THE CELLAR
The following locations are identified on map 2.2.
- WINE CELLAR
Shoulder-height wooden bottle racks line the north and
west walls here. There appear to be no intact bottles left
in the racks and shattered bottles cover the Aoor.
Against the east wall, at the foot of the stairs, rest two
large metal storage bins that appear to be empty.
In the center of the room lies a human corpse clad in
plate mail; a longsword lies by the corpse's right s ide,
and a large shield covers its legs.If the characte rs are following the tracks that lead from
area 1, through area 10. and down the stairs into this
room, they discove r that the tracks continue to the south
wall of this chambe r and stop abruptly at the secret
door. If they failed to find the tracks earlie r, they can
pick up the trail here with a successful DC 10 Intelli-
gence ( Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) c heck.
The secret door can be discovered by someone who
makes a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation)
check. This check is made with advantage if the charac-
ters followed the tracks that lead to the door.
Bottle Racks. The smugglers emptied the wine cellar
a long time ago, though one full bottle remains, having
rolled under a rack after it was jostled loose. Someone
who examines the tloor around the racks and s ucceeds
on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check can s pot
the bottle, its label bearing the image of a jauntily
dressed unicorn. The contents are drinkable, and a
character who makes a successful DC 10 Intelligence
(Investigation) check ascertains that it is a rare vintage
worth 50 gp to the proper buyer. Anyone who samples
the wine, though, finds it cloyingly sweet, the vintage's
value clearly owing more to rarity than actual quality.
Corpse. The remains are those of an adventure r who
set out to explore the house several weeks ago. The
s muggle rs slew the heavily armored intruder and left
the remains in place to scare off other visitors.
The corpse is infested with two s warms of rot grubs
(see appendix C). Any creature that touches the body
comes unde r attack by the swarms as they spill out
of gaps in the armor. At a glance. the grubs' appear·
ance looks unnervingly similar to curdled milk being
squeezed from a bladder.
Treasure. The plate mail is banged up- the result of
brutal clubbing a nd kicking but serviceable and fits a
Medium creature. The longsword and the shield a re in
good condition. An explore r's pack, lacking the rations
a nd water, is under the corpse.
Development. The smuggler in area 2 1 i s Likely to
hear t he characters if they engage in combat in this
area or are otherwise noisy. Unless the characters are
purposefully quiet and stealthy. the single smuggler be-
yond the northern secret door hears them and retreats
through the southern secret door. which connects a rea
21 with the caverns.- CELLAR
If the party makes a lot of noise while exploring area
20, the smuggler here has already vanished through the
secret door.
This torchlit chamber was once a large cellar, but it has
since been converted into living quarters. Ten crude beds
stand along the south wall, each with a wooden locker
at its foot.
A long wooden trestle table ringed by rickety stools
dominates the center of the room. Metal cutlery, cups,
and dirty plates sit atop the table.
A cookstove is installed near the table, and evidence
of recently cooked meals sits in pots atop it. A large ham
hangs from a loop of twine near the stove.
A sturdy set of stairs leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling
above. There are two wooden doors in the east side of
the room.T
If the characters avoided making undue noise in a rea- a single smuggler (bandit) is scrubbing pots in a
washbasin near the stove. He tries to flee through these-
cret door as soon as the characters appear. Otherwise. if
the smugglers have been alerted to the party's presence,
two bandits and a s cout are here and ready to fight.
Without a smuggler to point the way, someone must
make a s uccessful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation)
check to find the secret door. The door is hidden be hind
some s helves that s lide away to reveal the opening,
which leads to the caverns.
When the party approaches the doors in the east end
of the room, read:
The door to your left appears normal, but the one ahead
has a wooden bar across it, held in brackets on the frame
and the door itself. The word "DANGER" is scrawled on
that door in the Common tongue using chalk.The left door. leading to area 22. is unlocked.
Barre d Door. Characters who examine the bar can
see that it is damaged and bent, as if something has
tried to push the door open from the other side.
Treasure. The ten wooden footlockers are locked.
One can be opened by a character who succeeds on a
DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. A locker can
also be pried open by a character who uses a crowbar
and makes a successful DC 12 Strength check. The
lockers contain personal effects: each a lso has a coin
purse that holds 7 gp a nd J 5 sp.(J!AT'llll'1 Tiii ~l"l'HlR' (Rf! ( ' f S!\L1~ 1 i\RSH