Adventure L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay
Third of a series of three level 2 adventures set in Arnheim on the continent of Aorlan.
Setting: an ancient temple of a forgotten evil deity, discovered deep in the hill behind the Gode Clay Mine.
Hook: After defeating the cursed clay idol in the previous adventure, the miners discover a hidden passage behind where the idol was buried. If the adventures return to Sir Roderic to report this before entering, he looks extremely concerned and offers them 150 gold coins each if they will explore the passage, uncover its secrets, and make the mine safe to reopen.
Objective: Navigate the ancient temple, survive its traps and defenses, overcome its undead guardians, and neutralize the evil altar to prevent future calamities.
Culprits and Motivations
The complex is a long-buried and long-forgotten temple dedicated to an ancient, evil god whose followers sought to spread corruption and darkness. Curses and other defenses were placed to guard the temple and its secrets and they remain active centuries after the cult’s departure or demise. The evil energy of the altar has been slowly leaking into the surrounding clay, causing corruption.
Available Clues
Ancient carvings in the entry passage depict worship, rituals and sacrifices to the evil god.
Hidden sanctum key: A locked stone box hidden in the Chamber of Whispers holds the large brass key needed to unlock the stone doors of the Sanctum of the Altar.
Scenes
Entry Passage: Ancient carvings line this 100-foot passage deep into the hill. Primarily the carvings are of a strange script (Ancient High Movoran), but among the scripts are carven images depicting a large evil-looking figure, human in form but with the giant head of praying mantis and with an extra set of long, insect arms waving from its rib cage below its human arms. This figure is twice as tall as the human and non-human figures around it. In the various images the human figures are seen following the figure or dancing chaotically around it, or kneeling or praying toward it and, in the final, disturbing image, a human sacrifice happening on an altar before the giant, looming figure. The adventurers note with shock that some few of the human figures are not human: some have horns or tails, a serpent tongue or giant eyes on the sides of their head. If any of the adventurers happen to read Ancient High Movoran, the words alternate between warnings about the traps and the temple guardians ahead and words of adoration of the evil god in accompaniment to the carven images.
Trapped Foyer: The entrance passage opens into a small 10x10, similarly-decorated room which is doubly trapped. There are collapsing 6x6 floor panels just inside the entrance, covering a 15' pit. And just in front of the exit door, large blades drop swinging from the ceiling, reaching from the ceiling down to 4' above the stone floor. They will do moderate damage, perhaps 2d6, to anyone slow or unlucky enough to be struck. Momentum will make them swing until, slowly slowing for a few minutes, they end hanging still above the floor.
Hall of Challenges: The exit from the trapped foyer opens into a larger 20x40 chamber. There are several animated skeletons in this room, still in faded tatters of yellow robes, who move forward with creaks and clatters and rusted maces and hammers as soon as the door opens. The number of skeletons who attack should force the party to use care, strategy and teamwork to defeat them. Note the 15' pit may still be open just behind the adventurers as they open the door.
Passage of Scorpions: Past the hall a passage pushes 50 feet further below the hill. A floor stone trigger 20' down the passage, when stepped on, will drop a swarm of scorpions from the box in the ceiling where they have been held in statis for over a millennia. Adventurers swarmed and damaged will also be poisoned, based on incapacitating poisons of the game system you are playing. The passage ends with a stone door, the 6 carved panels of which each is a carved stone Movori face. The latch to open the door is iron, and presented as the protruding tongue of the head in the middle right panel.
Chamber of Whispers: Horrifying stone faces line the walls of this 15x15 room, like the ones on the door. The faces are mainly human, but some are mutated human as seen in the carving of the entry passage. A few are terrifying beasts (baboons, bats, birds), and two are alien, tentacled aberrations. In the center of the left wall, the face is of a praying mantis, which the players may remember as the head of the evil deity they saw earlier. The same face is in the center of the right wall. None of the faces move, but from all of them come whispered chants in an Ancient High Movoran or even older, stranger languages. Adventurers who hear these chants must save against fear every round or be frightened. Failing again, or critically failing, causes them to run in panic back toward the entrance. Succeeding twice in a row means that adventurer is able to resist this fear and does not need to roll again. Plugging or covering their ears does give a significant bonus to saving against this fear. A stone box, locked, is inset and hidden below the faces on each wall. They are medium difficulty to spot with a search. The box on the left contains the brass key needed to enter the Sanctum. The box on the right contains a magical dagger made of the unnaturally-large claw of a giant insect. Nature knowledge and a good roll can identify this as perhaps the sharp, hooked claw of a giant praying mantis. This dagger is +1 to hit and a cut from it causes a point or two of additional bleed damage each round until a saving throw is made. It still holds a faint evil aura.
