2.1 THE INNER SANCTUM What has come before: The party agreed to aid the city of Greyhawk with the undead problem, in return for a large sum of gold. They found the old fortress above ground, and defeated its guardian to descend into the depths of the dungeon of the lich, Xusia. The characters overcame various monsters and traps throughout the dungeon level, and the three keys needed to open the final door were recovered. Now they have opened this inner door, and are about to enter Xusia's deepest domain. __________________________________________________________________________ | | | Strangely enough, you see nothing at all beyond the door you have just | | opened. An empty blackness is visible, but no floor, walls, or ceiling | | can be discerned. The dark void is very cold though, and as a chill | | seeps into your bones you begin to wonder if this is some kind of trick | | to throw you off the path. | |__________________________________________________________________________| The blackness masks a teleportation zone, which will of course radiate a powerful magic aura if detected for. The characters must walk into the dark area, and they will then seem to disappear. They have in fact been magically transported to area 1. Note that this inner sanctum does not lie within the area of Xusia's SEAL spell. This is because several of his lieutenants are frequently going back and forth between here and the surface world, and the conditions of the SEAL spell cannot accomodate this. The previous dungeon was basically static, a place to get rid of the majority of those who would interfere with Xusia's plans. The dungeon they are entering now is dynamic, constantly traveled by those in Xusia's service, and the center of all of his operations. (1) This large, roughly diamond-shaped room has eight equally spaced alcoves around its perimeter. Each contains a suit of full plate mail with a sword, battleaxe, polearm, or spiked mace. All have large shields as well. These suits will animate and attack intruders; they are equivalent to skilled fighters of flesh and blood but have no material bodies. SPECTRAL WARRIORS: ac 0, mv 9", hd F12, hp 111 each, sa double weapon spec. for +1/+2, thac0 5, dam by weapon +9 (str 18/00); sd typical immunities of undead, immune to anything that wouldn't damage a suit of finely crafted plate armor, though a dispel evil will destroy them; size M (6.5'), al NE There are three illusionary walls to the west, north, and east. These lead to areas 5, 9, and 2 respectively (the entrance was in the southern wall). The illusionary walls will not fade if touched or walked through. (2) This 50' long, 20' wide, 20' high corridor ends in a large locked metal door, leading to area 3. It is extremely hot in this hallway, such that unprotected (by spell or magical item) characters will take 1 hp of heat damage per round (2 if in metal armor), break out in a sweat, and be very uncomfortable. (3) This rough, cavernous chamber is about 40' by 40' with a 30' ceiling. An opening to the north leads to area 4. The way is barred, through the center of the room, by a 15' wide lava stream coming from one wall and exiting through the opposite. The lava flows in a channel below foot level. Should anyone for some reason become immersed in this river, they will take 50 hp/segment of heat damage. This counts as exceptional heat for rings, etc. of fire resistance. This room is twice as hot as area 2, i.e. 2 or 4 hp/round if unprotected. (4) This huge cavern is roughly 120' in diameter, with a ceiling averaging 50' in height. The center 60' diameter section is a lake of fire (under which is a direct gate to the elemental plane of fire). This whole place is just as hot as area 3. If the party stays in here for longer than one round, a monstrous form rises from the lake of fire. This is Vishanti, a fire elemental lord of great power. Xusia sometimes confers with him (it?) or deals for something. Vishanti's reactions to the party will depend on what they do; he will not attack unless provoked, but he regenerates 10 hp per round while in the lake. Keep in mind that he is floating _in_ the lake, if the party tries to melee him. VISHANTI: ac -6, mv 18", hd 24, hp 181, thac0 -3, #att 2, dam 2x6-48 +6, sa flammable objects hit must save at -4 or burn, sd +3 or better weapon needed to hit, size H (20'), int Exceptional, al Neutral He will not under any circumstances leave his lake or help the party against Xusia. (5) This corridor is similar to area 2, but is very cold instead (1 hp of cold damage per round if unprotected). It leads to an icy door to area 6. (6) This squarish antechamber exits north to area 7. The ceiling is 20' high and all surfaces are