(Chee-koh-MOZ-tok, the place of seven caves)
The poisonous gas is present here, affecting fire and breathing.
Relate the following information to the characters gradually as they examine their surroundings.
You are in a long, narrow chamber, running east-west. In the center of this apartment is a domed shape on the floor. In the east wall is a blank-faced stone door. The west end of the room is blocked by fallen stone and rubble, apparently the result of a collapse. The two side walls appear to have several niches cut into them.
The shape in the center of the chamber appears to be a small alcove, protected by a half-dome with the open end facing toward the door in the east wall. This alcove is set in a recessed, shallow, tiled well, one foot deep and ten feet wide. The alcove itself is four feet high. The recess contains some sort of display.
The display appears to be a diorama depicting a hunting party of Olman warriors, in feathers and deer-hide garments, in a mountainside scene. Some have pulled down a stag with the aid of a dog, another group is cleaning a small mule deer, and others have cornered a panther with their spears. A scout watches the panther from an outcropping above. He holds a metal staff with a loop in its end. It looks like a shepherd’s crook.
The three niches on both the northern and southern walls are five feet wide and about three feet off the floor. Each niche contains a diorama depicting some aspect of tribal life. The six-inch-tall figures in all of the displays appear to be made of stucco, realistically and brightly painted. The scenes portrayed represent fishing, farming, religion, warfare, the creation story, and crafting.
A cave-in completely blocks the west end of the chamber. At short intervals, small amounts of rubble and dirt come spilling into the room. Several large stones appear to have wedged themselves tightly, closing the collapse.
The figures of people and animals in all of the dioramas are loose and can be picked up and manipulated. If any of the people, and some of the animals, are removed from a display and placed on the floor of this vault, the item grows to full-size dimensions immediately, and spirits of the ancestors animate the creature and it attacks. These beings are constructs, but otherwise function according to the statistics for a certain kind of creature, as noted below.
Center Display
The diorama in the alcove holds twelve tribal warrior, one scout, a mastiff, and a panther. The deer don’t animate.
Niche A
In a river scene, a dozen commoner gather rushes, fish with nets, and carve a dugout.
Niche B
Twelve commoner are engaged in farming, planting maize and harvesting wheat. Five tribal warrior stand guard, and a cult fanatic (priest) in a bird costume is blessing the fields.
Niche C
The display portrays a temple upon a tiered pyramid. Seven commoner are bringing small offerings of gold and jade. Before the temple stands a cult fanatic handling a constrictor snake. Around him stand three costumed tribal warrior. One, dressed as a winged serpent, holds a spear; another is dressed as a bear with razor claws; the third represents a coyote holding a torch. There are also several stone statues of the gods. The bits of gold and jade are worth 5 gp each, and there are fifteen such items.
Niche D
A scene of tribal warfare involves twenty tribal warrior in combat. The ten warriors of one side are painted black, while the ten others are done in red. Warriors that are animated will fight animated enemy warriors first, but once they vanquish their foes they turn on the characters.
Niche E
In the display that depicts the creation of the world, all the statuettes are stylized and obviously nonhuman. These figures can be removed, but they don’t animate. A god, adorned in green quetzal feathers, is mixing ashes with blood to form sculptures of a man and woman, while four towering figures painted red, black, blue, and white are standing about a fire committing suicide with their daggers. Two smaller figures are ringed by the four-the modest “Pimply One” is being consumed by the fire, while the braggart “Lord of Snails” cowers in fear.
Niche F
In a scene that shows various forms of crafting, twelve commoner are busy weaving rugs and baskets, carving totems, making pots, grinding stones for weapons, and making clothes.
Treasure
The staff held by the scout figure in the central diorama is actually a key and may be separated from the figure without affecting it. The key (worth 2 gp) is used to open the door to this room.
Cave-In
Attempting to dig upward through the rubble in the west end of the room results only in more detritus falling into the area.
Any further collapse deals 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage to each digger. Each digger must also succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be buried by the rubble and take another 7 (3d4) bludgeoning damage. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the rubble engulfs the digger completely, and the trapped character can’t breathe until dug out. Struggling out on one’s own requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, and doing so takes 1 minute.
Door
When the characters investigate the door that offers an exit from the chamber, read:
The door is carved with a sun symbol and appears to open into the room; there are hinges on this side and scratches on the floor. There is no visible lock or handle on it, although a slight gap stretches across the top of the door. Eight holes seem to have been bored into the door; they are about an inch in diameter, but nothing can be seen in them. The door seems to be fairly thick. The lintel is arched, with a keystone at the top.
This door can be opened in a number of ways.
The key found in the diorama about hunting can be used to spring the door open when it is turned in the keyhole hidden under the keystone over the door. The keyhole can be found with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Pitons or similar tools can be driven into the door to provide handles. Driving pitons into the door takes 1 minute and requires a successful DC 10 Strength check. With such a grip, the door can be opened with some force, but with no check needed. (Objects inserted into the holes that are already bored won’t stay in the door.)
The two hinge pins can be broken (each has AC 12 and 20 hit points) and removed, but the door falls inward. Someone who holds the door and succeeds on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check can keep the door up and lower it to the floor. Otherwise, the door falls, and those within 5 feet of it must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the falling door. On a failed save, a creature takes 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage.
2. The Hall of Thrashing Canes
The stone walls of this corridor are carved to resemble a stack of bamboo-like logs. The passage slopes down from a single door on its western leg, the lintel of which has been crafted to represent a stylized cavern entrance. It leads to double doors of beaten bronze, worked to resemble a forest of seaweed.
Pressure Plate
There is a pressure plate halfway down the hallway that triggers a trap when weight equivalent to that of three or four humanoids is on it. See “The Ruins: General Features” at the beginning of the adventure for details about pressure plates.
