Tomb of Diderius

This tomb was once called Diderius' home, the chronomancy keeps it as pristine as it was the day it was built.

• For every minute the party spends inside, the time outside passes for 1 day.
• Anything taken from the tomb to the outside will instantly perish to dust.
• The moment a living creature leaves the tomb without being aware of this effect, they could very well die of dehydration or starvation.

  The moment the party leaves much time has passed. If they saw the vision of Winston's well being the Well of Dragons they must rush to Waterdeep to destroy it. Winston however, has left Waterdeep quite some time ago to go back to Baldur's Gate.   The wrong side of the counsil has taken charge of the strike against The Cult of the Dragon.

Unless otherwise specified, the floor and walls of the dungeon are sandstone blocks and flagstones. The walls are cool to the touch and the air is cold.
Ceilings. The tomb’s ceilings are 10 feet high unless otherwise noted.   Light. Unless specified otherwise, there is no light inside the tomb.   Regional Effects. When Diderius died, those who honored him in life transformed him into a special mummy lord whose magic pervades his tomb. Since Diderius is neutral rather than evil, the area lacks dark magic common to other mummy-lord tombs. A few chambers of the tomb have the appearance of opulent and well-kept rooms suitable for a noble archmage. This effect is an illusion, however, failing to cover the rank scent of dust and decay. Diderius’s magic also guides those who show proper respect.  

1. Entrance Plaza

The entrance to Diderius’s tomb stands in what was once a large paved plaza. The remains of a fountain are now little more than a stone circle set around a crumbling hole in the ground leading to a well deep below. Two stone statues stand in the courtyard, rising twenty feet high. Behind them, a forty-foot high edifice is carved into the cliff side, dominated by relief columns carved with strange, otherworldly scenes. A ladder hangs from the high-up closed entrance, below the ladder the ground is covered with century-old humanoid skeletons.

The left-hand colossus is a bearded human male wearing exotic clothes, but its face is smashed beyond recognition. It holds a balance in its right hand and a cudgel at its side, its left hand raised as if in warning. The colossus to the right of the entrance is a young human male wearing similarly exotic clothing, the left half of its head cracked off and lying at its feet. The statue holds a shepherd’s crook in its left hand, its right hand raised in warning as well.   The relief-carved scenes around the entrance depict things Diderius glimpsed in the divination pool, including other worlds and planes that never came to be. Use your imagination when describing these scenes. The entrance to the crypt is 30 feet up atop a stone stairwell that stops 10 feet short of a platform jutting out from the cliff face. Albicocca the White's cultists (see below) have left a ladder leaning against the edifice that allows characters to climb up to the entrance.  

As you approach the statues, you hear the sudden sound of grinding stone. The colossal figures turn their massive heads, their shattered features staring down at you. Two voices issue forth in unison, booming out as though erupting from the deep earth.   “Halt. You come before Diderius, ether walker and conduit of clairvoyance. Behold ye now his wondrous triumphs. Diderius extends wisdom, and Diderius offers knowledge. Which do you seek?”

If a response of “We seek wisdom,” or “We desire knowledge” is given, or the characters roleplay an obsequious or self-deprecating response that might please an egotistical wizard, the statues respond. They say, “Diderius shall grant you what you seek, but only if you heed him and share a piece of unheard knowledge first!” The party much share a piece of information with the tomb which is unknown to the greater scheme of it all. The statues then revert to their original positions.   The adventurers’ positive response earns them beneficial warnings, courtesy of the magic of Diderius. Warnings are detailed in the areas to which they apply.   Any non-fitting response leaves the entrance closed.  

Cultist Campsite and Ruined Fountain

Albicocca’s cultists have made camp in the plaza near the ruined fountain. A campfire is burning down here, and three bedrolls show where the rearguard cultists are camped. Seven shallow graves have been dug east of the campsite — casualties from the cultists’ exploration.   The guards are dead, having been dragged off and eaten by trolls living in the tunnels beneath the well. Those sewers remain largely intact, and the 3 trolls that dwell there have discovered that using them to move between the crypt and the plaza makes for good foraging in the area. If the party rests here or in area 5, the trolls attack in the night. A troll fights until reduced to one-third or fewer of its hit points before retreating to the safety of the well.  

