Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage

(Jeff_L) #1

6. TEMPLE OF DUMATHOIN ~~~~-


This ancient temple of Dumathoin has been converted
into a vile hatchery for giant spiders by T'rissa Auvryn-
dar and her followers. It contains the following:


Dais. T'rissa Auvryndar, a drow priestess ofLolth,
stands atop a raised dais at the back of the hall, pre-
siding over a group of four drow (two females named
Ardulace and Dhessril, and two males named Izzatlab
and Yriltorn) and three giant spiders. If the charac-
ters didn't encounter the drow mage in area Sa, he is
present as well.
Spiders. Scores of tarantula-sized baby giant spiders
creep and crawl throughout the room. (Unless they' re
destroyed, most of them will mature into full-size gi-
ant spiders in a matter of weeks.)
Web Cocoons. S tone pilla rs hold up the 30-foot-high
arched ceiling, which is concealed by a thick canopy of
spiderwebs. Strung between the pillars and bas-relief
carvings of towering dwarves protruding from the
walls are humanoid corpses cocooned in spider silk.
Sacrifice. The back wall of the temple is carved with
a towering bas-relief of a mountain. Lashed to the
mountain with sticky webs is a struggling and
gagged male drow with sacks of spider eggs clinging
to his body.
T'rissa is as malevolent as the demonic god she wor-
ships and refuses to speak to non-drow, let alone nego-
tiate with them. T'rissa stabilizes dying characters so
that they can be implanted with spider eggs (see "Spider
Eggs" below).
The male drow lashed to the wall is named Krenrak.
He was T'rissa's consort until she grew bored with him.
If set free, he fights against T'rissa and the other drow-
but baby spiders burst from his chest 2 rounds after his
release, killing him.
T'rissa carries a ring of iron keys that unlock the cells
in area Sd, as well as a separate iron key to area 20d.


DEAD PRISONERS
The corpses hanging in the webs are the desiccated
husks of prisoners who served as incubators (and later
meals) for the spiders crawling about the room. Among
the dead hobgoblins, goblins, and grimlocks are hu-
mans, dwarves, halflings, tieflings, and gnomes who
were kidnapped from S kullport and Waterdeep. They all
bear similar wounds, with the skin peeled outward.

SPIDER EGGS
If the party is defeated, stabilized characters awaken
after ld4 hours to find themselves cocooned in sticky
webs and suspended^10 feet off the floor, with spider
eggs implanted in their bodies. A cocooned character
is restrained and can use its action to try to escape by
making a successful DC 15 Strength check.
Spider eggs implanted in a host hatch in 2dl2 hours,
killing the host as the baby spiders chew their way out.
This infestation functions like a disease. A lesser resto-
ration spell or s imilar magic cast upon the host kills the
s pider eggs, ending the threat.


  1. PAIN AND PLEASURE
    T'rissa Auvryndar has converted these temple barracks
    into torture chambers. The screams of the drow in areas
    7d and 7e echo throughout this space.


7A. ENTRYWAY
This room is empty, but cries of pain can be heard com-
ing from beyond the door.

7B. UNUSED TORTURE CHAMBER
The walls of this room are lined with coiled whips, dag-
gers, and other menacing tools. A small table in the cen-
ter is covered with a pristine, white silk sheet.

7c. LOUNGE
Guards. Four female drow named Balwiira, Olorgyl,
Restryn, and Ulraelle stand guard in the corners of
the room, e njoying the screams coming from areas
7d and 7e.
Circle. In the middle of the floor is a 10-foot-diameter
circle of entrails surrounded with ghastly script writ-
ten in blood (see "Abyssal Circle" below).
Furnishings. Four chaise longues carved from dark
wood and padded with spider silk cushions are spread
around the edges of the room.
Tunnel. A natural tunnel splits the middle of the south
wall, and howling winds echo from deep within.
The drow guards have orders to kill aJI non-drow on
sight, including driders that fail to heed the terms of
their exile. The torturers in areas 7d and 7e investigate
sounds of combat here, leaving their prisoners tied up in
those rooms.
Abyssal Circle. The script a round the circle is written
in Abyssal. Anyone who understands the language and
succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check can
ascertain the circle's purpose, which is to send drow to
the Abyss as part of a ritual known as the Test of Lolth.
Any drow who fails this test returns from the Abyss
horrifically transformed into a drider and is instructed
to flee by way of the southern tunnel and never return,
Jest they be killed. Drow who pass the test return to
this chamber as they were, with Lolth's blessing and
nothing more.

7D. WATER TORTURE
Narizmar. A nude male drow named Narizmar Do'ett
is strapped to a s turdy table positioned beneath a
suspended 80-gallon water barrel. A spider silk hood
covers his head. {His weapons, shirt, and armor lie in
a pile in the northeast corner.)
Sylkress. Unless she is drawn to area 7c by sounds of
combat there, a female drow elite warrior named
Sylkress Auvryndar stands at the far end of the table,
gripping a pair of ropes that cause the barrel to tilt
and disgorge water when they are pulled.
Sylkress is convinced that Narizmar has pledged
hi s loyalty to another female drow, and she means to
learn the identity of this rival for Narizmar's affections.
Narizmar actually spread rumors of the affair himself,
so that Sylkress would torture him and thereby see his

LEVEL 3 I SARGAUTH LEVEL
17
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