Page 221 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

looking forward to the prisoners' executions. If a fight Scrying Eye. When the characters enter this area for
breaks out here, the githyanki in area 30 investigate. the first time, they see one ofHalaster's scrying eyes
A detect magic spell reveals an aura of divination floating in the middle of the cavern (see "HaJaster's
magic around each green crystal. Whenever a cell door Lair," page 311). It studies the characters for a min-
is opened, the crystal above the doorway to that cell ute or two before disappearing.
goes dark until the door closes. This is true regardless Blood. The floor is stained with pools of dry blood.
of which of a cell's two doors is opened. When Aruut Altar. An 8-foot-high, rune-etched stone altar is situated
and Yangol see a crystal go dark, they enter the cell to in an alcove. It's topped with a life-size statue of a dag-
make sure nothing is amiss. ger-wielding githyanki warrior slaying a mind flayer.
Treasure. Each githyanki gish carries a Stardock rod The engravings on the altar, written in Gith, tell the
(see "Stardock Rods," page 214). story of how the githyanki freed themselves from the
yoke of their illithid masters, shattered the mind flayer
30. WARRIOR TRAINING
empires across the multiverse, and carved out their
This area extends under area 31, as indicated on map own kingdom on the Astral Plane under the rulership
16. Characters who listen at a door to this room before of Vlaakith the Lich-Queen. The altar conveniently
entering hear a female voice barking commands in Gith omits any mention of the githzerai, but specific mention
and the sound of warriors in training. The chamber con- is made of Gith, the githyanki champion who led her
tains the following: people to freedom, and the sacrifices she made to en-
sure the future of her people. The statue atop the altar
Githyanki. A female githyanki knight named Saziq
leads six githyanki warriors (three females and three depicts Gith slaying an illithid oppressor to win her
own freedom.
males) in weapon drills.
Training Equipment. Thirty straw dummies shaped
like illithids are arranged throughout the cavern. AFTERMATH
Racks of ropes and weights line the walls. If the party defeats Al'chaia and leaves Urion in charge,
Secret Trapdoor. A secret trapdoor in the 30-foot-high the Crystal Labyrinth and Stardock remain largely
ceiling leads to area 31. The trapdoor is a 3-foot- unchanged in the short term. Fearing that his betrayal
square stone slab that requires a successful DC 13 of Al'chaia might become known, Urion orders his war-
Strength (Athletics) check to push open. riors to kill the characters if they ever cross paths with
If combat breaks out here, the githyanki gish in area the githyanki again.
29d come to investigate. The githyanki attack anyone If the characters wipe out the githyanki and the red
they perceive as an intruder and fight until five of their dragons, the mind flayers from level 17 are quick to take
number fall, after which the rest retreat to area 2lb. over the Crystal Labyrinth. If they acquire a Stardock
The straw dummies are used for combat practice. rod, the illithids conquer the asteroid as well, hoping to
Each is a Medium object with AC 10, 10 hit points, im- commandeer the next astral vessel or spelljammer ship
munity to poison and psychic damage, and vulnerability that comes to Stardock and invade new worlds.
to fire damage. The characters can secure Stardock as a base once
the githyanki, dragons, and mind flayers are no longer
TREASURE threats. The asteroid is a quiet place most of the time,
Saziq's plate armor is set with eight red-brown carne- far removed from the perils and politics of Toril. The
lians (50 gp each) and four deep green spinels (100 gp peace is interrupted every month or so by the arrival
each). She also wears a plumed helm encrusted with of a spelljamming vessel bearing provisions gathered
eight citrines (50 gp each). from far-flung worlds. Such a vessel might be crewed by
githyanki, gnomes, or some other spacefaring race.
31. OBSERVATION ROOM About once a year, a githyanki-crewed astral ship de-
livers young githyanki to the creche. A githyanki astral
This room is devoid of furnishings and occupants. Four
2-foot-long, 6-inch-wide window slits look out toward the ship doesn't travel through space but rather shifts in
starry void of space. and out of the Astral Plane, appearing literally out of no-
A secret trapdoor in the floor opens into the ceiling where next to the asteroid's dock and disappearing back
into the silvery void once its delivery is complete. If the
of area 30. The trapdoor is a 3-foot-square stone slab githyanki discover that Creche K'liir has fallen, they re-
that requires a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) treat to the Astral Plane and return in short order with
check to lift.
an overwhelming force to recapture the asteroid.
Halaster cares more about the Crystal Labyrinth than
32. G RADUATION CHAMBER
he does about Stardock. Suddenly unhappy with the
Githyanki who attain the rank of warrior by hunting "renovations" the githyanki have made, the Mad Mage
down and killing their first mind flayer are celebrated might assert his control over the labyrinth and reshape
here. This cavern is also used for demonstrations of it to suit his whims.
githyanki battle prowess, during which prisoners are ex-
ecuted by githyanki knights while young warriors cheer.
This cavern has the following features:

LEVEL 16 I CRYSTAL LABYRINTH