Page 23 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

25. EXCAVATION SITE 10). The first creature to pass through the gate trig-
gers an elder rune (see "Elder Runes," page 12).
Goblins in league with the Xanathar Guild dug a tunnel
• A creature that passes through the gate appears in
that connects a dead-end hallway (area 25a) with a par- area 8 on level 10, in the closest unoccupied space
tially collapsed hall (area 25b).
next to the identical gate located there.
25A. DEAD GOBLIN
27. HIDDEN DEMIPLANE
Dead Goblin. A dead goblin lies on the fioor. (A bugbear
Bas-Relief. Carved into the back wall of this alcove is
caved in its skull for falling asleep on the job.)
a shallow niche containing a bas-relief sculpture of a
Tools. Three pickaxes and two shovels rest atop piles of
nude, heavyset man playing a harp (see below).
rubble at the mouth of a 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-high tunnel
Half a Pole. Lying on the floor of the alcove is a broken
that meanders through collapsed stone.
half of a 10-foot pole.
25B. HEADLESS STATUE Close inspection of the bas-relief reveals the following
Half-buried in stone debris at the north end of this par- inscription carved into the harp, in Common:
tially collapsed hall is a headless stone statue of a nude
woman. Characters who take time to clear the rubble Gaze upon me with bronzed visage
And secrets shall I reveal.
find the statue's head, which resembles the head of a co-
bra with its fangs bared. A detect magic spell reveals a strong aura of conjura-
tion magic in the alcove. Any character who steps into
26. CLEAN TUNNELS the alcove wearing the bronze Halaster mask found in
These tunnels are 10 feet high with flat ceilings. They're area 21 is transported to a demiplane (see "Demiplane"
below). Any nonmagical object anchoring the character
swept clean on a regular basis by the gelatinous cube
to the Material Plane, such as a rope or a pole held by
that characters first encounter in area 26c. Halaster has
also placed a gate to level 10 here (see area 26d). another creature, is sheared or snapped off as the char-
acter crosses the threshold.
26A. HALL OF MANY CANDLES
D EMIPLANE
Candles. The hall is brightly lit by flickering tallow can-
The demiplane looks like a 30-foot-square stone room
dles that fioat in shallow niches along the walls. The
with the following features:
candles produce heat but no smoke.
Clean Hall. The corridor is conspicuously free of dust Misty Portal. A mist-filled open doorway leads back to
and debris. the dungeon alcove on the Material Plane. .
Half a Pole. The other half of the broken 10-foot pole
Each of the twenty-five niches contains two lit can-
lies on the floor just inside the doorway.
dles. Although wax runs down the sides of the candles,
Portrait. Hanging upside down on one wall is a tall,
it never drips off them onto the niche, nor do the candles
wood-framed painting of Halaster Blackcloak.
ever seem to be diminished or consumed.
Simulacrum. Seated in a high-backed oak chair in front
A dispel magic cast on any candle causes all the can-
of the painting is a simulacrum of the Mad Mage him-
dles to extinguish, then fall to the floor and break upon
self (created by the simulacrum spell).
impact. A candle taken from its niche becomes an or-
dinary candle that doesn't float and burns down as any When it meets a character for the first time, Halaster's
normal candle would. simulacrum says, "Well, don't just stand there like a
boob. Ask me three questions about Undermountain.
26B. EMPTY CLOSET Two of my answers will be true, and one will be false."
Behind this door is an empty, 10-foot-square room. The simulacrum knows everything that Halaster
knows and makes good on its offer, answering the char-
26c. OoZE YouRjANITOR? acter's first question with a lie and the second and third
Just around this corner is a gelatinous cube. The first questions with the truth. After answering three ques-
character to walk around the corner is surprised by the tions, it turns to slush and is destroyed. The simulacrum
cube unless that character has a passive Wisdom (Per- won't provide any additional information and can't leave
ception) score of 15 or higher. the demiplane. The demiplane remains even after the
simulacrum is destroyed.
26D. MIRROR GATE TO LEVEL 10
Removing the Halaster mask does not affect the demi-
This tunnel comes to a dead end, mounted on the north plane. By tossing the mask through the misty doorway,
wall of which is a mirror gate to level 10 (see "Gates,"
a character inside the demiplane can enable others to
page 12). Worked into the mirror's stone frame is the
use it to enter from the Material Plane.
graven image of a human wizard wielding a wand. The
rules of this gate are as follows:
28. GRICK SNACK WATCH P OST
• The gate opens for 1 minute when the mirror is
The Xanathar Guild maintains a watch post here, called
touched with a magic wand that has at least 1 charge "Grick Snack" by the bugbears that command it. Two
remaining. bugbears and six goblins are stationed in this area.
• Characters must be 11th level or higher to pass
through this gate (see "Jhesiyra Kestellharp," page

LEVEL I I L>UNCEON LEVEL
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