The Pit of the Oracle,
by Stephen Sullivan
THE PIT OF THE ORACLE
INTRODUCTION
The Pit of The Oracle is a game module designed for use with the
rules of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
It can be used by itself as a
self-contained campaign (or as a springboard to a larger campaign),
or it can be easily incorporated into an existing campaign.
Many non-essential specifics have been left out, enough so that
each DM can flesh out the area to his/her
taste, or to
conform to the setting of an existing world. This “incompleteness,”
while making the module more adaptable, also insures that no two
campaigns in and around The Pit of The Oracle will ever be alike.
This enables a DM to be a player in someone else’s campaign
without having too much advance knowledge of what the campaign
world is like.
The openness of construction
does not mean that The Pit of The
Oracle is not ready to play as it is. It can be used exactly as presented,
providing that the material is read thoroughly before starting to play,
so that the many interrelationships between parts of the module can
be fully understood.
Map A--Narrion and the Land Surrounding
| Loch Lakan | The Moor | The Jarkung Lands | Greenwoods | The Oracle |
| The Black Forest | The Shunned Hills | Narrion | The Stalker | - |
The small town of Narrion is located precariously on the very
edge of the wild country, and as such is often a stopping place for
adventurers going from one AREA to the other. There is not terribly
much trouble in wandering by day down the small roads
through the
large expanses of untended grasslands which extend
southeastward
between Narrion and the next nearest town (except for an occasional
bandit or two)—but the legends of the
blasphemous things
that roam the deserted plains by night are numerous and particularly
horrible (at least, to the pale-hearted folk of the town).
LOCH LAKAN
To the north and west of the town lie the cold,
dark waters of Loch
Lakan, an unremarkable fresh water lake in all
respects except for
the fact that local legend makes it out to be
the home of a horrible
monster. The creature is actually a very large
Plesiosaurus
(160 HP)
who differs from the normal beasts (aside from
its size) in the fact that
it swallows its prey alive on a roll of 10% (+2)
over what it normally
needs to hit, or on a roll of 20 in any case.
On a roll of 1 on a d6, the
beast will notice anything moving in or on the
lake and try to make a
snack of the intruder. Because of this creature,
none of the locals fish
or swim in the lake—though about once a year
some foolhardy child
will take it into his/her head to defy the town
elders and take a quick
dip. About once out of every 10 times the child
returns, usually very
shaken up.
How the creature came to be in the lake is a disputed
matter in
local LEJEND. Some insist that long ago a black-hearted
star fell from
the sky into the center of the lake and spawned
the thing. Other tales
insist that the monster is the result of a witch’s
or wizard’s (the
legends vary) curse upon the lake and the lost
fishermen of Narrion
(whose cries, some insist, can still be heard
at night). Still others insist
that there have never been fishermen in Narrion
because the monster
has always been in the lake. And a final faction
insists that when
the Stalker first came to Narrion it brought
the creature with it as its
pet. There are many other such tales, but they
are all variations on
these themes.
THE MOOR
To the northeast of the town lies the Moor (often
called “The
Haunted Moor” by the old wives of the town),
through which the
Moor Road runs on its way to the Jarkung Lands
and the edge of the
wild. There are numerous legends about the Moor,
most of them
concerning spirits of one type or another, such
as the headless bandit
who rides the road on the nights when the moon
is but a pale sliver in
the night sky, or the werewolf ghost of Kevin
O’Korr, or the will-owisps
which dart here and there among the treacherous
bogs (which,
some claim, cause the strange glows which can
be seen on the moor
at nights) or even the dreaded banshee who howls
her loneliness on
cold nights. Whether these rumors have a basis
in fact or not, the
Moor can certainly be a treacherous place to
wander in unguided,
for there are dreadful mires which seem to appear
from nowhere and
suck unwary wanderers to their deaths in the
peat far below.
THE JARKUNG LANDS
If one were to follow the Moor Road northeast
from Narrion for
many miles through the Moor and past the end
of that desolate bog,
one would eventually come to the Edge of The
Wild and the Jarkung
Lands. Little is known about this area by the
people of Narrion, for
few ever venture to the Edge of The Wild and
fewer still return from
that direction. It is known that beyond the Moor
lies a vast, desertlike
land full of boulders and strange rock formations
and sand. It is
here that there is said to exist a half-devil
race whom men call
Jarkung. Not much is known of them but they are
generally very
hostile toward mankind, and the villagers are
very afraid of them and
thankful of their remoteness. To talk of the
Jarkung will bring a
serious look to most any face in Narrion, for
they are generally
accepted as existing—even if they are not exactly
what they’re
reputed to be.
GREENWOODS
To the west of Narrion, between Loch
Lakan and the Narrion
Road, are situated two small patches of forest
called the
Greenwoods. Most folk generally agree that there
is nothing remarkable
about these two patches of trees, but there are
a few who insist
that the wood was once part of a great forest
which, upon being
cursed by a wizard, withered and died.
THE ORACLE
Southwest of Narrion, in the mound that has come
to bear his
name, dwells the far-famed Oracle
of Narrion. This aged seer has
lived in the pit below the Rock of the Oracle
longer than anyone in
Narrion would even venture to guess. The townsfolk
are grateful for
his presence, both because of the travelers that
come to the small
town to pay homage to the seer and for the most
fabulous predictions
that he makes on their behalf—especially concerning
the
dread Stalker. An amazing number of the Oracle’s
predictions have
come true, especially concerning when the monster
will strike. He
does not always speak of the question asked but
sometimes refers to
more important events in the near future. The
townsfolk have not
always understood his cryptic messages in time
to do anything
about the portents. (In fact, there have been
few times when the
warnings have not made any difference at all,
but to the people this
doesn’t seem to matter, for he is their oracle
and they will speak no ill
of him.)
To consult the Oracle, one goes to his mound and
enters the
large rock on the summit
through the cave opening on the north
side. In the dimly lit, rough-walled cavern a
small black hole can be
seen in the center of the room. One must approach
the 5’-diameter
hole with utmost reverence and drop a sacrifice
(gold, food, etc.)
down the shaft to where the Oracle dwells below.
One question may
be asked of the seer.
Then the wait begins. The Oracle
has been known to ponder for
nearly a day before answering some questions put to him. If a day
and a night pass and the question has not been answered, then no
answer will be received, either because the sacrifice was too small
or
because the ways of the Oracle are strange. In any case, one should
then retire and wait at least a day before trying to consult the Oracle
again.
If one gets an answer, it will usually be fathomable in proportion
to the sacrifice given: the more valuable
the sacrifice, the more plain
the answer. This, however, is not always the case. Once one answer
is given a second question may be asked, but it must be on another
subject in order to have a chance of it receiving an answer, for
oracles are loath to explain their cryptic remarks. (A second sacrifice
for a second question at this point wouldn’t hurt, either.)
