198
Over a century ago, Fidelio began his campaign to
single-handedly rid Undermountain of evil, foolishly be-
lieving that Tyr would not let him perish. The arrogant
paladin fought his way down to the Obstacle Course,
only to be disintegrated unceremoniously by Nether-
skull. Fidelio's convictions are so strong, however, that
his spirit cannot rest until it defeats Netherskull in
battle. The ghost has confronted the death tyrant many
times on its own, but these battles are always short-
lived, ending with Netherskull destroying the ghost and
causing it to re-form elsewhere in the dungeon.
Fidelio's ghost is looking for a potential host who is
willing to be possessed by it. A character who allows
the possession forgoes the saving throw to resist the
effect, and you can allow the player to continue running
the character. While possessed, the character gains the
following flaw, which supersedes any conflicting per-
sonality trait: "I, Fidelio, favored son ofTyr, must strike
down Netherskull at all costs, as justice demands." The
character also reeks of cheap cologne while possessed.
His arrogance aside, Fidelio won't possess a human-
oid without its consent. If it can't find a willing host, it
offers to join the party on two conditions: the characters
must seek out Netherskull with haste, combat it, and
allow Fidelio to deal the death blow to it. The ghost
knows the location of the death tyrant's lair (area 39c)
but doesn't know how to open the doors that lead to it,
or about the secret way in (area 39b).
If Netherskull is reduced to 0 hit points by a creature
other than Fidelio's ghost or its host, the paladin of Tyr
can't accept that someone other than he dealt the killing
blow. The ghost wallows in despair, doomed to haunt
the Obstacle Course until another follower of Tyr con-
vinces it to move on with a successful DC 20 Charisma
(Persuasion) check. A non-follower can attempt the
check, but only by posing as a Tyr worshiper and fooling
the ghost with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Decep-
tion) check.
If it succeeds in reducing Netherskull to 0 hit points,
either as a ghost or when in possession of a host, Fide-
lio's ghost is laid to rest. "Victory at last!" says the ghost
as it fades away. Afterward, Tyr bestows a blessing of
protection (see "Supernatural Gifts" in chapter 7 of the
Dungeon Master's Guide) on any character who served
as Fidelio's host.
For laying Fidelio's spirit to rest, the characters should
receive XP as if they had defeated the ghost in combat.- TELEPORT TRAP
This unadorned hallway contains a teleport trap (see
"Teleport Traps," page 194). A creature teleported by
this trap arrives at a location determined by rolling a
d20 and consulting the following table:
d20 Teleport Destination
1-12 The teleport trap in area 11
13-16 The teleport trap in area 26
17-20 The teleport trap in area 31LEVEL 15 I OBSTACLE COURSI'.- HIDDEN RUNE
This 20-foot-high chamber shows signs of past extrava-
gance. It has the following features:
Chasm. The floor to the north gives way to a chasm and
a hot, bubbling pool of lava 30 feet below. Intense heat
from the lava fills this room.
Bridge. A 10-foot-wide spectral bridge- nothing more
than a flat plane of wispy, magical force-extends
across the chasm from this room to another ledge 120
feet away. (For more information on the bridge, see
area 16. The far ledge is described in area 17.)
Double Door. At the south end of the room, two pillars
carved with scores of eyes flank a stone double door
engraved with a giant letter H.
If their handles are tugged, the double doors fly open,
revealing a stone wall with a giant elder rune carved
into it (see "Elder Runes," page 12). Draw a card from
the Elder Runes Deck (see appendix B) to determine
which rune waits beyond the doors. This rune targets
all creatures in the room with the same effect (bane or
boon, determined randomly). If Hal aster's personal rune
is indicated, an additional effect occurs: the pillars flank-
ing the doorway shoot multicolored rays from their eyes,
and each creature in the room becomes the target of a
prismatic spray spell (save DC 22). Once this effect is
resolved, the elder rune on the wall disappears, and the
doors s lam shut unless they are held open or otherwise
prevented from closing.
When the doors close, the trap resets so that the next
time the doors open, another randomly determined el-
der rune appears on the wall behind them. - ROLLER-DRAGON
This oval chamber has a 10-foot-high ceiling. Standing
against the east wall is a stone statue of a young gold
dragon on stone rollers. The dragon's mouth is agape,
teeth bared, and its wings are folded in tight.
DRAGON STATUE
The statue, which weighs 5 tons, can move forward or
backward on its stone rollers. It moves on its own when
the teleport trap triggers (see "Teleport Trap" below) but
otherwise remains still. While the statue is still, its roll-
ers are locked to prevent the statue from being moved.
The rolling statue is designed to fit snugly in the dun-
geon's 10-foot-wide passageways. It is a Large object
with AC 17, 120 hit points, and immunity to all damage
except force damage.ThLEPORT TRAP
A teleport trap fills the 10 -foot-square space in front of
the west exit. A creature teleported by this trap arrives
at a location determined by rolling a d20 and consulting
the following table:
d20 Teleport Destination
1-12 The teleport trap in area 13a
13 - 18 The teleport trap in area 22b
19-20 The teleport trap in area 40c