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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Aug 2013 : 20:40:27
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I'll be going abroad new week, which allows me the chance of meet up with some of my players who are taking their medical specialisations in Denmark. This, of course, affords us a chance to get in a gaming session where most of us are in the same place.*
Out of the things that are going on in the campaign, there is one adventure hook that allows all the PCs to congregate in one place. It is, in fact, an old-fashioned dungeon-crawl, which rarely occur in my campaigns.
In this case, Murlak Solstice, the merchant prince in charge of the Purple Reign Trading Group**, has recently acquired a Circlet of Teleportation in a trade from a Northern Wizard of Messemprar, Ishme-qusu. The payment, in addition to several magical items and full access to the library of Purple Reign, comes in the form of a favour.
Ishme-qusu has an overwhelming desire to obtain several lost books written by Umamaita Magâunô, a former Sukkal rabi'u (Grand Vizier) of Unther. Said wizard lived more than a millenia ago and was a wise and just councilor to the God-King*** and in all-but-name the ruler of Unther for a generation.
In his later years, he delegated his political duties to men chosen with special care and dedicated more and more of his time to scholarship. Not only did he advance the study of magic in Unther tremendously, he also wrote learned treatises on the nature of the cosmos and the veil of illusion which men know as their reality.
The time came when Umamaita died, as men do, and despite his lifelong agnosticism, he was entombed in a glorious tomb. Its location was hidden, of course, but it was in all things worthy of a mighty wizard, wise councilor, just ruler and scintillating scholar. In it were chambers for the dead to reside in after his death, servants carved of stone and sculted of metals to see to his every need and, most relevantly to Ishme-qusu, a study and library worthy of the great philosopher.
Of the writings of Umamaita, many have been lost in the current era. In his private library, however, not only would there be copies of all his writings, there would also be great treasures of knowledge in the form of all the books which inspired him and to which he refered to in his works.
As it happens, Ishme-qusu knows exactly where to find Umamaita's tomb. He also knows about the magical safeguards that hide it from seekers and prevent access to it. And he has extensive information about the traps and magical dangers that threathen the unwary who would intrude into Umamaita's rest. Not only that, but he can tell the PCs how to circumvent them.
The only problem is that in the last section of the field research diary in which all of this is written, there is likely a small flaw. This Ishme-qusu deduces from the fact that the inquisitive researchers who compilied that magnificent diary never actually made it back from their latest foray into the tomb, when they expected to penetrate into the inner sanctum of Umamaita's chambers. Something must have gone wrong there and it is therefore plausible that in the last sections, the methods used to circumvent the dangers are not entirely reliable.
No matter, Ishme-qusu concludes. The PCs are resourceful, certainly enough so that they must be able to overcome a slight problem encountered by a band of researchers four hundred years ago. They'll find their way in and once they are in, all the treasures of a Grand Vizier and second-in-command of the Untheri Empire will be theirs. Only the library must go to Ishme-qusu.
No, of course he will not be accompanying them.
What I have to do, therefore, is design Umamaita's tomb before I fly out to Denmark. Umamaita disliked undead and Ishme-qusu can assure the PCs that there is little chance that he might be lingering in some lich-form in his tomb. Nor is he likely to employ undead guardians.
I haven't detailed all the traps that the PCs will be given instructions on how to circumvent, but they will mostly be magical in nature.
Umamaita was a high-level generalist mage, with a high degree of familiarity with Southern Magic and lost lore of the Imaskari. He had no aversion to magical constructs or permanent spell effects of all kinds. And while he didn't plan on living on after death in his tomb, he did have a rational reason for wanting it protected from any robbers.****
So, what I need for the scribes of Candlekeep are suggestions for design features, traps, defences and other things that might be found in the tomb, before the inner sanctum.
*There may be three participants Skype-ing in as well.
**Owned by the PCs and a couple of NPC allies.
***Who at that time was already fairly uninterested in government, but not as actively depraved and tyrannical.
****To be revealed in the inner sanctum.
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Edited by - Icelander on 08 Aug 2013 21:54:20
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1842 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2013 : 21:11:31
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Since he has extensive knowledge of Imaskari magic I would include extra-dimensional locations, perhaps even a small demiplane, within (I'm envisioning a 'false' tomb while the true tomb is in this demiplane). But prior to getting there a series of teleportation traps dumping the unwary into extradimensional 'trap-rooms' (the bottom of a deep well, a pit of green slime/gelatinous cube/etc, a room full of magically enchanted scarab beetle constructs (think The Mummy with Brenden Frazier), and so on). It really depends on how deadly you want the traps.
You can also have an extra-dimensional prison chamber. I'm thinking a series of metal 'boxes' accesed from a tube at the top. The PC is teleported into the tube, slides into the box and trips a switch prior to landing at the bottom. The switch causes the 'lid' to shut to prevent escape. There are small breathing holes but the walls are otherwise very smooth and hard to climb. The prison space is a dead magic zone below the lid-level to prevent magical forms of egress. My thought is that your ancient NPC actually DOES exist...in the form of an intelligent construct of some sort who only awakens when his tomb is breached. The prison is there in case you don't want the tomb full of deadlier traps.
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I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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silverwolfer
Senior Scribe
789 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2013 : 21:30:13
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I will admit, I did not really read everything that was posted , so my suggestion may not be as good as Arca's.
Right now thought the top of my head is thinking that you have a sarcophagus or grave, when opened does not have a body or anything, but turns out to be a portal to this other realm, or just more of the "real " burial sight. Make them think it is the end of the adventure but not really. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2013 : 22:02:37
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quote:
Originally posted by The Arcanamach
Since he has extensive knowledge of Imaskari magic I would include extra-dimensional locations, perhaps even a small demiplane, within (I'm envisioning a 'false' tomb while the true tomb is in this demiplane).
quote:
Originally posted by silverwolfer
Right now thought the top of my head is thinking that you have a sarcophagus or grave, when opened does not have a body or anything, but turns out to be a portal to this other realm, or just more of the "real " burial sight. Make them think it is the end of the adventure but not really.
It is, in fact, the case that the real resting place of Umamaita is in a demi-plane which he designed to allow him eternal youth and health. So when he felt himself weakening, he allowed himself to be buried within his tomb and went to the demiplane.
The tomb, in fact, is designed to be an anchor to the real world and the primary function of it is to provide a place for the arcology of the demiplane to mirror.
The 'eternity' part didn't work out, but Umamaita succeeded in creating a world where his remaining months turned out to be centuries, the land was fair and bright, the sun shone every day and there were cigarette trees and whiskey springs and all the cops had wooden legs.
He is, however, legitimately dead now. So the tomb really is a tomb.
And what I am most in need for ideas about are the traps and other dangers that the prior adventurers had already learnt how to circumvent. Before the PCs get to the final, and most dangerous chapter, they'll have to pass through lots of scenery and description.
I'm just trying to get others to do my work for me. For free. Because Internet. |
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Lord Bane
Senior Scribe
Germany
479 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 09:50:44
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| Throw in some animated statues and golems. Have the group pass through a large hallway with statues crafted out of stone. To safely pass the hallway, one would need an amulet, which of course was lost to time and therefore they trigger a magical alarm that makes the statues come to life with the result of them percieving the group as intruders, which of course they are and attack. |
The driving force in the multiverse is evil, for it forces good to act. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 11:34:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Throw in some animated statues and golems. Have the group pass through a large hallway with statues crafted out of stone. To safely pass the hallway, one would need an amulet, which of course was lost to time and therefore they trigger a magical alarm that makes the statues come to life with the result of them percieving the group as intruders, which of course they are and attack.
Yes, I intend to do that. Stone golems in the shape of scale-clad warriors on chariots, with the horses being animated clay. That is, in fact, the final room which the prior expedition didn't succeed in circumventing.
I'll require a number of other layers of defence, even if the PCs have methods of circumventing those, however. I must be able to describe them and there is always a chance that they'll fail in disabling the traps or defenders according to the prescription in Ishme-qusu's field research diary. |
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Edited by - Icelander on 09 Aug 2013 11:37:03 |
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Lord Bane
Senior Scribe
Germany
479 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 13:42:54
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A room which fills with poisonous gas streaming from snake mouths mounted into the walls when a pressure plate which is right infront of a passgeway is triggered and a stone door closes the entries.
A trigger riddle where the group has to pick the right lever formed like scimitars. If the right one is chosen, they can proceed through a secret door. If they pick the wrong one, it will turn into an animated scimitar which floats around and attacks.
A fallingpit where a wrong step on a loose floor tile sends the unfortunate into a 5m deep hole, where he/she may crash into a a pyre of bones of others as unfortunate as him/her, the room is pitch black and has no exit and the group would need to get the unfortunate one out of it from above.
A riddle with chains where the pieces, the chains hang out from, are styled like the heads of dragons and if you pull the wrong chain you get blasted with fire.
Two small statues depciting Gilgeam, one made of pure gold, the other made of adamantine, one of those two is required to open a door on the other side of the room. If the wrong one is chosen, the group suddenly gets under attack from a hail of poison spiked arrows coming out of concealed openings in the walls.
A sword spider makes it´s lair in the tomb with a crack in the wall to a smaller cavern system filled with even more sword spiders.
Illusionary fire to scare them from venturing forth. |
The driving force in the multiverse is evil, for it forces good to act. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 18:10:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
A room which fills with poisonous gas streaming from snake mouths mounted into the walls when a pressure plate which is right infront of a passgeway is triggered and a stone door closes the entries.
Sounds good.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
A trigger riddle where the group has to pick the right lever formed like scimitars. If the right one is chosen, they can proceed through a secret door. If they pick the wrong one, it will turn into an animated scimitar which floats around and attacks.
Nice.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
A fallingpit where a wrong step on a loose floor tile sends the unfortunate into a 5m deep hole, where he/she may crash into a a pyre of bones of others as unfortunate as him/her, the room is pitch black and has no exit and the group would need to get the unfortunate one out of it from above.
Pit traps are a classic, of course. Maybe, in the four centuries that have passed since the tomb was so painstakingly charted, the mechanism for disabling it has been damaged.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
A riddle with chains where the pieces, the chains hang out from, are styled like the heads of dragons and if you pull the wrong chain you get blasted with fire.
Fire is good, but of course, any self-respecting tomb raider is going to be protected from it. So, what about flame from one dragon's head, frost from another, acid from another, chlorine from another and lighting from the last?
Just a bit of sardonic humour, incorporating a representation of the Nemesis of his God-King into his tomb.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Two small statues depciting Gilgeam, one made of pure gold, the other made of adamantine, one of those two is required to open a door on the other side of the room. If the wrong one is chosen, the group suddenly gets under attack from a hail of poison spiked arrows coming out of concealed openings in the walls.
Good, but I'll replace poison-spiked arrows with Prismatic Rays. Crossbows and clockwork were probably not a common feature of the Second Untheri Empire in the 2nd century DR, and, in any case, poison deteriorates, strings fray and wood rots.
I may have mechanical dart traps scattered around, but the mechanisms no longer function and any poison has long since lost its potency.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
A sword spider makes it´s lair in the tomb with a crack in the wall to a smaller cavern system filled with even more sword spiders.
I've placed the tomb in the subterranean parts of Unthalass, having sunk below sea level. As such, only the magic protections on it keep it from being flooded and to access it, it is necessary to climb down sewers, catacombs and abandoned houses and then swim through water-filled caverns.
Or use the outer, approach-from-the-sea route, but that still calls for crossing water-filled caverns. You're just trading the risk of Mulhorandi patrols, local thugs, Tiamatans, Grey ghost freedom fighters, wererats and various subterranean monsters for sahuagin and the defences around the harbour designed to prevent them from making raids on the city ports.
The fact that the tomb is sealed shut with magic under the water level means that nothing survives inside of it. There's just the traps and the constructs.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Illusionary fire to scare them from venturing forth.
I like that. Of course, later in the tomb, there will be another wall of illulsionary flame. Behind it is a real wall of flame. |
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Lord Bane
Senior Scribe
Germany
479 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 18:58:22
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The poison can be of magical origin aswell  but your pick in the end. |
The driving force in the multiverse is evil, for it forces good to act. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 20:20:53
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Taking on the idea proposed about extradimensional spaces, perhaps several of the "corridors" are actually portals that periodically change their endpoints. The corridors also have a turn in them, so that the players can't see what's at the end. So, they step into the "corridor" go to its other end and exit out. They find themselves at a nasty dead end and turn around running.... only to find that the "corridor" back is no longer linked to the portal/doorway.... and something big and hungry is chasing them. They then kill whatever it is, and the "corridor" comes back... only this isn't the same corridor and it connects to an entirely different place. So, basically, making it through the tomb to the end involves figuring out at which time a given portal is connected to which endpoint and then proceeding through it to get to the next room down the pipe which allows advancement.
With this concept, you may want to leave certain rooms as bad to return to (maybe there's some recurring blast... a room that is now filled with acid... an extremely cold room... a room on fire... a room whose floor has disappeared... a room filled with water, etc...). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 09 Aug 2013 : 20:26:30
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| oh, whenever the portal changes endpoints, perhaps in-between it always opens a one-way portal to some really bad place (hell... the abyss...limbo...the shadowfell) and turns on a magnetic field that sucks all metal towards it and then turns off and drops anything "caught" through the portal (or use some other method to forcibly eject players out who get the idea of hanging out in the corridor and waiting for the ends to change). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1842 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2013 : 04:01:21
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| Excellent idea about the changing corridors, consider the idea stolen! |
I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2013 : 02:31:18
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
The *only* suggestion I can make at this point, Icelander, is that this plot would make for a great Unther-based CRPG.
I'm hoping it will make for a great face-to-face session.
Does anyone have any suggestions for programs or resources I could use to get maps? Either a mapped out tomb I could buy somewhere* that would fit as Umamaita's tomb or a program easy enough to use for me to be able to dash it off quickly with absolutely no artistic talent and no experience of drawing maps, either by hand or computer.
*Using just the maps, replacing any content with my own and the excellent suggestions of scribes here. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2013 : 13:58:38
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
oh, whenever the portal changes endpoints, perhaps in-between it always opens a one-way portal to some really bad place (hell... the abyss...limbo...the shadowfell) and turns on a magnetic field that sucks all metal towards it and then turns off and drops anything "caught" through the portal (or use some other method to forcibly eject players out who get the idea of hanging out in the corridor and waiting for the ends to change).
Shifting portals sound like an excellent idea. The prior explorers will have experimented on them and marked down the appropriate steps to take to navigate them successfully, but if the PCs deviate from their instructions, they may find themselves faced with unfamiliar shifts or have to find their way through from another direction. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2013 : 18:16:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
oh, whenever the portal changes endpoints, perhaps in-between it always opens a one-way portal to some really bad place (hell... the abyss...limbo...the shadowfell) and turns on a magnetic field that sucks all metal towards it and then turns off and drops anything "caught" through the portal (or use some other method to forcibly eject players out who get the idea of hanging out in the corridor and waiting for the ends to change).
Shifting portals sound like an excellent idea. The prior explorers will have experimented on them and marked down the appropriate steps to take to navigate them successfully, but if the PCs deviate from their instructions, they may find themselves faced with unfamiliar shifts or have to find their way through from another direction.
A devilishly nasty twist here. Have 3 rooms that looks almost exactly the same (except for a picture mosaic on the wall, whose only difference is the number of flower petals on a flower and leaves on its stem). Thus, sometimes the players go to this room and they assume that they've got things mapped out. To make matters worse, the people who developed the instructions that the PC's will follow never caught onto this subterfuge. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2013 : 18:40:29
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| Another thing you might want to consider is grabbing some of the living spells from Eberron. It's not something that is technically part of the Realms, but your guy is ancient enough, and with esoteric enough interests, that he could have created one or many of the things and set them to patrolling the halls. Maybe living spells are immortal until slain, or maybe they are using the gate as an energy source to reproduce. In which case, who knows what might have happened over several thousand years of magical evolution. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2013 : 21:20:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Hoondatha
Another thing you might want to consider is grabbing some of the living spells from Eberron. It's not something that is technically part of the Realms, but your guy is ancient enough, and with esoteric enough interests, that he could have created one or many of the things and set them to patrolling the halls. Maybe living spells are immortal until slain, or maybe they are using the gate as an energy source to reproduce. In which case, who knows what might have happened over several thousand years of magical evolution.
I think living spells are easy enough to port in -- just tie them to wild magic and/or miscast spells. |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2020 : 04:22:18
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I'd like to thank everyone for their help last time. Things went very well and the PCs managed to follow the journal of the last group who went into Umamaita's tomb and when they reached the point at from which they never returned, the PCs were able to defeat the bronze golem chariot archers.
So, the PCs were able to find Umamaita's final resting place and among his personal possessions, discover the works which Ishme-qusu demanded in return for his assistance.
As the PCs were prosecuting a war against the Mulhorandi, they did not explore the tomb further. Now, one of the original PCs, with a band of others (some PCs, some NPCs), plans to return to the Tomb of Umamaita and open up all the wings, in order to use it as a library.
So, I'm filling in the areas that haven't been explored.
First question, if Umamaita had obtained the services of some rilmani to guard certain items he considered too dangerous to leave in the hands of his master, the God-King Gilgeam, what kind of constructs might those rilmani be particularly fond of?
I'm imagining three times three beautiful sculptures in the reception area where the rilmani can greet visitors (for they are charged with discovering if those who find the tomb can be trusted with the artefacts in it).
What kind of golems or other constructs should those sculptures be? |
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Copper Elven Vampire
Master of Realmslore
1078 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2020 : 04:50:59
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| The Imaskari also had ancient knowledge of shadowmagic, hence the "Shadow Stone". That would play in very nice. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2020 : 15:14:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
I'd like to thank everyone for their help last time. Things went very well and the PCs managed to follow the journal of the last group who went into Umamaita's tomb and when they reached the point at from which they never returned, the PCs were able to defeat the bronze golem chariot archers.
So, the PCs were able to find Umamaita's final resting place and among his personal possessions, discover the works which Ishme-qusu demanded in return for his assistance.
As the PCs were prosecuting a war against the Mulhorandi, they did not explore the tomb further. Now, one of the original PCs, with a band of others (some PCs, some NPCs), plans to return to the Tomb of Umamaita and open up all the wings, in order to use it as a library.
So, I'm filling in the areas that haven't been explored.
First question, if Umamaita had obtained the services of some rilmani to guard certain items he considered too dangerous to leave in the hands of his master, the God-King Gilgeam, what kind of constructs might those rilmani be particularly fond of?
I'm imagining three times three beautiful sculptures in the reception area where the rilmani can greet visitors (for they are charged with discovering if those who find the tomb can be trusted with the artefacts in it).
What kind of golems or other constructs should those sculptures be?
Three times three beautiful scultpures? So nine, which matches to the number of basic alignments, which might fit their "world view". And the one things I see about Rilmani is that they are the absolutely neutral outer planar group (never read about them until this truthfully), and that they can't be summoned, but they can hijack someone else's summoning and "piggyback" to the prime material. So, what about this idea?
So, my thoughts here are this then, each "sculpture" is a special kind of golem with the ability to cast a summoning for the creature that its modeled on. Each should be a stone golem, but the type of stone used should vary based on what the creature is. So, what would they look like? (NOTE: some of this is based on 4e ideas where things like succubi are not demons, and also I would not recommend having them arrayed around the room in the traditional arrangement by alignment, I'm just presenting them that way below for ease)
Black Obsidian - statue of a Erinyes, wings spread, spiked whip in hand, riding a nightmare (LE)
Pink Marble - A succubus with tiny horns, a tail, and bat wings spread, BUT the bat wings themselves are invisible until she animates (they can be felt or seen with spells that see invisible), and the horns are hidden under her hair such that they are hard to spot. The tail is likewise hidden behind a leg beneath a split in the front skirt, the point of its tip peaking out barely above a thigh high boot (NE)
Green with red flecks, Bloodstone - A beautiful Marilith with multiple weapons and a dress with a long skirt to vaguely hide her tail. Her dress and adornments should look very "Untheric" in style. She should have some kind of jeweled crown. (CE)
White Marble - An angel male, feathered wings spread, with a bastard sword and shield (no emblem can be made out) (LG)
Blue Azurite - A Valkyrie, but dressed in a chain shirt with a metal brassiere. She should be mounted on a pegasi carved of white marble separately, which has a headstall that has a curved "horn" made from the fang of a dragon. Come up with some purpose for this horn (CG)
The others... not sure... maybe some inevitable for LN that has a construct body that's shapely. For NG, maybe some kind of "feminine shaped"/"cherry blossom" covered treant whose "construct" is actually made of wood but whose leaves and flowers are carved from gems (jade leaves, quartz flower petals, pink quartz centers of the flowers, maybe some pink quartz cherries). CN.... I wouldn't want a Slaad since you wanted beautiful... a pretty female githzerai that maybe you can stat up as a monk-mage mix? Maybe this one isn't even a construct that summons and outsider but rather a githzerai who has been petrified that is freed from petrification but bound to defend the room by something like a geas.
A Rilmani seated on the ground, legs crossed, a book in his lap. The book has movable metal pages held together by 3 rings. Purpose of book to be created. If it is touched, it begins "reading" from the book (not really) and a full minute later a being matching each of the statues shows up. These beings are magically bound to not fight one another UNTIL all threats are removed from the area (the area being the tomb itself). The constructs all also animate as well, but they lack any alignment at all and if threats are removed they simply return to their pedestals where they begin repairing themselves at a rate of 1 hp per round (removed "body" parts slowly reattaching). (True Neutral). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2020 : 22:33:57
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The sculptures should ideally be man-sized, if possible.
I'm leaning toward three marble golems, which ought to be smaller, lighter and softer than stone golems, but equally expensive to make, so with some advantages. They're certainly faster and I'll also make them more skilled, as well as giving them a blinding Flash innate attack.
Three of the statues can be Kolaryut Inevitables, which fits for a Rimlmani-administered test of character and wisdom. Make the guests consent to be bound by the rules of hospitality and the Kolaryut can enforce this if broken.
I'll need three more statues that make sense with the Rule of Threes. Not Maruts or Zelekhuts, both are too big. Not summoned creatures, either, has to be constructs (there might also be summoned creatures, but that's just a different thing). Rule of Threes. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2020 : 02:13:29
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I've made up some poison for the Old Empires. The second might be of particular interest:
Inthal (Contact). An ancient poison of the Old Empires and known to have slain many a tomb robber throughout that region, the creation of inthal is believed to involve belladonna, the venom of the salt scorpion (found in the environs of Azulduth, the Lake of Salt) and oil from the black palm of Asanibis, the Great Vale. The resulting clear oil leaves a faint grey patina on any affected surface, appearing as nothing more than dust (“albeit of a deadlier variety than that more commonly found”, as the master-thief Larhund of Mishtan once commented).
A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 48 (14d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a creature is exposed to this poison on more than one occasion before taking a long rest, any subsequent saving throws to avoid its effects have disadvantage.
Zellak (Contact). This poisonous liquid dries to a faint translucent sheen on any surface but is otherwise colorless. Created by Nabonidus, Astahar (advisor) to the God-King Gilgeam centuries ago, this poison is commonly encountered in ancient Untheric tombs and is still used to protect valuables in that realm. The recent strife in Unther has seen the recipe for this poison disseminated widely throughout the lands of the Vilhon Reach and as one of its key ingredients is powdered gorgon scales, the market for gorgon carcasses can best be described as buoyant. As such, the number of gorgon hunters in the Smoking Mountains and nearby environs has risen significantly.
A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. The poisoned creature is restrained and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it successfully saves three times the effect of the poison ends. If it fails its save three times, the creature is permanently turned to stone and is subjected to the petrified condition. The successes and failures don’t need to be consecutive; the DM should keep track of both until the creature collects three of one kind.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 29 Apr 2020 : 14:36:57
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Just a note, I know you weren't necessarily looking for undead, BUT given that it's not well advertised but essentially in the mountains between Unther and Chessenta you essentially have a minor "land of the lost" type area with flying Pteranodon-like/bird-like-lizards called the Tuuru and also pleisosaurs in the methmere. I wouldn't be surprised to find skeletal versions of them in an Untheric tomb.
On the construct front, just a thought, but from Mechanus there are tiny constructs called Clockwork Menders (3.5 MM4). They look like mechanical wasps about the size of a small cat. They repair constructs and other mechanical equipment. Therefore, they may maintain traps in the dungeon, etc... They also exist in swarms and can "sacrifice" themselves to provide the hit points of the swarm in repair damage to a construct. They can also "procreate" by building new clockwork menders. They can be summoned with monster summon II as well (or a higher level version, which would presumably summon more.. and it also presents a cleric/sorcerer/wizard 4 spell called summon clockwork mender swarm), so perhaps they don't LIVE there, but periodically a swarm is summoned in and directed to perform repairs by the inevitables or somesuch. The constructs might be keyed to be able to phase through the floor as well before they are killed, to a room beneath the room in question, possibly filled with say 3 swarms that the set to working on repairing the constructs slowly (each swarm repairing 1 hit point per round rather than sacrificing themselves).
Another idea might be that the constructs then chase the players around THROUGH THE EARTH by riding on the backs of Stone Flyers (from 3.5 Underdark source, they look like large winged wolves made of stone... light load is 459 lbs, medium 460-918 lbs, heavy 919-1380 lbs). I mention the loads because they can only extend their earth glide ability with a rider up to a medium load... so a very solid golem won't be riding one, but one made like a helmed horror / runic guardian where its more like animated armor could conceivably do so. Perhaps the stone flyers are sent/directed by the aforementioned clockwork menders to bring constructs to them (and thus players just see some giant winged wolf pop up from the floor and then the construct just goes away), and the stone flyers may help the clockwork menders travel into the surrounding earth to mine materials.