2. Antechamber

While an illusion still shows a tomb with gilded carvings and silver censers, these are mere shadows. Looters have defaced and ruined the relief-carved walls, and the censers are long gone. Set between the carvings are a dozen alcoves recognizable as funerary niches, though these contain only splinters of bone. At the far end of the chamber, a stone door hangs ajar. Marks on the door and frame indicate that it was recently forced.  

3. Watchful Statues

Six statues stand here, all of cowled wizards leaning on staffs, their faces obscured by deep hoods. The hollows the hoods form are particulalry dark. Niches between the statues once held skeletal guardians that fought the cultists. The bones of more than a dozen humanoids now litter the ground.   Characters who chose well when speaking with the statues in area 1 are struck by a sudden thought when they enter this area: “Some secrets are not meant for mortal minds to know. Look away from the darkness in which such knowledge hides.”  

Statue Trap

When the first adventurer passes the halfway point of the room, the sound of grinding stone announces the statues turning their cowled heads to follow the characters’ movements. The characters must not look into the darkness in the statues’ hoods. Any character who does must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw against a suggestion spell.   Success indicates that the character shrugs off the statue’s magic, while failure indicates the character is held by the dark gaze within the stony cowl for 1 round. During this time, the statue whispers impossible secrets to the character, which carry both benefit and burden. The character gainshttps://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Madness#content and knows a secret if they then roll a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw.                    

1d10	Secret
1-2	A biased eye based on historical accuracy could be the cause of losing everything.
3	They're happier before they remembered Riley.
4	She doesn't even remember her girlfriend's face.
5	Everyone who has ever entered here regrets having done so.
6	He blinded his sister.
7	There is of no matter here (Old man's voice).
8	Not one, but two halves of one. (Spoken by a one-eyed man).
9	We need more time, we aren't ready! (Severin's voice).
10	Do NOT stack them, NO MATTER (Alagarthas's voice).

4. Mosaic Chamber

This chamber is a high vaulted dome with a deep inset ledge circling the room, 10 feet wide and 15 feet up. The floor here is set with a beautiful tile mosaic showing a knight in plate armor wielding a glowing sword against a chimera. The word “SAFE” is written in chalk on the door leading to area 5, marking that chamber as a resting place used by the cultists.   When the first character enters this room, the tile chimera begins to slowly shift. With a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check, a character notices this movement and is not surprised as the tiles shoot up and the chimera seemingly claws its way out of the mosaic.   The tile chimera acts as a normal chimera magically animated and customized per the sidebar. It makes a clacking noise as it moves, and when injured, it sprays tiles instead of bleeding. It is thin in one dimension and can use that fact to its advantage in combat. The creature flies up to the ledge to use its fire breath at range, flying down to attack in melee until it can breathe again.  

Mosaic Sun

The sun is depicted in the mosaic near the hallway that is area 6 — and is actually a sliding circular plate that reveals the bone boulder trap in that area. The plate is only apparent with a successful DC 24 Wisdom (Perception) check or a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check.  

Door Hazard

The double doors leading to area 12 are plated in corroded copper engraved to depict a group of wizards peering over a pool of water. The oversized figure of a male wizard at the top of the image raises his hands as if summoning a creature from the pool.   The doors bulge out noticeably from their frame, pushed out by the weight of stone where the ceiling of the corridor between area 4 and area 12 has collapsed. Pulling on either door unleashes enough force to break the hinges and send the doors and a wall of rubble crashing into the room. Any creature within 10 feet of the doors must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw to jump out of the way. On a failure, the creature takes 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage, or half as much damage on a successful save. The fall of rubble leaves the hallway filled with stone and impassable.  

5. Well Chamber

The divination pool used water to create a mirror-like surface for its powerful rituals, which was replenished from this well. The well holds water still, but the regional effects Diderius imposes on his lair causes it to evaporate within a few rounds of being hauled up into this area.   The sides of the well and the floor next to it are covered in bright red mushrooms. They are slick with a watery sheen that resembles blood, and have the taste and texture of raw liver if picked and eaten before the lair effects spoil them. They are safe to consume, however.   The cultists used this room as a forward campsite during their short expedition. Sleeping rolls and camping gear are scattered around. As with the door leading into this area, “SAFE” is scribed on the wall in chalk in case anyone became lost or disoriented.  

