C3. LIBRARY
T his is the Cassalanters· private library. It contains the
following features:
- The scent of old parchment hangs thick in the air.
- The walls are lined with tall shelves packed with col-
orful, leather-bound books. Each bookshelf is outfitted
with a ladde r on a rolling track to enable people to
reach the highest books.
- S helves that take up the entire southwest wall hold
not books but eighty wide-necked glass bottles filled
with s wirling mist and sealed with corks.
Hanging on the north wall between two bookshelves
is a 7-foot-tall portrait of Lord and Lady Cassalanter
holding two infant children and standing beside
their teenage son. Osvaldo. (This portrait conceals a
secret door.)
If Terenzio and Elzerina are here. they're playing on
the sliding ladde rs.
Books. None of the books are magical.
jars of Mist. The glass bottles on the sout hwest shelf
contain magically captured sounds, including songs, op-
eras, and recorded lectures. Uncorking a bottle tempo-
rarily releases its auditory contents into the library. after
which the sound returns to its bottle. Breaking a bottle
releases the sound, but the sound dissipates after it
plays once. All the bottles are labeled. Sample contents
include the following:
- "Ahghairon's Dragonward," a lecture given by Khelben
Arunsun about the dragonward that protects Wate r-
deep (see "Ahghairon's Dragonward," page 6).
- "Canticle of the Silver Chalice," a hymn to the demi-
god Siamorphe.
Wulfgar and the Crystal Shard, an e pic opera detailing
the adventures of a barbarian, a dwarf, and a drow in
lcewind Dale.
"Your Beardy Face," a traditional dwarven love song
popular in the Moonsea region.
Secret Door. The Cassalanter family portrait hides
a secret door. Tilting the painting causes the door to
s wing outward on hidden hinges, revealing the pantry
(area Cl 1) beyond. A character can notice a s light gap
beneath the secret door with a successful DC 18 Wis-
dom (Perception) check.
C4. READING ROOM
This reading nook has the following features:
- Lighc pours into t his room through four tall bay win-
dows that look out on the butterHy garden (area C25).
Furnis hings include a luxurious armchair and a small
side table where an empty wine glass s its atop a
small book.
- A door in the northern wall has a butte rfly-shaped,
stained-glass peephole.
lfVictoro Cassalanter (see appendix B) is here, he's
reading a historical text titled The Rise and Fall of Hell-
gate Keep and taking notes in his journal.
journal. The small book on the side table is a journal
that Victoro Cassalanter uses to take notes while read-
ing. It mostly contains dry observations on atlases of
C HAPTER 6 I HELL OF A SUMMBR
FaerOn and history books. A character who flips through
the journal and succeeds on a DC IS Intelligence (Inves-
tigation) check can pick out a few notes made by Victoro
that a re unrelated to his reading:
- "Neverember's dragons are an answer to our prayers."
- "The Cassalanter mausoleum. Inform Y. G." (The ini-
tials refer to Lady Yalah Gralhund.)
"Golorr is an aboleth. Now it all makes sense."
If the c haracters are still searching for the Stone
ofGolorr in chapter 4, you can include in this jour-
nal a clue regarding the stone's location. (If the Cas-
salanters have the stone. it's hidden in area C6 when it's
not in use.)
C5. FOYER
Two guards in House Cassalanter livery a re stationed in
this marble-floored foyer al all hours. lt has seven exits:
A door to the entrance hall (area Cl)
An open arch that leads to a spacious dining
room (area C9)
Three unmarked doors on the east wall (to areas C6,
C7, and C8)
A grand staircase that ascends to the second Boor
(area C13)
An unassuming door under the stairs that leads to the
cellar (area C26)
Founders' Day. The foyer is filled with lavish bou-
quets in ceramic floor vases and wealthy guests chatting
loudly and drinking sparkling wine, while the gentle
music of a string quartet drifts down from upstairs.
C6. V t cTORo's OFFICE
The door to this room is locked. The room contains the
following features:
- Tall stacks of legal tomes and financial ledgers rest
atop a solid mahogany desk.
- A freestanding suit of bronze armor (complete
with helm, gauntlets, and greatsword) stands just
inside the door.
If Victoro Cassalante r (see appendix B) is here, he's
seated behind the desk with finge rs steepled, deep
in thought.
Armor. The suit of armor standing by the door is a
helmed horror. It obeys Victoro's commands. When
Victoro isn't present, it attacks anyone who opens the
door without a key or a nyone not of Cassalanter blood
who opens Victoro's desk. The Cassalanter children
know about this construct and warn friendly charac-
ters about it.
Desk. Victoro's desk is locked and can be opened
with Victoro's golden key. A character can pick the
lock by s ucceeding on a D C 18 Dexterity check using
thieves' tools. The desk drawer contains thirteen sealed
scroll tubes, a s igned contract inside each one. These
contracts outline the terms of loans made by Victoro
to various nobles, merchants, and guilds. The drawer
also has a secret compartme nt that characters can find
with a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check. It
holds a holy symbol of Asmodeus crafted from solid gold
(worth 250 gp).
