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SHADOWDUSK EXPEDITION
An exped itionary force has been sent from Shadowdusk
Hold (level 22) to collect Runestone fragments. The
force consists of a chaotic evil human archmage named
Akarrth Shadowdusk, a b eh older named Gz'zarp, two
gr ells , and two nothics. The grells and nothics are
Akarrth's servants, the beholder his tenuous ally.
The characters can easily s trike up an alliance with
Akarrth, but any such pact is doomed to crumble in
short order because the archmage is insane.
Treas ure. Akarrth carries a wooden rod carved with
tentacles that serves as an arcane focus (10 gp), as well
as a spellbook bound in mind flayer skin that contains
all the spells he has prepared.Runestone Caverns
All location descriptions for this level are keyed to map- The caverns and tunnels are uniformly damp from
water that enters through narrow cracks in the walls
and ceilings, and the sound of dripping water echoes
throughout. - DESICCATING SYMBOL
At the end of the tunnel that leads down from level 19,
Ezzat has inscribed a glyph on the floor using a modified
version of the symbol spell, requiring a successful DC
20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to spot. Cast using
a 9th-level spell slot, the glyph triggers the death effect
(save DC 20) when any creature crosses over it. After
the effect is triggered, ghostly skulls float above the area
where the glyph is inscribed.
2. MAD GOLEM' S LAIR
Characters who approach this cavern from any direction
hear stone smashing against stone. The cavern has a
peaked roof 50 feet h igh and the following features:
Con str uct. A hulking, mobile mass of jumbled stone
stands atop a natural rise in the center of the cavern.
It is using its fists to s mash something.
Forge. Carved into one wall is a stone forge that hasn't
been lit in ages. A rusty iron anvil sits atop a 1-foot-
high granite plinth in front of the forge.
The jumbled construct was once a 10-foot-tall stone
golem created in the image of Ha laster. In its madness,
it has attached so many pieces of other Stonecloaks to
itself that it has become a lumbering, 17-foot-tall amal-
gamation of stone torsos, limbs, and heads-all of which
resemble parts of the Mad Mage.
Any character who gets close can see that the object
bei ng destroyed by the mad golem is a stone golem
that resembles Halaster. Even if the characters inter-
vene quickly, the Stonecloak i s already in pieces and
can't be saved.
As the characters observe it for the first time, the mad
golem removes the Runestone fragment from the pul-
verized remains of its latest victim and swallows it, then
begins attaching pieces of the destroyed stone golem
to itself. Swallowing the Runestone fragment allows
the mad golem to ignore its Immutable Form trait and
restores all its hit points. Characters who interrupt or
LliVEL 20 I RUN.ESTONE CAVERNSattack the golem incur its enmity. Otherwise, it shows
little interest in them.
The mad golem is a stone golem with a challenge rat-
ing of 12 (8,40^0 XP) and these changes:- The golem is Huge and has 264 (23dl2 +^115 )
hit points. - Each of its slam attacks deals 24 (4d8 + 6) bludgeon-
ing damage on a hit: - It has Intelligence and Charisma scores of 9.
- It understands the following languages but can't
speak: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwar-
vish, Elvish, Infernal, and Undercommon.
The golem is too big to fit down any tunnel smaller
than 10 feet wide. Left to its own devices, it remains
here and waits for another Stonecloak to wander into
the area, then attacks it.
TREASURE
Any character who searches the interior of the forge and
succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check finds
the soot-covered tinderbox, which contains a single
bead of force.- SUNKEN PARADISE
This cavern has a peaked roof^30 feet high and features
a broad crevasse 300 feet deep. A rocky ledge surrounds
the crevasse.
After descending 200 feet, the crevasse breaks
through the roof of a vast cavern not shown on map 20.
This otherworldly cavern is 100 feet high, 1,2^00 feet
long, and 800 feet wide. It has the following features:
Light. The cavern is lit by phosphorescent moss that
grows on weird rock formations a long the walls. A
dozen giant fire beetles that primarily feast on car-
rion dwell here, adding to the illumination.
Fun gi Forest. Half the cavern is a forest of towering
zurkhwood, interspersed with barrelstalks, bluecaps,
and trillimacs (see "Fungi," page 59 ).
Lake. The other half of the cavern contains a^30 -foot-
deep lake fed by three small waterfalls. Several small
rocky islands rise out of the la ke, each holding a num-
ber of empty huts (an abandoned kuo-toa settlement).
The fungus forest and the underground lake are home
to all kinds of subterranean wildlife, including bats,
fish, and non-biting insects. For characters who reach it
safely, the cavern provides a secure, idyllic refuge from
the perils of Undermountain. - MYCONID COLONY
A myconid colony manages to thrive in this area, since
the tunnels leading to these caves are too narrow for the
Stonecloaks to squeeze through. The myconids must
endure the occasional gargoyle attack, however.
The myconids provide strangers with food, water, shel-
ter, and safe passage through their small domain.
4A. MELDING CAVE
Most of the myconids live in this cave, the ceiling of
which is uneven and ranges in height from^15 to^30 feet.
The cave's other features are as follows: