Page 264 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

Books. The room is cluttered with stacks of books, most TREASURE
of them caked with dust (see "Books" below). Ezzat wears an amulet of proof against detection and
Desk and Chair. A path between the books leads from location and carries an ebony wand (25 gp) that he uses
the door to an old desk and chair by the east wall. as an arcane focus.
Stairs. A spiral staircase climbs to area 18.
18. GNOMES' LANDI NG
If the characters discover the lich here, see the "Role- ~~~~~~~~-
playing Ezzat" sidebar for guidelines on determining his Standing in an alcove at the top of the spiral staircase
reaction. The characters gain no XP for defeating Ezzat leading to this area is a 6-foot-tall stone statue depicting
unless they also destroy the lich's phylactery (located three smiling gnomes balanced precariously on each
in area 23). other's shoulders.
Ezzat has the forcecage spell prepared instead of
plane shift, and he wears an amulet of proof against de- 19. EZZAT'S SCRYING MIRROR
tection and location that conceals him from divination Mounted on the south wall 6 inches above the floor
magic and scrying sensors. is a 3-foot-wide, 9-foot-tall rectangular mirror with a
Ezzat's pseudodragon is selfish and doesn't like shar-
stone frame. Carved into the top of the frame is a hu-
ing its master with strangers. The lich lets the pseu-
man-sized eyeball.
dodragon out of the tower once a day so that it can catch
Ezzat uses the mirror as a focus for his scrying spell.
food and scour the cavern floor for Runestone fragments Whenever this mirror is used to scry Halaster, the spell
(see "Capturing lpses," page 261). appears to succeed automatically but shows a false im-
Ezzat enjoys the pseudodragon's company but does age of Ha laster sweeping a dungeon floor with a broom.
not need its assistance in battle. If a fight breaks out, lp- The image pauses every few minutes to wave at the
ses settles atop the lintel of the nearest door and tries to viewer, do a little dance, or strum the broom as if it were
stay out of harm's way. It has little cause to fear for the a guitar. Ezzat understands that this scene is one of
destruction of its master as long as Ezzat's phylactery Halaster's magical tricks, and he does not bother trying
remains secure in area 23. Ipses won't willingly betray
to scry the Mad Mage from here.
Ezzat by divulging the phylactery's location.
20. LABORATORY
BOOKS
Ezzat has amassed a large collection of books written by Table. A stone table cluttered with decrepit alchemical
self-proclaimed experts on Undermountain. Most of the apparatus and dirty bottles of reagents stands at the
tomes are filled with information of questionable worth center of the room. Among the clutter on the table is a
and accuracy. The lich has spent years separating truth small clay bowl containing crystal pebbles (see "Rune-
from fiction, trying to learn how Halaster's command stone Fragments").
of the dungeon has gone unchallenged and how Under- Cabinet. A narrow cabinet with glass doors stands in
mountain changes to serve its master's whims. the northwest corner.
Ezzat's]ournal. A book lies open on the desk, next to Stairs. A stone staircase with no railing hugs the outer
a quill and a jar of ink. This is Ezzat's journal, a distilla- wall and climbs to area 21.
tion of the lore found in his other books. Any character The bowl contains six crystal pebbles, each one a
who reads the journal learns Undermountain's history Runestone fragment that has been collected by lpses
(see "Dungeon History," page 6) as well as the ways the pseudodragon (see area 14). Bringing a fragment
in which the dungeon affects magic (see "Alterations to to jalester Silvermane in Waterdeep completes a quest
Magic," page 10). Ezzat's advanced understanding of (see "Retrieve a Runestone Fragment," page 9).
this lore is what enabled him to create such potent magi-
cal defenses around his tower. TREASURE
In later entries, Ezzat postulates thatjhesiyra Sitting on the top shelf of the cabinet are two potions
Kestellharp, one of Halaster's original seven appren- of resistance (force and lightning). The other shelves
tices, is the key to seizing control of Undermountain (see are strewn with spell components, including two forked
''.Jhesiyra Kestellharp," page 10). The lich describes mithral rods (250 gp each). These are material com-
how jhesiyra was imprisoned by her master, only to es- ponents for the plane shift spell, attuned to the Astral
cape during the Spellplague. She then used a wish spell Plane and the Shadowfell, respectively. They serve little
to imbue herself into the stones of Undermountain and use in Undermountain, given the dungeon's restrictions
hide from Halaster. on such magic.
Ezzat believes thatjhesiyra can affect Undermountain
in ways that even Halaster cannot, and the lich longs 21. L IT L A NDING
to find some means to contact her. In the journal's final
A small crystal embedded in the ceiling flickers with
entry, he writes of wanting to use wish- a spell he does the light of a candle flame. If the crystal is pried from its
not yet know- to forge an alliance withjhesiyra, defeat cavity, it goes dark. This room is otherwise empty.
Halaster, and end the Mad Mage's reign in Undermoun-
tain forever. (The lich doesn't realize thatjhesiyra is 22. ROOMS OF MAGIC
beyond the reach of any mortal magic.)
Ezzat summons and speaks to planar beings in area
22a, and keeps his spellbook in area 22b.

LEVEL 20 I RUNESTONE CAVERNS