108
Scroll. On the north wall, east of the door, hangs a
framed scroll pressed flat behind a sheet of glass.
Bolted to the wooden frame is a tiny metal plaque that
reads, "Break glass in case of emergency."
Maddgoth's idea of an armory is a pair of well-paid
nycaloths named Yzig and Gorzog. They can't leave the
room until they're restored to their true form, and they
won't leave the castle before Maddgoth returns. Their
orders are to s lay castle invaders. The nycaloths rec-
ognize Maddgoth's homunculus and won't harm it; all
other creatures are attacked on sight.
Without its master around, the homunculus doesn't
trust the nycaloths and thus hasn't tried to free them.ThEASURE
The framed scroll is a spell scroll of cloudkill.45. ALCHEMIST'S LABORATORY
Otto removed anything it considered valuable from this
chamber but periodically returns to see if it missed any-
thing. If the faerie dragon hasn't been encountered and
defeated elsewhere, there is a 25 percent chance that it's
here when the characters arrive, in which case the door
to the room is open. If Otto is not present, the door is
closed and has a silver coin lodged in its frame (see area
19). The room's features are as follows:
Tables. Tables stand haphazardly about the room, their
s urfaces cluttered with alchemical equipment.
Cabinets. Corner cabinets are brimming with skuJ!s,
jars of powdered substances, and leather-bound jour-
nals filled with Maddgoth's mad scribblings.
Refuse. The floor is strewn with bits of broken glass,
scraps of parchment, and other refuse.ThEASURE
The room contains three full sets of alchemist's sup-
plies, all of which can fit in one backpack.
A potion of invisibility in a stoppered glass vial has
rolled underneath the northwest corner cabinet and is
lodged in the back corner. A detect magic spell reveals
its presence.46. MADDGOTH'S THRON E
The door frame has an electrum coin wedged into it
(see area 19).
A tall throne made of iron and stained glass stands
in the southern alcove, facing the door. The throne's
clawed armrests and feet give it a monstrous appear-
ance, but there's nothing dangerous about it. Laid before
the throne is a IS-foot-diameter circular rug with a
pattern resembling a large gaping mouth. The rug, too,
is harmless.- ROOF AND BATTLE MENTS
The roof offers little in the way of a view, since the sur-
rounding cavern is all but lost in darkness. The echoes
that a si ngle shout can create are astonishing, though.
Four-foot-high crenellated battlements enclose the roof.LEVEL 7 I MADDGOTH'S CASTLEHIDDEN ThAPDOOR
An 8-foot-square trapdoor near the northern battlement
hides a stone staircase that leads down to area 38. This
is the route by which Otto the faerie dragon comes and
goes from the castle.
The trapdoor blends in with the surrounding stone-
work, and detecting it requires a successful DC 15
Wisdom (Perception) check. Tiny letters scratched
into the trapdoor spell the words "KNOCK KNOCK"
in Draconic.
Knocking twice on the trapdoor causes it to swing
open on its own, then close 1 minute later. Otherwise,
the trapdoor must be pried open with a crowbar or sim-
ilar tool. Prying the trapdoor open requires a successful
DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check.Aftermath
What happens in the miniature castle has little impact
on the stone giants, and vice versa. Killing all the gi-
ants saddens Otto the faerie dragon, but its goals don't
change. If the characters help the giants by dealing with
the faerie dragon, all is forgotten in a few hours when
the giants' memories fade away.
If the slaad in area 33 succeeds in slaying or driving
off the characters, it makes its home in the castle, hop-
ing that Maddgoth will one day return with the slaad's
control gem. In a struggle between the faerie dragon
and the slaad for control of the castle, the slaad can win
either by killing Otto or forcing the dragon into hiding.
Characters who leave the level and later return dis-
cover that the giants don't recognize them or remember
having met them previously. If one or more giants were
killed, the surviving ones retain no memory of how
their fallen kin died. If all the giants die, Halaster might
freeze the caverns and fill them with a tribe of yetis
led by a mated pair of abominable yetis, or provide the
space to a clan of degenerate fomorians.
After the characters depart, Maddgoth might return
to check on things. He's either a neutral evil archmage
who has exceeded his natural life span with potions
of longevity, or he's a lich. Choose whichever form you
prefer. In either case, Maddgoth tries to put his house in
order, which could take weeks if the characters made a
mess of things. Maddgoth might be accompanied by a
mage he has invited to stay with him on some false pre-
tense. In truth, Maddgoth plans to torture and mu rder
his house guest, as he has done with so many others.
Maddgoth wears a horned ring (a very rare magic
item) that allows a wearer attuned to it to ignore Un-
dermountain's magical restrictions (see "Alterations to
Magic," page 10). He also carries the control gem for
the slaad in area 33. If the party didn't claim his helm
(see area 25b), he dons it for the duration of his stay in
the castle. If the nycaloths are still around (see area 44),
Maddgoth retains their services as bodyguards. If the
characters prove too great a challenge for him, Madd-
goth teleports away and returns the next day with eight
mezzoloths to help him clean house.