If the trap triggers, several of the logs swing out from either wall and buffet the party. Those in the plate’s area when the trap triggers take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and are pushed 5 feet down the slope toward the double doors. Once they swing out, the stone logs don’t swing back and thus effectively block the passage, since they bar the way from ceiling to floor with only a 6-inch gap remaining between the logs.
3. Roost of the Conch
This room is constructed of large stone blocks, buttressed in the corners. The walls are wet and slimy, and mud covers most of the floor in a thin coating. To the east and west may be seen stone doors recessed in the wall, and to the north a set of stairs leads down.
In the center of the chamber sits a large polished boulder amid a pile of smaller rounded rocks. The boulder is five feet tall and colored brown with dark streaks and spots. Leaning against it is what appears to be a bamboo staff.
In the mud around the base of the boulder is a moving shape, looking like a crayfish. It is facing you and seems to be aware of your presence.
Slippery Mud
The floor of the chamber is very slippery, counting as difficult terrain. Any sudden actions, including those necessary for combat, may result in the character taking a spill. A character who uses the Dash action or tries to fight within the room must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. The saving throw should be made before attacks are made. Creatures encountered here are unaffected by the mud.
Guardian
The creature at the base of the boulder is a giant crayfish. If it is approached, it will advance waving its claws in an aggressive manner and speak. If any member of the party can understand Olman, an ancient language, the crayfish will be heard to say,
Crayfish
“Who is this? Who dares to enter the chamber of the guardian? You had better go, or I will have to discharge my sacred duty! Be off with you before I lose my temper!”
If the party retreats, the crayfish will not follow, but will take to marching back and forth in front of the boulder and will continue to threaten the party if they approach again. If the crayfish is attacked, it will immediately call forth its companion.
Creature
The boulder is in reality a huge shell inhabited by Kalka-Kylla, a giant hermit crab. The bamboo staff is one of its legs; a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check enables a character to discern this fact and get a hint as to Kalka-Kylla’s nature before the crab moves.
When the characters enter the room, Kalka-Kylla is asleep and will not awaken unless the crayfish is attacked. Once it is awake, it may attack or bargain. It speaks Olman.
The crab can be reasoned with, if the party doesn’t attack it and can come to terms with it. The crab denies any knowledge of this place, stating that it was brought into these warrens when very young. If asked for directions, it first sends the party to the rubble-filled staircase to the east, and then, if asked a second time, it sends the party to the west.
4. Mud-Filled Doorway
Southern Approach
If the characters come upon the doorway from the south, read:
The landing at the foot of a short flight of steps is filled with mud and silt that partially blocks the door leading north. The door is meant to open inward, for there are hinges on this side and a large grip to pull on.
Any attempts to open the door will meet with failure until the blockage is removed. Probing the silt will reveal its depth to be about 18 to 24 inches and its consistency as tenacious as quicksand. The silt can be scooped out of the stairwell, but it is semi-liquid and will quickly flow back. If water is forced, in quantity, through the silt, it will wash the silt under the door jamb and down the hall beyond, alleviating the blockage.
Northern Approach
If the characters come upon the doorway from the north, read:
The thin, muddy stream that trickles through the hallway here flows out from underneath the door that lies ahead.
The door can be forced open only a few inches, enough to see it is blocked on the other side by a mass of silt.
5. Tomb Stone and Wet Lime
The walls of this corridor are wet and slimy. The stucco covering has become saturated with water and is decomposing and sloughing off in spots on the southern wall, exposing the seams of one of the large stone blocks from which this structure was built.
The tightly fitted stone seals off a tomb. The block is made of limestone, and the entire face of the plug is covered with wet, caustic lime.
Wet Lime
Any flesh that comes in contact with the lime will take 1 acid damage per round. The lime must be removed from the skin to stop the damage, and it can either be wiped off or washed away.
If cloth or soft leather is used to protect flesh from contact with the wet lime, the lime will soak through in 2 rounds. Nonmagical leather armor won’t absorb the lime, but each hour of contact with it reduces the armor’s AC by 1, making the armor useless if its AC becomes 10. The lime can’t be removed from the stone, since it isn’t a coating.
Moving the Block
After the stucco is scraped away from the seams, the block can be pushed inward by the combined effort of up to four characters with a total Strength of 48 or higher. The stone is about 6 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet thick. It takes 1 minute to push the plug 10 feet, after which it can be circumvented.
6. Rubble-Filled Staircase
This staircase goes up for only a few steps, and then it seems that the rest is filled in with clay and stone rubble.
One or more characters can try to dig this staircase out. Any digging, however, will result in further movement of the rubble, dealing 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage to each digger. Each digger must also succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be buried by the rubble, taking another 7 (3d4) bludgeoning damage. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the rubble engulfs the digger completely, and the trapped character can’t breathe until dug out. Struggling out on one’s own requires 1 minute of effort and a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. The staircase is completely blocked and leads nowhere.
7. The Sepulcher of Tloques-Popolocas
(Tloh-kays Poh-poh-LOH-kahs, master of the outsiders)
Once the stone entrance block (area 5) is pushed out of the way, the characters have enough space to get past it.
Beyond the plug is a small foyer holding three sealed urns on the east and west sides. To the south are double doors of bronze with glyphs worked into their faces.
The ancient glyphs are scribed in Olman. If anyone in the party can read this language, or if the message can be understood by other means, the glyphs will translate as
Glyphs
“Here lies Tloques-Popolocas, master of the others, who is like the wind and the night!”
Trapped Doors
The doors are locked (DC 15 Dexterity check to pick with thieves' tools) and trapped. Opening the lock disables the trap. Forcing the doors open can be done with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, but the act causes a glass sphere on the other side of the doors to break. This sphere is attached to the doors just above the lock, and opening the lock pushes the sphere aside, putting it out of harm’s way.
