Page 61 - Tomb of Annihilation

4. VALINDRA's LAIR warmed by the sun. The rest of Hisari remains above
ground, engulfed by vines and creeping flowers. Every
brick and pillar is coated in moss, and a latticework of
This cave is musty and dimly lit by daylight filtering down
roots and ash covers the city's cracked, golden domes.
through the hollow, petrified tree trunk 20 feet above.
A pool of dirty rainwater occupies the central 20 feet of HRAKHAMAR
the floor, between natural pillars formed by the roots of Nearby volcanic eruptions forced the dwarves to aban-
the petrified tree. Three tall bookcases stand against the don Hrakhamar (map 2.9). They always intended to
wall to the right of the cave entrance. A desk and several reoccupy and reactivate the forge when it was deemed
safe, but that day never came.
wooden crates stand against the left-hand wall. Opposite
Firenewts moved in and put the forge to work crafting
the entrance are two open doorways into smaller cham·
armor and weapons for themselves. A small group of
bers and, between them, a large iron cage.
albino dwarves lurks in the jungle nearby and keeps
watch on forge, but their numbers are too low to chal-
lenge the firenewts.
Valindra's undead patrols sometimes capture luckless
explorers and bring them here. Prisoners are kept in the If characters travel within 10 miles (l hex) of the
iron cage while Valindra questions them, then disposed forge, four albino dwarf warriors (see appendix D) spot
of in the swamp. The cage is not in use when characters and approach them. Their spokesperson is blunt-talking
arrive, unless you choose to place Artus Cimber and Sithi Vinccutter. She lays out the problem ("firenewts
Dragonbait here as prisoners. have taken over our ancestral forge") and proposes the
As a lich, Valindra isn't bothered by how dank and solution ("kill them"). As a reward, each character will
uncomfortable the cave is. If that subject comes up, she be allowed to take twenty 1-pound ingots of refined ada-
explains that as an elf, she has no need for a bed or for mantine from the forge, and the dwarves will lead them
hours and hours of sleep; she simply meditates for a to the location of a crashed "flying boat" from some far-
while at her desk each day. The rest of her time is spent off land (see "Wreck of the Star Goddess," page 84).
poring over her maps and histories, searching for likely The dwarves offer to stand guard outside while the
hiding spots for the Soulmonger. characters rid Hrakhamar of firenewts. If the characters
Treasure. The bookcases are filled with books, seem underpowered or in need of a guide, Sithi offers
scrolls, tablets, and maps, all about Ch ult in one way or to accompany them. She remembers the layout of the
another. They cover history, geography, culture, and nat- forge but doesn't know how many firenewts are inside,
ural philosophy in great depth, but all of them predate or where they might be hiding.
the Spellplague. Valindra would literally kill to possess When the forge was operated by the dwarves, it was
Syndra Siivane's map, if she learns of its existence. Her linked by trade roads to Shilku Bay and other points
spellbooks aren't here-they're safe back in Thay-but on the peninsula. Although those roads have endured
the shelves do bold two spell scrolls of arcane gate. a century of neglect, in the vicinity of the forge they
were of dwarven construction, and not even a century
5. UNDEAD GUARDIANS of disrepair can erase a dwarven road. The roads are
Stuffed in this closet are six Chultan zombies and two buried under ash in the Valley of Lost Honor, but where
girallon zombies (see appendix D). They stand here the mountains rise above the ash plain, the road can be
inertly until attacked, or until Valindra calls them out to spotted easily and followed to the forge entrance. A char-
fillhl or act as servants. acter who makes a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival)
check while examining the road sees scorch marks in-
6. TELEPORTATION CIRCLE dicative of firenewts or other Ha me creatures using it.
Valindra's teleportation circle is etched onto the floor When the characters reach Hrakhamar, read:
of this chamber. Anyone with proficiency in the Arcana
skill recognizes what the circle is and can write down
or memorize its sigils so it can be used as a destination The entrance is a 10-foot-tall arched doorway beneath a
from another teleportation circle. Valindra isn't foolish massive relief carving of a crossed hammer and tongs.
enough to leave the sigils from her Thayan circle scrib· Two iron doors were fitted to the entrance, but one lies
bled somewhere in this lair, so no one can follow her if on the ground, completely rusted off its hinges, and the
she chooses to escape.
other sags so badly it appears as if it could collapse at
HI SARI any moment. Several buildings once stood outside the
forge, but they've been reduced to their foundations.
This ruined yuan-ti city stands in the jungle at the foot
of the Crown, a fuming volcano that marks the western
end of the Sky Lizard Mountains. A powerful ward The entrance gradually narrows to just 5 feet wide by 10
similar to that of an antipathy/sympathy spell prevents feet high. The tunnel proceeds this way, sloping down-
yuan-ti from entering tbe city. Many of the serpent folk ward very slightly but with occasional staircases leading
who once dwelled here bave since relocated to Omu. down, for three-quarters of a mile before reaching the
The earth swallowed balf of the city, which rests in forge proper. Scorch marks cover the walls and floor.
a sprawling underground cavern that has never been

60 Cll l\i'Tl?R 2 I Trn: LAND OF CH ULT