This portal is different from any other door
found on the Web. It is a pair of bronze doors,
each 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The face of THE DOORS
is smooth and featureless except for a small
cube-shaped depression in the center of the left
door. THE DOORS may be opened by 1 of 2
methods. The 1st is to place the blue crystal
Cube (from the platinum Egg found in the Fane of the Vault) into the depression in the door. The
Cube will begin to hum && glow for about 1
round, after which THE DOORS will open by themselves.
(The Cube must be placed in the door before
anything will happen.) The 2nd possible
method is magick; the doors will open to a knock,
DISINTEGRATE |or| passwall spell. But they cannot be
forced open by any amount of physical strength.

Beyond the door is a flat desert under a purple
sky. The air seems to radiate an evil heat, burning
into the yellow sand of the desert. Aboot a
mile from the gate stands a huge, strange building.
It appears to be made of brass, about 100' tall and
200' wide. Long slender supports
extend from 2 points on the sides of the
building; these arch upwards and then settle
some distance away on the sand. The building
itself seems to be composed of 2 spherical sections,
each barely resting on the sand. The nearest
has a wide staircase leading to a dark doorway,
above which are 2 horizontal rows of circular
windows.

As the characters approach the building,
they see that the 20-foot-wide staircase is
flanked by 10-foot-wide bannisters, the lower
ends of which turn slightly inward. Sitting on
the bannisters, at the bottom of the steps, are
2 gargoyles, who will watch the approach of
the strangers with no apparent concern. One
sits on the edge of a bannister, idly scratching
at the Metal; the other squats with his chin on
his knees, his eyes 1/2-closed. They both look
inoffensive, and neither makes any sort ov a
hostile motion. If ignored, they will NOT attack
the party. When the party approaches within
speaking distance, 1 of the gargoyles speaks
in a strange croaking language (gargoyle), and
says “Up the stairs && through the door; she’s
waiting! ” This will of course be gibberish unless
gargoyle can be understood, either normally
|or| with magickal aid.

Gargoyles (2): hp 32 each; XPV 325 each

At closer viewing, the building appears to
be made of Metal plates bolted together. If
the PCs stare at the [material], they notice a
vague [suggestion] of movement in it. Close examination
reveals faces, twisted && tortured,
pressed against some invisible barrier, silently
mouthing screams && howls. Similar to the
pathways of the Web, this metal is formed
from the essence of souls sent to the Abyss;
their punishment is to be painfully sealed into
this mysterious prison. As for the whole building,
it can be seen that the structure is definitely
not fixed to the ground. The arches on
the sides are tubular, and end in large flat
pads sunk into the sand.

Characters who watch the domed windows over
the door can notice shadowy movements therein,
though the exact cause of the movement cannot
be determined. The strange windows create an
uncomfortable feeling of being watched.

This structure is not only Lolth’s castle; it is
also her vessel, a ship in the shape of a spider.
It travels across land by walking on the 8
arched legs on its sides. Inside are living quarters,
power plants, temple chambers, and control
rooms. The entire ship is powered by large
steam engines (found in the lower sections).
The vibration from these engines can be felt
throughout the ship.

This vehicle has been known to appear <in> the
Prime Material Dimension in places && times when
Lolth felt it necessary or useful to appear in person.
What lejends there are of this thing tell of
the great riches and deadly traps that have been
discovered inside. All are rumors, of course, as
none have ever returned from it alive!

Unless specified otherwise in the text, the
interior regions of the spider ship are lit by
hidden ceiling fixtures. Those familiar with
their operation need no torches or magickal
light on the vessel.

At the time the characters enter the spider
ship, the Demon Queen is preparing for
launch across the astral void to her new
acquisition--the land of Sterich in The World
of Greyhawk. Using her machinery and magicks,
plus power derived from beings more evil
than herself, Lolth intends to bind this first
bit to her plane, opening a full portal into the
AREA for her conquest.

Concluding the Adventure
If Lolth should be SLAIN by the party during
the course of play, or forced to abandon her
ship and lair, the vessel will begin to tremble
and heave violently. Then things around the
characters begin to shift and alter their appearances,
as the ship reverts to the chaos from
which it was formed. As everything finally begins
to crumble, the characters feel paralyzed
and nauseous as some power suddenly grips
them. After a short, dizzying, gut-twisting
spin, they black out, regaining consciousness
just outside of Istivin, if they are native to
Greyhawk, or at some equally familiar spot if
they are from another alternate prime material
<dimension>. In the former case, their escape was
obviously aided by the fact the ship was set to
head in that direction. In the latter, perhaps
greater powers than Lolth rescued them as a
reward--or sent them on their way so as not to
trouble THEM at a later date!

Random Encounters in the Spider Ship
Check per hour for random encounters (1 in
6 chance), and use the following table to find
the creatures encountered.
 

Die Roll	Encounter	Number  Appearing
1-8	Manes	2-8
9-12	Quasit	1-4
13-20	Random change	1

Manes: These may be encountered throughout
the ship working as slaves. They typically
try to FLEE any encounter, alerting other creatures
to the party’s presence. They carry neither
weapons nor treasure.

Quasit: Not staying in any one place, and not
welcome on the ship because of the problems
they create, quasits most often FLEE any encounter.
If possible, however, they will return
shortly to harass characters, but will do so only
if they can remain undetected. They engage
in petty theft, tripping, hit-and-run attacks,
and other forms of minor harassment.