Someone who examines the door closely with a light source notices the glint of glass in the seam between the doors with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. Even with the lock still in place, the lever on which the sphere rests can be moved by someone who succeeds on a DC 20 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The painstaking process in the narrow space takes 5 minutes, and if the check fails by 5 or more, the sphere breaks at the end of the attempt.
Sleep Gas
If the glass sphere breaks, it releases green, swirling sleep gas throughout the area. Each time a creature ends its turn in this chamber, the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 5,000 years. While poisoned in this way, a creature is also unconscious, and it is unaffected by the passage of time or by other poisons. If magic is used to cure the poisoned condition, the recipient is immune to the poison for 1 hour. A casting of
Treasure
The seal on the urns is made of beeswax and may be broken so that the lids can be removed. Each of the six urns contains the equivalent of twenty flasks of oil. A filled urn weighs 25 pounds.
Behind the doors is a chamber cut out of the rock with a veil of calcite and stalactites covering the walls. Buttresses rise from the corners, brown shot through with black, and triangular stone pillars support the high ceiling. Occupying the center of the chamber is a colossal monument resembling a giant’s table, covered on all sides with intricate carvings and glyphs. Engraved on the floor in front of the entrance is a seal that displays more glyphs. Opposite the entrance, a battleaxe is embedded in the wall, six feet above the floor.
The glyphs in the floor seal are written in Olman and translate as
Glyphs
“Ah, defilers! Now you shall join me in my eternal resting!”
The monument is constructed from several parts. A great stone slab, 20 feet long by 10 feet wide, rests upon a 4-foot-thick monolith of rock of similar dimensions, and this, in turn, is supported by six huge blocks of dolomite. Every component has been covered with intricate carvings and glyphs. The top of the slab depicts a struggle between a dark-skinned man and a mighty, knotted serpent.
Engraved alongside this illustration are glyphs identical to those found on the door. Under these sigils are etched a series of four face-glyphs in a line. At the foot of the slab is a row of eleven of these symbols, all different in form.
The carved block is the resting place of Tloques-Popolocas, a servant of the shadow-loving Zotzilaha. The glyphs on the top of the slab give his name, and the date he died, 54-3-9, is written in the face-glyphs. One glyph is a glyph of warding (save DC 17), which casts bestow curse on everyone in the tomb if the crypt is opened by those who don’t serve the god Zotzilaha. The curse lasts until it is dispelled, and 4d10 days after this tomb has been broken into, every cursed violator receives a visit from either Tloques or some other agent of Zotzilaha seeking retribution.
The eleven face-glyphs at the foot of the block correspond to the numbers 0 through 10. The tomb is opened by pressing the glyphs that correspond to the numbers of the date carved on the top, in order. When the 9 glyph is depressed, a grating sound issues forth and the top slab slides back a bit. The tomb lid can then be opened the rest of the way by the combined effort of one or two characters with a total Strength of 20 or higher.
The block beneath the slab is hollow, and inside is a crumbling skeleton decked out in decayed finery. It appears to have been a man of taller than average stature, obviously of great importance. Gems and other small adornments of obvious value lie on and around the body. Covering the skull is a mask of jade with cowrie-shell eyes and obsidian pupils. About the corpse’s neck is a jade pendant carved with the face of a humanlike bat.
Creature
The corpse is the body of Tloques-Popolocas, a vampire spawn with special qualities (see below).
If the characters examine the contents of the tomb, see “Treasure” for details. Any of the items can be lifted off or out if the characters so desire. If the mask and the pendant are both removed, Tloques starts to awaken. Dust is stirred up into clouds and begins to gather on the bones as they knit back together. His wasted form then sits up and gazes about. This part of the regeneration process requires 2 rounds, during which time the corpse has AC 12 and 27 hit points. (If they have not been removed, the corpse benefits from the
Tloques, having gained his power from his allegiance to Zotzilaha, isn’t a typical vampire and doesn’t bite. He has the Shapechanger trait of a true vampire, except he can’t change into mist. Tloques also has the Children of the Night action option of a true vampire, but he calls only bats. He can innately cast the
He is a blood-drinker and attempts to subdue opponents, if not vastly outnumbered, so as to assure himself a constant supply of blood. To drink blood, Tloques must first drain it into a receptacle and then drink it, which can reduce the target’s hit point maximum as a normalvampire spawn bite does.
Tloques will not pursue fleeing grave robbers from his tomb immediately, but instead will seek to regain his bearings in the world of the living for several days. He can track down cursed thieves later, or invoke the power of Zotzilaha to locate any treasure stolen from this place. In the intervening time, he might regain some of his former power.
Battleaxe
The battleaxe has a blade of bronze, and the haft is wound with snakeskin wrappings. The weapon detects as magical. It casts an ominous shadow in the shape of what appears to be a withered arm. Those who approach within reach of it feel a cold chill run up and down their spine, and anyone who tries to pull the axe from the wall finds it impossible to do so.
The weapon is a
The axe has 12 charges and regains 1d6+4 expended charges daily at dawn. Casting a spell from it takes a number of charges equal to the level at which the spell is cast (5th for passwall, 2nd for gust of wind, and 1st or higher for burning hands; spell save DC 15). If the parchment is removed from the axe, the axe loses the capability of casting these spells forever.
Treasure
The mask has a value of 200 gp, and the pendant is worth 50 gp. Describe the other contents of the tomb if the characters examine portions of the corpse more closely:
- Beneath the mask are fragments of bone, as though the skull has been crushed. Within the fragments of the jaw is a spherical white onyx (15 gp).
- Strands of hair still remain on the skull, gathered into black obsidian and red pipestone tubes (worth 50 gp as a bunch).
- Above the mask, on the corpse’s forehead, is a diadem of dark opals and jade discs (worth 200 gp).
- To either side of the mask are jade earplugs carved in several pieces to resemble budding flowers (the pair worth 30 gp).
- Draped over the rib cage is a breastplate made of loops of tubular jade interspersed with bone dividers (protects like studded leather, worth 200 gp).
