Tomb of the Holy Kings of Aradac

TOMB OF THE HOLY KINGS OF ARADAC

1 – STAIRTOP : This is where the homonoculous hangs around pole dancing on one of the stone dragons horns. This is meant to be funny. Mixit sings a little ditty while he twists around. But he’s not the sort to hang about for long. He teleports to his mistresses in 12 to forewarn them that someone is around. He has no equipment except a ring with x3 teleport no error per day upon it. It’s worn around his wrist.

2 – STAIRBOTTOM : There are no traps here, but they are wizard locked at 12th level.

3 – CANDLEHALL: Watch out for arms coming through the portcullis to grab and squeeze the players. This might work on a surprise check. Some expensive candles are here with exotic scents.

4 – THE COLUMN GATE: This is a blue light emitter, causing a wall of pain to undead. It is switched on or of by tracing one’s index finger along the X carving and turning it either blue or red. Red is of. It takes 12 seconds to light up. It does 1d4 burning damage to undead, but 1d4 per segment to those that stand up against it or 5d4 at once to those that cross it. Content: The portcullis is very strong and unbending. It is raised from the winch in 6. However just before it, is a glyph of warding giving out some (d8) lightning damage to anyone that crosses the threshold of the open cullis. After 5 mins of releasing its payload, an invisible hand will manifest and reset the glyph.

5 – KINGSHALL: This 20ft wide 90ft long hallway is arched and well made. Three arched doorways exist on each side of the hall and a ten foot wide transept crosses the far end with tall arches. The rear wall is covered in strangely well cared for painting of a battle between a unicorn riding woman brandishing a sword of golden light, trampling skeletons and zombies underhoof. Around her are a collection of strange assorted adventurers and an army of potent knights and men at arms. The sword is “Maradysche” and the warrior is QUEEN QUVRYN GOTHIVA. The artwork is made with prophetic paints, a glimpse of a future not yet manifest. Sometimes the art can change slightly, but the fate, if weak, makes the painting grow faded until it vanishes altogether, if the pathway has gone. Next to each tomb doorway is a mummy guardian, erect and bearing ancient breastplate, helmet and vaumbraces, each however without weaponry. They animate should anyone try to enter the tombs, except 5A and 5B which are additions to the tombs. Tomb 6, the fake tomb, doesn’t have a mummy guardian nor an inscription on the arch above.

5A – TRANSEPT: A blue light emitter stands over this sarcophagi. The tomb lid is trapped, a gas trap will eject enough gas to cloud the area of 5A. This is as the stinking cloud spell. It resets every turn. Inscription:  “Duke Nirin.” Content: an ash urn, with a small chest of 493gps, +2 ring of protection with TREE x1 per day
upon it (as spell).

5B – TRANSEPT: Another blue light emitter. This tomb isn’t trapped but is wizard-locked at 12th level. Fake inscription,  Alay me downe at laste!” (Jocular clue to fakeness!) Content: Inside is a longsword of magical nature, ancient in style and with what looks like the skin of a sea creature covering it’s handle bound by platinum wire. The blade itself is broad and cleaving, set with ancient druid runes, set with moonsilver. The pommel consists of four claws holding a perfectly spherical semi-opaque yellow stone sparkled with different glittery flecks. No one has seen anything of the type before, it is a ROGUESTONE. The sword is intelligent, but not belligerent, it can manifest outside of itself as a soulblade, becoming a fairly standard 9th level fighter (female) with +4 equipment. The sword is “Maradysche”, and she is NN and a guardian of the druids of old. Her ancient line merged with royalty and hence, she was interred in the tomb along with the royals. But she isn’t dead, merely disposed of.

6 – TOMB: Locked with not only an internal lock but an extra lock and chain through the handles. X2 open lock checks must be made. Each time an OL check is failed, a 1d6 electrical damage discharge shocks the thief. Contents: Throne of stone with two old banners in there, one of a tree with a gem shining in its
trunk and the other of a tower with flames coming from its window. A cadaver with a suit of what looks like shining maille sits there with a toothy, gaping scream. A winch wheel sits on the corner of the tomb, recent signs of use are apparent, as the dust is not evident on the rim. The body is anomalous as no inscription on the arch exists. It was vacant but made to look like a tomb by the tombtappers to disguise the winch. The winch is found behind a concealed stone panel that can be lifted from its position (str 12 or more needed).

7 – TOMB: “Doors are trapped with a poison dart trap coming from the keystone above, 1d2 damage + save v poison. Resets. Archway Inscription: KING ELDRIN III. Contents: Two old shields, one is non-magical and the pain work is peeled, but the other is a +1 and has the image of a black morning star upon a field of pale green. This is on each side of an old throne of stone. A cadaver wearing ornate but ordinary mithril plate armour slumps there.