On the other constructs.... Quarut Inevitables (3.5 fiend folio) are interested in those who seek to mess with Time and Space. Varakhut Inevitables are concerned with protecting the gods from those who would usurp their power. Canonically, there is a 23rd level archmage in Chessenta who is buying up land in the hills of Maerth and searching for a "philosopher's stone" (change to appropriate type item as you wish). His name is Azurax Silverhawk, and he's ALSO in dungeon magazine #10 module "Threshold of Evil" written by Scott Bennie (the author of Old Empires). He's noted as using multiple wishes, and he has extended his lifespan through use of a "Portrait of Longevity" that he retouches with "pigments of longevity". In said module, he's ALSO noted as performing some kind of ritual that affects the region he lives in but extends his life (theoretically by creating the pigments, which are stated to have been created by life draining folks into them).
Why do I mention the above? I would PERSONALLY have Azurax Silverhawk be a renegade red wizard of Thay who fled (along with Velsharoon and Zhengyi, but possibly at a different time and under different circumstances). That being said, he might not be MULAN and instead be Halruaan and have fled Halruaa possibly WITH Velsharoon. Maybe he got some ideas after Velsharoon's ascendance to godhood, and maybe even he knew some of what Velsharoon had been researching. Perhaps he went to raid the god tomb of a dead Untheric god from the Orcgate Wars (for instance, the tomb of Nergal that was created up near Narfell… maybe he seeks to become a god of the dead and not necromancy). Perhaps he's been captured and is IN this tomb, barely kept prisoner, and the party might set him loose.... or perhaps his simulacrum has been captured alongside a simulacrum of his ftr 18 friend named Lord Fell, for Azurax was known to deploy simulacrums heavily. The simulacrums (or the real character) may have been sent to raid the tomb for some book. Maybe even the clockwork menders have some ability to heal simulacrums and they are being tortured and healed repeatedly to interrogate them. They may even be some advanced form of simulacrum like an "alias clone" so that they're more than an illusion over non-melting snow, but actually in some form of magically created body.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2020 : 21:30:22
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I've made up some poison for the Old Empires. The second might be of particular interest:
Inthal (Contact). An ancient poison of the Old Empires and known to have slain many a tomb robber throughout that region, the creation of inthal is believed to involve belladonna, the venom of the salt scorpion (found in the environs of Azulduth, the Lake of Salt) and oil from the black palm of Asanibis, the Great Vale. The resulting clear oil leaves a faint grey patina on any affected surface, appearing as nothing more than dust (“albeit of a deadlier variety than that more commonly found”, as the master-thief Larhund of Mishtan once commented).
A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 48 (14d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a creature is exposed to this poison on more than one occasion before taking a long rest, any subsequent saving throws to avoid its effects have disadvantage.
Zellak (Contact). This poisonous liquid dries to a faint translucent sheen on any surface but is otherwise colorless. Created by Nabonidus, Astahar (advisor) to the God-King Gilgeam centuries ago, this poison is commonly encountered in ancient Untheric tombs and is still used to protect valuables in that realm. The recent strife in Unther has seen the recipe for this poison disseminated widely throughout the lands of the Vilhon Reach and as one of its key ingredients is powdered gorgon scales, the market for gorgon carcasses can best be described as buoyant. As such, the number of gorgon hunters in the Smoking Mountains and nearby environs has risen significantly.
A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. The poisoned creature is restrained and must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it successfully saves three times the effect of the poison ends. If it fails its save three times, the creature is permanently turned to stone and is subjected to the petrified condition. The successes and failures don’t need to be consecutive; the DM should keep track of both until the creature collects three of one kind.
-- George Krashos
Thanks, George. Both very vivid.
The tomb was sealed in the 4th century DR, more than a thousand years ago. Do you see either still being relevant?
Did Zellak exist by that time? |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2020 : 21:42:33
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I figure everyone deserves to comment on the final form of the Library-Tomb of Umamaita. The traps and protections were concentrated primarily in the Entry Wing, where there was a magical doorway that opened for those who could solve a complex, multi-layered puzzle.
All the traps were circumventable by someone with an expert knowledge of Untheri history, literature, poetry and culture, as well as logic, mathematics, metaphysics and philosophy.
The form of the Library-Tomb was a seven-sided star. The distance from A to D on that 'map' is 600'.
There is a Central Chamber in middle of the star, where the PCs fought orichalcum/bronze chariot archer golems.
Each point of the star represents a 'wing' of the Library-Tomb, as follows:
A) Wizard's Rest: The wing where Umamaita's personal, private library was stored, his personal things, study, bedroom, bathhouse, etc. Also, the entrance to Vizier's Respite, the demiplane where he lived his last days in a cabin, contemplating the nature of reality, while tending a small plot of garden and some sheep.
Key: Signet Ring (also required to interface with every other key).
B) Hall of Books: The library of new-fangled paper books, mostly copies of older works. The abode of Arkhtos, Sakh rabu, the Ursinal (bear-like angelic being) Master of Books. Golden woods, lit by warm golden light that rejuvenates wood and books, friendly, meant for research and reading. The entrance to al-Kawthor, the demiplane of Tasked Genies.
Key: Golden honey bee figurine.