- Scattered around the neck and through the rib cage of the corpse are one hundred fifty-six jade beads (each worth 1 gp) shaped like spheres, cylinders, tri-lobed beads, floral buds, open flowers, pumpkins, melons, and a snake’s head.
- About the wrists are wide jade bead bracelets (
bracers of defense ). - On the middle finger of each hand are carved jade rings, one in the form of a man holding the moon (a ring of resistance [fire]) and the other a panther ready to strike (a
ring of animal influence ). - Pressed into the fingers of each hand is a large bead, a jade cube (150 gp) in the right hand and a spherical agate (50 gp) in the left hand.
- At the feet of the skeleton lie two small containers, apparently of glazed clay, one fitted with flower-shaped plugs in both ends (it contains the dried remains of a potion of invisibility), the other holding a 1-inch-diameter piece of mother-of-pearl (5 gp).
- Lying among the hip bones is a 6-inch-long statue of a faceless man with large pointed ears. Plugged at the bottom, it is a bottle that contains an
elixir of health .
8. Courses of the Gods
This room is wet, and the walls are covered with a slimy, white buildup. There is about an inch and a half of water and mud blanketing the floor. Many overturned pedestals and pieces of broken statuary lie on the floor, partially buried in the mud. Opposite the entrance to this room is another door.
Only one pedestal remains standing, in the northwest corner. On it sits a small, metallic, three-sided pyramid. Overhead in the shadow-draped ceiling are inlaid colored tiles depicting a starry sky and forming strange patterns in the areas above the pedestals.
A dark, wet mass clings to the wall above the western door. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be green in color. The mass is a large colony of algae, though it resembles green slime; a successful DC 15 intelligence (Nature) check enables a character to tell the difference. Fire will have little effect on it, because the algae is oozing wet and fire doesn’t burn with much vigor in the presence of the poisonous gas that fills this level. Attempts to dislodge the slime will result in slippery sections of it dropping on the characters.
Caustic Lime
The walls of this room are heavily coated with caustic lime. Any flesh that comes in contact with this lime will take 1 acid damage per round. The lime must be removed from the skin to stop the damage, and can be either wiped off or washed away.
Treasure
The small pyramid is made of silver (worth 5 gp). It represents the god of the moon and lightning, Apocatequil (A-poe-ka-TAY-kel). The fallen statuary was made of stucco and depicted other Olman gods. These include a coyote, a crab-headed figure, an alligator-headed god, a feathered warrior, and a jaguar.
9. Stone Statue
The walls and ceiling of this hallway are coated with slime, and the floor of the passage is covered with a layer of mud. Through this muck a steady stream of water trickles northward. The stucco on the walls is flaking off, and there are glowing silver tracks in the slime crisscrossing the walls and ceiling.
Along the east wall of the passage stands a twelve foot-tall stone statue of a man outfitted in fine clothing and holding a stone tray in his raised arms. Its eyes appear to be black gemstones; the right one droops out of its socket, balancing on the statue’s cheek. From behind the left shoulder protrudes the hilt of a weapon, most likely a sword. The stone tray, as well as the forehead and the nose of the statue, are chipped and scratched.
The easiest way to reach the sword or the gems is to climb up on the statue and stand on the tray. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check realizes the statue is top-heavy; proficiency with mason’s tools and a dwarf’s Stonecunning trait apply to this check. If a weight of more than 100 pounds is applied to the tray, or someone pushes on the statue anywhere above the tray and succeeds on a DC 10 Strength check, the statue overbalances and topples into the hall. Anyone on the statue, or under it, must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage from the falling statue. Behind the toppled statue is a narrow passage 4 feet above the floor (see area 10).
Treasure
The eyes of the statue are pieces of polished obsidian worth 10 gp each. The sword is a
10. Secret Passage
Water beads collect upon the walls of this narrow passage, and the flooring is cold and damp. A low ceiling, only five feet tall, further cramps this dank place.
The northern entrance to this passage is a block of stone mounted on a central pivot, which has been wedged partially open by accumulated debris.
The location of the southern entrance appears to be a blank wall when initially viewed from within the passage. The portal can be opened from inside the passage by releasing a concealed catch at the intersection of the wall and the ceiling. Finding the catch requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
11. The Court of Cemanahuac
(Say-man-AH-wok, place surrounded by water)
Describe the features of this room as the characters become able to see them or examine them. The text assumes the characters are approaching from the south.
The doors to this room are made of bronze and are tinted blue from oxidation. Just inside the doorway are two small alcoves. Each space contains an old fountain, cracked and crusted with lime. Around the fountain in the eastern alcove, a heap of rubbish litters the floor. The fountain in the western alcove still holds some green scummy water, in which something moves.
A short hall ending in descending steps leads to the central chamber, which is flooded. A dark, foul pool covers the entire floor. A central hall, flanked by narrow aisles, is defined by two rows of massive square columns. The walls are coated with slime, and there are glowing silver lines etched across them. From what you can see of the chamber’s walls, the stone appears to be crudely worked.
Two corroded bronze braziers stand in the pool. Toward the middle of the room, two broken urns, each apparently once about four feet tall, poke up out of the water. In the darkness on the eastern wall appears to be an enormous growth of an overall greenish hue that gives off the same silvery gleam as the slime trails.
The water in the central area of the floor is 2 feet deep, and the floor is very slippery-moving across this difficult terrain costs 3 feet of speed for every 1 foot traveled). Any sudden actions, including those necessary for combat, might result in the character taking a spill. A character who takes the Dash action or tries to fight while in the room must first succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
Moat
The 10-foot-wide section of floor that runs along the east, west, and north sides of the room is 10 feet lower than in the rest of the room, creating a 12-footdeep moat. Characters who don’t probe ahead will be unable to detect the drop-off until it is too late.
