Place of Skulls: Area 8

 

 

8. The Drawing Room

Door: North: Stone x 2. both are immensely heavy (6d6 STR check, up to three characters may add in their strength to the effort/check) to shift each one.

South: Locked.

Smell: Nothing remarkable

Light: Warm lamplight emanating from overhead chandelier.

Inhabitants: hostile furniture.1 Settee; 2 chairs; 1 coffee table; 2 bookshelves.

Furniture all has the same combat stats.

AC: 4(15) HD 2 HP 10 Attack 1d6* Morale: 12

 

*bookshelves attacks by hurling books. Each shelf hurls 2/round and has a total "magazine" of 20.

 

Aside from the strange looking and remarkably well preserved furniture (seeming value 1000gp total) the room has two paintings, one on the west wall and another on the east. The former depicts a sinister looking black galleon upon a rough sea beneath a slate grey sky; the latter shows the interior of a torture chamber, as seen, perhaps, through the blood smeared vision of one of its unhappy occupants: foreboding shapes loom over humanoids of indistinct aspect. Both paintings seem almost to move and breath with life. Looking at either engenders an unease.

 

The furniture will attack when the south door is attempted or if someone molests either of the paintings. Unless someone is watching it specifically, the furniture will have surprise. Once the room is vacated it automatically reassembles itself.

 

Place of Skulls, area 7

7. Dragon Skull

Door: All locked.

Smell: Dust.

Light: Dull red glow, emanating from the dragon skull

 

The center of this room is dominated by a 20' long dragon skull. The snout of the skull points east. It gives off a bit of heat and is warm to the touch.

A large chair made out of humanoid seeming bones resides within the skull, a seated figure looks out through the eye sockets. If a character sits in the chair they will heal all damage, and gain a permanent +1 to all their attributes- even if it mans pushing them above 18. If this occurs the skull will instantly cease to glow and no one else sitting in the chair will gain any benefit at all.

 

Place of Skulls, Area 6

6. Pit of Hands (trap)

Trigger: Weight on the floor.

Disarm: Cannot be disarmed, but can be avoided

Save: None for the lead character(s) in the marching order. All others: 5d6 DEX check.

 

The floor either side of the pit collapses downward, transforming into a slide. Characters that fail to save tumble into the pit and suffer 1d3 damage from the fall.

Each round after the trap is activated, 1d6 smoldering. ruin graven black arms sprout from the wall. Claw like hands strike and grasp at the pit's unfortunate new occupants. If one hand hits a character he is held back, and must destroy the hand, or break free from its grasp (4d6 STR check). Only one hand will grasp a character at a time. The remaining hands will attack, punching and clawing. A character must reman free for an entire round n order to climb out of the pit. Free PC's that choose to sacrifice their attack may actively dodge and thereby receive a +2 bonus to AC.

 

Place of Skulls: Area 5

Presented without stats, because lazy.

5. Treasure Cave

Doors: North Door: secret; south door, partially blocked by rubble, but accessible.

Smell: Fresh air, water.

Light: Adequate and aesthetically pleasing, natural illumination enters the chamber from the surface through small breaks in the ceiling, during daylight hours. Evenings are lightless.

Inhabitants/Encounter: 2 Sea Monkeys live in the pond, along with any number of fish. Various rodents and other small woodland animals have nests within the cave, and/or use the fish as a resource. Dozens, if not hundreds of common bats sleep on the ceiling during the day, exiting through the fore mentioned breaks in the cavern ceiling. One giant, intelligent, talking bat lives among them. This fellow styles himself King Giles. King Giles seems nice enough, but in actuality, he is an asshole. Given the opportunity, he will descend from the ceiling and speak with the players. He will offer to sell them information for morsel of food. And tell them about the treasure chest on the lake bottom. As he approaches, Giles will shout at the players and assure them he means no harm. In fact, however, he is in collusion with the sea monkeys, who wait, buried in the mud of the lake bottom, on either side of the chest.

