Page 284 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

Vertrand's desk holds writing implements and hand- • Berlain is a chaotic evil aberration who speaks Com-
written notes written by Vertrand before he lost his eyes. mon, Deep Speech, Grell, and Undercommon.
The notes are difficult to follow and require a successful • She has the polymorph spell prepared instead of
DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to decipher. banishment.
The notes detail Vertrand's research into magical vorti- • As a bonus action, she can use her extra mouth and
ces, and how to widen and destabilize planar portals. arms to cast any cantrip she has prepared.
Treasure. Vertrand's spellbook is in the desk's top The grells serve as Berlain's valets, and she communi-
drawer. It contains all the spells he has prepared, plus cates with them in their own language. The grells try to
legend lore, conjure elemental, and planar binding. The
grapple and subdue intruders on sight.
spells are written out using a form of Braille script.
Treasure. The chest of drawers contains torn-up
scraps of clothing. In the bottom drawer is an unlocked
18. BERLAIN's SuITE
coffer containing 300 gp, a polished crystal orb carved
A horribly disfigured mage named Berlain Shadowdusk to look like a glistening doppelganger eyeball (usable as
claims these chambers. an arcane focus), and a spell scroll of flesh to stone.
18A. STUDY 19. SHADOWDUSK HOLD FRESCO
·Furnishings. A black stone desk stands to the south.
This chamber is empty except for a dusty fresco on the
Next to the desk is a slender stone lectern with an north wall. Measuring 30 feet long by 15 feet tall, it de-
open book resting on it. picts a stately, ivy-covered mansion and estate that once
Tapestry. A tapestry covering the east wall shows a ten- stood in Waterdeep- the original Shadowdusk Hold.
tacled creature from nightmare stuffing a number of
Situated in small niches that form the mansion's
naked, terrified humanoids into its black maw. windows are tiny, 3-inch-tall painted wooden busts rep-
Berlain's notes, strewn across her desk, are a blend resenting members of the Shadowdusk household circa
of arcane esoterica and insane pronouncements. All of 1355 DR. Characters who have seen other depictions of
it paints a picture of horrific experiments performed Arandraya, Maelweene, Yarlithra, and Xerrion Shadow-
on living humanoids. A recently scrawled annotation dusk recognize their tiny likenesses alongside the busts
laments a lack of fresh subjects that is stalling her work. of other family members and servants. Two window
Treasure. Berlain's spellbook rests atop the lectern. niches are noticeably empty, because Zalthar has re-
It contains all the spells she has prepared, plus fireball moved the busts within (see area 34a).
and modify memory.
The tapestry weighs 40 pounds and is worth 250 gp 20. PILLARED HALL
(assuming the characters can find a buyer who appreci- Stone pillars support the flat, 40-foot-high ceiling. Every
ates its disturbing imagery). sound here is amplified, such that even a whispered
voice or soft footstep can be heard throughout areas
18B. BEDCHAMBER
20a, 20b, and 20c. Dexterity (Stealth) checks to move
Furnishings. A chest of drawers and a bed heaped with silently through the area are made with disadvantage.
pillows stand along the west wall. A sitting area with
comfortable chairs is set up against the east wall. 20A. CENTRAL CHAMBER
Monsters. A mutated humanoid (Berlain Shadowdusk) Guards. Five invisible will-o'-wisps patrol this area.
sits on the edge of the bed, patching gashes in her Dais. Five steps lead to the top of a stone dais, at the
robe. Floating nearby are two grells. back of which is a set of gold-plated double doors that
A little over a year ago, Berlain and her brother Korva open into area 22.
briefly entered the Far Realm, whereupon they became If visitors arrive unannounced, the will-o'-wisps be-
fused into a single physical form. This merging obliter- come visible and impatiently question the new arrivals.
ated most of Korva's body and personality, leaving Ber- Characters must present a plausible reason for their
lain with an extra mouth and an extra set of arms that presence and succeed on a DC 20 Charisma (Deception
once belonged to her brother. She also inherited a few or Persuasion) check to convince the will-o'-wisps not
of his internal organs and personality traits. She can to attack them. If they don't like what they hear, three of
speak using one or both of her mouths. the wisps attack. The other two break away to warn Ver-
Berlain has dirty blonde hair, piercing dark eyes, and trand (area 17) and Berlain (area 18b), who, along with
two mouths where one would normally be- one below Berlain's grell valets, converge on this area. If a battle
the other, canted at an angle. Sprouting from her mis- erupts here, the nothics in area 20b join the fray.
shapen shoulders are two pairs of arms- her original
limbs above those of her brother. She wears a poorly 20B. WEST ATRIUM
stitched robe made from other garments and designed Five nothics hide behind the pillars in this area. They
to fit her mutated form. fight alongside the will-o'-wisps in area 20a but avoid
Berlain has a close kinship with Vertrand, and the combat otherwise. If the characters attack the nothics,
two wizards work well together. Berlain has no interest any will-o'-wisps in area 20a come to the nothics' aid.
in forging alliances with visitors and tries to capture in-
truders for use as experimental subjects. 20c. EAST ATRIUM
Berlain is an archmage, with these changes: This side chamber is unoccupied.

LEVEL 22 I SHADOWDUSK HOLD
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