Lime
The walls are heavily coated with lime, which also pollutes the water. If a character stands in this water for more than 30 minutes, the soaked portions of the character’s clothing begin to rot away.
Creature
The phosphorescent glow on the eastern wall is actually a giant slug named Tecuziztecatl, the Lord of Snails. Tecuziztecatl (TayCOO-zeez-tay-COT-el) is highly intelligent and quite the boaster. In ancient lore it was considered to be related to the moon, a fact of which it is quite proud. During combat the slug will detail, in Olman, what it has in store for the characters and how hopeless their situation is.
If it begins to lose the combat, the slug will either “surrender” and after bargaining agree to help the party, or else it will flee and conceal itself in the moat. If the characters allow themselves to be helped, the slug will precede them to the north side of the moat and stretch its body across the gap, making it appear to be solid ground. Those who step on the slug without taking precautions will plunge into the moat.
The slug will lead the party toward the Tomb of Hurakan (area 12) and instruct them to open the door. Once the door is open, Tecuziztecatl will flee from the party and hide in the bottom of the moat.
Eastern Alcove
The eastern fountain has a small amount of concentrated lime solution near the bottom (dealing damage as the lime in area 5). It looks like cloudy water. A small amulet lies beneath the caked lime. The amulet (worth 65 gp) is made of brass and chrysoprase, engraved with the words “Lord of Snails.” It is possible to use the amulet as a bargaining tool with the giant slug, which will accept it in return for allowing the characters passage to the Tomb of Hurakan.
In the southeast corner of the eastern alcove, a swarm of rats nests in the rubbish. The swarm is made up of diseased giant rats.
Western Alcove
The western fountain is filled with algae, and some bullfrogs are raising a brood of tadpoles in the water.
12. The Tomb of Hurakan
(Ewe-RA-kan, god of the flood)
If the characters approach from the north (through the corridor marked 12A), read:
This passageway is slime-covered, and a stream of water trickles away from the door. There is condensation on the walls, door, and ceiling, some of which drips down on you. A quiet sound of dripping and splashing echoes in the corridor. This door is tightly sealed and appears to be warped outward or wedged shut. The door’s hinges are mounted on this side.
The door requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check to pull it open. The difficulty is due to the fact that the room behind the door is entirely filled with water, which has bowed the door and jammed it shut. Those who listen at the door will hear a slight splashing and gurgling, if they hear anything at all.
Opening the door will release a wave of water. Those hit by the water take 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked down and washed along the passage to the north, then westward. A creature that succeeds on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check while moving around a corner can grab onto the stonework there and halt its movement. When the flood washes to area 11, the water bursts open the doors there (if they weren’t open already), and anyone in the water is dumped into the moat.
A character who is washed down the hall must succeed on DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to keep a hold on anything in hand. Heavy objects sink to the floor in the hall, but lighter ones are washed into the moat.
12B. Tomb, South Entrance
If the characters traverse the corridor from east to west, describe the area as they advance.
This hall is strewn with mud and flotsam. Water accumulates in the center of the corridor and flows westward to where a stone block in the southern wall has shifted out of place. The corridor turns north, and the flow of water follows it, then goes under a door made of bronze-bound wood. The door has a handle and a keyhole.
Opening the door will reveal stairs going down into a small room. A pool of water fills the entire chamber. Another door is across the way, but only the top 3 inches of it can be seen above the water.
13. Child of Zotzilaha
A faint, melodious sound comes from ahead. It is difficult to tell whether it is someone singing or the echoing of dripping water in a great cavern.
If the characters burst into the room, they immediately hear a surprised squeal and a splash.
The room is lit by a soft light that reveals a section of rocky beach. Beyond the beach is a pool of glowing water, filling half the room and framed by a crystal cavern. Green fronds can be seen in the pool. Light seems to flow from everywhere, the pool and walls glistening like soft moonlight. On the far side of the pool is a set of doors carved with a sun symbol.
If the characters approached quietly, they might glimpse the singer.
Sitting on the beach in front of the crystalline pool is a woman, young and slim, with long golden hair and pale white skin. She radiates a soft silvery light even through her shawl, white as the froth of waves. She is singing a strange melody in an unrecognizable language. After finishing her song, she enters the water in a long, arching dive.
Water covers more than half of the cavern. The floor drops off sharply, creating a pool that is 12 feet deep. A ledge runs from the southern wall to a set of doors that lead east. Above the ledge, the water is only 2 feet deep, but the area counts as difficult terrain.
The doors that lead east have keyholes in them but are unlocked.
Creatures
The young woman is actually a nereid named Dasa Zotz. Whether startled or not, eventually the nereid surfaces and a silvery laugh is heard. This creature is an agent of Zotzilaha. Unlike most other nereids, she is chaotic evil in alignment, and she speaks Olman instead of Common. She possesses an insidious and clever mind, concealed beneath her alien beauty and seeming naiveté. She retreats from close combat and conceals herself in the water.
The nereid has a pet named Chac, a giant lightning eel. If she calls to Chac for aid, she does so on her turn when she uses Water Lash. The waters begin to heave and boil, and the watery form of a human with an elephantine head, wearing an elaborate headdress and holding a trident, rises up. The eel comes near the surface and strikes when the watery “god” levels its trident at a character.
Treasure
If seriously threatened, the nereid might reveal the location of her treasure. At the deepest part of the pool is a grotto hidden behind a bed of kelp. In this cave are six golden statuettes (worth 50 gp each) and a golden mask (worth 250 gp). Also lying in the cache are two crystal scroll cases (worth 25 gp apiece), though water has destroyed the scrolls in them; a silver idol (worth 15 gp), which is actually a bottle holding a
14. Flooded Hall
Half of the L-shaped corridor is flooded. The water is 3 feet deep and cold, and the bottom is very slippery; moving across this difficult terrain costs 3 feet of speed for every 1 foot traveled. Any sudden actions, including those necessary for combat, might result in the character taking a spill. A character who takes the Dash action or tries to fight within the room must first succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
The water becomes shallower to the east. After the corridor turns north, a set of stairs rises up out of the dampness, and the path ends at a set of bronze doors. The doors have keyholes but are unlocked.
15. The Great Hall
This hallway is twenty feet wide and has piles of rubble and debris scattered along its length. The walls are covered with frescoes. The south wall displays scenes of a battle between natives and invaders.
The north wall depicts people questing for a new land; their experiences during the journey include crossing treacherous mountains, sailing over storm-tossed seas, and receiving the guidance of the gods in their battles to keep their homeland free from invasions. In the center of the wall is a painting of a pyramid with a temple atop it and the sun shining over the land.
Double bronze doors stand in the eastern end of the south wall. Down the hall to the west is an archway carved in the form of twining serpents. Beyond it, the corridor continues on into shadow.
The hallway extends only 5 feet beyond the arch. The western wall is a cleverly painted mural designed to give the illusion of depth and reality, and the obscuring effect of the poison gas contributes to this impression. If characters attempt to go in this direction, they walk straight into the wall unless someone succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The space beyond the arch immediately in front of the mural is where creatures arrive after being teleported from the south end of area 32.
To either side of the arch is a 5-foot-deep niche. A character who steps into either niche triggers a pressure plate (see “The Ruins: General Features” at the beginning of the adventure) that releases a set of horizontal bars-closing off the archway and trapping the interloper.
The character can instead take 10 minutes to remove the plate from the floor, requiring the same sort of check as for an attempt to block the plate from moving. A failed check in this case means another 10 minutes of work is required, followed by another check.
Sun Painting
The painting of the pyramid and the sun conceals a secret door. A character who makes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check discovers that the portion of the work that depicts the sun is separate from the rest and can be depressed. Pushing it inward reveals and opens a secret door in the wall. The floor of the passage that leads north is 8 feet above the floor of the great hall. Accessing this secret exit causes any bars over the niches to retract into the walls and the pressure plates to reset.
16. Secret Door
This description assumes an approach from the north. The south side of the secret door is described in area 15.
The wall at the end of this corridor has a bas relief sculpture of a warrior armed with a spear and shield. The shield, which rests on the floor, resembles a sundial, complete with a marker standing out from the wall. Etched on the shield’s surface are runes in Olman script.
The message on the shield reads, “Turn back!”
Instead of being part of a solid carving, the shield has a seam that a character can discover with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Chips around the seam suggest that the shield can be pivoted. Experimentation thereafter reveals that the sundial marker is movable. When it’s in its current position, leaning to the right, the secret door is closed. If the marker is pushed to the left, the shield pivots, and the exit opens.
The floor of the area beyond the door is 8 feet lower than the floor in the corridor.
17. Hall of the Great Spirits
This corridor is high-ceilinged and decorated with sculptures mounted on the walls. Two corridors branch off from the main hall, a narrow one to the east and another to the west. The statuary that adorns the walls consists of four sculpted heads of animals. Each one is six feet above the floor and two to three feet in diameter. Opposite the passage that leads east is the stylized head of a coyote, and across from the hallway going west is the head of a grinning bear. Near the south end of the corridor, the head of a bison is mounted on the east wall.
At the north end of the area, on the west wall, is what appears to be the head of an eagle, with its beak open. Something shines from within the eagle’s mouth.
Wedged in the eagle’s throat is an intricately crafted golden bracelet. To remove the item, a character must either reach into the mouth or attempt to push the bracelet out with another object.
Snapping Trap
Disturbing the bracelet in any way will cause the beak to snap shut instantly. Whatever was inserted into the mouth will be pinned, and the hinge of the mechanism will jam.
The hinge can be loosened with oil, after which the beak opens easily, or the beak (AC 16, 25 hit points) can be broken off by dealing bludgeoning damage to it that reduces it to 0 hit points. If a character’s arm is caught in the beak when the beak is struck, that character takes one-quarter of the damage dealt to the beak and the beak takes the remainder.
Treasure
The golden circlet is a
18. Hallway of the Ancestors
Along both sides of the corridor, deep in shadows, human figures appear to be floating above the floor. As you approach, you see that the figures seemingly suspended in the air are actually withered corpses standing upright on a ledge two feet above the floor.
Creatures
Once the lead character in the party reaches the midway point of the east-west passage, fifteen zombie animate and attack. These corpses don’t register as undead to a casting of detect evil and good until after they animate.
Disease
After combat with the zombies is finished, each character who took damage from the monsters must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract sewer plague (see “Sample Diseases” in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Unlike the normal disease, symptoms of this disease manifest in an infected creature after 1 hour rather than 1d4 days.
19. Silver Coffer
At the end of the corridor is a small alcove holding a three-foot-tall stone pedestal on which rests a small silver coffer. Fifteen feet in front of the alcove, there is a single small step up in the stone floor. Inside the alcove, the floor is elevated an additional two feet.
Hinged Floor
A character who examines the base of the 2-foot step along the edge of the raised floor and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notices a metallic glint coming from a hinge that runs across the full width of the floor. The hinge can be dismantled by someone who uses thieves' tools, takes 5 minutes to do so, and succeeds on a DC 15 Dexterity check. On a successful check, the trap (see below) is prevented from triggering. On a failed check, the character hasn’t managed to dismantle the hinge but can try again.
Shifting Slab Trap
If the hinge in the floor isn’t dismantled, a trap is triggered if more weight is placed on the floor of the alcove than on the space immediately in front of the step up. The floor inside the alcove sinks 10 feet. At the same time, the 15-foot slab of floor north of the alcove (as shown on the map) rises up, pivoting along its south edge. The northern side of the slab now seals off the passage to the north, while the southern side slopes down toward the alcove. Those who were on the slab when it pivoted fall prone and roll to the bottom of the slope on the alcove floor, 13 feet below where the coffer sits on its pedestal. Each creature that falls in this way takes 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.
