Page 231 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

globs of edible gray slime. (The mind flayers use these 17. CRU MBLING BRIDGE
dishes to bring food to prisoners in area 10.)
Wall of Force. The rubble-strewn passage to area 8a is Spanning the river at this point is a crumbling stone
bridge that can support 200 pounds at a time. Any more
blocked by an invisible wall of force that is generated
from area 16c. weight causes it to collapse. A creature on the bridge
when it collapses can leap to one side or the other with
The mind flayers gained control of two scaladar (see a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed
appendix A) and implanted duergar brains in them, save, the creature falls in the river and might get swept
bestowing on each construct an Intelligence of 11 and away (see "Underground River," page 227).
the ability to understand (but not speak) Dwarvish and
Undercommon. Each duergar brain is contained in a 18. G RAY M OLD
glass sphere embedded in the construct's head. These The walls of this room are streaked with a slimy gray
scaladar obey the commands of illithids and attack mold, some of which has been scraped off. Under the
any creatures that aren't mind flayers or their thralls.
mold are bas-relief sculptures of dwarves chopping
Trobriand's rings no longer have any effect on these
down large mushrooms.
constructs.
The mold growing here is edible and nutritious, but
not tasty. The mind flayers feed it to their prisoners. A
16B. SOUTH GUARD POST
This misshapen, 20-foot-high room sits at the top of small cup of the mold is nutritionally equivalent to a
day's worth of rations.
a sloped tunnel that descends for hundreds of feet to
level 18. Guarding the otherwise empty room are eight
19. U NGUARDED A REA
duergar. If they see light approaching, the duergar turn
invisible and enlarge themselves, then ambush anyone Neither the mind flayers nor their thralls come here.
that enters the chamber. These duergar have had their
minds broken by the mind flayers and fight to the death. 19A. RIVER'S ROAR
Creatures in this 10-foot-high, partially collapsed cham-
16c. PSIONIC FORCE GENERATOR ber have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks
that rely on hearing due to the loud roar of the under-
Pedestal. In the middle of the room, two mind flayers
grip the top of a 4-foot-tall, three-sided crystal pedes- ground river nearby.
tal with a fist-sized diamond floating 1 foot above it.
19B. SAFE SHORELINE CAVE
Anvils. Piled against the walls are scores of rusty iron
anvils forged and abandoned long ago by the Me- The 10-foot-high, rough-hewn chamber is strewn with
rubble. The shore is rocky and covered with loose dirt.
lairkyn dwarves. (Each one weighs 500 pounds.)
The crystal pedestal with the diamond levitating 20. RIVER B RANCHES
above it is a psionic force generator, a magic device that
The river (see "Underground River," page 227) reaches
allows the mind flayers to create and sustain the walls of
a depth of 20 feet at this point, where it splits off in three
force that enclose area 8. The mind flayers provide the
directions. A creature swept along by the river's strong
mental energy that powers the generator. If these mind current is pulled in a random direction determined by
flayers are attacked, one maintains contact with the
crystal pedestal while the other defends it. rolling a d6. On a 1, the creature is swept into area 12a.
On a 2, the creature is swept into area 12b. On any other
The diamond no longer floats if removed from its
result, the creature is swept into area 12c.
place above the pedestal. A creature within reach of the
diamond can use an action to take it. Without the dia-
mond, the generator shuts down and the walls of force AFTERMATH
in area 8 disappear. The device can't function without If freed from its confinement, the neothelid wanders
the diamond (or another of the same or greater value). Seadeeps and consumes any other creature that crosses
The walls of force also disappear if the mind flayers its path. Characters might try luring it to another level of
are pulled away from the pedestal- though the walls Undermountain, where it can wreak even more havoc.
reappear if contact is reestablished, as long as the dia- If the neothelid becomes too great a nuisance, Halaster
mond is still floating in place. If the walls disappear, the takes strides to either destroy or contain it.
neothelid in area 8 escapes in search of prey, killing and Killing Extremiton completes a quest (see "Uncover
consuming any creatures it finds. the Telepathic Spy," page 10). Deprived of their
The crystal pedestal is embedded in the floor and leader, the surviving illithids disappear into other cor-
can't be knocked over, but it can be destroyed, rendering ners of Undermountain or return to the Underdark.
the generator irreparable. The pedestal is a Small object With the illithids gone, the githyanki move to secure
with AC 13, 20 hit points, and immunity to poison and the level with reinforcements from level 16-assuming
psychic damage. there are any githyanki left. If the githyanki are wiped
Treasure. The diamond is worth 5,000 gp. out and Extremiton is allowed to live, it eventually turns
itself into an elder brain, which attracts more illithids to
the colony. In addition, the illithids continue to capture
people from Waterdeep for their Alterdeep simulation,
which grows more intricate and nuanced every day.

LEVEL 17 I SEADEEPS