Page 175 - Tomb of Annihilation

65. UNDERGROUND LAKE formation as if the characters had cast a commune spell.
(Since they're not actually casting the spell, this effect is
not subject to the restrictions on spellcasting within the
A dark underground lake opens up before you, its ceiling Tomb of the Nine Gods.) After sharing this information,
the aboleth grows bored and withdraws to a dark corner
festooned with chains and gears-some of which appear
of the lake to dream of evil things.
to have dwarves dangling from them. A gigantic motion-
less stone cog rises from the water, with two matching 66. DOOR OF DEVOURING
cogs connected to it. Rusty metal conduits stretch from
If the characters approach this area by way of the spiral
the cavern walls to the cogs. The water of the lake is staircase (area 26), read the following when they reach
slimy, with pinpricks of phosphorescent light twinkling in the bottom of the stairs:
the murk.
I l
The cavern ceiling is 20 feet above the foul surface of At the bottom of the staircase, a dark corridor leads
south, while a stone door with iron hinges and a brass
the lake, which is 20 feet deep. Any creature that drinks knob stands to the east.
the water is poisoned until it regurgitates the liquid,
which happens automatically in ld4 minutes. The lights
at the bottom of the lake are phosphorescent crabs If the characters approach this area from the lake, read:
that feed on the muck. Each crab sheds dim light in a
5-foot radius but stops glowing 10 minutes after being
removed from the water. A worked stone column stretches from the bottom of the
The three stone cogs of areas 58 to 60 are half-sub- lake to the cavern roof and is attached to the nearby wall
merged in the water and rise 10 feet above its surface. by a stone conduit. On one side of the column, steps of
Their uneven upper surfaces are difficult terrain, and moss-covered stone climb from a stone dock to a landing
their smooth outer walls can't be scaled without climb- whose stone door shows no handles or hinges. Ropes
ing gear or magic.
lash a pair of rowboats to a dock post, and a rusty iron
The Mechanus chain (area 69) drives the machinery in
this cavern, feeding power to the Soulmonger and to the cage wallows in the slime, held afloat by chain and winch.
many traps and other mechanisms within the dungeon. Phosphorescent crabs gather at the bottom of the lake
At any given time, ld4 + 1 tomb dwarves in leather har- below the cage.
nesses dangle from the ceiling while performing routine
maintenance on the gears and giant cogs. Each tomb
dwarf has the statistics of a wight, except that it wields The stone door separating the mooring area from the
a battleaxe and a light crossbow. The tomb dwarves spiral staircase (area 26) radiates auras of abjuration,
ignore intruders unless they are attacked, in which case conjuration, and illusion to a detect masic spell or simi-
they defend themselves with their crossbows. lar effect. The door can be opened easily from the west
side simply by pulling on the brass knob. The door is
LURKER IN THE LAKE much harder to open from the east side.
An aboleth named G'lyh'rul {guh-LEE-rool) lives in the
lake. When Acererak enslaved it, the aboleth lost its H UNGRY DOOR
mind and developed a split personality. Its dominant The mossy staircase that climbs up out of the lake and
aspect awaits the coming of the death god, which it be- the landing at its top are strewn with bits of crab shell. If
lieves heralds the fall of divinity. Until that day, the abo- any character touches or inspects the door, read:
leth humbly obeys Withers (whom the creature refers
to by his original name of Gorra) and attacks anyone A monstrous mouth forms on the door's surface, calling
seeking to prevent the atropal's ascension. The aboleth's
other personality is that of a humanoid child-harmless, out with a deep drawl: "I'm so hungry I could eat you
gleeful, and insanely curious. In this state of mind. the alive, but I 'II settle for somethin' else. Somethln' livin'.
aboleth poses no threat to anyone and flees if attacked. Somethin' light!"
Roll any die to determine which personality is dominant
at any given time. On an even result, the aboleth's child-
like personaHty is dominant. The mouth is similar to that created by a masic mouth
If the characters explore the lake using the rowboats spell, but more powerful. A successful dispel magic (DC
in area 66, the aboleth ignores them regardless of its 19) cast on the door suppresses its magic for 10 min-
current demeanor, unless they draw undue attention to utes, preventing the mouth from forming. However, the
themselves. In the event of combat, the aboleth is not door cannot be opened without the mouth except from
the master of the lake and has no lair actions as a result. the west side, not even with a knock spell.
Ancient beyond reckoning, G'lyh'rul has accumulated The mouth isn't programmed to say anything else,
tens of thousands of years of knowledge. If the charac- but its words (and the crab shells underfoot) provide the
ters establish telepathic communication with the abo- characters with a clue regarding how to open the door. If
leth and it is inclined to speak to them, it can provide in- the mouth is offered a live phosphorescent crab, it opens
wide, chomps down to consume the crab, then spits out

Cil.\PTl::R 6 I roMB OF THE Nl~E OODS
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