dead beetles into ink, and wooden frames and stone
scrapers to stretch and scrape leather to create sheets
of parchment. The servants ignore visitors.
Shelves. Standing against the walls are wooden shelves
lined with jars of ink and rolled s heets of blank
parchment.
- GATE TO lCEWIND DALE
The room contains a pair of lS·foot-tall standing stones.
Carved into each stone are pictographs of primitive hu-
mans using spears to hunt reindeer and fend off yetis.
If a creature uses a finger or a staff to trace Halaster's
rune on the surface of either of the standing stones,
a gate forms between them and lasts for 1 minute. A
legend lore spell or similar magic reveals the way to
activate the gate, its destination, and the fact that it's
one-way only. Any creature that steps through this gate
appears, along with any objects it is wearing or carry-
ing, in Icewind Dale, a mile north of the town of Bryn
Shander. (More information on Bryn Shander and Ice-
wind Dale can be found in Storm King's Thunder.)
- RANTANTAR'S WAND
This room serves as a parlor where Halaster entertains
guests (infrequent though they may be).
Furnishings. Ornate wooden chairs with padded seats
and backrests line the walls. Between the chairs stand
alabaster busts of Ha laster atop wooden pedestals.
Wand. Lying on the floor in the middle of the room is
a 20-foot-diameter, frayed circular rug adorned with
Halaster's personal rune. Floating^10 feet above the
rug is a golden wand with spinning orbs of colored
glass at one end (see "Treasure" below). It attacks
any creature that enters the room unaccompanied
by Halaster.
TREASURE
Following the destruction of Rantantar, one of his oldest
apprentices, Halaster recovered the dead archmage's
wand of wonder- only to discover that Rantantar had
somehow bound his evil spirit inside it. The spirit can
do nothing other than animate and discharge the wand,
which currently has 7 charges.
The animated wand has the statistics of a Tiny ani-
mated object (see the animate objects spell description
in the Player's Handbook). As an action, the animated
wand can expend 1 of its charges and target a random
creature with one of its randomly determined effects.
Any such effect that would target the wand's user targets
the wand instead. If reduced to 0 hit points, the wand
crumbles into dust and is destroyed.
A dispel evil or good spell cast on the wand rids it of
Rantantar's evil spirit, whereupon the wand clatters to
the floor and becomes an inanimate wand of wonder. An
antimagic field spell suppresses the wand's magic but
doesn't oust the spirit lodged inside it.
If the animated wand is grabbed while Rantantar's
spirit is lodged inside it, a contest of wills ensues. The
creature grabbing the wand must immediately make
a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the
creature is forced to release the wand. On a successfulsave, the wand becomes inanimate until the creature
lets go of it. If a spellcaster holds the wand long enough
to become attuned to it, that act banishes Rantantar's
evil spirit from the wand forever.28. HIDDEN T REASURE
Pentagr am. A large pentagram is inscribed on the floor.
Statue. A life-size stone statue of Halaster wearing a
blindfold stands in an alcove. The statue holds a stout
staff that has a red dragon's head at each end of it and
is pointing the staff toward the pentagram.
Secret Door. A secret door in the northern alcove con-
ceals a staircase that leads up to area 32.
The pentagram and the space above it (a cylinder^20
feet high and 40 feet in diameter) are contained within a
permanent antimagic field (see the antimagic field spell
description in the Player's Handbook for effects). This
field prevents spells from detecting a magic item that is
hidden beneath a secret trapdoor in the middle of the
pentagram (see "Shield of the Uven Rune" below). A
character who examines the floor inside the pentagram
and succeeds on a DC^15 Wisdom (Perception) check
finds the trapdoor, which is locked. A character can use
thieves' tools to try to unlock the trapdoor, doing so with
a successful DC 20 Dexterity check.SHIELD OF THE UVEN RUNE
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
This shield is made from the scale of an ancient white
dragon. It has a rune burned into its outward-facing
side. A character who examines the rune and succeeds
on a DC 20 Intelligence (History) check recognizes
it as an uven ("enemy" in Giant) rune that confers
great power.
While holding the shield, you benefit from the follow-
ing properties.
Winter~ Friend. You are immune to cold damage.
Deadly Rebuke. Immediately after a creature hits you
with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to deal
3d6 necrotic damage to that creature.
Bane. You can cast the bane spell from the shield
(save DC 17). The spell does not require concentration
and lasts for 1 minute. Once you cast the spell from the
shield, you can't do so again until you finish a short or
long rest.
Gi f t of Vengean ce. You can transfer the shield's magic
to a nonmagical weapon by tracing the uven rune on
the weapon with one finger. The transfer takes^8 hours
of work that requires the two items to be within 5 feet
of each other. At the end, the shield is destroyed, and
the rune is etched or burned into the chosen weapon.
This weapon becomes a rare magic item that requires
attunement. It has the properties of a +l weapon. The
bonus increases to +3 when the weapon is used against
one of the following creature types, chosen by you at the
time of the magic weapon's creation: aberrations, celes-
tials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants,
or undead.LEVEL 23 I MAO WIZARD'S LAIR 299