8 – TOMB: “Doors are trapped with a floor spike coming from between the slabs, for 3d4 damage. Resets. Inscription: KING ARRAK VIII. Content: An archaic throne carved with what looks like tree trunks and branches above and roots near the feet of it, in it slumps an old dead king long since turned to bones. He is held up perhaps by his own fused bones, or perhaps what is a suit of magical dragonskin armour, covered in dust and dirt, but still surviving. This is black dragonskin armour, giving an AC of Zero and half damage from acid attacks. It is filthy and needs a big refurbishment.

9 – TOMB: “Doors are unlocked but closed firmly closed. These are glyphed with a permanent painted line of runes, passing or interfering with this runeline causes a discharge of 6d6 electrical damage. This line doesn’t reset but whaps damage to anyone crossing and re-crossing the line. On the inside, it seems the locks have been broken and the wood around them shattered by insane levels of force. Something  broke out” of this place it seems. Inscription above arch: KING VARTH III. Content: An empty throne of ancient stone, just ragged flags drape it of a black sun on a dark blue night sky. The throne is inscribed also in ancient Ogham, “Varth Narn, King of Dac.”

10- TOMB: “Doors locked, and a three ragged skeletons conjoin in death at the base of these doors. A number of darts, still shining and new, are embedded into the skulls of the skeletons, small empty vials embedded within the darts construction signify that they were injected with some evil substance. Trap is still active, anyone entering the 5ft x 5ft will have a poisoned dart shot at their head by a contraption behind a small hole masked with a permanent illusion. Twelve darts will be shot, and then it will be a day before the trap resets itself. The darts have a THACO of 4. Each dart has an injected poison within it, forcing a poison save every round for three rounds. These are save or die poison, those that pass take 3d6 damage each time. Inscription: KING PALADRAX III & QUEEN FAYNE. Content: Two skeletal forms are found on a Récamier (Chaise lounge) made of carved stone, hand in hand. This is an ancient fighting pair, who later became King and Queen of ancient Aradac. Two suits of +1 plate armour (ornate and tarnished still) (x1 male, x1 female) and two medium shields +1, with black crows upon them. A ring (seal) still adorns the ring finger of the king. It is a ring of infnite sendings.

11 – TOMB: “Doors are locked and somehow barred from the inside, making a huge bypass problem. It can be done but only by smashing a hole through the door or beating so hard and long that the beam behind breaks. Inscription: QUEEN QUVRYN GOTHIVA “Mortschlag”. Content: The stone throne in this tomb has a stone Queen upon it, intricately carved and adorned. Whoever she was, she was the paragon of earthly beauty and is carved as being naked, except for finger rings and a cloak of scale. Next to her are some intricately carved swan ornaments in while pearly stone. There’s nothing else in the room. This is GOTHIVA’S tomb, more like prison. When the “Dac peoples left behind them the old ways, the fanatics of the new god imprisoned her within the chamber and claimed she had died, clearing the way for a King, in line with the new order’s demands. See character sheet. The name  Mortschlag” or  “Deathstroke” is a name given posthumously as she was supposed to have been beheaded before internment.

12 – HALL OF BONES: The central pillar here is ancient and is a fat circular bowl held between five dragon claws, those arm forms the pillar, scaled and thick. The base is also circular and some 6 inches raised from the slab floor. There is a sphere of force over the pillar, just like a bead of force, encapsulating the shard of the throne of death. This is brought down by a dispel magic coping with 18th level of use. The chamber has 200 non animated bodies of various types, all in armour of ordinary type. The smell of rotting is bad here, despite the embalming fluids held in 12A. These were minor nobility. The shard atop the pillar is not yet ready to be used for activating this daily bunch, as the shard can bring and sustain 200 undead into creation per day at mid-night. There will be a fight here, but it will be consolatory. The main thrust is retrieve the shard and flee to “Demonia before the group can grab it and commit it to the Prison of Hingal Henge.
See plans and notes.

12A – Storage: A dozen barrels of nasty smelling fluids are here, necromancer stuff. They are chemical baths attempting to infuse longevity into the carcasses before animation. What powers or effects they might have are closely kept secrets to the evil mancers.

12 B – Fire Dias: This is the area where the main enemy characters have been working before being scared away by the adventurers. A portal will already be open, but the necromancers will be eager to see the attackers, knowing that their previous installations have been attacked. They are prepared this time, and will let
loose some nasty spells. The main evil mancer will fee if they take too much damage and collapse the portal after them. They will try to rescue the shard should the party bring down the dome of force.