The Oracle
usually answers in riddles or rhymes or combinations
thereof.
THE BLACK FOREST
This dark, dense mass of trees stretches from
just past the Mound
of the Oracle far to the southeast of the land
beyond Narrion. No one
knows what lurks at the center of the Black Forest,
though it is
generally agreed to be either a very ancient
castle, or a dragon, or
both. A few people think that this is where the
Lurkers in Shadow
originate from, and the wood has been said to
contain nearly every
other type of abomination as well. As is often
the case among the folk
of Narrion, some insist that the forest has been
twisted and cursed by
an evil wizard, and perhaps even this is true.
THE SHUNNED HILLS
These bleak hills are generally accepted to be
the place from
which the dread Lurkers
in Shadow originate. It is said that the
obscene creatures lurk and breed in caverns deep
in the bowels of
the hills, and only venture forth at night when
the moon is dark to
garner human captives for their unholy rites.
The people fear these
beings second only to the Stalker himself. It
is said that the Lurkers’
tunnels honeycomb the entire length of the Shunned
Hills. Some
even suggest that they reach underground into
the very heart of
Narrion, and that the Lurkers and the Stalker
are one and the same.
But not many souls believe this premise, for
it is said that quite some
years ago a mighty hero killed one of the Lurkers
and displayed its
body for a long time in the public square, but
the attacks of the
Stalker did not stop. (The small, lizard-like
body of the Lurker has
since either been lost or was thrown away because
of the legendary
stench of the carcass.)
In actuality the Lurkers are a large
band of troglodytes who live
in
a series of honeycombed mazes beneath the Shunned
Hills. They
generally live up to most of what is attributed
to them.
NARRION
Narrion is an unremarkable town situated not
far from the edge
of the wilderness. Being so close to the wild
country, the town has
found it necessary to have a large (30’) wooden
wall (with a small
parapet) constructed around
its perimeter in order to keep certain
undesirable types from raiding the town after
dusk. To this end there
are also guard
platforms on the northernmost and southernmost
corners of the wall. The town’s 2 gates, the
great Front Gate and
smaller Moor Gate, are closed promptly at dusk
and are not
reopened for ANY reason until dawn.
The shops of the town are usually open for an
hour or 2 after
sunset, but the proprietors can usually be called
to business at any
hour by a sharp rap on the door.
It is recommended, however, that
anyone doing so have just cause, or face the
wrath of a very disgruntled
shopkeeper.
The taverns are generally
open until two or three in the morning,
but can be persuaded to stay open longer if there’s
a profit to be
made. The inns are normally open all night (or
at least can be
“opened” with a good shout), to take care of
the few who are always
straggling in from the bars at odd hours, and
also because it’s a sort
of tradition for inns to be open all night (after
all, no one legally
enters town after dark). You can usually get
a drink at any time of
night at any inn (though if you wake someone
up just for a drink, it
may cost you dearly).
The laws of Narrion are basically common-courtesy
rules. If
someone doesn’t like the way you are acting in
his place of business,
he has the right to throw you out. If you give
a shopkeeper any
trouble, he will call the town
guard (and the town guard does not like
to be disturbed, being basically lazy in regards
to working), and the
guard will throw you out. If you’re caught stealing
the offended party
can either demand that you pay for the item (and
they may not give
you the item), throw you out on your ear, or
bring you to public trial,
which is also what happens if you have committed
a gross offense of
one kind or another.
Public trial consists of bringing the accused
party before an
assembly of the entire population of the town
(usually at noon, but it
can be in the middle of the night if the case
is urgent) at the town
gallows. The accuser presents his case before
the assemblage. The
town then decides the fate of the accused and,
if he is found guilty,
the punishment. (Remember how carried away large
groups of
people can get, especially
if they have been awakened from a sound
sleep.)
The accused cannot speak in his own defense, but
another may
speak for him, or the accused may challenge the
accuser to trial by
combat. Dueling
is legal in Narrion; however, the person challenged
gets to choose the terms on which he fights.
A duel in Narrion could
be between an armed man and an unarmed challenger,
and would
still be legal. That is why town inhabitants
will almost never choose
trial by combat.
People traveling through the town may be charged
a Visitors Tax
of 1 g.p <$10>.
by the innkeepers for the first night of their stay in town. This
small surcharge is to help
defray the cost of maintaining the
town’s
guard.
Expenses not covered by the tax are taken care of in any way
the town can come up with such as fines for crimes,
etc. The
innkeepers and shop owners usually make generous
donations to
the guard as well.
THE STALKER
This is the horrible monster
that keeps the town of Narrion in a
constant state of fear. It strikes mercilessly
and without respect
for age, sex, or social prominence, in a seemingly
random fashion.
Numerous attempts have been made to capture and
destroy
the beast, and despite the help of the Oracle's
prophesies, all
attempts have met with unmitigated failure, though
once or twice
a number of men have managed to meet the thing
head-on.
For a horror that is so familiar to the townspeople, the description
of the “Stalker” (which some unmemorable person
dubbed
the creature hundreds of years past) is still
much disputed. The
most accepted version of what the Stalker looks
like is a huge,
hulking shadow-like thing,
9' tall, with many eyes, or insect eyes,
and a monstrous, gaping maw lined with razor-sharp,
6-inch-long
teeth.
Other descriptions are a lion-headed
creature with huge,
leathery bat-wings; a man-frog with the legs
of a bull and tail of a
dragon an amorphous blob, with a scaly hide which
can grow
limbs and mouths at will; a demon
or a devil; or any one of a
number of equally dissimilar creatures or combinations.
In actuality, if anyone could ever see through
the darkness
(night, not a spell) and their own fear (which
is unlikely) the
creature they would see would be a
huge, shambling, mottled
green toad-thing with 2-inch-long
claws and a maw like a bear
trap. It stands 8' tall at its massive shoulders
(its head is set
slightly lower) and atop its froggy head are
two sets of red
and
black liquid eyes,
the larger ones set where they would normally
be and the
small ones above them on the monster’s forehead.
Men who have seen these grossly inhuman eyes
have been
known to lose all courage and run from battle,
and these men will
never be able to give an even remotely correct
description of the
monster. (Note that this fear is not due to any
ability that the
Stalker has but is merely a factor of the inhuman
and unfamiliar
way it moves and fights. Check morale
often if NPCs confront the
beast. It is extremely terrifying.) It often
laughs in a dry, croaking
voice.
THE TOWN
The following outline of the town of Narrion
provides only the
barest description of the town’s houses, stores
and inns, and the
people who run the stores and inns, as well as
a few of the town’s
other more exceptional citizens. The remainder
of the details
have been left for individual DM’s to fill in.
This adds a unique
touch to each “Narrion” so that no two will probably
ever be alike,
thus creating the possibility that one DM may
run in another DM’s
world even if both are familiar with Narrion
as presented here.
