Page 302 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

ing telepathic warning in a language they know: "The NALKARA THE EMPYREAN
Mad Mage waits for you beyond the next door. Prepare Nalkara is the neutral evil daughter of Auril, the god of
yourselves!" winter, and Thrym, the god of the frost giants. She looks
like a strikingly beautiful frost giant with pale blue skin,
33. MAD MAGE SHOWDOWN cold blue eyes, and crackling blue flames for hair. When
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Halaster Blackcloak (see appendix A) awaits the char- she is happy, everything around her seems bright and
acters in this room, which has the following features: warm. When she's unhappy, her surroundings become
darker and colder.
Raised Alcove. Steps ascend to a raised alcove that
contains a purple marble throne surrounded by stacks STATUE OF HALASTER RIDING A DONKEY
of aged books. Carved into the wall behind the throne When he is not incapacitated, Halaster can touch this
is Halaster's personal rune, and beneath the rune is statue to teleport himself and anything he is wearing or
a locked iron chest. (Halaster sits in the throne and is carrying to a space within 5 feet of the statue in area 22
invisible when the characters enter.) or the statue in area 28 (no action required).
Statue. On the opposite side of the room from the
throne is a life-size stone statue of a nude Halaster TREASURE
wearing a cowboy hat and riding a donkey. Hidden behind the stacks of books are any magic items
Magic Circle. Inscribed on the floor in the middle of the the characters sacrificed to reach this level (see area 35
room is a 40-foot-diameter circle of glowing runes. on level 22).
Halaster uses it to summon an empyrean who owes Most of the books piled around the throne are worth-
him a favor. (The circle serves no other purpose.) less, rambling texts on the nature of magic and the mul-
tiverse. Among them are nine leather-bound spellbooks
When he is seated in the throne, Halaster remains
invisible even while attacking or casting spells. When he bearing Halaster's personal rune. Collectively, these
sees one or more characters enter the room, he waves spellbooks contain every spell on the wizard's spell list
an invisible hand and causes the circle of runes on the in the Player's Handbook. Individually, each book holds
floor to summon Nalkara (see "Nalkara the Empyrean" the spells of a specific level, 1st through 9th. Add spells
below). He then uses the power of the throne to throw from other sources you see fit.
Hidden in the cut-out pages of a leather-bound novel
his voice so that he doesn't betray his location when he titled Longsaddle Sunset is a revolver loaded with six
speaks to the empyrean.
Halaster orders Nalkara to slay the characters, re- bullets (see "Firearms" in chapter 9 of the Dungeon
gardless of his feelings toward them. If the characters Master's Guide).
The iron chest behind the throne has an arcane lock
pass the test by defeating the empyrean, Halaster again spell cast on it that Halaster alone can ignore. A knock
uses the throne to throw his voice and congratulates spell or similar magic opens the chest, as does a suc-
them. His next actions depend on his current goal (see
"Halaster's Goals," page 11): cessful DC 25 Dexterity check made by a character us-
ing thieves' tools. The chest contains a gold-plated her-
• If the characters took any actions to further Ha laster's ald's trumpet (250 gp); a coral beer stein painted with
current goal, he greets them warmly, thanks them for scenes of underwater life (500 gp); a cloak made of giant
their help, returns any magic items they sacrificed to eagle feathers (750 gp); a delicate, multicolored, blown-
reach this level (see area 35 on level 22), and allows glass lily trimmed with gold (1,250 gp); and a rolled-up
them to leave his tower by way of the standing gate in painting of the Battle of Emridy Meadows, a conflict that
area 36 (which he activates for them). The characters transpired on a distant world called Oerth (2,500 gp).
gain no XP for "defeating" Halaster in this fashion. If
they refuse to leave, Halaster becomes annoyed and 34. FLYING SAUCER
attacks them.
• If the characters took any actions to hinder Halaster's This room contains one of Halaster's magical creations:
a 20-foot-diameter flying saucer made of gleaming metal
current goal, the Mad Mage expresses his displeasure with its three landing struts extended. Surmounting the
and attacks them.
saucer is a hinged metal dome that is opaque from the
Five minutes after Halaster dies, the demiplane outside and transparent from the inside. The entrance
containing his tower collapses, scattering its contents to the cockpit is 10 feet off the floor when the saucer
across the Astral Plane (see "Conclusion," page 302). is landed.
The saucer is a Huge object with AC 19, 200 hit
HALASTER'S ThRONE points, a flying speed of 60 feet, the ability to hover, and
The throne has the following magical properties: immunity to poison and psychic damage. It is not air-
• When seated in the throne, a creature can use a bo- tight. Provided it has 50 or more hit points remaining,
nus action to turn invisible or to end the effect. The the saucer can be repaired as follows:
invisibility ends automatically when the creature is no • Each casting of the mending cantrip restores 1 hit
longer seated in the throne. point to the damaged saucer .
• A creature that speaks while seated in the throne can A character who has tinker's tools, proficiency in the
choose to throw its voice, making it seem to originate Arcana skill, and 10 gp worth of replacement parts
from any point in the room that the creature can see. can spend 1 hour making repairs; at the end of the
hour, the saucer regains ld4 hit points.

LEVEL 23 ~fAI) WIZARD'S 1..AIR