Page 183 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

2c. FUNGUS GARDEN S the chance presents itself. The scrap iron was brought
The creature in area 2a comes here to feed, as do other down from level 13 and will later be transported to area
creatures dwelling in the caverns. The cave has the fol- 14 to be eventually melted down and recast.
lowing features:
4. PRISON
Fungi. Gardens of fungus sprout from mounds of of-
fal on the uneven floor. The fungi release clouds of Arcturia confines living subjects here until she finds
dimly luminescent spores that fill the cave like a fine, time to experiment on them. The 15-foot-high room is
hanging mist. engulfed in a permanent antimagic field (see the anti-
Carrion Crawlers. Four carrion crawlers dwell here. magic field spell for effects). The room has the following
Two cling to the 10-foot-high ceiling, and two feed on additional features:
the rotting corpse of a fifth carrion crawler lying amid Cells. Six 10-foot-high cells with arched ceilings are
the fungus. barred with iron portcullises. Lying in the southwest
The crawlers are natural enemies of the creature in cell is a humanoid corpse clad in plate armor and rid-
area 2a, which recently killed one of them with a blow dled with arrows.
from its war pick. They ignore characters who keep a Lever. Bolted to the floor in the middle of the room is a
respectful distance. 4-foot-wide, 7-foot-long iron plate with a comb-shaped
A character who studies the fungus and succeeds on a hole in it. An iron lever protrudes from the hole.
DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check can distinguish edible The remains in the southwest cell are those of a fe-
varieties from poisonous ones, and also ascertains that male orog who was captured by Arcturia and stripped of
the spore clouds are harmless. A character unaware her weapons. The hobgoblins found her, shot her full of
of this information who eats fungus has a 50 percent arrows through the bars, and left her corpse to rot.
chance of consuming a poisonous variety and must The iron lever operates the mechanism that raises
succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poi- and lowers the portcullises by sliding it along the comb-
soned for ld4 hours. shaped hole in the floor plate. Depending on how the
lever is positioned, it can be used to raise any of the
2D. STANDING GATE TO LEVEL 12
portcullises one at a time, or to lower all the portcullises
This cave contains a pair of standing stones with an into place.
inanimate minotaur skeleton embedded in each one,
The portcullises are impervious to weapon damage.
facing each other. These standing stones form one of The gaps between the bars are 4 inches wide. Closed
Halaster's magic gates (see "Gates," page 12). The portcullises are locked in place; forcing one upward re-
rules of the gate are as follows: quires a successful DC 26 Strength (Athletics) check.
• Any creature that touches one of the standing stones
is targeted by a maze spell (save DC 22). 5. SIDE CHAMBERS
• To open the gate, a creature must escape the labyrinth Other than a polymorph trap (see "Polymorph Traps,"
created by the maze spell. When it returns, the gate page 180), these conjoined rooms contain little of note.
opens for 1 minute.
• Characters must be 12th level or higher to pass 5A. DOMED CHAMBER
through this gate (see "Jhesiyra Kestellharp," page This room has a domed ceiling 20 feet high. It is other-
10). The first creature to pass through the gate trig- wise empty.
gers an elder rune (see "Elder Runes," page 12).
• A creature that passes through the gate appears in 5B. TELEPORT DESTINATION
area 12a on level 12, in the closest unoccupied space This chamber has a fiat ceiling 15 feet high. Creatures
next to the identical gate located there. teleported from area 13a arrive here. The room is other-
wise empty.
3.FOYER
6. STATUE OF ARCTURIA
Monsters •. Two male fire giants (named Druvax and
Zelzzarf) and seven hobgoblins are sorting through Here marks the perpendicular intersection of two cor-
pieces of scrap iron on the floor and tossing them ridors, one cut short by dead ends. Beyond an archway
noisily into piles. to the southwest is a stone statue of a 6-foot-tall skele-
Statues. Two statues of dwarves flank the double door tal figure with butterfly wings sprouting from its back
to the southwest. Each statue stands atop a crum- and sharp bone spurs on its forearms and elbows. The
bling, 2-foot-high stone block. The statues have been statue stands atop a 3-foot-high stone base. The statue
magically reshaped in gruesome ways. clutches a stone wand and points it toward the floor.
The statue represents Arcturia and is neither magical
Arcturia used stone shape spells to mutilate the stat-
nor animate. The statue's wand points in the direction of
ues, which once depicted proud dwarf warriors. The
the polymorph trap that is set before it (see "Polymorph
statue to the west has stony pseudopods sprouting from
Traps," page 180). Characters who search the floor for
it, while the statue to the south appears half-melted.
The giants and the hobgoblins aren't happy with traps have advantage on checks made to detect the poly-
drudge work and eagerly hurl themselves into combat if morph trap.

LEVEL 14 I ARCTURTADOOM