In general, most of the townspeople should be
of very low
level, with only a few exceptional people standing between the
town and its downfall to the forces of the outside
world.
Not only would a town full of super-characters take away the
town’s atmosphere, it would also destroy the
threat of the Stalker,
which is supposed to be what the players will
conquer. If they
defeat the monster then they may certainly populate
the town with
whatever they like, providing that they do not
fall under the “Angry
Villagers” section given later.
NARRION DETAIL MAP A
1) (F/2)
2) (MF/2)
3) (F/2)
4) (U/1)
5) The Blue Gill Tavern (T/1)—Hangout for
local riffraff and
hoods is known locally for its cheap booze and
frequent fights. It is
a good place to make underworld connections but
is not terribly
good for picking up rumors or information. Both
management and
patrons tend to be tight-lipped. The Bartender
is untrustworthy
and a prolific liar on any subject when properly
tipped.
6) (S/2)
7) (S/2)
8) (S/2)
9) (S/2)
10) The Narrion Inn
(I/2)—This inn features a warm
atmosphere, good food and drink. comfy rooms,
a jovial, rotund
Innkeeper/Barman, and fetching, but moral, serving
girls. Many
of the less sleazy locals spend time here after
dark, having a
drink, exchanging stories, and playing a competitive
but friendly
game of darts. A good spot for rumors but not
as flashy as the
Green Dragon Tavern (below).
11) The Hut of The Witch Ilsa (SH/2)—The
Witch lives on
the 2nd floor of this building and runs a curio
shop on the first
floor. She is a 3rd-level Magic-User
who is constantly followed
by a black
cat which acts as her familiar.
Ilsa has Str-8, Int-16, Wis-12,
Con-10, Dex-13 and Cha-6. Her
alignment is Neutral (tending toward Evil). She
looks very aged,
but her age is not actually known. She walks
with a cane (actually
a Staff
of Withering). It is whispered that almost anything can be
bought in her shop. It is also whispered that
she is responsible for
the occasional disappearances in the town, generally
attributed
to the Stalker (this may be partially true),
but the more sensible
people of the town take no stock in these rumors.
(It is also
rumored that she uses her victims to restore
her youth in some
arcane manner, but this is even less widely believed.)
12) (S/2)
13) (U/2)
14) (S/2)
15) (S/2)
16) The Temple of Apathy (CH/1)—This temple
houses the
main religion of the people of Narrion. The religion
preaches that
only through the ignoring of day-to-day events
can a true state of
oneness with God be reached. An often-quoted
passage from the
holy scriptures is, “God created the world in
three days and then
left it alone because it no longer directly concerned
him.” This
philosophy has quite naturally kept any concerted
effort from
being organized to deal with the
Stalker. The temple is run by one
first-level Priest who will ignore anyone entering
the temple who
does not appear to directly concern him.
| KEY TO BUILDING DESCRIPTIONS
Each building in the town of Narrion is described by a letter-number code which provides the type of structure it is and the number of floors it has. For instance, MF/2 means a two-story, multi-family dwelling. Building types are as follows: CH = Church or Temple—a place of worship, usually
I = Inn or Tavern-a building
which can house travelers
F = Family—an
average single-family dwelling, a multiroom
MF = Multi-family—essentially similar to an “F”
dwelling,
S = Slum—a very run-down family-type dwelling,
usually
SH = Shop/House—a building with space for a shop
or
U = Uninhabited—a building which is unoccupied,
but
Other map symbols
F) Gallows G) Front Gate H) Moor Gate
|
17) (MF/1)
18) (MF/2)
19) The Town Livery— Adventurers’ horses
may be housed
here for a charge of 1 g.p <$10>.
per night. The care is adequate and the
watchmen are fairly attentive.
20) The Golden Mug Inn
(I/3)—This inn is the usual staying
place of adventurers in Narrion, so the inn’s
bar is a good spot to
check for tales. Food
and drink are both good and cheap, room
and board is <$5>
per night. The barmaids are both beautiful
and willing, and the inn is always looking to
hire new barmaids
who meet the requirements. (It is sometimes rumored
that these
girls mysteriously disappear, though the Inn
claims that they have
merely left town. This is generally accepted
as the truth, since the
girls are known to be rather free with their
favors.)
The Innkeeper is a ruddy-complexioned
FAT MAN by the name
of Cobbisan Ssa. He is very tight-lipped and
nervous, and he
sweats at the least provocation or physical action.
But his nervous
fear is well founded, for he is a thrall of the
Stalker/Oracle. There
is a secret passage from the Oracle’s Temple
Pit which has an
exit in the deepest part of the Inn’s wine cellar.
This is one way
that the creature can enter the town undetected.
Cobbisan lets
the creature through a secret door, and it then
either moves into
the town proper or stalks through the secret
passages which lead
to several of the inn’s rooms. (The passages
lead from the cellar.)
The Oracle pays Cobbisan well for his services
(which is why the
man can afford to run the inn so cheaply), but
the bartender lives
in constant fear of being found out by other
people. This makes
him very paranoid and nervous and he has, upon
occasion, done
in a guest who asked too many questions or appeared
to know too
much.
21) Smith (SH/1)—The
Smith is a tall, dark man. His prices
are good and he treats his customers fairly—but
woe to any who
cross him. Treat him as a 4th-level Fighter with
18/29 Strength.
22) (U/2)
23) (MF/3)
24) Bookstore (SH/2)—This
strange little shop-house is run
by an eccentric old sage
whose sight and hearing are both deteriorating;
he is therefore sometimes very hard to deal with.
The
shop occasionally has rare books, tomes and scrolls
which he will
part with for a very reasonable price. An occasional
magic book will pop up also.
<1. book
of exalted deeds>
<2. book
of vile darkness>
<3. etc.>
25) (S/2)
26) (S/2)
27) The “Haunted House”
(U/2)—In the cellar of this dilapitated
old house is a secret
door which is the Oracle’s second
method of secretly entering Narrion, though it
connects with the
same passage that runs from the Golden Mug Inn.
It is the
Oracle’s occasional prowling through this house
that has led to
the rumor that the old manse is haunted. Though
most people
claim they don’t believe the place is haunted,
everyone avoids it
like the plague.
28) (S/2)
29) (S/3)
30) (S/2)
31) (S/3)
32) (S/3)
33) (S/2)
34) (MF/3)
35) The Green Dragon Tavern (SH/2)—A good
number of
adventurers can be found frequenting this tavern,
as well as most
of the more boisterous locals, so this is a very
good spot to pick up
information. The barkeep is a jolly, middleaged
gent who lives
above the tavern with his good-natured wife (fairly
pretty for her
age) and his two small children, a boy and a
girl. Holliman (the
barkeep) is well known as a magnificent story
teller and is very
knowledgeable on many subjects, knowledge that
he will gladly
share with anyone asking him and offering a generous
tip. With
his jovial good humor and quick wit he usually
manages to keep
the crowd under control. He usually assumes the
forefront concerning
matters which affect the whole town.
