Page 261 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

12. O LD BEHIR LAIR 13A. MAIN CAVERN
Characters see a bright blue-white light ahead as they
A mated pair of behirs once occupied this corner of the approach this cavern. The cave's features are as follows:
dungeon, but the Stonecloaks killed them.
Runestone. The cavern is lit by a 10-foot-diameter circu-
12A. BONES AND STONES lar lozenge of crystal (the Runestone) embedded at the
Uneven Surfaces. The cavern's roof and floor are jag- peak of a 120-foot-tall stalagmite.
ged and uneven, with the distance between them rang- Stalactites. The cavern walls taper inward as they rise,
ing from 10 to 30 feet. becoming a curved, 200-foot-high ceiling dotted with
Scorched Walls. The walls are covered with scorch stalactites 10 to 15 feet long. A 60-foot-long stalactite
marks (from the behirs' lightning). hangs directly above the stalagmite tower, its tip 10
Skeletons. The skeletons of two enormous, multilegged feet above the brightly glowing Runestone.
reptiles (behirs) lie in the middle of the cavern, sur- Stalagmites. The cavern floor is level and dotted with
rounded by glimmering blue scales. stalagmites 10 to 15 feet high.
Shattered Statue. Rubble from what looks like a large Each time the characters visit this area, there is a 25
statue are spread around the skeletons. percent chance that Halaster links to the Runestone and
The behirs were smashed to a pulp by Halaster's stone uses it to spy on the main cavern. If he sees the char-
golems, but their skulls and bones are mostly intact. acters and has any reason to want them dead, Halaster
One of Halaster's stone golems was destroyed in the casts spells with a suitably long range at them through
battle that took place here. Among its shattered limbs the Runestone, including Bigby's hand, chain lightning,
and various unrecognizable fragments, characters can firebafJ, and meteor swarm, as the opportunity presents
find the right half of the golem's shattered head. A detect itself. See area 14 for information on the Runestone.
magic spell reveals an aura of illusion magic around
the partial head. The first time a character approaches 13B. GLARING G ARGOYLES
within 10 feet of the head, the source of the aura be- This side cavern has an uneven floor and ceiling 50 feet
high and is adorned with a scattering of stalagmites
comes apparent as a magic mouth spell cast on it says,
and stalactites. Three gargoyles perch atop 10-foot-high
in Ezzat's voice and in Common:
stalagmites. These servants of Halaster watch and listen
Down and down and down once more to the Runestone, waiting for new commands from their
Awaits the mad one's doom; lord and master. The gargoyles attack any group of crea-
Between there and here, heaven's tears. tures they outnumber, but they avoid the Stonecloaks.
Evil knocking on the Far Realm's door.
13c. MOLDY CAVE
12B. TREASURE CAVE Water drips from the ceiling onto a floor carpeted in
This cave contains a hoard left behind by the behirs. thick gray mold. The mold is edible but not nutritious.
Treasure. The behirs' unguarded hoard consists
of 12,000 cp, 5,450 sp, 1,825 gp, four garnets (100 gp 13D. ROTTING XORN CARCASS
each), a dwarven burial circlet fashioned from mithral Rats and vermin nibble away at the rotting carcass of a
and set with four aquamarines (2,500 gp), and a chime xorn that lies at the back of this cave. Seven days ago,
of opening. the xorn ran afoul of the golem in area 2 and was mor-
tally wounded. It retreated to this cavern and died here.
12c. COLUMN OF EYES
Treasure. Cutting open the xorn's carcass reveals an
A natural column of rock stands in the entrance to this undigested ring of x-ray vision and a lumpy, half-digested
cave. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of conjuration topaz (50 gp).
magic surrounding the column. Whenever a creature
comes within 10 feet of the column, dozens of eyes open 13E. O LD CAMPSITE
on its surface, staring in all directions. The eyes follow A ring of fire-scarred stones near the north wall of this
creatures that move past the column, but they are only 10-foot-high cave marks a long-abandoned campsite.
harmless magical effects created by Halaster. Casting Someone has used a knife to scratch the following
dispel magic on the column removes the eyes from it warning, in Dwarvish, into the east wall: "The Mad
permanently. Mage watches us. The Runestone is his eye!"
The cave once served as a larder for the behirs. It is
1
strewn with the bones of past victims: unlucky adventur- 13F. HALASTER S HEAD
ers, duergar, drow, quaggoths, cloakers, darkmantles, Lying on the floor of this otherwise empty 10-foot-high
hook horrors, and umber hulks. Nothing of value can be cave is an oversized stone head resembling the head
found among the bones. of Halaster Blackcloak. The stone head once belonged
to a Stonecloak that was cannibalized by the renegade
13. R UNESTONE CAVERNS golem in area 2.
An immense central cavern (area 13a) has several 13G. GUSTING CHASM
smaller caverns extending off it (areas 13b through 13f). A howling, 60-mile-per-hour wind blows up and out of
A howling wind echoes throughout this area, and its
this 300-foot-deep chasm. A magical effect created by
source can be traced to a broad chasm (area 13g).
Halaster, the wind is strong enough in the immediate

LEVEL 20 I RUNESTONE CAVERNS