Page 76 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

6G. SECRET ROOM 12). The keystone and base stones of the arch each
This room is hidden behind a locked secret door on bear the graven image of an old man clutching a staff.
which is carved a fresco depicting a satyr in a forest, The rules of this gate are as follows:
dancing and playing a lute while butterflies fly around it. • Tapping the arch three times with a staff of any kind
One of the pegs on the satyr's lute is a hidden switch; causes the gate to open for 1 minute.
when it is turned, the secret door unlocks and swings in- • Characters must be 7th level or higher to pass through
ward. The secret door can also be opened with a knock this gate (see "Jhesiyra Kestellharp," page 10). The
spell, or by a character using thieves' tools to pick the first creature to pass through the gate triggers an el-
lock with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. der rune (see "Elder Runes," page 12).
Treasure. A niche carved into the southeast wall • A creature that passes through the gate appears in
holds a small wooden chest bearing painted images of area 15b on level 3, in the closest unoccupied space
worms burrowing out of the ground. Set into the chest next to the identical gate located there.
is a magic lock whose tumblers adjust to confound bur-
glars. A character using thieves' tools can pick the lock 6J. 0SSUARY
with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, but the check Wyllow has slain scores of adventurers over the years,
is made with disadvantage. Inserting Wyllow's gold key and she chooses to memorialize them with this ghastly
(see area 6a) into the lock also opens the chest, as does ossuary, the walls and ceiling of which have humanoid
a knock spell. skulls and bones cemented to them in decorative ar-
The chest contains a pair of sapphire earrings (250 rangements. A few bare patches have yet to be filled.
gp apiece), an armband made of overlapping gold leaves Secret Door. A secret door behind one bone-layered
(250 gp), a random trinket (roll on the Trinkets table in wall swings open into area 6k.
chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook), and a crystal bulb
as big as a pear. Inside the crystal bulb is a tiny effigy 6K.CALENDARSTONE
of Halaster Blackcloak. A detect magic spell reveals an This spacious room has been swept clean of dust and
aura of conjuration magic around the bulb. cobwebs. It contains the following:
If the crystal bulb is planted in earth or soil on this Guards. Four giant toads lurk in the far corners of the
level of Undermountain, it is destroyed as Halaster room. They leap forward and attack anyone not ac-
Blackcloak (see appendix A) sprouts from the ground companied by Wyllow.
where the bulb was buried. This is the real Halaster, de- Calendar Stone. Set into the floor is a 15-foot-diameter
livered by his own magic. The Mad Mage entrusted the stone device engraved with a multitude of images.
bulb to Wyllow in case she needed to summon him and
is annoyed if someone else uses it. The device has a circular center 9 feet in diameter,
If the characters have done nothing aside from this to around which are two concentric rings of stone. The
offend him, Halaster babbles about his current preoccu- center stone is fixed in place. Its engravings depict
pation (see "Halaster's Goals," page 11) and demands birds, butterflies, fish, and small mammals encircling
the characters do whatever they can to help him. He Wyllow's smiling visage. Each ring is 3 feet wide and
then teleports away in a huff. If the characters manage turns clockwise on hidden rollers. The inner ring is
to get a word in edgewise, they might persuade him to engraved with images of plants and animals weathering
share useful information before he leaves. He might, for the change of seasons. The outer ring bears alternating
example, divulge the secret to activating one of his many engravings of the sun at various heights and the moon
gates, or he might mention creatures known to dwell on in all its phases. A fixture on the outer edge of the device
one of the deeper levels of Undermountain. If the char- is used to line up the rings and indicate the present time
acters attack him, Halaster retaliates in kind. of day and season in Wyllowwood. The rings slowly turn
on their own, tracking the natural changes that occur
6H. STATUARY over time. By turning a ring manually, one can force a
The spiral staircase reaches its peak in this room, which more sudden change from day to night or night to day, or
contains the following features: bring the effects of a new season upon Wyllowwood.
If the characters change the time of day or the season,
Statues. Standing in alcoves to the north and south, all the surviving werebats except Vool (see area 17)
facing one another, are green marble statues of 6-foot- investigate Wyllow's tower in goblin form to find out
tall, proud elf warriors clutching shields and spears. what is amiss.
The shield of the northern statue features a pine tree, The calendar stone can't be damaged or dismantled.
while an oak tree is emblazoned on the shield of the
statue to the south. 7. A LCOVES OF THE D EAD
Frescoes. The walls are carved with frescoes of elves
traveling through space aboard sleek wooden vessels Four deep alcoves, each roughly 10 feet wide and 15
with giant crystalline wings, visiting strange worlds feet tall, line the cavern wall south of Wyllow's tower.
and battling ores and dragons in space. Strewn about in them are the skeletal remains of sixty
humans clad in rotting clothes and furs- the remains
6I. ARCH GATE TO LEVEL 3 of Matar worshipers killed by the green dragon's poison
Dust and cobwebs fill this room. Set into the middle breath. Wyllow dragged the corpses here and left them
of the east wall is a stone arch enclosing a blank wall. to rot, as a dire warning to others who would betray her.
This is one of Halaster's magic gates (see "Gates," page A search of the bones reveals nothing of value.

LEVEL 5 I WYLLOWWOOD
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