36) (MF/2)
37) (MF/2)
38) (F/2)
39) (F/1)—In this slightly rundown
house lives Bornn, the
Fighter. He is getting on in years and is neither
as strong nor as quick
as he used to be, though his wits are still as
sharp as ever. He is a
conservative fellow by nature, and nearly a recluse.
He has not
gone adventuring since he was converted to belief
in the Church
of Apathy through an unfortunate set of circumstances
involving
his late wife a number of years ago. He is, for
all intents and
purposes, retired. But if he thought the cause
were great enough,
he could be stirred to action. He is a Champion.
On his
living-room wall hangs his mighty sword Rangorn,
which is a +1
Lawful
Good sword with Int 12,
Ego 7 and three remaining wishes.
It speaks only lawful good and common, though
it can communicate
telepathically.
It has the following powers: 1) Cure
Serious
Wounds,
2) X-Ray Vision, 3) +2
Str and 4) Detect Evil and
Good.
40) (F/2)—This modest house is the home of Bornn’s
daughter,
Gay, and her 3-year-old son, Jon. She is a very
beautiful, <COM=21>
blonde-tressed young woman with a pleasing figure
and flashing
green eyes. She is often somber-faced, but has
a bright, warm
smile and a lilting laugh when she chooses to
display them. Since
her husband was slain she has worked at the Green
Dragon Tavern
as a singer and a dancer. She is as protective
of her father as he is of
her.
41) (Bk/2)—Barracks housing about 50 lazy and
apathetic
soldiers.
42) The General Store (SH/2)—An average
general store
run by a chubby, middle-aged woman (Gloria Simins)
and her 2
beautiful <COM
20, 21> teen-age daughters, Lena, the eldest, and Marci. The
3 of them live above the store.
RUMORS AND LEGENDS
These are the rumors that commonly float around
the town of
Narrion. If characters are just asking around,
allow about an 80%
chance that they will get a false or trivial
bit of information, unless
the source is reliable or has a reaction of 10
or above toward the <10 as in 10%?>
characters. Keep in mind also that most people
wouldn’t know too
many unusual things (that had any truth at all
to them).
In no case should rumors approach the truth more
than the
rumors given in the outlines, without very good
reason.
Rumors not already detailed elsewhere in the text
will be given
hereafter.
Roll a 12-sided die:
1) The Witch Ilsa
2) The “Haunted House”
6) The Oracle (perhaps a recent prophecy)
7) The Loch Lakan Monster
8) The Moor
9) The Stalker
10) The Lurkers in Shadow
(Troglodytes) and their underworld
realm
11) Misc. Wilderness rumor
12) Bornn, the fighter (his
family, his history, and his conversion
to the Faith of the Temple of Apathy)
THE LEJEND OF BORNN
Following is a brief outline of what one might
hear concerning
the life of Bornn, the
fighter. It is a general guide only; there is no
one who would tell it exactly this way. Here
are the facts:
1) Both Bornn <#39> and his
daughter <#40> live in relative seclusion in
separate houses at the edge of town. It has been
thus since Bornn
was converted to the faith of Apathy years ago.
2) In the beginning Bornn had been very active
in the town
defense and had even pitted his sword against
the Stalker and
wounded the beast, though it escaped.
3) One night as he sat at home with his wife Elaine,
he heard a
scream of terror. Kissing her farewell, he rushed
into the square
to see a
dark shadow grappling with a villager.
4) Bornn swung his sword and hit the shadow a
mighty blow.
It fell to the ground, and in the moonlight Bornn
could see that this
was not the Stalker but the reptile-like form
of one of the Lurkers in
Shadow.
5) Then he heard his wife scream. Breaking down
his own
door, he rushed into
his living room and saw a hulking shadowthing
hunching over the dead body of his wife. He charged
the
monster with a blood-curdling scream and smote
the monster’s
flesh and bone with such force that the blow
carried Bornn to the
floor. The monster just laughed.
6) In his dazed stupor, Bornn swore that he saw
the monster
dissolve into the shadows and disappear from
the house.
7) From then on, he has led the life of a recluse,
even refusing
the company of his daughter Gay and her husband.
The total
randomness and meaninglessness of his wife’s
murder convinced
him that all the good that one can do in the
world is for
naught, so one might as well be apathetic. Thus,
he was converted
to the religion of Apathy. He still refused Gay’s
requests
that he MOVE in with her and her husband because
of the pride
which lingers in him to this day.
8) It was only a short time later that Gay’s husband,
while
enlisted in the King’s Army as a mercenary
soldier, was killed in a
battle with the
Jarkung. But Gay had pride like her father’s and
would not consider moving in with him, not even
when her son
was born a few months later, though they see
each other fairly
often.
ANGRY VILLAGERS (village
reactions)
This table is to be used if the
Oracle is killed, or it can be used
for just about anything if you ignore the parts
of the paragraphs
that obviously only apply to the death of the
Oracle. With that
preface, the following are the possible reactions
for the people of
Narrion (adding or subtracting from the dice
roll for charisma
bonuses or penalties of the offender):
Roll 2 6-sided dice:
2-3 = ANGRY —The town is extremely upset
at the death of
their Oracle; they don’t seem to care that he
was a monster, they
would gladly sacrifice a few lives for the gift
of prophecy. They
may not even believe that he was a monster; after
all, there’s no
body. How do they know that you haven’t just
done away with their
prophet? And besides, can you imagine what this
will do to their
tourist industry? Character is lynched without
trial.
4-5 = CONVICTED —Character is tried and
convicted of
harming the town or a resident of the town and
either hung,
stoned, or otherwise subjected to the eye-for-an-eye
justice
system.
6-7 = HOSTILE —Tried, but the people can’t
seem to make up
their minds on guilt and finally decide to EXILE
the offender from
the town, maybe even with some supplies.
8-10 = ACQUITTED —Tried and let off, but
the people probably
aren’t terribly pleased and will request that
the offender
leave town.
11-12 = JUBILANT —The townspeople are overjoyed
that
they have been released from the curse on their
village. They
raise the SLAYER on their shoulders, parade him
through the town
and give him the keys to the city and a night
on the town. If the roll
plus bonuses for reaction is over 13, the people
will beg him to <cf. encounter reactions>
stay and give him a house and a cushy job and
his pick of the
unmarried women of the town, etc. (Now, if only
you’d do something
about that Lake monster, and those Lurkers .
. .)
