Continue if the room is approached.
 

Just before entering the place, you see small dim shapes moving about. Though the haze distorts them, they appear to be giant rats and foxes. The AREA is a 20' x 30' room, the ceiling (if there is one) is impossible to see, due to the bright light. Blue sky and a hot sun seem to be overhead, but the sky appears close — only 20 feet up, or thereabouts. In each of 4 alcoves in the northern portion of the chamber (2 in the north wall, 1 to either side, and all about 10 feet above the floor) sits a harpy, gazing with evident pleasure at the scene below. Centered below is a raised slab of rock, upon which are chained a man and a woman. Swarming around this table-like slab are a score of jackals and twice as many giant rats. All are attempting to clamber up to devour the victims, but the rock is quite smooth and evidently slippery, for only rarely does one of the beasts manage to leap up and attack. The chains have sufficient slack to enable the prisoners to defend themselves slightly; thus, when bitten, the victim can MOVE away or lash out. Each prisoner has a few bites evident, but more often than not they strike the attacking beast off the rock. To tantalize the captives, several items lay atop the slab just out of their reach: a large ring with a key in it, a dagger, a longsword, and a rod of some sort. As you observe this tableaux, the prisoners  notice your presence and cry out for aid! The rats, foxes, and jackals take no notice, but the harpies look up, notice you, and open their mouths.

Most of this area radiates magic.
<use detect illusion, instead of detect magick>
The harpies are actually gargoyles; the prisoners are
actually jackalweres. The rats and foxes are
illusory, but the jackals and items are real.
The deceptions are from a permanent illusion, other elements of which are the captives' wounds and chains.

A few jackals were waiting at the bend in
the passage, and ran back when intruders
were sighted to warn their masters, the jackalweres, of the approaching food....

The initial attack by the gargoyles is prefaced by their squawking, slightly similar
but in no way as effective as that of real harpies. As these monsters squawk and fly in to
attack, the normal jackals also turn to
devour intruders. While these attacks occur,
the jackalweres (still playing prisoner) add
their sleep gazes to disable intruders. If this
is noticed or if the gargoyles start losing the
fight, the jackalweres "break" their illusory
chains, grab their very real weapons, and
MOVE in for the attack while exclaiming
their intent to aid the party. The male uses
the longsword; the female, the mace (which
appeared to be a rod) and the dagger (gaining 2 attacks per round). If grappled,
they drop their weapons and shift form to
jackal-headed guise, resorting to bite
attacks.

Gargoyles (4): AC 5, MV 9"/15", HD 4 + 4,
hp 27, 25, 24, 20, #AT 4, THACO 15, D 1-3/1-3/1-6/1-
4, SD hit only by + 1 or better weapon; XP
300, 290, 285, 265

Jackalweres (2): AC 4, MV 12", HD 4, hp 27,
22, #AT 1, THACO 15, D 2-8,  <longsword: THACO 15, d8> <footman's mace: THACO 17, d6+1> <dagger: THACO 19, d4> <alt>
SA gaze = sleep (save vs. spells), weapon use,
SD hit only by iron or + 1 or better weapon; XP 908, 888

Jackals (20): AC 7, MV 12", HD 1/2, hp 4, 3,
2, 1 (5 of each), #AT 1, THACO 20n, D 1-2; XP 9 (x5), 8
(x5), 7 (x5), 6 (x5)

(Total monster XP: 3,086)

In a concealed space under the rock slab
are the monsters' treasures, garnered from
victims since Zuggtmoy no longer takes
such from them. The loot includes 104 cp,
171 sp, 223 ep, 410 gp, 67 pp,
9 gems (roll for random value),
<(100 gp chrysoberyl, 50 gp sardonyx, 500 gp spinel, 500 gp peridot, 2000 gp emerald, 45 gp zircon, 100 gp jet, 10 gp tiger eye, 10 gp azurite)>
2 pieces of jewelry (random value),
<(wrought gold box -- 1000 gp, wrought gold buckle --1700 gp)>
a potion of plant control, and (XP: 250)
a scroll of 4 magic-user spells (spider climb, levitate, infravision, extension I). (XP: 1000) <leather case>

(Total magic item XP: 1000)
(Total 2e treasure XP: 6,890)

RECRUITS:

Level 3.
>>311.>>