- LANDING
Statue. To the north is a 10-foot-tall statue of a grimac-
ing man being crushed to death by stony tentacles
erupting from the floor.
Stairs. To the south, a spiral staircase descends 50 feet
to area 30a.
TIER 3
The unnatural corruption of the Far Realm pervades
the deepest level of Shadowdusk Hold. Any creature
other than a denizen of the hold that finishes a long rest
in this tier must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.
On a failed save, the creature gains no benefit from the
rest and is afflicted with a random form of long-term
madness (see "Madness" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon
Master's Guide).- LOWER HALLS
The staircase from tier 2 ends before these halls, which
look older than the rest of Shadowdusk Hold.
30A. SHADOWDUSK HALL
House Crest. Set into the middle of the floor is a
20-foot-diameter disk of purple stone, inscribed upon
which is the Shadowdusk crest: a lit torch with three
trailing embers, its orange flame pointed toward the
double door to the west.
Mosaics. The 40-foot-high, vaulted ceiling bears peeling
mosaics of cloudy, dramatically lit skies.
Scorch Marks. The walls and pillars have numerous
scorch marks.
Statues. Four 8-foot-tall statues of human nobles stand
in wide alcoves to the north and south.
A character who succeeds on a DC 20 Intelligence (In-
vestigation) check can ascertain that the scorch marks
on the walls and pillars were made by a blue dragon's
breath weapon. Years ago, Halaster lured a dracol-
ich named Lynnorax to Shadowdusk Hold. Dezmyr
and Zalthar pressed the dracolich into service. The
dracolich waits for intruders in area 40 and guards the
death knights' vault (area 41).
The statues in the northern alcoves depict Arandraya
and Maelweene Shadowdusk. The statues to the south
depict their brother, Xerrion, and their other sister, Yarli-
thra. Each statue stands atop a 2-foot-high block of stone
that bears an inscription of the noble's name.
Secret Door. A locked secret door is hidden in the
wall next to the statue of Xerrion in the southwest
alcove. A character who examines the statue and suc-
ceeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices
that one of the rings on Xerrion's left hand can be
twisted around his finger. Turning the ring unlocks the
secret door and causes it to swing open into area 37.
30B. FAMILY CRYPTS
This arched, 15-foot-high hall is lined with alcoves.
Each alcove contains a dusty stone casket holding the
remains of a dead Shadowdusk family member, but
no treasure.
- APPROACH TO MADNESS
The Far Realm has twisted these rooms, causing the
lines where floor, walls, ceiling, and pillars meet to ap-
pear warped.
31A. WARPED FOYER
This chamber is lined with twisted columns that seem
to change shape slightly every few minutes.31B. THRESHOLD OF INSANITY
Far Realm Proximity. A strange energy can be felt em-
anating from the double door to the west. The closer a
creature comes to the doors, the more uneasy it feels.
Slaadi. Four invisible death slaadi stand in front of the
double door leading to area 32. The slaadi serve at
the pleasure of Dezmyr and Zalthar, and they attack
intruders on sight.
Tapestry. A tapestry on the east wall depicts a group of
humans twisting, warping, and melting into one amor-
phous, blasphemous entity.
Treasure. The tapestry weighs 50 pounds and is
worth 750 gp to one who appreciates such horrid decor.- FAR AND GONE
The curving west wall of this room is a seething mass of
color and sickly light-a partially breached portal to the
Far Realm. Creatures can't physically pass through the
portal, but the Far Realm's influence bleeds out into the
Material Plane from this place. A character can ascer-
tain the true nature of the portal with a successful DC
20 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
Any creature that comes into contact with the back
wall must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw
or become charmed by the wall for 1 minute. While
charmed in this way, the creature is stunned and stares
at the wall, absorbing the power and madness of the Far
Realm. The effect ends if the creature takes damage,
or if another creature uses an action to shake or slap it.
When the effect ends, the creature that was charmed
gains a random form of indefinite madness (see "Mad-
ness" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). - SHRINE
Zalthar maintains this area as a shrine to his sister
Dezmyr. Her painted likenesses- both as she was in life
and as a death knight-hang in frames on every wall. - ZALTHAR'S CHAMBERS
Zalthar languishes in these chambers, shunning all
other creatures except his sister.
34A. ZALTHAR SHADOWDUSK
Furnishings. This room is furnished with several chairs
and sofas, all covered in dust and cobwebs.
Easel. A wooden easel stands in the northeast corner,
draped in a black cloth. (Under the cloth, resting on
the easel, is a half-finished portrait of Dezmyr as she
was in life, lying nude on a bed of tentacles.)
Zalthar. Seated in a chair, facing the northern and west-
ern doors, is Zalthar Shadowdusk- a death knight inLEVEL 22 I SHADOWDUSK HOLD