26. VAMPIRE Boss
If the characters haven't already encountered and de-
feated Keresta Delvingstone, s he's here when they arrive
(see "Keresta Delvingstone," page 232). The vampire is
not alone. The room's features are as follows:
Ceiling. The 30-foot-high ceiling is supported by two
thick stone columns that have rusty iron torch brack-
ets mounted to them.
Vampires in the Fog. The floor is heavily obscured by a
2-foot-deep blanket of fog. Nine vampire spawn crawl
under the fog and try to remain hidden until Keresta
commands them to attack.
Ker esta Delvingstone. Keresta looks like a pale woman
with a large dragon tattoo imprinted on her pale skin.
She s tands in the middle of the room, studying a large
piece of parchment spread ac ross a wooden table in
front of her. Looming behind her is Thagor, an 18-foot-
tall abominable yeti that serves as her protector.
The haughty Keresta welcomes the characters to their
doom and promises them a swift death. If asked about
Lord Vanrak Moonstar or Umbraxakar, Keresta laughs
and says that Shar's darkness consumes all things
in the end.
If reduced to 0 hit points, Keresta turns to mist and
retreats to her resting place in area 31 (via area 30). In
mist form, she can pass through the cracks under doors
and blend in with the fog to become effectively invisible.
The abominable yeti and the vampire spawn fight to
the death to protect Keresta, as does Portia Dzuth (see
area 25b) if she is present and still charmed by Keresta.
The squad of vampire spawn is composed of adventur-
ers and cultists who have been turned into undead by
Keresta. Their names are Aryk, Bartho, Callia, Gaston,
Hector, Ilsuban, Nath, Rhylzar, and Rose.
The parchment on the table is a map ofWaterdeep,
drained of color like everything else in this part of Van-
ra kdoom. A quill pen and severa l ink pots rest nearby.
Two daggers stuck in the map mark the Spires of the
Morning (the temple of Lathander in the Castle Ward)
and the House of the Moon (the temple of SelO.ne in the
Sea Ward). Written around them are the names of vari-
ous clerics and paladins of Lathander and Selfine whom
Keresta plans to assassinate.27. ALTARS OF Loss ~~~~
This chamber contains two identical altars in alcoves.
Each altar is sculpted from a single chunk of obsidian
and inscribed with the following words in Common:
"Memories are the shackles that bind us to the lost."
- FORGOTTEN CHAMBERS
~~
Each of these rooms is heavily obscured by fog and has
low piles of dusty gray rubble along the walls.
28A. HALL OF CENTIPEDES
The walls and floor of this 20-foot-high room bear carv-
ings of centipedes. The room is otherwise empty.
28B. EMPTY ROOM
This 10-foot-high room is vacant.
LEV.EL 18 I VANRAKDOOM28 c. SHADOW ASSASSINS
Three shadow assassins (see appendix A) lurk in the
far corners of this 10-foot-high room. When the door
opens, they attack the first character to enter.The floor of this room is heavily obscured by a 2-foot-
high blanket of thick fog. It swirls lazily around the base
of a 20-foot-diameter, cylindrical stone column that sup-
ports the 20-foot-high ceiling. Rusty iron to rch sconces
mounted to this central column stand empty.- PATH TO THE TOMB
Keresta uses this hallway to reach her tomb.
30A. SECRET DOOR
A bas-relief mural covers the-southwest wall of this
20-foot-high room. The mural depicts Shar in the form
of a young woman, her billowing cloak becoming one
with the night sky as s he descends upon unsuspecting
human mourners in a graveyard. In each hand, she
clutches a dagger. Characters who examine the mural
closely and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception)
check notice four 1-inch-diameter holes bored into the
gravestones. Keresta uses these holes to pass through
the wall in mist form.
Secret Door. The entire southwest wall is a stone se-
cret door that pivots on a central axis. The secret door is
locked but can be opened with a knock spell or similar
magic. It can also be forced open with a successful DC
30 Strength (Athletics) check.30B. HIDDEN HALLWAY
This dusty, 20-foot-high corridor is hidden behind two
large secret doors. Rusty chains and manacles hang on
the walls at 10 -foot intervals.Sarcophagus. A lidless amethyst sarcophagus stands
atop a 1-foot-high stone bier near the south wall of this
30-foot-high, vaulted chamber. An antipathy/sympathy
spell protects the sarcophagus and tries to repel hu-
manoids with its antipathy effect.
Mural. A 20-foot-square bas-relief mural dominates the
east wall and covers a secret door.AMETHYST SARCOPHAGUS
The sarcophagus is a Large object weighing 1,100
pounds. It has AC 17, 80 hit points, and immunity to poi-
son and psychic damage. It contains a bed of grave dirt
upon which Keresta sleeps. If reduced to 0 hit points
and allowed to retreat here in mist form, Keresta re-
turns to this sarcophagus and remains here, paralyzed
in vampire form for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, she
regains 1 hit point and is no longer paralyzed. She waits
here until her Regeneration trait returns her to full h it
points, then gathers her forces (including Umbraxakar)
and sets out to destroy any enemies still in Vanrakdoom.
Treasure. For every point of damage the sarcophagus
takes, a piece of it breaks off. Each piece weighs 13
pounds and is worth 100 gp. Eighty pieces can be gath-
ered if the sarcophagus is destroyed.