an indicator of flammable gas in the room. This gas dis-
perses before reaching other areas of the dungeon, and
the Dead Three cultists extinguish their torches before
moving through th is area.
Bringing a lit torch or other open flame into the gas-
filled room triggers an explosion that fills the chamber.
Creatures fully immersed in the water take no damage,
but all others must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity sav-
ing throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save,
or half as much damage on a successful one. AU the
wooden beams that support the ceiling are destroyed
in the explosion, which could cause a roof collapse (see
"Dungeon Features" in area D5). The explosion also
burns away the gas, which builds up slowly and be-
comes dangerous again after 24 hours.
D19. PARTIALLY COLLAPSED CRYPT
Much of this room has fallen in, with the debris field
mostly burying a stone sarcophagus that was looted
years ago. Nothing of interest remains.
D20. HALF-PLUNDERED CRYPT
An open sarcophagus stands at the back of this dusty
crypt, its heavy stone lid lying on its side between the
sarcophagus and the south wall. The north-facing
side of the sarcophagus bears faded frescoes of
spear-wielding warriors charging across golden plains
on horseback.
Treasure. A casual search of the sarcophagus turns
up nothing but dust and a few scattered humanoid
bones. Any character who conducts a thorough search
realizes that the sarcophagus has a false bottom made
of inch-thick plaster. Smashing through this plaster
layer reveals a cavity below that contains a human
mummy floating in a shallow pool of red brine. The
mummy has two moonstones (50 gp each) embedded in
its eye sockets and a bag of beans where its heart would
normally be. Characters must intentionally tear open the
mummy's chest to find the hidden bag. The mummy is
inanimate and doesn't protest the theft.
D21. ZOMBIE CRYPT
Characters who listen at the door to this room hear faint
humanoid moans in the room beyond. Describe the area
to the players as follows:
Six moaning humans with rotting flesh shamble about
this dusty crypt, which reeks of death. An open stone
sarcophagus rests against the back wall, its shattered lid
lying in pieces on the floor around it.
The shambling corpses are six zombies created by
Flennis (see area D13) from the remains of the Dead
Three cultists' murder victims. The zombies obey only
their creator and attack all others, including other mem-
bers of the Dead Three cult.
Carved into the north-facing side of the sarcophagus
are ghastly images of human cannibalism. The sarcoph-
agus was plundered long ago, and a search of its interior
yields up only ajawless human skull and a few bone
fragments.
CHAPTER 1 J A TALE OF TWO CITIES
D22. TORTURE CHAMBER
Followers of Bane torture and interrogate prisoners
here. Describe this room to the players as follows:
The walls and floor of this room are covered with streaks
and splashes of dried blood. Two dangling bodies are
shackled to the east and south walls. One is an elderly
male human; the other, a young female tiefling. Both
are covered in bloody gashes, and neither is moving. In
the middle of the room is a sturdy wooden chair with a
bloody whip draped over it. A bucket half filled with salt
sits on the floor nearby.
The followers of Bane rub salt into the wounds of the
prisoners they torture here. Yignath the iron consul
(see area D12) carries the keys to both sets of shackles,
which have AC 19, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison
and psychic damage. A character with thieves' tools can
unlock a set of shackles with a successful DC 15 Dex-
terity check.
The male human is dead. He was Effinax Zalbor, a
caravan coordinator employed by thejhasso patriar
family, which is part-owner of a trading coster that oper-
ates throughout the Western Heartlands (see area D12).
The female tiefiing has 0 hit points, and is uncon-
scious but stable. She is Vendetta Kress, a neutral
commoner who speaks Common and Infernal. She
has resistance to fire damage and darkvision out to a
range of 60 feet. Vendetta distributes wine and spirits
for the Oathoon patriar family of Baldur's Gate, and was
attacked in the Lower City, knocked unconscious, and
brought here to be tortured. Under interrogation, she
gave her captors information regarding the Oathoons
and their security arrangements. She also witnessed the
interrogation and death of Effinax, who was questioned
at length about thejhasso family.
If set free, Vendetta stays with the characters until
an opportunity to escape presents itself. Before that,
though, she shares the following piece of information
with her liberators. During her incarceration, she heard
what sounded like a heavy stone door scraping open and
closed from time to time, accompanied by the sound
of splashing footsteps. The noise came from the north.
This information might lead characters to search for a
secret door in that direction (see area D23).
If Vendetta survives her ordeal in the dungeon, she
spreads tales of her harrowing escape through her web
of contacts in Baldur's Gate, which includes just about
every tavern proprietor in the city.
D23. SECRET DOOR AND SENTRY
This flooded tunnel has a secret door in the north wall
that swings open into area D27. Standing in the water
south of the secret door, holding a lit torch and watching
the west stairway, is a male fist of Bane (see page 232