22
25. EXCAVATION SITE
Goblins in league with the Xanathar Guild dug a tunnel
that connects a dead-end hallway (area 25a) with a par-
tially collapsed hall (area 25b).25A. DEAD GOBLIN
Dead Goblin. A dead goblin lies on the fioor. (A bugbear
caved in its skull for falling asleep on the job.)
Tools. Three pickaxes and two shovels rest atop piles of
rubble at the mouth of a 5-foot-wide, 5-foot-high tunnel
that meanders through collapsed stone.25B. HEADLESS STATUE
Half-buried in stone debris at the north end of this par-
tially collapsed hall is a headless stone statue of a nude
woman. Characters who take time to clear the rubble
find the statue's head, which resembles the head of a co-
bra with its fangs bared.26. CLEAN TUNNELS
These tunnels are 10 feet high with flat ceilings. T hey're
swept clean on a regular basis by the gelatinous cube
that characters first encounter in area 26c. Halaster has
also placed a gate to level 10 here (see area 26d).26A. HALL OF MANY CANDLES
Candles. The hall is brightly lit by flickering tallow can-
dles that fioat in shallow niches along the walls. The
candles produce heat but no smoke.
Cle an Ha ll. The corridor is conspicuously free of dust
and debris.
Each of the twenty-five niches contains two lit can-
dles. Although wax runs down the sides of the candles,
it never drips off them onto the niche, nor do the candles
ever seem to be diminished or consumed.
A dispel magic cast on any candle causes all the can-
dles to extinguish, then fall to the floor and break upon
impact. A candle taken from its niche becomes an or-
dinary candle that doesn't float and burns down as any
normal candle would.26B. EMPTY CLOSET
Behind this door is an empty, 10-foot-square room.26c. OoZE YouRjANITOR?
Just around this corner is a gelatinous cub e. The first
character to walk around the corner is surprised by the
cube unless that character has a passive Wisdom (Per-
ception) score of 15 or higher.26D. MIRROR GATE TO LEVEL 10
This tunnel comes to a dead end, mounted on the north
wall of which is a mirror gate to level 10 (see "Gates,"
page 12). Worked into the mirror's stone frame is the
graven image of a human wizard wielding a wand. The
rules of this gate are as follows:- The gate opens for 1 minute when the mirror is
touched with a magic wand that has at least 1 charge
remaining. - Characters must be 11th level or higher to pass
through this gate (see "Jhesiyra Kestellharp," page
LEVEL I I L>UNCEON LEVEL10). The first creature to pass through the gate trig-
gers an elder rune (see "Elder Runes," page 12).- A creature that passes through the gate appears in
area 8 on level 10 , in the closest unoccupied space
next to the identical gate located there.
- HIDDEN DEMIPLANE
Bas-Relief. Carved into the back wall of this alcove is
a shallow niche containing a bas-relief sculpture of a
nude, heavyset man playing a harp (see below).
Half a Pole. Lying on the floor of the alcove is a broken
half of a 10-foot pole.
Close inspection of the bas-relief reveals the following
inscription carved into the harp, in Common:
Gaze upon me with bronzed visage
And secrets shall I reveal.
A detect magic spell reveals a strong aura of conjura-
tion magic in the a lcove. Any character who s teps into
the alcove wearing the bronze Halaster mask found in
area 21 is transported to a demiplane (see "Demiplane"
below). Any nonmagical object anchoring the character
to the Material Plane, such as a rope or a pole held by
another creature, is sheared or snapped off as the char-
acter crosses the threshold.
DEMIPLANE
The demiplane looks like a 30 -foot-square stone room
with the following features:
Mis ty Porta l. A mist-filled open doorway leads back to
the dungeon alcove on the Material Plane..
Ha lf a Pole. The other half of the broken 10-foot pole
lies on the floor just inside the doorway.
Portrait. Hanging upside down on one wall is a tall,
wood-framed painting of Halaster Blackcloak.
Simula crum. Seated in a high-backed oak chair in front
of the painting is a simulacrum of the Mad Mage him-
self (created by the simulacrum spell).
When it meets a character for the first time, Halaster's
simulacrum says, "Well, don't just s tand there like a
boob. Ask me three questions about Undermountain.
Two of my answers will be true, and one will be false."
The simulacrum knows everything that Halaster
knows and makes good on its offer, answering the char-
acter's first question with a lie and the second and third
questions with the truth. After answering three ques-
tions, it turns to slush and is destroyed. The simulacrum
won't provide any additional information and can't leave
the demiplane. The demiplane remains even after the
simulacrum is destroyed.
Removing the Halaster mask does not affect the demi-
plane. By tossing the mask through the misty doorway,
a character inside the demiplane can enable others to
use it to enter from the Material Plane.28. GRICK SNACK WATCH POST
The Xanathar Guild maintains a watch post here, called
"Grick Snack" by the bugbears that command it. Two
bugbears and six goblins are stationed in this area.