Note that these reactions do not apply until it
is discovered
that the Oracle is missing or until some idiot
spreads the news
around.
| - | Common (65%) | Uncommon (20%) | Rare (11%) | Very Rare (4%) |
| 1) | Skeletons | Trolls | Ghosts | Night Hag |
| 2) | Skeletons | Trolls | Xorn | Mind Flayer |
| 3) | Skeletons | Cerebral Parasite | Roper | Vampire |
| 4) | Skeletons | Basilisks | Xorn | - |
| 5) | Troglodytes | Medusa | Ghosts | - |
| 6) | Troglodytes | Mimic | Ghosts | - |
| 7) | Troglodytes | Gargoyles | - | - |
| 8) | Centipedes | Black Pudding | - | - |
| 9) | Centipedes | Grey Ooze | - | - |
| 10) | Gas Spores | Prowler | - | - |
| 11) | Gas Spores | Prowler | - | - |
| 12) | Giant Spiders | Trolls | - | - |
| 13) | Giant Spiders | - | - | - |
| 14) | Stirges | - | - | - |
| 15) | Stirges | - | - | - |
| 16) | Stirges | - | - | - |
| 17) | Centipedes | - | - | - |
| 18) | Troglodytes | - | - | - |
| 19) | Skeletons | - | - | - |
| 20) | Skeletons | - | - | - |
Skeletons
—Skeletons found in the service of the Oracle are of
the normal type, with the exception that they
all have 16 hit points,
more than twice the normal maximum. Other than
this one discrepancy,
the monsters named above are all as they appear
in the
Monster Manual, or as listed elsewhere
in this module.
Frequency for monsters in the
Pit of the Oracle supercedes
anything written elsewhere.
The Prowler +
The Jarkung +
Note—Both the Jarkung (TD-14) and the Prowler (TD-7) originally <#14?>
appeared in issues of The Dragon. They
are represented here
more or less as they originally appeared, with
some interpretations
where the original text was lacking the detail
necessary for inclusion
in the Monster
Manual format.
Elemental Demon
(Gremlin)
The Oracle (aka The Stalker)
THE PIT
The Pit of the Oracle
was torn out of the heart of the stone many
years ago by the Dark Lord's eldritch magicks
when the land was
young. He equipped it well with traps and treasure
and a special
array of monsters. The magic processes that created
the Pit also
rendered it immune to certain forms of attack
that might assault it.
(This applies only to non movable features such
as doors, walls, etc.)
The Pit is immune to fire, water, earthquakes,
and wind-based
attacks as well as electricity and disintegration.
Encounters are checked for as in a normal dungeon
but using
the special Pit of the Oracle Wandering Monsters
chart.
Level One and the Stone (Map
B)
THE STONE
The ancient, hollowed-out Stone of the Oracle sits on the top of
the Mound of the Oracle (A on Map A).
In the middle of the cave is a five-foot diameter hole (marked A
on Map B) which descends deep into the Pit and down which seekers
call their questions to the mysterious Oracle. If one were to descend
through the hole, one would find oneself in the Hall of the Idols,
and
if one continued the path would lead to the Great Hall below. <link>
| KEY TO ROOM DESCRIPTIONS
The general features of each room or section of The Pit of The Oracle’s 2 underground levels are listed in a code which is defined below. Each room's number is followed by the room's name
or a
Next is the word "Shielded" or "Non-shielded."
A
Next is a description of the features of the door(s)
enclosing
Door type is either
W = wooden; WB = wooden, banded
Handles or protrusions, if any, are indicated
by K = knob;
Locks or devices to prevent entry are described
as either H
If there is more than one door enclosing an area,
each is
|
MAP B LEVEL ONE AND THE STONE
Room 1)/---/A/Non-shielded;
Door-None.
2)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-None.
3)/Spider room/A/Nonshielded;
Door-None. This room is filled
with webs in which live 6 Giant
Spiders, 16 20 12 30 28 19 HTK.
4)/Weapons room/A/Non shielded;
Door-None. Trap-spiked
sheet, 2-24, falling from ceiling on characters
within 2 dotted lines
S1 = war
hammer; S2 = long sword, P = chain mail (all hung on
wall).
5)/The Room of Mirrors/B/Non-shielded;
Door-None. Every
available surface in this room is covered with
unbreakable, indullable
mirrors, including the floor and ceiling.
6)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
Vases 1 & 2 filled with water
(for washbasin).
7)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
8)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
9)/Shield room/A/Non-shielded;
Door-None. P1 & 2 = steel
shields.
10)/Final Hieroglyph Room/C/Non-shielded;
Door-None.
Within this room can be found the final series
of pictographs depicting
the history of the
Oracle. The walls can be read as follows: The
Dark Lord creates the Pit with mighty spells;
He calls his evil minions
from all over the world and chooses which of
them will inhabit the
pit; He grants his minion the Oracle (toad thing)
dominion over all
the lesser nasties, gives it the gift of the
“third-eye,” and in an unholy
rite removes the monster’s heart and soul from
its body. A = a
jackal-faced idol with a small, lidded vase in
its hands. This vase
contains 1 dose of a Potion
of Longevity which renews itself every 4
hours. However, the vase cannot be removed and
is too small to
stick more than 3 fingers into. To make matters
worse, the potion
level is low enough that it cannot be lapped
up, and the statue is too
heavy (part of the bedrock, actually), to be
moved. Woe to anyone
who harms the idol, for harming it will summon
the Oracle, or, if it’s
dead, the other minions of the Dark Lord.
11)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
12)/The Hall of the Idols/B/Non-shielded;
Door-None.
In the
middle of this many-columned room is a well which
leads from A in
the Stone to A in the Great Hall (rm. 19/level
2) below. The pit is
exactly above the four dots in the well. Statues
B & C are human
fighting men; B has one part of an Amulet
of the Planes, a sun-like
medallion with a threaded center, around its
neck; C has a stone
carving of what the whole should look like around
its neck. D & E are
stylized dragons, and the iris of the right eye
of D (which screws out)
is a dial with 24 markings which controls the
plane traveled to (as the
alternative amulet in the DMG). This is
the second part of the amulet.
F & G are statues of hippo-headed river gods;
the right eye of G
screws out to become the third part of the amulet,
an eye-shaped
centerpiece, the pupil of which acts as the socket
for the fourth and
final piece of the amulet, the pointer. Around
the necks of fighter
statues H & I are carved stone medallions;
in the center of each is a
small, plain pointer. The pointer of I can be
turned easily and
removed at will, but if the pointer of H is turned
or molested in any
way, anyone touching the statue will receive
2-12 points of electrical
damage. The removable pointer from the medallion
around the
neck of human fighter statue I snaps very nicely
into the pupil of the
eye from statue G, completing the Amulet of the
Planes. The pointer
determines which of the planes will be traveled
to. (Note that if either
parts D or G are not screwed in tightly, the
transportation will not be
predictable, for the synchronization will be
off.)
13)/Water Fountain/A/Shielded;
Door-(M/L/U). A is an ornate
stone fountain which is perpetually flowing.
In it live 3 Water Weirds
with 20/15/12 hits to disrupt.
14)/Second Hieroglyph Room/C/Non-shielded;
Door-None.
Within this room and the corridor connecting
it with room 10 can be
seen the middle series of pictographs concerning
the history of the
Oracle. The walls
can be read as follows: The Dark Lord descends on
the castle of Narrion in a fiery blaze. He kills
the local Druid with a
flick of his hand and shrivels the great western
forest. He then
spawns the dark wood to the south of the castle
and fills it with fell
creatures. In the lake called Lakan he places
the dreaded monster
which drives the poor fishers from its foamy
shores. Then he turns to
his true objective, his enemies in Narrion Castle,
the lord and his
wizard sister. Long their battle raged through
the castle, and the
simple villagers fled to the plains far north,
in the shelter of the castle
of the wizard Elohir (ill-fated creator of the
Jarkung) while the battle
blazed for many a day. Finally, the Dark Lord
threw down the mighty
lord from the very parapet of Castle Narrion.
The lord’s wizard sister
was enraged, but was no match for the Dark Lord.
When the mighty
battle was finished not a stone remained of the
castle, and the only
living thing left in the battleground was the
Dark Lord. Having
accomplished his main objective, he then brought
to the land his
general, the Stalker, to spread evil and terrorize
the poor people of
Narrion, whom he drove back to the barren land
that was once their
home by causing a foul quagmire swampland to
spring up and engulf
the north plains. The frightened villagers then
erected the small town
of Narrion on the ground where the castle had
once stood.
15)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
S = footman’s mace; P =
large shield; both are hung on the wall. Note
also the Mirror of
Life
Trapping behind the curtains on the wall.
16)/Hall of Tapestries/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
17)/---/A/Non-shielded; Doors-S
to 18 (WB/L/H i), E to 19
(S/N/H b). Perched above the corridor entrance
to this room from
room 16 is a 46 hit-point Green
Slime.
18)/The Stair to the Bottom
of the Lake/A/Shielded; Door-(WB/
L/H o). This door is impassable from the inside
and will slam shut
behind characters, trapping them inside. The
stairs lead 10’ down to
a blank 5’-by-5’-by-10’ stone landing. Once all
the characters in the
room have descended to the platform, the bottom
literally falls out
and they find themselves falling through a black
void. After a time
the fall ends, and they find themselves thrust
into the icy water 200’
below the surface of Loch Lakan
at point D on Map A. (Remember to
check for the monster).
19)/Stairs Down to Level 2/A/Shielded; Doors-(both)
(S/N/H
b). This hidden stairway goes to level 2, #29 and
is the same
stairway as room #24, level 2.
20)/The Beginning, History Room/C/Non-shielded; Door-
(S/N/
H b). On the walls of this room can be seen the first in the series
of
pictographs concerning the life of the Oracle/Stalker.
The first
pictures on either wall are bas-reliefs of a man in a long, flowing,
floor-length robe with a face-covering, horned helmet through
which only two evil, orbless eyes can be seen. This is the Dark Lord.
The first series of pictures shows the Dark Lord sitting on his iron
throne, thinking of dark, vile schemes. He creates (mutates) the
hideous toad-like Stalker and sends the creature to lead one of his
many armies. While this war was being conducted in far-off lands, a
powerful lord and mighty wizardess had the audacity to direct their
army against the very stronghold of the Dark Lord himself. At first
their attack was fairly effective, but then the Dark Lord drew in his
mighty right arm and the army of the Stalker and crushed the
rebellious upstarts. The lord and his sister the wizardess, their army
devastated, fled to their ancestral castle near the shore of Loch
Lakan. The second series of pictures appears in room 14. Note that
these pictographs will not be understood by most people, requiring
quite a bit of intelligence to decipher them as they are given here.
21)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-(W/L/ML i). V1 = water;
V2 = 10
doses, love potion, treat as Philter
of Love.
22)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-None. V1 = water;
V2 = unholy
water; V3 = acid.
23)/Arms Room/C/Non-shielded; Door-None. 2 spears,
S1 &
S2, crossed over a Shield
of Vulnerability -2 which is emblazoned
with the indullable Red-Eye, symbol of
the Dark Lord.
24)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
25)/The Chamber of the Columns/B/Non-shielded; Door-
None.
26)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-(WB/K/LK i). A = hollow
column
filled with 2000 cp, 1000 sp, 4000 ep, with a Scarab
of Death at the
bottom of the pile. However, 3 feet off the floor, hovering just above
the treasure pile, is a jet black Sphere
of Annihilation. Note that all
the walls in the Pit have been magically rendered immune to disintegration,
and thus are immune to the sphere, even though the sphere
is more powerful than the spell. Note also that the Oracle and his
heart are likewise immune to this particular item.
27)/The Room of the Dead/A/Shielded; Door-(WB/K/LK
o). A,
B, C, & D are the coffins of the 4 Vampires
which inhabit this
room. A = female vampire, 24 hit points; B = female vampire, 56 hit
points; C = male vampire, 65 hit points; D = female vampire, 37 hit
points.
28)/Wandering Monster Materialization
Room/C/Shielded;
Door-(W/K/U). The unearthly light in this room emanates from the
swirling dimensional rift which is in the place of the room’s east
wall.
Once every turn, a random monster from the Pit table will step out
of
the shimmering whirlpool and into the room. The monster can either
then leave through the rift or leave by the door and wander through
the pit to return at some later time (so characters may run into
returning monsters, also). However, if there are characters in the
room, chances are that the monster will want to fight them.
Characters below fourth level cannot pass through the rift unless
pulled through by someone else who can pass through. If characters
do pass through the barrier, the plane they come out on is determined
at random (with preference to the Negative Material and
other evil or dark planes), or send them somewhere else on earth
(with preference to the Narrion area, such as points B or C on Map
A), or into some future or past time. A Phase Door spell will cause
the
portal to collapse into itself for one turn; all other attacks are
ineffective.
29)/Stairs down to level 2/A/Non-shielded; Door-None.
Goes
down to level 2, rm #36.
Map C The Pit of the Oracle--Level Two
l)/Secret Passage to Narrion/A/Shielded; Door-(S/N/H
b). This
secret passage. marked Al on Map A, goes from the Pit of the Oracle
to buildings #20 (The Golden Mug Inn) and #27 (Haunted
House)
on Map A, Narrion Detail.
2)/The Hall of the Throne/C/(Shielded); Doors-N to
1 (S/N/H
b), W to 5 (S/N/U). This is the room where the Heart of the Oracle,
a
black, oily gem, rests in a glass case upon a pedestal guarded by the
most fearsome of creatures. The pedestal and Heart are indicated by
“A.” B1 and B2 are 2 super-powerful Type
VI Demons, each with
80 hit points. These monsters will stand stone-still (and even appear
to be statues to the unobservant) unless there is someone behind
line C who should not be there, in which case they will immediately
attack the intruder. Line C is also the point beyond which Dragon D
may not move the bulk of its body (because of magical enchantment).
