successful DC 20 group Charisma (Persuasion) check.
If negotiations break down or if the characters give the
aboleths a reason to be paranoid (which is easy to do,
given their natural inclinations), these creatures attack.L3. LANDGRAVE'S PIT
•
The light that fills the pit originates in the flicker of intri-
cate magical sigils that cover its top edge and the upper
twenty feet of its walls. Those sigils are woven into a
complex tapestry of magical light, undulating and writh·
ing like a n obscene carpet of snakes. Below their pulsing
glow, the pit descends into utter darkness.Landgrave's dedication to his mad goal is demonstrated
by the success of his doomed digging effort. The pit that
opens up inside the temple is hundreds of feet deep andpitch black below the uppermost (^20) feet. But the crea·
ture that lurks within is much closer than that.
The juvenile kra ken (see appendix C) normally lurks
several hundred feet down in the pit, but its hunger has
steadily drawn it up higher. Its progress is slow because
it must acclimate to the decreasing pressure as it rises.
It now lurks (^40) feel below the edge of the pit, concealed
in the inky-dark water. lf it senses activity in the water
above or al the lip of the pit, it races up and strikes.
Although still immature, the kraken is already mon·
strous to behold, with oily, dark green flesh, 20-foot-long
arms, and a ravenous mouth lined with hundreds of
dagger-like teeth. Its enormous eyes are surrounded by
an aura of red energy, the mark of the power channeled
into it. The glyph with which Sgothgah branded the
creature takes the form of a blue-black mark resembling
the spiral sign of Tharizdun. The flesh surrounding the
spiral is scarred by ulcers and sores: the energy chan-
neled into it sometimes erupts spontaneously and rots
away its flesh.
The kraken understands from Sgothgah's constant
whispering that it has a great. unknown destiny. It was
content to let Sgothgah serve its needs as it grew, but it
had already decided to kill the aboleth once Sgothgah's
usefulness had run its course. The kraken has no in·
terest in cooperating with anyone. Its only fear is dying
before it becomes monarch of the sea, so if it is reduced
to 40 hit points or fewer, it stops fighting and focuses
on escape.
Writhing S igi/s. The glowing marks that writhe
around the pit are a unique magical channeling device
concocted by Sgothgah. The two aboleths from the End·
less Nadir didn't recognize it or understand its purpose,
which led to their hesitation about attacking the kraken.
If the characters heard Mr. Dory's explanation of how
the cultists are incubating their spawn in the fear and
misery of the Styes, the players might figure out the
function of this magical conduit. Otherwise, a character
who has proficiency in Arcana who studies the glyph for
a few minutes and succeeds on a DC (^18) Intelligence (Ar·
cana) check determines its purpose.
The pit's magic acts as a beacon for negative emo-
tional energy generated within five miles of it, drawing
wisps of all s uch energy from the dismal e nvironment
of the Styes. Channeled through the unholy symbol of
Tharizdun that the kraken bears, that energy acceler-
ates the kraken's growth and fuels its hostility. Normally
such a beast would take decades to reach maturity,
but Sgothgah's magic has reduced that time to mere
months-and now the kraken will reach maturity in only
a few weeks unless it is destroyed.
The magic of the pit can be destroyed with a success-
ful casting of dispel magic (DC 19), or by physically de-
stroying the sigils on the floor of area L3 and the similar
marks on the top (^20) feet of the pit wall. The floor and
the pit each have AC 17; 75 hit points; immunity tone·
erotic, poison, and psychic damage: and resistance to all
other damage while the magic endures.
Aftermath
To end the killings that have been plaguing the Styes.
the characters need only slay Sgothgah. But killing the
aboleth won't save the Styes from the doom lurking in
Landgrave's Folly.
If the characters don·t destroy the juvenile kraken (or
at least wound it badly enough that it flees, after which
they destroy the magic of the pit), it eventually kills the
two squabbling aboleths and begins a reign of terror.
The creature starts to systematically destroy any
ships and fishing boats sailing past Landgrave's Folly,
and seemingly for sport it periodically s lithers up to
the Styes to pluck hapless victims from its sagging
docks. The cultists ofTharizdun are able to foresee the
kraken's strikes and can appease it with sacrifices, and
their status in the district quickly improves. Eventually,
the cult leaders replace the councillors as rulers of the
Styes. Defeating the kraken and its growing c ult be·
comes much more difficult at that point, though it could
make for an exciting follow-up adventure.
If the characters destroy the kraken, they have done a
huge service to all seafaring folk in the area. though the
locals might not realize it or appreciate it at first. Some
time after the kraken's defeat, the councillors hold a
closed meeting and decide to reward the characters:
each receives a small teak coffer containing pearls and
other gems worth 3,000 gp. on the condition that they
do not speak publicly about their efforts.
If any of the aboleths survive, those creatures have
long memories. and are certain to seek revenge against
characters who wronged them. This is especially true
of Sgothgah. Alternatively, if the characters came to an
agreement with the aboleths of the Endless Nadir and
aided them in their mission, they might be able to call
in a favor in the future. The aboleths' alien nature, how·
ever, means that their idea of repaying a favor might not
necessarily match that of the characters.
If the kraken escapes. it retreats into the dismal
depths of the sea and grows naturally to maturity. The
dire, apocalyptic events that might be triggered by a gar-
gantuan monstrosity whose mind has been poisoned by
negative energy and the constant nightmares ofThariz·
dun are left for you to imagine.lH\PrH:i:t fHESnr.s