 hit points by an animated
statue is stable and unconscious.

LEVEL 9 I DWEOMERCORE
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