Dragon D appears to be made of tarnished yellow metal of
some type, but this is only a side effect of the mighty enchantments
which the Dark Lord used on the creature when he first placed it in
the Pit. Though its size and color have been changed, the creature
is
actually an ancient Red Dragon.
Although its high intelligence has
been muted by the magic long ago performed on it, so that it can
neither talk nor employ spells, it gained several powerful and extraordinary
powers in the process. The first is immunity to any mind
related attacks, such as ESP and psionics. The second, and by far
more terrible, of its abilities is a breath weapon which it can employ
once every fifth melee round! It has 88 hit points.
| KEY TO ROOM DESCRIPTIONS
The general features of each room |or| section of The Pit of The Oracle’s 2 underground levels are listed in a code which is defined below. Each room’s number is followed by the room's name
or a
Next is the letter A, B, or C, describing the
lighting in the
Next is the word "Shielded" or "Non-shielded."
A
Next is a description of the features of the door(s)
enclosing
Door type is either
W = wooden; WB = wooden, banded
Handles or protrusions, if any, are indicated
by K = knob;
Locks or devices to prevent entry are described
as either H
|
3)/The Room of the Serpent/A/(Shielded); Door-entrance
A,
blocked by large Mirror
of Life Trapping in room #9; if mirror is
removed, entrance is opened. In this room resides a great Spirit
Naga who will attack anyone removing the mirror which blocks the
entrance to this room. It has 63 hit points.
4)/The Room of the Fire Pit/C/Non-shielded; Door-(S/N/H
b).
This room contains a blood-stained altar (A) upon which the Oracle
occasionally dines, and the great sacrificial Fire Pit (B) which can
extend for great distances to either the core of the earth, the
elemental
plane of Fire, or the Citadel of
the Dark Lord, at the option of the
DM. If crossed, the Fire Pit does 2-12 points of damage; if it is
wandered into, the victim takes 6d6 damage per round.
5)/Corridor/A/Shielded; Doors-E to 2 (S/N/U); E to
21 (S/N/H
o). This corridor has pit X, which opens under anyone crossing over
it. It has a snap-shut lid, is 20’ deep and filled with spikes. Fall
&
spikes do 2-24 total damage.
6)/Bubble Room/A/Shielded; Door-(S/N/H i). This room
is filled
with bubbles which will float into room 7 and chase
characters when
the door to the room is opened. The bubbles do 1-10 d6 of damage
in a 5’ diameter and explode on contact with anything. In the center
of the Bubble Room floats a great bubble twice the diameter of the
others (2 feet), and in the center of this floats a 40,000 gp diamond.
This bubble does 12d6 of damage when burst. There are 40 bubbles
in the room, not counting the great bubble.
7)/The Room of Bubbly Death/C/Shielded;
Door-(S/N/unopenable
i). When this room is entered the door to room 6 opens to let the
bubbles within float out. The door will remain open until all characters
in front of the portcullis in room 17 are either dead or fled,
or all the bubbles have been exploded, including the great bubble.
If
either of these circumstances are fulfilled the door will snap shut
(possibly trapping characters if the great bubble has been burst).
Bubbles will pursue characters to the first portcullis, carefully avoiding
the crossbow trap in corridor 17.
8)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
9)/---/B/(Shielded); Door-None. Mirror
of Life Trapping is 6’
high and blocking the entrance to room 3. V1 & 2 = Water.
10)/The Hall of Treasure/B/Non-shielded; Door-None. This
treasure-filled room is where the Oracle
most often rests, languishing
in his immense treasure pile. V1 = empty; V2 = poison, V3 = water;
V4 = Potion of Diminution.
Suggested treasure-15 swords including
3, +1; 1, +2; and 1, +3;
39 misc. weapons including 17 +1 arrows,
1 Hammer of Thunderbolts;
4 potions:
5 scrolls;
20 rings including 1 elemental
command, 1 regeneration,
1 mammal control,
1 contrariness,
and 2 delusion;
3 maps;
1 Staff of Power, 1 Rod
of Lordly
Might, 2 Snake
Staffs, 1 Wand of Illusion,
1 Staff of Withering;
25
protective devices including 1 +1 armor, 2 +2 armor, 1 +3 armor, 2
+2 shields;
1 ebony fly,
1 manta ray cloak,
1 mirror of opposition,
1
lyre of building. 1
horn of blasting, 1 silver
horn of Valhalla, 1 boots
of levitation, one
book of vile darkness,
one copy of the Necromicon
(Latin), 1 girdle
of masculinity/femininity, 1 deck
of many things,
one magic carpet (hung
on wall), and 1 crystal ball;
40,000 gp,
30,000 sp, 2000 ep, 1250 pp, 29,000 cp. Note that though the
treasure is great the risks and obstacles are incredible. (Many specifics
have been left to individual DM’s. Note too that where items listed
exceed the following information given, the remainder of the items
are non-magical.)
11)/The Den Of the Oracle/C/Non-shielded;
Door-None. Washbasins
1, 2, 3, & 4 are of ordinary size and are filled with water;
if
emptied, they will magically fill again in 1 hour. The water is
normal but each has slightly different minerals, so each type must
be
obtained in order to work the magic. W9 is an unusually large empty
washbasin, which will hold 8 basinfuls of water, preferably one each
from W1, 2,3,4,5,6,7, & 8, located in this room and rooms 20 and
22. When the large basin is filled with liquid from the smaller basins,
all that is needed to set its magic to work is a slight breath across
the
fluid’s surface. This is the Basin of All Things Past, and by
gazing at its
surface one can see anything that has happened previous to the
viewing time. This is how the Oracle can discover knowledge of
things in the past, which are normally out of its power. Note that
none of these basins will appear to have any great magic power if
sold. Once the viewing is over, the water loses its power and becomes
only putrid water. A maximum viewing time of about five
minutes should be allowed
12)/---/A/Shielded; Door-(WB/K/U). This room contains
4 Xorn
(56,47,38,43 HTK). The door of the room automatically opens if the
Face (room 13) turns someone to stone.
13)/The Room of the Great Stone Face/C/Shielded
Doors-E
(WB/K/U), N to 12 (WB/K/U), S to 15 (WB/K/U). A is the “Great
Stone Face,” actually a 7’ tall ceramic head. Anyone who looks into
the eyes of the Face will be turned to stone (saving throw allowed).
The stone that the characters are turned to is not ordinary stone,
though; it is a combination of rare minerals which Xorn
are particularly
fond of. When a character is turned to stone by the Face, the
north and south doors will automatically open and the Xorn that live
in rooms 12 and 15 will come
out to snack on the stone. One Xorn
can eat one human-sized statue in 5 rounds. If somehow a statue is
saved, remember that if the statue was damaged the person would
also be damaged in the same way. The Face itself can take up to 4 hit
points per round without being harmed, but 5 hits or more from any
particular blow will cause it to shatter and release the horrible contents
within: a mixed assortment of 27 Elemental
Demons, each of
whom has the maximum of 24 hit points. These little devils will act
generally chaotically and whirl about the heads of the adventurers,
which can make for real problems if the room is already full of
hungry Xorn, and generally act in the manner which is prescribed for
them in their description. The Xorn will return to their rooms when
they run out of food, or if they’re sorely pressed in battle.
