This AREA is normally guarded by 2 trolls
(from areas 402 and 409)
and 2-3 gargoyles.
Leaders of various races may also be
present. During alerts, all the ogres
(from
areas 406 && 407)
and gargoyles (who lair
here) will be here, commanded by all the
human leaders (areas 403, 404,
and 417),
who prefer defensive positions behind the
altar drape (area 433). Other guards will be
stationed at each corridor. (See the Troops
& Sentries section of the prefactory
notes.)
This vast center of evil activity is impressive
in its simplicity. The ceiling a full 60
feet overhead appears as if a quiet outdoor
night sky, stars gleaming in their constellations.
The walls are lined in smooth black
marble or onyx, of such fine craftmanship
that the joints can barely be detected.
Around the sides of the room, eight corridors
lead off to the unknown. The walls of
each corridor are painted a distinctive color;
those to the south (420) are brown,
the next
(423) gray, then
(426) red, and the
northernmost pair (429) green.
High on the walls
between each two corridors are small flying
buttresses — a dozen in all — and upon
each, sitting nearly 50 feet above the floor,
is the statue of a gargoyle, sitting and
scowling down upon the room's occupants. (Each
gargoyle's location is marked with a G on
the map.) These are real gargoyles,
the aerial defenders of the Greater Temple. They
serve the leaders to some extent, but are
quite likely to attack without command,
should they sight unengaged intruders. During any pitched battle in
the Temple itself,
however, their favorite tactic is to wait for
opportunity and swoop to attack those
already engaged, moving swiftly in from the
defenders' rear and gaining a 1 in 3 chance of
surprise (but only if their target
is busy in
melee).
(A) 30' N of the entrance is a series
of broad steps, leading 5 feet upwards to a
stone altar (A). Draped across the altar
is a
sheet of red silk, with the
eight-pointed fire
symbol embroidered
upon it in golden
thread.
Flanking the altar are 2
large pillars of
gold,
which reach to the ceiling far overhead. Each is made of common stone
adorned by gold leaf. (Scraping the stone
can produce 100 gp worth of shavings per
turn.) Behind the altar is a glistening purple
curtain, 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall,
unmarked by any design.
The 10 foot wide walls beside the curtain
bear ornate carvings of the four elemental
symbols. Each such design is over 5 feet
wide; those of earth && water
(triangle and
square) are to the left, the others to the
right.
In the niches just north of the altar stand
monumental statues, each 20 feet tall. To the
left (B) is a humanoid garbed in robes, with
a horned and grinning skull head (Iuz).
To
the right (C) is a monstrosity with a fat bulbous
body, 4 elephantine legs, a long thin
neck, and a tiny humanoid head surmounting the whole (Zuggtmoy).
In the corner behind each statue is a peep
hole, used by those in area 433 (usually the
human leaders) to watch these side areas
of
the Temple when the need arises. They can
also VIEW the AREA through the curtain
behind the altar. These holes are of sufficient size (nearly an inch
across) to permit
spell casting or the USE of devices (such as
wands) through them, given the proper concentration and AIM..
Altar Curtain
The curtain behind the altar appears to be
made of a shiny purple ribbed cloth. It
is, in
fact, a cluster of 6 violet fungi
bearing special enchantments. Unless pacified (by
methods described below), they attack anyone approaching within 5 feet
of the south
side. Up to 24 tentacles may be produced at
once, sprouting forth from the curtain in an
instant, but only 6 can attack any one mansized TARGET in range. Any
hit, however,
causes the victim to make a saving throw
vs.
poison; failure means quick rot. Anyone
may easily push through the curtain of fungus, but doing so means that
3-5 tentacles
hit automatically. The growths otherwise
attack as if a 6 HD monster.
THACO 13
An unfortunate victim loses limbs to the
rot at the rate of 1 per round; the torso
rots last, and this causes immediate death.
The loss of each limb causes the effective
loss of 10% of the victim's total original hit
points (rounded up), and this alone may
SLAY an already-damaged victim. However,
if a cure disease effect is applied
within 4
full rounds of the hit, the victim's life may be
saved. (A regenerate spell will
re-grow any
one limb and return the HP for
it at
the same time.)
One great defensive advantage to the curtain is that those to the north
of it (all the
human leaders, in case of alert) can
open it
slightly to see through it. The curtain blocks
all non-magical missile fire from the south
side, but those to the north can fire from
that direction with missiles || spells.
This horrid drape can be quieted only by
the presenting of a special scarab inscribed
with the letters TZGY. (One such scarab
may have been found in the quarters of the
evil traders in the Village of Hommlet.)
If
such a scarab is presented towards the fungi
in a manner similar to that of a cleric
turning
undead, all waving or attacking tentacles
withdraw, and the curtain can be easily
passed in safety, parting just as would a normal curtain.
Each human leader in this Temple AREA
carries a scarab of this type.
Total immunity to disease prevents
the
fungi attacks from having any effect, of
course. Resistances to poison also apply, but
only as modifiers to the SAVE. The
enchantments here are such that even total
immunity to poison provides only a +5
bonus to the SAVE against the rot.
The enchanted fungi can only be damaged by certain spells || magical
edged or
piercing weapons. The drape is unaffected
by any sort of blunt weapon (including
thrown boulders) and all mind
attacks
(including charm and hold
spells of all
sorts). Missile fire cannot pass through the
drape to the AREA north of it (though those
behind can shoot through it to the south).
The drape will appear to take only a few
scratches from attacks which damage it,
remaining completely intact and active until
the whole is destroyed (all 100 hp), when
it
crumbles to a the floor in a loathsome mass.
Once SLAIN, the fungi do not cause rot.
Ceremonial Activity
The vestments on the main altar are
changed to reflect the current Temple activities with respect to the
Nodes
&& Elemental
Planes. Creatures from the Elemental Plane
of Fire are now being summoned and sent
to
the Fire Node, as indicated by the red silk
altarpiece. In the process of the <ritual>,
the fire creatures come forth from their
Plane and arrive in area 427, proceed from
there into the Greater Temple, and continue
towards area 426, from whence they are
sent to their proper destination.
This and similar <rituals> have been
witnessed by all the residents of the AREA..
Other elemental creatures from all the
Planes have arrived over the past months,
all in the same fashion. If characters manage
to interrogate any captives, they should easily acquire a general description
of this procedure, and should thus be able to deduce
the locations of the more dangerous gates
(those leading off to the Planes themselves).
Violet fungi curtain: AC 7, MV
0, HD 3
(x6), hp 100, #AT 24, D rot, SA tentacles
to 5' range, attacks as 6 HD, SD magic
weapon to hit, immune to blunt weapons
and mind-attack spells, AL N(E), SZ L
(20' x 20'); XP 1110 + 4/hp
THACO 13
Gargoyles (12): AC 5, MV 9"/15", HD
4 + 4 (hp 3-8 per die), #AT 4, D 1-3/1-3/
1-6/1-4, SA + 1 bonus "to hit" and damage when first swooping to attack,
surprise on 1-3 when attacking a
victim
already engaged, SD hit only by + 1 or
better magic weapons, AL CE, SZ M; XP 165 + 5/hp
HP(XP) 30(315), 24(285), 22(275), 29(310), 29(310), 26(295), 24(285),
31(320), 28(305), LSD(290), 21(270), 26(295)