Page 234 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

perience such visions within an antimagic field or while 2. D USTY EMPT INESS
under the protection of a dispel evil or good spell. ~~~ ~~~~~~
Characters also encounter magical projections of This room and its connected corridors have 10-foot-high
Umbraxakar. These shadowy images take the form of ceilings and floors covered with dust.
harmless, dragon-shaped clouds of black fog. A projec-
tion that is targeted by a dispel magic spell or touched 3. STATUE OF SHAR
by an antimagic field is destroyed instantly. It otherwise Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
cannot be harmed. Statue. The east corner holds a black marble statue of a
cloaked woman wielding two daggers. Three dust-cov-
CULT OF SHAR ered human skeletons lie at the statue's feet
Robed Figure. Kneeling before the statue is a human-
The cult of Shar in Vanrakdoom consists mainly of
vampire spawn under the command of Keresta Delving- oid figure in a purple and black robe.
stone. Living cultists also find their way here from time The kneeling figure is an empty robe that collapses
to time, guided through Undermountain by the dark into a pile on the floor if it is disturbed or targeted by a
grace of Shar herself. Keresta turns the most promising dispel magic spell.
acolytes into vampire spawn. Those deemed unworthy The skeletons lying at the statue's feet are the remains
of Shar's blessing nourish Keresta and her spawn with of long-dead adventurers placed here as a warning
their blood, after which Umbraxakar devours the exsan- not to disturb the 7-foot-tall statue. A character who
guinated corpses. succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check can
Cultists are neutral evil humans who wear dusty gray ascertain that the statue depicts Shar.
robes over their armor. These robes bear the symbol of
Shar: a black circle bordered in dark purple. 4. O LD FRIENDS
Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
I NTO THE SHADOWFELL Tapestries. Shredded tapestries that once depicted
Areas 19 through 33 ofVanrakdoom are ensconced in coastal scenes lie in heaps near the walls. Disturbing
the Shadowfell and remain there as long as Umbraxa- the tapestries causes a harmless, smoky projection of
kar is alive. In these areas, bright light is reduced to dim Umbraxakar to appear in the middle of the room. It
light, and dim light to darkness. In addition, all color rushes toward intruders, hoping to scare them away.
has been drained from these areas, and a deathly stench Vision. Any character who moves more than halfway
hangs in the air. The walls are severely cracked, the into the room experiences one of the shadow dragon's
floor tiles are buckled and broken in numerous places, fleeting visions.
and the ceilings have begun to sag as though they won't DRAGON'S VISION
remain in place much longer.
Areas within the Shadowfell are no longer part ofUn- In this vision, the character is standing before a cloaked
dermountain and therefore aren't subject to its magical nobleman (Lord Vanrak Moonstar) on a windy cliff over-
restrictions (see "Alterations to Magic," page 10). looking the sea. The noble asks the character to join
The shadow dragon's despair can cause other areas him on a dangerous quest into the BlackJungles. Put-
of Vanrakdoom to slide in and out of the Shadowfell ting a hand on the character's shoulder, the man asks,
at irregular intervals- sometimes for a few seconds or "We are the best of friends, Glyster, are we not?" With
minutes, sometimes for hours. Any such shift happens that, the vision ends.
at your discretion and lasts as long as you want. When 5. U MBRAXAKAR'S GIFT
an area slides into the Shadowfell, all colors and lights ~~~ ~~~~~~
within the area become muted as described above. Fog. The room is lightly obscured by fog.
Bas-Reliefs. The walls are covered with bas-relief carv-
SHADOWFELL D ESPAIR ings of jumbled human skeletons.
~~ ~~~~~~
Characters who linger in the Shadowfell might become Vision. Any character who moves more than halfway
fraught with despair (see "Optional Rule: Shadowfell into the room experiences one of the shadow dragon's
Despair" in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). fleeting visions.
DRAGON'S VISION
EXPLORING IBIS LEVEL In this vision, the character is camped in a jungle with
All location descriptions for this level are keyed to a handsome nobleman (Lord Vanrak Moonstar). The
map 18. Areas ofVanrakdoom that have shifted into character hands the knight a polished coral ring as a
the Shadowfell have darker shading around them token of their enduring friendship. Putting the ring on
on the map. his hand, the nobleman smiles and says, "I will treasure
this gift forever." With that, the vision ends.
1. ENTRANCE Treasure. The first character to receive this vision
steps on a ring lying on the floor. Close examination
Characters who descend the tunnel from level 17 come
to a series of rough-hewn tunnels that open into a reveals that the ring is the one from the dragon's vision:
10-foot-high corridor of smooth worked stone. a polished coral band that glimmers with a rainbow of
color. The ring is nonmagical and worth 250 gp.

LEVEL 18 I VANRAKDOOM