concerned with its own safety and the elimination of the
githyanki. The welfare of the rest of the colony comes
second. It places no value on prisoners and gladly re-
leases them if doing so is enough to preserve its life.
The scene projected on the back wall is what Extremi-
ton sees when it looks through the eyes of the virtual
Durnan in the alternate version of Waterdeep. The view
changes abruptly whenever the ulitharid switches char-
acters in the simulation, and the scene fades entirely
when the ulitharid leaves its throne.
Given a chance to do so, the ulitharid is delighted
and eager to show off its Alterdeep simulation, which it
is using to learn more about Waterdeep and its multi-
faceted culture. Extremiton fails to mention that once
it becomes an elder brain, it plans to use its newfound
knowledge to enslave the entire city.1 2H. ETTIN THRALLS
This curved chamber has a flat ceiling 10 feet high.
Lurking in the dark, empty alcoves to the north and
south are four scrawny ettins. At full health, each ettin
has 60 hit points.
The ettins' minds have been broken by dominate
monster spells cast on them repeatedly by the illithids
over many months. These drooling, gibbering, malnour-
ished thralls won't attack illithids or creatures in their
company. All other creatures are attacked on sight. The
starving ettins hungrily devour any kills.13. BACK DOOR
The double doors to these rooms are airtight, sound-
proof, made of stone, and sealed with Qualith door locks
(see "Qualith Door Locks," page 222). Unless they are
held open, the doors automatically close and lock. The
ceiling here is 10 feet high.
The mind flayers use this back door to their fortress
as a means of escape, in case the colony is overrun by
githyanki or other invaders.13A. TREASURY
Two chests carved from zurkhwood sit atop low stone
tables against the west wall of this room.
Treasure. The chests contain treasure that the mind
flayers use to bribe creatures they can't devour or en-
slave. Each chest contains 800 pp. Characters who dig
through the gold also find a pair of purple-tinted crystal
spectacles with platinum frames (2,500 gp), a potion of
resistance (acid), a Quaal's feather token (tree), and a
drow-made dagger with silver web filigree. The dagger
magically plays a fragment of a guitar solo when struck
or used to strike a foe. The dagger is worth 750 gp.
13B. OUTER GUARD POST
The north wall of this empty, unfurnished room con-
tains a secret door.
The doors to this room are made of stone and sealed
with Qualith door locks (see "Qualith Door Locks," page
222). Unless they are held open, the doors automati-
cally close and lock. The ceiling here is 10 feet high. The
room contains the following features:
LEVEL 17 I SEADEEPS
Psipods. Resting in iron brackets along the curved
walls are fifteen coffin-sized bronze cylinders with
lids of transparent crystal. Each capsule is tilted at a
45 -degree angle, connected to metal floor panels with
thick copper wires, and coated in a thin, slimy residue.
Illithids. Four mind flayers carrying dark sheets of
metal resembling clipboards are inspecting the cap-
sules, nine of which contain unconscious humanoids.
The mind flayers are tasked with ensuring that the
equipment in this room is functioning properly. They try
to stun intruders and trap them inside empty psipods
(see "Psipods" below). Their "clipboards" are thin sheets
of metal with braille-like writing (Qualith) embossed on
them. The mind flayers use their tentacles to interpret
the writing, which provides technical schematics for the
psipods. A comprehend languages spell or similar magic
reveals as much, enabling characters to discern what
the psipods do and how to disable them.PSIPODS
A psipod is a magic device that connects the mind of
an unconscious humanoid to the m ind of the ulitharid
in area 12g. The psychic residue that coats each psipod
is a byproduct of this connection. The residue is sticky
and foul-smelling, but harmless. It dissolves after a
few hours.
Any creature that enters a psipod's bronze cylinder
must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw
or fall unconscious, lulled into that state by a soothing
psionic vibration that the ulitharid produces. A creature
that succeeds on the saving throw must repeat it at the
end of each of its turns unit it exits the cylinder.
While in a psipod, an unconscious creature finds
itself drawn into a simulated reality created by the uli-
tharid (see the "Alterdeep" sidebar) and can survive in
this state for the remainder of its natural life, its mind
and body nourished by the psipod's psychic energy. If
the psipod is shut down, or if the unconscious creature
is removed from it, the creature can repeat the DC 17
Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns,
waking on a success. The creature also awakens if it
takes damage in the real world, but not if it takes dam-
age in the Waterdeep simulation.
A psipod shuts down if it is disabled or destroyed. To
disable a psipod, a creature must disconnect three of
the eight copper wires connecting it to the metal panels
in the floor. The mind flayers' schematic pads identify
which three wires to disconnect on each psipod. (The
combination of wires varies from one psipod to another.)
If wires are torn out at random, roll a d8 three times
(rerolling duplicate results) to determine which three
wires shut down that particular psipod, then roll a d8
for each wire that is disconnected to see if it's one of the
correct ones. Disconnecting a wrong wire triggers a
magical surge that targets all creatures within 5 feet of
the psipod except the one inside it. A targeted creature
must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw, taking 22
(4d10) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a successful one. A magical surge from one
psipod has no effect on the others.
All the psipods shut down if the ulitharid dies or
leaves the crystal throne in area 12g. Each psipod is a