 

If the players attempt to remove the trunk from the bottom of the lake, they will find that a trick of the light has distorted the perceived depth of the water, which is much deeper than it initially appears. The trunk is firmly lodged in the lake bed, and it will come free 1d3 rounds after one or two characters beat a 5d6 STR check. The arrival of the PC's on the lake bottom will kick up a cloud of silt, unless they specify caution to avoid doing so. 2d6 Dex save.

 

However, the sea monkeys will attack once the players are engaged in the act of raising the trunk. They will gain surprise by swimming through the cloud of silt. If there are PC's on the shore or on the water (in the boat from room 4, perhaps, they will be able to see that something is going on but unable to tell exactly what. At any rate King Giles, and 1d12 of his bat minions will attack any characters on the surface.

 

The trunk is locked, but there is no trap. When the trunk is opened the screaming wight trapped inside it will leap out and attack the nearest character. Otheriwise, the trunkis empty. Lol.

 

Place of Skulls: Area 4

 

 

4. The Salon

Door: Stone x 2. both are immensely heavy (6d6 STR check, up to three characters may add in their strength to the effort/check) to shift each one.

Smell: Reptile, brimstone, a hint of water.

Light: None- zero visibility.

Inhabitant: Ruinsnake

AC: 4(15) HD:3 HP 15 Morale 12 Attack bite/squeeze 1d6/1d4. Bite: save vs. spell, fail results in contraction of the Ruin Curse. I don't know what that is yet.

 

This high ceilinged (5m) room contains: a small canoe made from a mysterious black wood (dire wood- if there is an elf in the party INT check with 3d6 to ID) resting on a stand, suitable for three occupants or two and and some baggage; three amphora of wine (100 GP value each) decorated in Grall script and pictograms; one dust and tarnish covered drinking couch (if the couch is cleaned, four 200 GP gems will be revealed, two mounted in either arm); the crumbled remains of a chariot. Water seeps into the room and lies in a puddle in the NE corner.

 

The ruinsnake resides on the floor, behinds the amphora. It will wait to strike until someone draws near. Unless the characters are very cautious it should have surprise.

 

Place of Skulls, Area 3

3. The Screaming Dead

Door: Locked

Smell: Death

Light: A sickly, pulsating green light, emanating from sarcophagus' imperfect seal.

Inhabitant: 1 Screaming Wight

AC 4 (15) HD 3 HP 15 Attack 1d8 strangle/ 1d6 claw MV 120 Morale 12

As the door opens the wight will explode (screaming) out from sarcophagus and attack the closest PC. Its preferred tactic is strangulation. If it achieves a hit, the wight will latch on to the target's neck, doing an immediate 1d8 damage, and leaving deep black scars that will never fade. A 4d6 STR check is required to break free. Up to two other characters can assist.

 

Scream kills momentum -1 to all attacks. If escalation die house rule is being used: the escalation die is negated as long as the wight is up and screaming. Further effects: weapons dropped on a roll of 1-3; save vs spell or fall to the floor with hands over ears. Character can attempt to save again every round. Once made no further save is necessary. Wight dressed in suit of human sized black chain mail. Mundane tulwar sheathed at hip, slightly rusted, dull -1 damage until sharpened. Gems in hilt worth 1200 GP.

 

Place of Skulls: Area 2

2. Ransacked Tomb

Door: Jammed.

Light: None

Smell: Moldy with a hint of Reptile

A broken stone sarcophagus lies in shattered fragments on the floor along with a rusted spear and short sword. The latter items, obviously of gnollic manufacture, have little value as treasure, but could be repaired and made useful. Careful inspection of the room will result in the discovery of a small coffer, at the rear of the chamber, behind the remains of the sarcophagus base. Seemingly carved to look like a humanoid heart, the coffer contains five otherworldly black gems, with obvious magical properties. Each will grant the bearer +1 bonus to all saving throws, however, bearers of the gem will test positive if scrutinized with a detect evil spell; carrying more than one gem will not grant any further bonus.