Random change: Due to the great energies involved,
Lolth has only been able to enforce her
will on the substance of Chaos to a limited extent.
There is thus a chance that, on occasion,
an unforeseen change will occur. Lolth has
managed to limit the scope of these changes so
that they are only minor. When a random
change occurs, some non-living item either
appears, disappears, or transforms. A glove
might become an apple, or a pile of dead
leaves might appear from nowhere.

Lolth’s magick protects important items
from this effect (ie. weapons and major
equipment), and magick items are immune,
but the party’s minor possessions might become
substantially different. Likewise, weapons,
magic items, and useful items will NOT
appear. Use this type of encounter with care,
to confuse and amuse the players but NOT to
torment or reward them. A list of suggested
changes is given below.

Any or all of these items can appear in front
of, behind, or beside the characters. They
could even appear in mid-air and clatter to the
floor for a little extra effect.

<table>
1 | Personal artifact disappears (handkerchief, sock, comb, ex.)
2 | Miniature rain cloud with lightning and thunder (no damage, just wet 2-8 rounds)
3 | Gust of wind
4 | Unusual smell (roses, tobacco, garlic)
5 | Statue of small animal (squirrel, frog, monkey,
erc.); appears to come to life when picked up; if
spoken to it demands to be fed; if fed anything
it disappears
6 | Seashells; they scurry around on any flat surface
but break when touched
7 | Musical instrument
8 | A 2’ high toadstool, very grumpy; it is argumentative if spoken to or approached
9 | Laundry basket full of assorted underwear that glows in the dark
10 | Icicles appear in an otherwise warm room
11 | Miniature fireworks go off for 1-6 rounds (no damage)
12 | Dozens of miniature parachutes appear in mid-air and fall to the floor
13 | Several dark medium-sized rocks appear; they
have very faint voices coming from them; if
held up to the ear they say “put me down!”
but if broken, they are found to be hollow and
the tiny voices call for help for 1-3 rounds
14 | Ball of string comes unrolling down a passageway;
ball will disappear when out of sight
15 | Miscellaneous Metal items (such as lanterns)
change Metal content; tin becomes brass, brass
will becomes bronze, bronze becomes lead,
erc.; all armor and weapons are unaffected
16 | Snow begins falling; could be any color except black <random colors>
17 | Each character discovers 1-3 wriggling goldfish in his or her clothes; they turn to glass when touched
18 | Doorknob on a false door begins to interrogate
the party (“Where do you think you’re going?”
“How did you get in here ... what are
your names?”) If any attempt is made to turn
the doorknob, the entire door immediately disappears
19 | Shelves full of delicate crystal goblets appear
behind the party; the goblets begin to fall off,
shattering to the floor below
20 | Rainbow appears in any location, glowing
brightly in the darkest of rooms

Encounter Key:
The Spider Ship ov Lolth
Special note (all Decks):

>>S. Storeroom>>

Deck A
Deck B
Deck C
Deck D
Deck E
Deck F
Deck G

Notes on Decks F and G
As characters start down the stairs to these
decks, they feel waves of hot smoky air coming
up from below. The vibrations in the floor become
more pronounced and the noise from
the machinery is extremely loud. Once on
these decks, characters will find it almost impossible
to communicate. Conversations must
be shouted, and even then the sound will only
carry for 6 feet. You may wish to enforce a “no
talking” rule on all players whose characters
are not within that range of each other.

The following notations apply to both
decks F and G.

B. Boiler: The boilers appear as great Metal
tanks atop pedestals. Massive pipes lead from
each, connecting them with other pieces of
machinery. On the sides of the boilers are
large dials marked in white, yellow, and red
and lettered with unknown symbols. Beside
each dial, mounted on a pipe, is a steam
whistle--a tube with an odd hole in it, upon
which is attached a lever with a cord. If a cord
is pulled, the whistle emits a screeching blast
and spews hot steam at the individual (Dmg
2, no save).

Near the front of the boiler are 3 small
doors mounted in the pedestal. They are always
open, with flames leaping out of THEM.
Stoking the fires are 1-2 manes, feeding coal
to the proper places. They are armed with
shovels but will not attack unless attacked.

Manes (1-2 per boiler): hp 6 each; XPV 24
each

C. Coal Bin: The walls are lined with heavily
bolted narrow doors. Behind many of THEM
are piles of coal that the manes scoop into the
fires. If any of THE DOORS are unbolted and
opened, coal cascades out. Each person within
10' of the opened door must SAVE vs.
breath weapon or be buried under this avalanche.
Buried victims take 1-4 points of damage,
and must be dug out (2-6 rounds each),
as they cannot MOVE themselves.

D. Dynamo: These great black box-like things
are covered with many dials and switches. Part
of the insides of these units may be seen as a
jumble of wires, flashing lights, and whirling
rotors. Intermittently, sparks fly out into the
nearby area.

M. Machinery: These sections are enclosed by
solid walls, accessable only through small
doors. Inside are great moving gears, driving
pistons, and thumping cogs. There is almost
no space to MOVE through these areas while
the machinery is operating. Anyone trying to
move through an operating machinery area
suffers 6-60 points of damage per round (no
save) from the moving parts.

T. Turbine: These convert steam to motive
power. The sound of these turbines is an earsplitting
whine. Near them, the deck vibration
is at its greategt. Bursts of live steam spit
from them, possibly striking those within 10
feet (1 in 6 chance) and inflicting 1-4 points of
heat damage (no save).

>>37. Mandible Control Room>>