coated with ice. The cold temperature in here will inflict 2 hp of damage per round. Also, characters may slip and fall at the DM's discretion. (7) This large room is of a similar temperature to area 6. It contains an evil ice para-elemental lord imprisoned here by Xusia. He uses the elemental's powers from time to time when extreme cold is required. Unlike the occupant of area 4, this one is vicious and chaotic, and will attack the party for no reason at all. The party should attack and save at a -3 penalty due to the slippery ground here. FROSTY: ac -4, mv 12", hd 18, hp 123, thac0 3, #att 2, dam 4-40 + slow for 2 rounds due to cold, sd need +3 weapon to hit, size H (16'), int High, al Chaotic Evil (8) If the elemental is slain, the observant character may notice a dull glint of metal from the ice floor. There is a ring imbedded in the ice about three inches down. This is a ring of frost resistance (detailed in the appendix.) (9) This 20' wide corridor extends 80' to area 10. (10) This room is the lair of a grossly overweight pit fiend (hp 91) who lost a contest with Xusia and must serve him for 99 years. The brute sits in a large chair made of bones, and is charged with guarding the passages to areas 11 and 12. The former is a narrow corridor to the west, while the latter is a wide corridor to the east. The ceiling here is 60' high, to permit flying on the part of the devil. The monster has the broadsword, Foefriend, stashed behind his chair. PIT FIEND: ac -3, mv 6" or 15", hd 13, thaco 7, #att 2, dam 5-8/7-12, sa {pyrotechnics, wall of fire, detect invisibility, polymorph self, hold person, gate in another devil 70%} 1/turn, symbol of pain (save or be at -4 to hit, -2 dex for 2-20 rounds), fear aura 20' radius, sd need +2 weapon to hit, regenerates 2 hp/round, mr 65%, size L (12'), al Lawful Evil There are signs of a recent great battle in this chamber. A number of chunks are missing from various walls, and the floor. Burn marks have been made in several places, and two small craters in the floor have obviously been filled in only recently. To one side is a pile of junk, formerly magical armaments and items, all ruined now. Several broken arrows and melee weapons, a snapped staff, a crushed helm, a suit of full plate riddled with punctures, a cloven shield, a charred pair of boots, a melted lump of metal and organic matter - all this and more can be found in this pile. The second party sent here by Greyhawk got to this room, greatly weakened from previous encounters, and engaged the guardians (two major devils and a trio of minor ones). During the battle, the pair of golems from area 12 arrived, and the party was doing fairly well despite this. Then, Xusia showed up...the sole survivor of the battle is now in area 16d. The undead repair crews have been rather lax, thus most of the rubble is still in here. (11) This narrow corridor turns south and ends after about 40'. In the last 30' of the passage are eight large portraits, mounted on the walls to the left and right. Each depicts some undead lord or evil hero, doing various evil things. The paintings are of exceptional quality...and retain the life force of their subjects. Each one is treated as a ghost, in that it may attempt to possess a character. If it fails, it is powerless for one day, and the character will sense that some foreboding presence is gone. If it succeeds, the character possessed will attack his comrades when the party goes back into area 10. Note that possessed characters will work together to combat the unaffected ones. (12) This is a large, circular guardroom. It has exits to the west, north, and east; they lead to areas 13, 17, and 22, respectively. Since this room is a major intersection, and room 13 is very important, Xusia has placed powerful guardians here. Two iron golems bar the path, and they answer only to Xusia. One of the golems has a gigantic +4 sword, the other uses its bare hands in combat. Both will attack any unfamiliar beings who enter this area (e.g. adventurers). Though Xusia and his companions in area 17 are aware of the intruders by now, they will not begin preparing for a confrontation until a party enters this room. The golems appear to be damaged in various places, as if they were recently in a great battle. (13) This is a laboratory. It is quite extensive and contains many items, including: 4 dissection pallets (iron golem shell, unfinished; empty; large human warrior, mostly dissected; beholder, slightly dissected), tool cabinet with many drawers full of tools, cabinet with many drawers full of various spell and other components, a bookshelf full of various anatomical journals and evil notes, a table with a row of glass tanks (10 