When the slab finishes moving, it locks into place, so the floor remains steeply sloped and the passage north remains blocked. The locking mechanism is hidden by the northern (elevated) edge of the floor, and it’s in a very narrow space. The stone around it can be chipped away over several hours of tedious labor until the edge of the slab no longer holds in place. A knock spell can also defeat the locking mechanism.
Treasure
The silver coffer is unlocked, but it is latched, so the lid will not come open unless the characters touch the box.
Inside the coffer is a strange copper figurine, narrow, with fins, looking somewhat fish-like. Written on the side of this figurine are strange runes. On the slimmer end is a small arched square panel.
The runes are in a script similar to Elvish and spell out the name Ilnedraw. Deft fingers will be able to open the small panel, revealing a hollow inside which is a wall of lighted, colored beads.
Touching any of the beads will cause the panel to close. A few seconds thereafter, the figurine will rise into the air and start to fly about the alcove, hovering at times and avoiding being touched by characters or missiles. Once an exit is available, the figure will fly from the party and move randomly through the ruins, stopping at doors and pausing for a minute. This floating statuette serves no purpose and is more or less a false lead.
The silver coffer weighs 15 pounds and is worth 150 gp due to its fine workmanship. The copper figure is worth 50 gp and weighs 5 pounds.
20. Spirit Guard of Ayocuan
(A-YO-kwan)
A massive bronze door opens into this grand chamber. The place is filled with rubble and life-sized statuary, much of it broken. Standing in ranks is an army of clay statues, in what must have once been an impressive array. Now, half of them are fallen and crumbled. Near the door are spear-wielders, perhaps twenty of them, outfitted only in scraps of leather now. At their feet lay obsidian spearheads and bits of rotted wooden shafts. Behind these figures are archers, in a scattered formation. Few of them remain standing. Their arrows are gone, but they hold laminated bows, dried and worm-eaten.
Farther into the room are figures of warriors with war clubs and handaxes, wearing scraps of lacquered leather, sandals, and caps. Beyond all of this in the north end of the chamber are a group of statues that must have been an honor guard. These warriors wear feathered robes and headdresses and are armed with pitted bronze spears. Each of these figures wears a breastplate of shells. They are standing near a domed structure. The stuccoed dome has no apparent openings.
On the east wall of the room are two carved stone columns flanking the remains of a covered sedan or litter, with statues of attendants standing nearby.
Treasure
The stuccoed dome is a cairn. It is a weak construction and can be broken into in 1 minute, using any bludgeoning instruments. If the characters work in concert, the time can be divided among multiple workers. Inside are six sets of worthless bones and six jade bead pectorals, worth 50 gp each. In a dusty corner is a pendant made of silver and turquoise, which is an
Creature
Lifting the lamp will open a hidden door in the floor, releasing a wight called Ayocuan from the compartment in which he has been trapped. Ayocuan wears another
Covered Sedan
Inside the curtained portion of the litter are the skeletal remains of a human, his arms are shackled to an arm of the sedan. In his rib cage can be found three arrowheads. Mixed throughout the broken clay in the immediate area are nearly five thousand beads of coral and shell worth 1 cp each.
20A
Behind the columns along the east wall is a bronze door barred shut with a pitted copper bar so that it can’t be opened from the outside. From inside this room, one has merely to remove the bar.
21. Stone Block
A large block of stone obstructs the corridor ahead. It doesn’t seem to have been a part of the original construction, for its composition is more sandy than the stones that make up the walls of these ruins. Furthermore, a gap of several inches is visible along the sides of the block and between the stone and the ceiling.
This block was placed by the ancient architects to prevent access into the lower chambers and deter grave-robbers.
To reach its current position, the stone was slid southward down the gently sloping passage to the north. That passage has several rollers built into the floor to aid in moving the stone across it. The block can be pushed back up the rollers by the combined effort of up to four characters with a total Strength of 45 or higher, or moved out onto the bare stone floor by the combined effort of up to four characters with a total Strength of 50 or higher. In either case, the stone can be moved a number of feet per round equal to half the walking speed of the slowest individual among the workers.
If the block is pushed up the rollers, it will roll back next round to block the corridor if not braked with a large object.
22. Chamber of the Nacehual
(Nah-SAY-wal, the achieved ones)
All the doors bordering this lozenge-shaped room are made of heavy bronze. Colorful glyphs are scribed on the western wall. There are two sideboards against the walls to the east.
In the middle of the chamber are two stone divans, each with a human figure stretched out on it. Between the divans is a low stone table holding a flask and two goblets, all made of crystal. In the bottom of the crystal flask is a quantity of silvery dust.
The figures on the divans are a male and female, each about middle-aged and perfectly preserved. They are very still, dust-covered, and apparently dead. Their bodies are covered with dry snakeskin. The female wears a silver bracelet and holds what looks to be an ivory wand. The male has an amulet of electrum resting on his chest, inset with a red stone of considerable size.
The glyphs, in Olman, read,
Glyphs
“Beware… many-eyed god will bring down a fiery death.”
Poison Dust
Mixing the silvery powder in the flask with any liquid will create a special potion. A creature that drinks it must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 5,000 years. While poisoned in this way, a creature is also unconscious but semi-aware of its surroundings, and it is unaffected by the passage of time or other poisons. If magic is used to cure the poisoned condition, the recipient becomes immune to the poison’s effect for 1 hour. A casting of dispel magic using a spell slot of 7th level or higher can also end the effect.
Creatures
The two bodies are martial arts adept in suspended animation. The male is named Cipactonal (See-PAK-ton-al), and the female is Oxomoco (Oks-OH-mo-koh). They used the potion that the flask once contained to feign their death. If either is disturbed, they both instantly awaken and stand. Oxomoco says, first in Olman and then in an ancient dialect of Common,
Oxomoco
“You have broken our glorious sleep; for this you must atone.”
