- DRY CAVE
This dry, 20-foot-high cavern stands empty and serves
as a good place to rest on this level. - REFLECTIONS
This swampy cavern has a SO-foot-high ceiling of jagged
rock. Rising from the mire is an island of dry rock, upon
which are the following features:
Ruins and Statue. Amid the ruins of a dome built of
black stone is a statue of a snake with closed eyes
swallowing its own tail.
Apparition. The ghostly image of an adventurer moves
through the area, looking lost.
The ghostly image of a male human warrior in plate
armor wanders around the statue as though searching
for something he has lost. The image cannot be harmed
and does not acknowledge the characters. If a character
dies on this level, the image changes to appear as that
character, even if the character is later raised from the
dead. A dispel magic spell that targets the image causes
it to disappear for 1 hour.
A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check sug-
gests that the statue is a representation of Dendar the
Night Serpent, the yuan-ti god of nightmares. Any char-
acter who touches the statue is cursed. Until the curse
is ended with a remove curse spell or similar magic, the
character is beset by nightmares and gains no benefit
from a long rest. - WARDED CAVERN
Aglyph of warding spell has been cast on the floor at
the center of the 10-foot-high cavern. The glyph triggers
a cloudkill spell (save DC 15) when any creature other
than Karstis passes the midpoint of the cavern. The
spell's cloud lasts for 10 minutes.
DwEOMERCORE HIDEOUT
These caves are used by the mages of Dweomercore
(level 9) to keep an eye on their neighbors. The caves'
inhabitants include a mage named Karstis.
If death or capture seems likely, Karstis grabs his
spellbook in area 8b and flees to level 9 after instructing
his bodyguards to cover his escape. Thereafter, Karstis
can be encountered in area 8c on level 9.
8A. GUARDS
Golem. A flesh golem stands watch in the middle of this
10-foot-high cave, facing the entrance.
Wights. Two wights are on guard at the south end of the
cave (outside area 8b).
Crates. Three open crates are stored in the western-
most alcove. They contain sheets of parchment, small
jars of ink, quills, 10 days of edible rations, and five
2-gallon casks of clean water.
If the glyph in area 7 triggers, the flesh golem and the
wights can't be surprised. The golem was crafted by
Wormriddle the night hag (see level 9). If the golem goes
berserk, neither Karstis nor any of his other servants
can regain control of it.
LRVEL 8 I SUTH ERSWAMP
8B. KARSTIS'S CAVE
Karstis (LE male Mulhorandi human mage) lurks here
with four minotaur s keleton s. The 10-foot-high cave is
lit by a hooded lantern that rests on a portable writing
desk covered in quills, ink jars, and books. A folding cot
rests near the back wall.
Treasure. Amid the clutter on the desk, characters
can find Karstis's spellbook. The book is bound in
human flesh and contains all the spells Karstis has pre-
pared, plus animate dead and glyph of warding.- TEMPLE OF THE GREAT SNAKE
This 30-foot-high cavern is dominated by a ruin that
contains the following:
Carvi ngs. The interior walls are covered in carvings of
snakes, fanged maws, and open ophidian eyes.
Black St atue. The northwest section of the temple con-
tains a black stone statue of a masked, hooded male
humanoid dressed in leather armor and clutching a
dripping dagger in each hand. Harmless centipedes
crawl all over the statue.
Green Statu e. The middle chamber contains a statue
carved of green stone, depicting a 15-foot-tall winged
snake with its fangs bared. Harmless snakes slither
around the statue's base.
Ghost. Wandering through the ruin is a spectral woman
wearing a soiled black gown and a featureless white
mask (actually the ghost of a slain yuan-ti priest).
A yuan-ti pureblood priest named Yoastal was slain by
the Ssethian Scourges and remains bound to the tem-
ple. Because she cannot leave, she tries to trick others
into completing her unfinished business, knowing that
she cannot rest until the Ssethian Scourges are dead.
Yoastal can be both friend and foe to an adventuring
party. The ghost claims to have once been a cleric of
Mask, cursed to remain in Slitherswamp until the nagas
are destroyed. She provides characters with the layout
of the level in exchange for promises to free her. But her
information is always slanted toward leading the char-
acters into situations that might further escalate the war
between the Ssethian Scourges and the Blacktongues.
If Yoastal is destroyed while any of the nagas live, she
re-forms in this ruined building in ld4 days.
BLACK STATUE
Water trickling down from the ceiling falls onto this
statue and drips off its daggers like poison. A character
who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check
recognizes the statue as a representation of the yuan-ti
god Sseth.
A character who searches through the mud around
the statue and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Percep-
tion) check discovers a rotting sack and also digs up a
hostile swarm of insects (centiped es).
Treasure. The sack contains 550 gp.GREEN STATUE
A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Reli-
gion) check recognizes this statue as another represen-
tation of Sseth.