14)/Treasure room/A/Shielded; Door-(S/N/H b). This room
contains 1,000 gp, a Robe of
Eyes, a Poison Robe
and a Ring of
Shooting Stars.
15)/---/A/Shielded; Doors-N to 13 (WB/K/U), S to 16 (WB/K/
U). This room contains 4 Xorn (49,36,41,27).
The door of the room
automatically opens if the Face (room 13) turns
someone to stone,
releasing the Xorn.
16)/Bubble room/A/Shielded; Door-(WB/K/U). This room is
occupied by 20 bubbles (as in room 6), but they
do only 1-6 d6 of
damage when they explode. The door does not open by itself, so
characters must open it themselves so that the bubbles can follow
them. These bubbles have no range limit and will follow characters
literally anywhere.
17)/Maze of Doom/C/Shielded; Door-(S/N/H). T = crossbow
bolt firing across the hall in the direction of the arrow to the opposite
wall, triggered by stepping within 2½ feet of the arrow. It
does 2-8
pts. of damage to anyone who gets in the way. This corridor is a
passage maze with portcullises
failing behind characters, trapping
them.
18)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-(S/N/H).
19)/The Great Hall/B/Non-shielded; Door-None. A is the exit
from the pit in the stone and the well in the Hall of
the Idols above.
The well is positioned exactly above the four dots on the floor.
20)/---/B/(Shielded); Door-(S/N/H b). W6 = holy water W7 =
unholy water. Both liquids are meant to be added to the Basin of All
Things Past, and the basins have the filling properties of the other
basins in rooms 11 and 22.
2l)/Illusion Room/B/(Shielded); Door-(S/N/H i). This room
projects the illusion of being a corridor which continues out of sight,
but it actually ends at the blank wall where indicated. This does not
mean that characters will ever hit the wall; they may believe that
they
are walking while they are actually standing still. The portcullis
shown comes down behind characters once they are in the room.
They will see it, and may believe they are walking away from it, but
if
they turn around and walk back it will only be the actual distance
away. The room is only intended to hold victims until the
Oracle can
“take care” of them. Naturally, if they discover the illusion and find
the secret door, they may attempt to open it and escape.
22)/---/B/(Shielded); Door-None. V1 = water; V2 = Poison;
W8 = The Basin of Death. The thin, red liquid in this basin
is
poisonous if imbibed, but if spilled is even more dangerous, for a
single drop will spring up into a 16-hit-point Skeleton
and instantly
attack the spiller (perhaps causing more spilling). Allow 200 drops
to
the basinful. The liquid will not mix with anything except the other
7
waters of the Basin of All Things Past. The Basin of Death has
the
same filling properties as the other 7 normal-sized basins in rooms
11
and 20.
23)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None. P1 = small
shield; P2 =
Shield +3.
24)/Stairs up to level one/A/Shielded; Doors-(both) (S/N/H b).
This is the same stairway as #19, level 1. Goes
to #17, level 1.
25)/The Room of the Sword/A/Shielded; Door-( W/K/U). On the
wall in this room rests a most wondrous weapon, a Dancing
+ Vorpal
Blade, with a permanent
improved invisibility
on itself (does not
extend to wielder). It has no intelligence or ego and no other powers,
other than the normal. There is a problem, however, in the fact that
it
will animate itself on the second round after the room is entered and
attack the party that has entered as if it were a tenth-level
Lord
(invisibly) for 6 rounds. Then it will return to the wall to rest for
6
rounds before attacking again. (It does the 6-on, 6-off routine if
possessed by a character, also, but in that case will fight as a normal
dancing sword.) It is almost impossible to effectively combat the
sword if you can’t see it. If a character does grab it, it loses all
malicious intent and becomes a normal (?) Dancing Vorpal Blade.
26)/Corridor/A/Shielded; Doors-N to 25 (W/K/U), E to 30 (WB/
K/U). Trap = spikes from corners (2-16 pts. damage)
triggered by
stepping into their line of fire.
27)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-None.
28)/---/B/Non-shielded; Door-None.
29)/Tunnel to the Shunned Hills/A/(Shielded);
Door-(S/N/H b).
This is the start of tunnel C1 on Map A, eventually leading to the
lair
of the Troglodytes and their
cave (entrance C, Map A).
30)/---/A/(Shielded); Door-(WB/K/U).
310?---/A/Non-shielded; Door-(M/K/LK o). A is a statue of a
hippo-god with ruby eyes worth 4,000 gp each (it is the same as and
magically linked to B in room 32); however, if one
eye is removed, 2
Type I Demons will appear and
try to kill the thief; if 2 eyes are taken,
4 Type II Demons will appear;
if 3 eyes are taken, 8 Type III Demons
will appear; and if all 4 eyes are taken, 16 Type
IV Demons will
appear. The only way to get rid of the Demons is either to combat
and defeat them or put all the eyes back, in which case all the
demons will disappear. If the eyes are removed again, the process
starts over again.
32)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-(S/N/U). Statue B has exactly the
same properties as statue A in room 31. It also
is a hippo-god.
33)/Ghost Room/A/Shielded; Doors-(S/N/U). This room contains
the Pit’s 4 Ghosts (60,45,72,53 HTK).
34)/---/A/Non-shielded; Door-None. This room contains one
73-hit-point Trapper.
35)/The Enchanted Stairway/A/Non-shielded; Door-(M/K/LK
i). If one goes up this stairway, after a long tiring climb one finds
oneself in a 5’-by-5’ room with a ladder leading to a trap door in
the
ceiling. A character who goes through the trap door finds himself on
a platform apparently floating in the sky; a second later, the character
will fall 10-60 feet and land on either of the points marked B on
Map A, either into Loch Lakan or The Shunned Hills.
Comrades
who follow would see the first character as being on the platform,
too, until they pass through to the platform, when they’d find
themselves falling, too, though not necessarily to the same spot that
the first character did. Going back down the Stairway doesn’t work,
for after one round of walking on the Stairway ail directions lead
to
the platform anyway. Before that time, players may try to get back
through the locked, reinforced steel door. (Remember to check for
the monster if characters end up in the lake.)
36)/Stairway up to level one/A/Non-shielded; Door-None. Goes
up to level 1, room 29.
| 101 | 102 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 108 | 109 | 110 |
| 111 | 112 | 113 | 114 | 115 | 116 | 117 | 118 | 119 | 120 |
| 121 | 122 | 123 | 124 | 125 | 126 | 127 | 128 | 129 | - |
-
