THE CURSED LUC KSTONE
Do nothing to prevent t he characters from being misled
regarding the stone carried by the alchemist in area 23, as
well as the book and the golden objects found in his lab
in area 24.
In truth, there is no such thing as a philosopher's stone,
although the characters might put two and two together
and decide otherwise if they claim the stone from the
alchemist, see the unlikely golden objects, and also deci-
pher the book.
They might become excited at the idea of possessing an
actual philosopher's stone! Of course, once a character
attunes to the stone, the sad truth is revealed.- LABORATORY
' The secret door opens toward you to reveal a clutter of
broken glass and earthenware piled on the floor beyond.
Three small copper pots lie amid the debris.As the party enters and sees the rest of the room, read:l A bench runs down the west wall of what seems to be a
laboratory. On the bench are jars of powders and liquids
and several pieces of chemical apparatus.
There is a table against the south wall, forming an
L-shape with the bench. A book is open on the table.
Also on the table is a candlestick, with a tiny stump of
unlit candle still in it, and a variety of other items that,
even in the dim light, shine with the warmth of pure gold.
One of these objects looks like a human skull.Book. Before the alchemist died, he was reading the
book that lies open on the table. Its title is Ye Secret of
Ye Philosopher's Stone, no author acknowledged. The
book is worth 50 gp to the right buyer.
Though it is written in Common, the book is too pro-
found and recondite a work to be fully unde rstood by
anyone other than the appropriate specialist, but a cha r-
acter might be able to deduce the general s ubject matter.
Gaining that knowledge requires 8 hours of study and a
successful DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check. The book
contains instructions for the creation of a "philosopher's
stone," then describes how that object can be used to
convert base metal into gold.
Golden Objects. The objects on the table are made of
pure gold-but were manufactured this way, nor magi-
cally transformed. Although the characters might infer
that they are the results of successful experiments with
the philosopher's stone. the truth is that the alchemist
had them c rafted to deceive a potential buyer into believ-
ing that the stone was real. The collection includes the
following items:
- A human s kull (20 gp)
- An apple (5 gp)
- A rose (5 gp)
- A set of five small discs (balance weights, 5 gp each)
CHAPTfR2 IHF SINl~Tl:RSI·( RiTO! S'\lT~IARSll
l
Treas ure. The table holds small stacks of gold coins
totaling 47 gp. Examining the table closely reveals a
concealed drawe r that contains the spellbook the al-
chemist used when he was alive. The book's conte nts
include dancing lights, comprehend languages, Tenser's
floating disk, and shatter. The chemical apparatus on the
bench is worth 20 gp.THE CAVERNS
The passages a nd caverns beyond the secret door in the
south wall of room 21 all decline perceptibly toward the
sea. The passage that runs north of areas 25 and 26 and
the interior of areas 27, 28, and 29 are well-lit by torches
set in crude brackets on the walls. Areas 25 and 26 are
dark. Area 30 is open to daylight. The walls a re slimy
a nd the floors are moist, though the smuggle rs have laid
matting in places to make them more easily passable.
All these passages and caverns are natural, though
there are signs of worked stone here and there; such evi-
dence is found on the stairs leading from the secret door
and in places where na rrow passages were widened.
It is likely that the characters have dealt with me m-
bers of Sanbalet's gang before entering the caverns.
The following area descriptions assume that the smug-
glers have responded (see ''Smugglers on Alert" in the
"Background'' section), so that Sanbale t and a few of the
smugglers await the characters in area 27 a nd 28.
lf the smuggle rs are caught off guard, most of them
are scattered throughout the caverns. Be s ure to place
them in a way that does not overwhelm the characters,
but once combat begins in the caverns, it likely won't
stop until the gang is entirely dealt with. Jf Sanbalet is
slain, consider having a ny remaining smugglers flee.
The following locations are identified on map 2.2.- SLIMY CAVERN
This uneven, naturally formed cavern is about twenty feet
in diameter.Two patches of green slime (see "Dungeon Hazards"
in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) hang at a
point on the ceiling roughly halfway between the two
passage mouths. T hey drop on characters (or smug-
glers) who pass below, landing with a distinctively
soggy s lap.- NATURAL CAVERN
IJ This roughly circular, naturally formed cavern is about
1 twenty-five feet in diameter.l
If the smugglers are not yet aware of the cha racters'
presence, three scouts are resting here while they await
instructions. There is nothing else of note in this a rea.