Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage

222

QUALITH DOOR LOCKS

Mounted on both sides of every door in the mind flayer

colony (areas 9 through 20) is a burnished plate of dark,

alien metal embossed with a braille-like form of tactile

writing known as Qualith. Mind flayers use their tentacles

to read Qualith, which is composed in four-line stanzas

indecipherable to other creatures. A creature that touches

a Qualith inscription, however, can receive fragmentary

insight into the multilayered thoughts contained in it. A

non-illithid that wants to understand a Qualith inscription

in Seadeeps can make a DC^18 Intelligence check to inter-

pret the inscription. A failed attempt results in a crushing

headache and requires the creature to succeed on a DC

11 Wisdom saving throw or develop a random form of

short-term madness (see "Madness" in chapter 8 of the

Dungeon Master's Guide). A comprehend languages spell

provides understanding of the inscription roughly equiva-

lent to what a mind flayer would get from it.

Each door plate is imbued with psionic energy that func-

tions like an arcane lock spell. The Qualith inscription on

the plate describes the genuflections a mind flayer must

make with its tentacles to open the door. Other creatures

with at least four tentacles (such as flumphs) can imitate

these motions to bypass the lock, provided they can inter-

pret the inscription. A creature must be within 5 feet of the

door to open it in this way. Creatures without the requisite

tentacles and knowledge must deal with the lock by more

conventional means, such as a knock spell. If magic is un-

available, a locked door can be forced open with a success-

ful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check.

Clever adventurers might discover that a decapitated

mind flayer head, animated through an animate dead spell,

can be used to access the locks.

In the heart of Seadeeps, the ulitharid has built an

enormous dynamo that channels the energy of an under-

ground river to power a series of interconnected metal

capsules called psipods. The illithids under Extremi-

ton's command have kidnapped humanoids from Water-

deep and Undermountain and put them to sleep in these

capsules, which link their dreaming minds to the ulitha-

rid's dizzying intellect. These captives believe they're in

Waterdeep, but the city they see and experience around

them is a fabrication created wholly by the ulitharid.

Within this alternate reality Waterdeep, or "Alterdeep,"

Extremiton appears as any character it wants. Its favor-

ite role to play is that of Durnan, the gruff, tight-lipped

proprietor of the Yawning Portal.

Extremiton can make any environmental changes to

Alterdeep and observe how its captive audience reacts.

Meanwhile, it continues to use its telepathy to reach out

to the Waterdavians in the city above, gathering more

information to better realize its version of the city.

GITHYANKI

After tracking the splinter colony of mind flayers to Un-

dermountain, githyanki forces from level 16 have begun

their systematic eradication of the illithid presence.

The githyanki forces on this level await reinforce-

ments from level 16. Yaveklar, the knight in command,

intends to personally cut off the ulitharid's head and

present it to her superiors. Her second in command,

Lashiir, wants to see Yaveklar stripped of her command

for incompetence.

LEVEL 17 I SEADEEl'S

Exploring This Level

All location descriptions for this level are keyed

to map 17.

The caverns surrounding the mind flayer colony are

dark and da mp. The space occupied by the colony is

smoothly carved from solid stone. Throughout this

level, adventurers hear the constant thunder of the un-

derground river, which is especially loud in area^12 and

slightly Jess so in areas 16 through 20.

1. TuNNEL PLEXUS
   The natural tunnel that descends from level 16 levels
   out before splitting into several passages that connect
   to areas 2, 5, and 6. These passageways have uneven
   floors and ceilings, the distance between which varies
   from 10 to 15 feet. Characters who navigate these tun-
   nels occasionally come across the bodies of flumphs
   slain by the githyanki.
   2. DRIPPING CAVE
   Water drips from stalactites that cling to the roof of this
   damp, 30-foot-high cave.
   3. HALASTER'S MAW
   Most of this 30-foot-high cavern is taken up by a gaping
   pit roughly 50 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet deep.
   Its sides slope inward so that the floor of the pit is 30
   feet long by 10 feet wide. A statue of a humanoid figure
   lies shattered at the bottom of the pit.
   The broken statue is all that remains of Aasathra
   Raghthroknaar, a female dragonborn adventurer who
   was turned to stone and placed here by Halaster to lure
   other adventurers to their doom (see "Pit Trap" below).

PITThAP

A detect magic spell reveals an aura of transmutation

magic around the pit. Each time part of the statue is dis-

turbed, the pit magically snaps shut like a giant mouth

and then slowly opens again. Creatures in the pit when

it closes are crushed between its rocky walls and must

make a DC^17 Dexterity saving throw, taking^88 (16d10)

bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much

damage on a successful one. Creatures that are gas-

eous, amorphous (such as an ooze), or protected by an

impenetrable magical barrier (such as that created by an

Otiluke's resilient sphere spell) take no damage.

4. FLUMPH CLOISTER

Flumphs. Stalactites cling to the roof of this 20-foot-

high cavern. Lurking among them are nine ftumpbs.

The flumphs are passive creatures that fight only in

self-defense.

Secret Door. A secret door in the south wall is carved to

resemble natural stone.

The flumphs telepathically share the following infor-

mation with friendly visitors:

• Mind flayers have established a splinter colony on this
  level (areas 9 through 20). An ulitharid called Extremi-
  ton leads the colony. Once the colony is secure and its