The two then assume fighting stances, and if either is threatened or harmed, they attack. If the party negotiates, the two demand payment of 500 gp or one uncommon or rare magic item. If they aren’t paid, the monks attack.
If the monks are questioned about the ruins, they know nothing to tell, except that they can translate the message on the western wall. They will not leave their chambers.
Treasure
The ivory “wand” that Oxomoco holds is actually a folded fan worth 50 gp, and her platinum bracelet is worth 250 gp. Cipactonal’s amulet, made of electrum and garnet, is worth 100 gp.
23. Light Ahead
As you peer down the corridor, a faint flickering light becomes visible. The light begins to move through the hallway away from you, sputtering and wavering just at the edge of your perception.
The bobbing light is a will-o'-wisp. It will attempt to lure the party into a trap, then use Consume Life on a victim. The creature will lead parties coming from the west toward and then into the north-south corridor. Characters approaching from the north, who might already be familiar with the will-o'-wisp (see area 24), will be led on a zigzag route through the passages toward area 19.
23A. Triangular Stone
If the characters approach from the south, read:
You come upon a ten-foot-wide pit that stretches across the corridor. Beyond it is a wedge-shaped stone block or pillar that blocks the passage. The light ahead of you that you had been following is nowhere to be seen, as though it somehow passed through the pillar.
The pit is 10 feet deep and contains several humanoid skeletons.
The triangular pillar’s apex points toward the pit. Scratches on the floor and ceiling, scribing short arcs on either side of it, are easy to see. Someone who examines the pillar notices that it can be pivoted to either the left or the right, which will open a passage 2 feet wide that offers access to the north. If the characters move through this opening, they once again see the light of the will-o'-wisp in the distance.
If the characters approach from the north, read:
The hallway abruptly ends at a blank stone wall.
If the wall is hammered on, it will sound solid. A character who examines the floor or the ceiling finds scratches that scribe an arc from one corner to the other. Pushing on one side of the apparent dead end causes the triangular pillar to pivot as noted above. If the characters move through the opening, they discover the pit. If they proceed to the south, continue with area 23.
24. Sandbox
The two thick lines on the map mark the boundaries of a trap. A character who examines the ceiling 20 feet overhead as the party passes under one of the marked areas and makes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notices a narrow band of copper extending from wall to wall. A gap between the copper and the surrounding stone suggests that the metal might be part of a door or a portcullis. This object can be prevented from coming down by wedging it in place as if it were a pressure plate.
Pressure Plate
The 10-foot-square section of floor marked on the map is the location of a pressure plate (see “The Ruins: General Features” at the beginning of the adventure). If an amount of weight equivalent to that of three or four humanoids is placed on it, the trap described below is triggered.
Falling Door Trap
If the characters set off the trap by activating the pressure plate in the floor, they hear a click and then a crash as both portcullises, made of timber bound in copper, come crashing down, sealing off the indicated area. These barriers are a foot thick; each has an AC of 15 and 100 hit points. Lifting a door requires a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check, and any such check is made with disadvantage, since getting a good grip is difficult. If a door can first be pried up slightly with a crowbar or similar lever, requiring a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, someone not using the lever can get a grip on the bottom of the door, eliminating the disadvantage.
After 5 rounds, characters confined by the trap hear the sound of stone slowly grating on stone. Small panels near the ceiling move to expose four holes the size of a human fist on each wall. Dust trickles from the holes. After another 5 rounds passes, golden sand starts to pour rapidly through the holes. The floor is swiftly covered by the sand, which builds up at a rate of 2 feet per minute. Therefore, it takes 10 minutes for the sand to completely fill the hallway.
The area becomes difficult terrain after 1 minute. After 3 minutes of accumulation, a creature that moves through the sand must make a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity saving throw, becoming restrained on a failed save. (A creature that crawls need not make the saving throw, and creatures that have more than two legs have advantage on the saving throw.)
A creature can end the restrained condition on itself by using an action and succeeding on a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity check. Another creature can use an action to make the check and pull a restrained creature free. After 5 minutes of accumulation, the DC of the saving throw increases to 15. Once the sand is flowing, it must be scooped away from a closed door for someone to try to lift that door, and the sand flows through open doorways.
The dust that fills the air as the sand falls causes choking. Unless it need not breathe, a creature in the dust must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw at the start of its turn. On a failed save, the creature spends its turn coughing, able only to move at half speed or to make a check (with disadvantage) to free itself from the restrained condition.
Creature
As soon as the sand begins flowing, the will-o’wisp that frequents this part of the ruins (see area 23), if it remains alive, moves through one of the doors into the trapped area. It harries those who are having the most success at escaping the trap.
25. The Nest of the Warriors
A bitter stench assails the senses as you lay eyes on the room ahead. Inside, amid a pile of rubbish, offal, and bracken, ghostly lights move across the floor.
Closer observation reveals that the light is emitted by giant beetles. There seem to be around a dozen of these creatures in the room, each about three feet in length. They don’t appear to take notice of you. From within the largest pile of trash, where most of the beetles are clustered, come glints of something shiny.
Creatures
The garbage-infested room is home to thirteen giant fire beetle. They lack the two light-emitting glands behind the eyes that are normal for such creatures. They do give off a soft glow that emanates from their abdomens but doesn’t provide significant illumination. The beetles are nonaggressive unless their nest is threatened. Any sudden noise will bring a beetle or two to investigate. They examine any strange object with their feelers, and if it is edible, they bite it. Other beetles move toward the sound of their comrades fighting.
Treasure
The shiny objects in the beetles' nest are odd pieces of metal, polished rocks, broken crystal, three large turquoises (worth 20 gp each), and a