C) Hall of Scrolls: Library of scrolls, either shorter works or ones written before codices were common. Many extremely fragile old scrolls of great historical or magical value. Consists of an alien, intricate pattern of infinite storage places, without breathable atmosphere, lit by a light that is not light. The abode of Imin-Sebe, the Septon Modron (record-keeping incarnate of Order) Master of Scrolls. Entrance to the Crystalline Matrix, a demiplane of mysterious purpose.
Key: Diamond gearshift.
D) Entrance Wing: A maze of trapped tunnels, whose dangers may be bypassed by solving puzzles and answering questions. The entry from the outer world into the Library-Tomb. Home of various protective beasts and seven Guardian Daemons. Also entrance to Eridu, a Garden of Eden like demiplane.
Key: Iron crown of seven points.
E) Hall of Memory: Safe storage of artefacts and relics. Aside from a fine waiting room decorated with statues of marble and precious metals, interior unknown. The abode of Avadhuta, the Aurumach Rilmani (Incarnation of Balance) Arbiter of the Student. Also entrance to the Hall of Eternity, demiplane for even more secure storage.
Key: Wax tablet.
F) Hall of Tablets: Library of clay, stone and metal tablets. Every square inch of the granite from which it is constructed covered with intricate inscriptions and sigils. The abode of Khiral the First, the Dao (earth-like genie) Tasked Artist (Scribe), Master of Tablets. The entrance to the Quiet Earth, a demiplane which does not seem to be functioning as it should.
Key: Black diamond stylus.
G) Hall of Codices: Library of older codices of papyrus and parchment. Holds much more magical works and spellbooks. Packed to the rafters with materials. Dark woods, poorly lit, somewhat dusty. The abode of Dajjal, the Arcanaloth (jackal-like fiend) Master of Codices. The entrance to the Alchemical Delve, demiplane of mephits, imps and quasits.
Key: Golden key of elegant, if conventional appearance. |
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Edited by - Icelander on 02 May 2020 21:43:17 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2020 : 16:06:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Icelander
Thanks, George. Both very vivid.
The tomb was sealed in the 4th century DR, more than a thousand years ago. Do you see either still being relevant?
Did Zellak exist by that time?
If it suits you, zellak absolutely existed in that time.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2442 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2020 : 18:59:34
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| Where in Unther did you placed this tomb? I'm trying to convince my players, who want to play with a party composed of mostly dragonborn, to play a tomb-raiding campaign in Tymanther (during the early 1480s), and this tomb suit my purposes just fine. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 03 May 2020 19:00:20 |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2020 : 20:44:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Zeromaru X
Where in Unther did you placed this tomb? I'm trying to convince my players, who want to play with a party composed of mostly dragonborn, to play a tomb-raiding campaign in Tymanther (during the early 1480s), and this tomb suit my purposes just fine.
It's below Unthalass.
There is canonically an 'undercity' there, probably the overbuilt ruins of former cities (Unthalass has been there for three millennia and has suffered many earthquakes in that time). I named that wretched hive of scum and villainy 'Tamtuthalass' and located the tomb about six hours walk through sandstone tunnels away from it, the last part about a ten minute swim through flooded tunnels.
The tomb was built on the surface, but made from enchanted granite that allowed it to survive falling into a sinkhole during one of the many disasters to afflict Unthalass. It's technically below sea level, but the enchantments protect it from flooding, even when opened (there is a force-effect, which also keeps out summoned and outer planar creatures... or keeps them in.) |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2442 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2020 : 18:06:42
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Interesting. Seeing the Unthalass' conditions in 1480 DR, it would be like a megadungeon.I guess it would be perfect for the Paragon tier (using 4e rules).
Thanks for sharing it. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
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Icelander
Master of Realmslore
1864 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jul 2020 : 11:42:06
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The Library-Tomb of Umamaita Magâunô continues to be an endless source of adventures, unsurprisingly perhaps when one considers that each wing of it contains its own demiplane and that due to Umamaita's timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly manipulations, some of those demiplanes have had some 15,000 years to grow and develop.
In at least one of them, Eridu, civilization rose and fell, with millions of people living and dying in a demiplane attached to the Library-Tomb, the descendants of a small group of settlers that Umamaita exiled there instead of executing them on behalf of the God-King Gilgeam. Mostly, they were religious dissidents who agreed to live in natural simplicity in a Garden of Eden-like demiplane, eschewing civilization and political organization.*
Eridu was included in the complex metaphysical structure behind the Library-Tomb as a favour to an old druid friend of Umamaita (and because the ineffable rules of the planes demanded a place of uncontrolled growth and 'natural' processes, to counterbalance the antiseptic and orderly demiplanes attached to some other wings).
Eridu was distinct from the other demiplanes in that divine (druidic) magic was used alongside the epic arcane magic that created all the other demiplanes. This meant that unlike the other worlds, which grew gradually through building blocs from the Elemental Planes, but had no living things other than those brought in from outside and bred or cultivated there, Eridu had fey inhabitants linked to an ancient dream-echo of the Feywild through the Demiplane of Dreams.
An Elder Treant, Ayaya Khalub ('Grandfather Tree'), was tasked to enforce the compact that the human settlers accepted, to remain the Children of Nature, one species of animal among others, not seeking to subjugate any others or impose their own order on Nature. A self-perpetuating, selective-entry order of Azu/Asipu (Druids) chose promising youths from the human families living in idyllic ease in the bountiful Garden, eschewing political power, but educating each generation on the compact and harmony with Nature.
The enduring miracle of Eridu was the collective power of the fey to alter the shape of the demiplane and the new lands brought into being through gradual growth through their dreams. New fey appeared through these dreams and the landscape was shaped by them. At first, the fey wrought no dramatic changes to the idyllic Garden, but as tensions between humans and fey arose, the fey dreams turned more savage.
Fifteen millennia is a lot of history and how and why civilization emerged on Eridu would require many scrolls to cover. Suffice it to say that there arose humans who did not consider their forefathers to have had any right to give up their rights to self-determination in perpetuity. Many of the first were killed by the fey, by druids and by animals turned against them by their powers, but eventually, the higher population density and population growth made possible by such trappings of civilization as agriculture meant that the nascent realms of settled humans were too powerful for the fey to defeat, even with their dreams shaping the outskirts of Eridu into wilderness and seas, and populating the demiplane with warlike and savage fey.
Long periods of sullen and relative peace passed between wars so horrific that even the fey could not contemplate further bloodshed. Always hindering their power was the fact that their dreams could not bring in an infinite number of fey, but only about one** per square mile and the further from natural wilderness a square mile was, the less powerful the fey could be.
Obviously, civilized humans also fought each other. In a period longer than the time on Earth from when the first human built a structure and until humans walked on the Moon, there were an almost infinite number of wars, triumphs, catastrophes and other events, negative and positive both. Eventually, though, the (relatively) small demiplane*** was all brought under the rule of one empire, which gradually sought to exterminate the fey and turn all land in the demiplane into planned and productive fields for agriculture.
At the end, Grandfather Tree faced a choice of failing in his task or doing something to change the inevitable march of events toward the victory of the humans. He chose to do something that those who gave him stewardship of the world never contemplated, something antithetical to everyone except the most rabid fanatics among the druids and horrifying to Grandfather Tree himself.
He used his connection with the portal leading out of the demiplane to reach into the Elemental Chaos and fetch something natural which had not been a part of the idyllic Garden. He brought killing plagues into Eridu; every fungus, spore, bacteria, virus and pathogen that would be lethal to humans.
Dozens of deadly plagues mutated and spread among the humans of Eridu, who had no resistance to any of them. Human civilization quickly collapsed and the scattered survivors were easy prey for resurgent fey. Some of the diseases could affect the more human-like fey, but generally not as severely as humans, and in a few short years, 15,000 years of human civilization came to an end.
Cultivated fields became savannahs and then forests, jungles covered the great cities of the south and all the wonders humans had wrought over their long history were overgrown by resurgent vegetation. Triumphant fey hunted human survivors, but the endemic diseases, almost invariably fatal to humanity, were still the most efficient killers, ensuring that only those who were no longer fully human could live in a world full of hostile pathogens.
Yet somehow, the fey victory rang hollow. And whether it was something that happened when Grandfather Tree reached into the Elemental Chaos or something that came to be later, from his brooding malady of the soul, a creature from the Outside entered Eridu. A blue slaad.
When he arrived, none of the fey know exactly. By the time they noticed, one slaad had become hordes of the creatures, their numbers growing at exponential rates as they infected humanoid fey and new slaad grew from their bodies. The more magically powerful fey grew into green slaad if infected, providing the slaad with leadership and magical support. Eventually, green slaad became gray slaad and even, centuries later, death slaad and higher.
In the time my PCs became aware of Eridu, the slaad outnumber the fey significantly and aside from the oceans, where the fey still hold sway, the slaad control most of Eridu, or at least as much as a race so chaotic and individualistic can be said to control anything.
In truth, most of Eridu is wilderness where the slaad are simply the most powerful creatures, not the only ones. Not only to fey hide everywhere, but twisted descendants of humans, warped by disease, are said to live underground and troops of intelligent apes (used by Eriduan humans as a slave-soldier class) live in the southern jungles. The slaad joyfully hunt every humanoid they can find, in order to create more of their kind.
Most critically for the PCs and Faerun, however, when a group of slaad finally managed to find a way to enter the Library-Tomb through the one-way portal****, they brought with them pollen, leaves and all sorts of biological matter, which the slaad regard with indifference, but which still contain all sorts of pathogens both lethal to humans and extremely contagious.
Long story short, all the PCs and their allies have been exposed to fungal, bacterial and viral infections of several kinds, most utterly unknown on Toril. If they spread outside the Libraray-Tomb, they would quickly overwhelm clerics and other healers in Uther and Mulhorand, causing massive death tolls, if not the end of civilization.
*Obviously, this didn't take, but Umamaita wasn't really concerned how society there might evolve thousands of years after his death. By exiling the dissidents to a pleasant place where they willingly agreed to go, instead of executing them, he had granted them as much mercy as was within his discretion.
**Assuming approximately human size, with smaller and less significant fey counting as only part of this unit and larger fey counting as more than one.
***By this point, about the size of England, but due to its origins as a Garden of Eden esque paradise, agricultural yields were nothing short of astronomical and the population approached 30 million people.
****Slaadi who seem to be influenced by Grandfather Tree (or what remains of him). |
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Tomb-raiding in Unther (suggestions for defences)