Sanctum of the Altar: The stone door in the Chamber of Whispers is still locked by a heavy, rusty iron lock. The brass key from the room can unlock the door. If the adventurers don’t find the key, they will need to pick the lock or break the door down. Even if they manage to unlock or pick the door, oil is required to make the ancient, rusted mechanism turn. If no oil is applied, strength is required to force the turning of the lock or to simply break the lock. Opening the door reveals a 30x50 sanctum with a black stone altar at the far end. A group of undead cultists still stands waiting after more than a thousand years, menacing in the tattered remains of their ancient robes. Armed with rusty swords, they attack as soon as anyone steps into the room. Half of them are skeletons and half are zombies, again in numbers to require smart teamwork and tactics. One of the skeletons wields a +1 long sword - the only weapon not showing its age. They will charge the entrance as the adventurers enter and so should not be fighting at the altar end of the room, but any undead who are within 10 feet of the dark altar will regenerate a 1-3 hit points each round, even after being reduced to zero.
The Dark Altar: The dark altar, made of black stone, stands in the back of the room and emanates malevolence detectable as strong evil as well as necrotic magic. The closer one is to the altar the more acute and more constant is the experience of the effects the adventurers know: feelings of unease and dread and suspicion, hair standing on end and shadows around the edges of vision. Neutralizing the curse and the evil magic of the altar will require at least four applications of holy water and/or divine magic. If the players fail to fully dispel the evil of the altar, the altar will slowly, inexorably regain its power.
Once the altar is purified with holy water, the curse is lifted, evil and magic are no longer detected and, most noticeably, the experiences that acutely disturbed everyone in the chamber will immediately stop. Just 5 rounds after that, however, the temple complex begins to collapse. This starts slowly: with a pebble falling from the ceiling, and then another. Then, a few seconds later, cracks appear in the ceiling and the walls. After thirty seconds, the altar itself cracks loudly into two pieces that settle toward the floor as they split apart. And then the collapse accelerates quickly. The adventurers must rush to escape before the stone of the hill collapses upon them. In all, this takes a few minutes, so they will have time to escape if they move quickly to the exit. Play up the danger of this loud dramatic escape from the collapsing temple complex!!!
Resolution and Reward: Sir Roderic looks shocked, horrified and, eventually, relieved as the adventurers tell him of the events in the ancient temple. He asks whether they have told Alton Crenn, the priest of Oconi, and what he said about this temple and these events. Roderic will reward the adventurers with the promised 150 gold coins each, and then adds 100 gold coins each, as he shakes his head in acknowledging what they have done. He promises to send a report of these events to the captains at nearby Hjarl and Vinmorl as well as to the marshal at Arnmorle. The magic items, if the adventurers found them, are of course theirs to keep. Roderic insists on replacing any holy water the adventurers used to sanctify and destroy the evil altar with double the amount.
End of adventure: L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay
Setting: an ancient temple of a forgotten evil deity, discovered deep in the hill behind the Gode Clay Mine.
Hook: After defeating the cursed clay idol in the previous adventure, the miners discover a hidden passage behind where the idol was buried. If the adventures return to Sir Roderic to report this before entering, he looks extremely concerned and offers them 150 gold coins each if they will explore the passage, uncover its secrets, and make the mine safe to reopen.
Objective: Navigate the ancient temple, survive its traps and defenses, overcome its undead guardians, and neutralize the evil altar to prevent future calamities.
Culprits and Motivations
The complex is a long-buried and long-forgotten temple dedicated to an ancient, evil god whose followers sought to spread corruption and darkness. Curses and other defenses were placed to guard the temple and its secrets and they remain active centuries after the cult’s departure or demise. The evil energy of the altar has been slowly leaking into the surrounding clay, causing corruption.
Available Clues
Ancient carvings in the entry passage depict worship, rituals and sacrifices to the evil god.
Hidden sanctum key: A locked stone box hidden in the Chamber of Whispers holds the large brass key needed to unlock the stone doors of the Sanctum of the Altar.
Scenes
Entry Passage: Ancient carvings line this 100-foot passage deep into the hill. Primarily the carvings are of a strange script (Ancient High Movoran), but among the scripts are carven images depicting a large evil-looking figure, human in form but with the giant head of praying mantis and with an extra set of long, insect arms waving from its rib cage below its human arms. This figure is twice as tall as the human and non-human figures around it. In the various images the human figures are seen following the figure or dancing chaotically around it, or kneeling or praying toward it and, in the final, disturbing image, a human sacrifice happening on an altar before the giant, looming figure. The adventurers note with shock that some few of the human figures are not human: some have horns or tails, a serpent tongue or giant eyes on the sides of their head. If any of the adventurers happen to read Ancient High Movoran, the words alternate between warnings about the traps and the temple guardians ahead and words of adoration of the evil god in accompaniment to the carven images.
Trapped Foyer: The entrance passage opens into a small 10x10, similarly-decorated room which is doubly trapped. There are collapsing 6x6 floor panels just inside the entrance, covering a 15' pit. And just in front of the exit door, large blades drop swinging from the ceiling, reaching from the ceiling down to 4' above the stone floor. They will do moderate damage, perhaps 2d6, to anyone slow or unlucky enough to be struck. Momentum will make them swing until, slowly slowing for a few minutes, they end hanging still above the floor.
Hall of Challenges: The exit from the trapped foyer opens into a larger 20x40 chamber. There are several animated skeletons in this room, still in faded tatters of yellow robes, who move forward with creaks and clatters and rusted maces and hammers as soon as the door opens. The number of skeletons who attack should force the party to use care, strategy and teamwork to defeat them. Note the 15' pit may still be open just behind the adventurers as they open the door.
Passage of Scorpions: Past the hall a passage pushes 50 feet further below the hill. A floor stone trigger 20' down the passage, when stepped on, will drop a swarm of scorpions from the box in the ceiling where they have been held in statis for over a millennia. Adventurers swarmed and damaged will also be poisoned, based on incapacitating poisons of the game system you are playing. The passage ends with a stone door, the 6 carved panels of which each is a carved stone Movori face. The latch to open the door is iron, and presented as the protruding tongue of the head in the middle right panel.
Chamber of Whispers: Horrifying stone faces line the walls of this 15x15 room, like the ones on the door. The faces are mainly human, but some are mutated human as seen in the carving of the entry passage. A few are terrifying beasts (baboons, bats, birds), and two are alien, tentacled aberrations. In the center of the left wall, the face is of a praying mantis, which the players may remember as the head of the evil deity they saw earlier. The same face is in the center of the right wall. None of the faces move, but from all of them come whispered chants in an Ancient High Movoran or even older, stranger languages. Adventurers who hear these chants must save against fear every round or be frightened. Failing again, or critically failing, causes them to run in panic back toward the entrance. Succeeding twice in a row means that adventurer is able to resist this fear and does not need to roll again. Plugging or covering their ears does give a significant bonus to saving against this fear. A stone box, locked, is inset and hidden below the faces on each wall. They are medium difficulty to spot with a search. The box on the left contains the brass key needed to enter the Sanctum. The box on the right contains a magical dagger made of the unnaturally-large claw of a giant insect. Nature knowledge and a good roll can identify this as perhaps the sharp, hooked claw of a giant praying mantis. This dagger is +1 to hit and a cut from it causes a point or two of additional bleed damage each round until a saving throw is made. It still holds a faint evil aura.
Sanctum of the Altar: The stone door in the Chamber of Whispers is still locked by a heavy, rusty iron lock. The brass key from the room can unlock the door. If the adventurers don’t find the key, they will need to pick the lock or break the door down. Even if they manage to unlock or pick the door, oil is required to make the ancient, rusted mechanism turn. If no oil is applied, strength is required to force the turning of the lock or to simply break the lock. Opening the door reveals a 30x50 sanctum with a black stone altar at the far end. A group of undead cultists still stands waiting after more than a thousand years, menacing in the tattered remains of their ancient robes. Armed with rusty swords, they attack as soon as anyone steps into the room. Half of them are skeletons and half are zombies, again in numbers to require smart teamwork and tactics. One of the skeletons wields a +1 long sword - the only weapon not showing its age. They will charge the entrance as the adventurers enter and so should not be fighting at the altar end of the room, but any undead who are within 10 feet of the dark altar will regenerate a 1-3 hit points each round, even after being reduced to zero.
The Dark Altar: The dark altar, made of black stone, stands in the back of the room and emanates malevolence detectable as strong evil as well as necrotic magic. The closer one is to the altar the more acute and more constant is the experience of the effects the adventurers know: feelings of unease and dread and suspicion, hair standing on end and shadows around the edges of vision. Neutralizing the curse and the evil magic of the altar will require at least four applications of holy water and/or divine magic. If the players fail to fully dispel the evil of the altar, the altar will slowly, inexorably regain its power.
Once the altar is purified with holy water, the curse is lifted, evil and magic are no longer detected and, most noticeably, the experiences that acutely disturbed everyone in the chamber will immediately stop. Just 5 rounds after that, however, the temple complex begins to collapse. This starts slowly: with a pebble falling from the ceiling, and then another. Then, a few seconds later, cracks appear in the ceiling and the walls. After thirty seconds, the altar itself cracks loudly into two pieces that settle toward the floor as they split apart. And then the collapse accelerates quickly. The adventurers must rush to escape before the stone of the hill collapses upon them. In all, this takes a few minutes, so they will have time to escape if they move quickly to the exit. Play up the danger of this loud dramatic escape from the collapsing temple complex!!!
Resolution and Reward: Sir Roderic looks shocked, horrified and, eventually, relieved as the adventurers tell him of the events in the ancient temple. He asks whether they have told Alton Crenn, the priest of Oconi, and what he said about this temple and these events. Roderic will reward the adventurers with the promised 150 gold coins each, and then adds 100 gold coins each, as he shakes his head in acknowledging what they have done. He promises to send a report of these events to the captains at nearby Hjarl and Vinmorl as well as to the marshal at Arnmorle. The magic items, if the adventurers found them, are of course theirs to keep. Roderic insists on replacing any holy water the adventurers used to sanctify and destroy the evil altar with double the amount.
End of adventure: L2-3 Arnheim: Secrets in the Clay