Note: Decrease chances of wandering monsters
in this AREA to 1 in 20 (per turn).
<alt: roll twice, and take the higher of the two rolls>
| This 30' diameter chamber is finished in
polished black stone, similar to the room immediately to the north. The phosphorescent gleamings 40 feet or so above have a bluish cast. In the center of the floor is a circular depression about 1 foot deep and 10 feet in diameter. Around it is a low stone seat, so low that only hobbits could comfortably sit upon it — or humans if they sat facing inward. |
Seated as described, visitors notice small
cuts in the lower part of the seat. These are
small drawers, spaced at intervals under the
bench. There are 8 in all, and 7 are
empty; the last 1 examined contains
strange bits of bone, ivory, rock, and
wood:
rods, cubes, cones, and other shapes. The
holder of these objects feels an overwhelming urge to cast them into
the shallow,
cuplike depression in the very center of the
place. Suggest that their configuration
might reveal answers to simple questions. If
players nibble at this, hand them 1d12, 3d6
(of different colors), and 2d4. Explain that
these are representative of the mystic
counters of augury, and that they should
cast them after asking some question.
Use the results of the following charts to
determine the answer to the question. If
appropriate, read the message of the dice on
the 3d6, using each d4 to resolve choices. (Add
articles — the, an, a — as needed. ) Use only
the d12 if the answer is a yes-or-no type.
Be sure to study all of the dice before
replying. Answers are nonsense, of course,
though some might actually be applicable
by sheer chance.
| - | First d6 | Second d6 | Third d6 |
| 1 | Go to | upper/lower | room/chamber |
| 2 | Seek | nearest/farthest | object/idol |
| 3 | Find | N/S/E/W | stairway up/down |
| 4 | Beware | ancient/arcane | altar/temple |
| 5 | Shun | forbidden/cursed | passage/tomb |
| 6 | Oppose | secret/mystic | being/artifact |
Yes/No (1d12)
| 1 | Yes or Always |
| 2 | No or Probably not |
| 3 | Possibly |
| 4 | Perhaps or maybe |
| 5 | Positively |
| 6 | Never! |
| 7 | Unknown |
| 8 | Ask later |
| 9 | Hazy or clouded |
| 10 | Uncertain |
| 11 | Unlikely |
| 12 | In effect |
The secret door to the south opens by pressing
a section of the wall at 7 feet height, and then
pushing it downwards. A 3-foot-wide,
5-foot-high opening appears as the block
sinks into the floor. Counterweighted by sandbags, the secret door
rises in 1 round.
<suggestion: allow 1 question per person in the party, per day>