of them: human brain; unknown brain; empty; gray ooze; platypus; water; various eyes; nilbog; halfling; empty), a row of large labelled vats with taps (10 of them: strong acid; weak acid; water; vinegar; quicklime; seawater; unholy water; alcohol; brine; oil), a table covered with jars of pickled organs (87 of them; one in ten is recognizable), a worktable covered with bones, body parts, and various material components, an oven (no fire lit, and empty), a cabinet (contains a variety of beakers, vials, bowls, stirring utensils, and a singular fork), a huge glass tank containing a dead demon in brine, a pentagram set into one corner of the room, a large cauldron containing bubbling green liquid, over a fire with no visible source, a rack full of various surgical knives and blades. A single door leads to room 14. It is not locked. (14) This is a library/study. It contains one wall of books, several pieces of very old (and slightly rotted) furniture, and a large oval mirror to one side. The written works on the shelves cover a wide variety of topics (e.g. undead, magic, other planes, world history etc.) and any one of them will take a month to read and understand. All are written in one strange, forgotten language or another (e.g. demon, drow, titan, Sueloise, Old Aerdian, etc.). This in one of the most extensive libraries on Oerth, and Xusia has placed powerful enchantments upon it to ensure that it stays that way. No open flame can exist in here - torches, lanterns, etc will simply die. Other vandalism will be answered promptly by Xusia himself, for he will be magically warned of offensive activities in here. Any individual who takes more than one book from this room will be afflicted with terrible wracking pains upon leaving the study. These will not cease until the extra books are back in place. The mirror is mounted on legs with hinges, and is a powerful magical item (see "Lusan's Mirror" description for details.) Behind one volume on the bookshelf, labelled "The Unseen Among Us", is a small (one inch in diameter) tube carved from the stone of the wall. This goes about forty feet in the northwest direction and leads to areas 15 and 16, if the party can figure out a way to get through it. (15) This octagonal chamber is about 40' from tip to tip. To one side is a monstrous gray ooze (15 HD, 113 hp, thac0 5) which will fight any intruders until they are eaten or it is slain. This specially grown monster is about 24' long and some 16" thick. A 10'x10'x10' (for the ceiling is only a mere 10' high here) section of wall blocks the (non-obvious) exit to area 16. (16) This room contains six alcoves (marked on the map as A-F inclusive). Each alcove is a 10' cube. These are receptacles for various defeated enemies that Xusia for some reason has not gotten around to converting into undead. They are held here by the STASIS spell (see appendix III), which will be broken by the use of a dispel magic or similar means. The cells contain: [A] Halfling body (actually a polymorphed form of an ancient gold dragon). This creature proved to be too much of a challenge for Xusia to turn into an undead, and he was lucky to get it into stasis before it caused him more trouble. The dragon will take about ten rounds after being freed to regain its memory, and then it will most likely assist the party against the arch-lich and his minions. GOLD DRAGON: age 12, ac -12, hd 24, hp 143, thac0 -7, dam 1-10/1-10/ 36 + 12 each, bw cone of fire or cloud of chlorine gas for 24d12+12, spells (mage 22222221; priest 2222; at 23rd level of use), mr 70%, water breathing, immune to fire, gas, etc., size G (170' + 140' tail) [B] Human, about 5'10", slightly overweight. This is Rindall Trofilane, a high-ranking noble from Greyhawk (who has been replaced with a doppleganger in the city council). He remembers nothing - he went to sleep one night and never woke up. If he is returned intact to the city, and his evil twin deposed, he may prove to be a valuable ally to the party. [C] Strange horse-like creature, with a number of wounds visible. This was a ki-rin which chanced upon one of Xusia's operations, but was killed. Xusia was unable to convert it into an undead minion, so he preserved it until he could find a use for its body. If brought out of stasis, it is considered to have been dead for one day (the soul went on to its home plane, but cannot return to this one for a number of years). Any attempts to bring it back to life may incur the favor of some good-aligned extraplanar being, though, at the DM's option. [D] Human, about 6'4", well-muscled and very rough looking. A bastard sword is at his side in a sheath, and a small pouch is strapped to his belt on the other side. Gripped in one hand is a small blue sphere. This is Hawk, a high-level ranger who invaded Xusia's lair with his companions (the second party sent by Greyhawk). All of his companions were slain in various battles, and he was about to detonate his magical orb in an attempt to stop Xusia. Before he could finish the chant and hurl the orb, Xusia and his allies managed to place Hawk in stasis, effectively pulling the wires on the bomb only mere seconds before detonation. If Hawk is freed, he will definitely help the party in any way possible against Xusia and company. HAWK: ac -6/-2, R 15, hp 102 (21), thac0 4+, #att 2, dam 2-8+5+, uses priest spells 3/3/2 at 8th level of use, hides in shadows and moves silently at 99%, tracking Items: Heating stone, stone of ages, staff of lengthening, earring of truth, weatherproof tent, headband of Silesh, indestructible boots & gloves, bastard sword (Frost Brand), leather +4, ring +6, White Orb [E] Small bird. This is actually a polymorphed type VI demon, who was only recently captured by the lich. The demon refused to serve as an assistant and so was placed in stasis. If revived, it will flee to Hades at the first opportunity. [F] This cell contains a young human male, a child of about three years. This is a titan (hp 131) who has been cursed by Xusia to remain in this form, without memory and unable to talk anyway. If the child is freed, he will exhibit the hit points, saves, magic resistance, et al of his titan form, and will radiate good and magic if detected for, but beyond that, a party will have to go to some trouble to find out just what he is and undo his curse. (17) This is the conference hall of Xusia and his lieutenants. They all happen to be in here right now, so when the party enters this room, a great battle will surely ensue. A single doorway leads to areas 18-21 (the living quarters of most of the occupants of this room). The room is somewhat lavishly furnished, and the occupants sit around a large table in the middle of the room. An illusionary planet hovers above the table, as they are in the process of discussing strategies. When the party enters, the illusion will die out, leaving the room in darkness. Those in here will not be surprised by the party's arrival; rather, they will be fully prepared for combat. Present are: Xusia (arch-lich, mage) ac -6; hd Ma 31; hp 172, thac0 -11, d/a 3-30 +paralysis, need +4 weapon to hit, fails all saves only on a "1", immune to charm, sleep, polymorph, enfeeblement, cold, electricity, insanity, death; 55 mage spells <7/7/7/7/7/6/5/5/4>; NEW SPELLS: (1) Fire Darts (6) Flesh to Wood, Sandstorm (7) Dehydration, Life Leech (8) Blizzard, Eridor's Ebon Bolt, Pyromania, Symmetry (9) Blaze of Glory, Seal, Soul Suck, Tsunami * he may or may not use some of these; see Appendix for more spell information ITEMS: Ring of Multiple Wishes (4), Ring of Fire Resistance, Rod of Death, Black Robe of the Archmagi Terrorek (lich, priest) ac -3; hd Pr 20; hp 86, thac0 10, typical lich powers, 61 priest spells <12/12/11/11/8/5/2>; sd robes prevent turning NEW SPELLS: (5) Finger Snakes (7) Plague ITEMS: Boots of Silence, Unholy Robes ac2, Ring +5, rod of elemental command Strabonius (human anti-paladin) ac -7; hd APa 18; hp 135; thac0 3 or -4; #att 2; d/a 1-10+5+5, detect good w/in 60', +2 on all saves, immune to disease, lay on hands to cure evil or harm good...36 hp, cure or cause disease 4/week, prot. from good 10', uses priest spells 3/3/3/1 at 9th level of ability ITEMS: dagger of assassination, Red armor of Kalispathon, invisible shield+4, unholy 2-H sword +5, ring of recall, potion of infravision Von Drek (vampire warrior) ac -2; hd Wa 13; hp 98; thac0 8 or 0; #att 1 or 2; d/a 1-10+ed or 1-8+2+3, charm, need +1 to hit, regen 3 hp/round, gas or bat forms, immune to poison, charm/sleep/hold, immune to paralysis, half from cold and electricity, can spider climb ITEMS: spectral blade, cloak of protection +3 Gorgorax (nycadaemon) ac -4; mv 12" or 36", hd 12+36; hp 106, thac0 7, #att 2, dam 9-16/9-16, sa command 3/day, dispel magic 2/day, dimension door 3/day, gaseous form 1/day, 4 mirror images 2/day, reverse gravity 2/day, wind walk 3/day, word of recall 1/day; {comprehend languages, detect invisibility, enlarge or shrink, fear by touch, invisibility 10' radius, polymorph self, project image, read magic, telepathy} 1/round; infravision, sd need +2 weapon to hit, immune to poison, silver, paralysis, poison; half damage from fire, cold, acid; regenerates 3 hp/round mr 100% vs. 1st level spells @11th level of ability; size L (8'+), al Neutral Evil 4 stone golems, spaced around the perimeter of the hall (hp 60 each) -the golems aren't lieutenants, just cannon fodder