6. Hallway

This hallway slants down sharply towards area 7, dropping 15 feet over its full length. Any character who takes a moment to poke around and succeeds on a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices a secret panel halfway down the hallway, large enough for a Small creature to fit through, or a Medium creature that is squeezing. The panel reveals a narrow shaft that once housed a dumbwaiter, which drops down 30 feet to the stairwell leading to area 11.  

Bone Boulder Trap

The entire floor is filled with scratches and indentations, as if a trap has gone off. Against the wall in area 7 a ball of pointy bones can be found with the dead body of a Cultist attached to it.    

7. Throne Room Antechamber

The smell of incense fills this room, and rich tapestries cover the walls. On the south wall, a chute large enough only for a Small character to squeeze through lets in light from outside.   If the characters spoke properly to the statues in area 1, an unfamiliar voice is heard to whisper as they enter this area: “Humility proffered in the manner of Mystril shelters those opening the way to seeking knowledge.” A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check reminds a character of a holy gesture among adherents of the fallen goddess Mystril, involving turning the head downward and raising the hands as if holding a lamp. Characters who make this gesture while opening the double doors to the north can pass without difficulty.  

Sarcophagi

Six sarcophagi are embedded in the walls behind the tapestries, the cultists killed them when they opened the doors.  

8. Throne Room

A throne on a massive dais resembles a floating cloud concealing a golden sun. Seated on the throne is a twelve-foot-tall, regal and well-muscled humanoid male with a flowing white beard and purple toga — in reality, a clay golem that Diderius used to receive favored guests in this area.   The golem has been imbued with castings of magic mouth. When any character first approaches it, the creature speaks in a soothing, magnificent voice, saying, “Ye who seek Diderius’s insight must first furnish tribute, that Diderius might work his mighty magic. Lay such tribute at my feet or depart.”   Diderius was not a greedy wizard, and he accepted even meek offerings from the poor in the town. As long as each party member places something more valuable than a clay cup in the treasure pile, the characters are allowed to pass. If the adventurers attempt to steal any of the treasure or to use the door to area 10 without leaving treasure, the golem attacks.  

Treasure

At the foot of the throne is a pile of treasure containing 250 sp, six fine silver necklaces worth 50 gp each, and a potion of fire breath. Even with a quick glance, characters can see that the pile also contains hundreds of copper pieces and worthless bits of jewelry and pottery.  

9. Study and Library

The room east of the throne room antechamber was Diderius’s study and library, in which he would meet with sages and travelers. Its dusty shelves and tables are now empty, the scrolls and tomes once held here having been looted long ago. However, the area’s unwitting guardian remains.   Ilda Martikov is a neutral good ghost who was once one of Diderius’s apprentices. She worshiped her master, but was mistakenly banished as a thief when one of his prize tomes was misplaced. Ilda died not long after Diderius, and her spirit returned here to act as caretaker to his great stores of knowledge.   Ilda is not violent except to those who would steal from Diderius. She manifests when the characters enter this area, demanding to know why they have come and threatening them if they plan to loot the library. If the characters point out that there’s nothing left in the library to steal, Ilda is overcome by a fit of misery as she agonizes over her failures. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals that Ilda can be released from her sojourn here if any volumes from the lost library are returned (see area 11).   Although Ilda is not evil, the confrontation with her should still be harrowing. This is a creature whose spirit is tied to the world out of anguish, and any interaction with Ilda should be a precarious process of talking to a character who might fly off the handle at any moment. She might vanish into thin air for no reason, then return in a fury if the characters try to call her back.  

Information given

If the party manages to converse with Ilda, they might learn that yuan-ti dwell in the innermost parts of the complex. Ilda knows nothing about the cultists, who have not entered this area. If the characters gain her confidence, Ilda can also offer the following information:

• Diderius’s passion was powerful divination magic, which is how he discovered the mysterious pool in this cavern complex. He excavated these chambers around the pool, and kings and wizards came bearing tribute. When these same kings and wizards found out his interest in chronomancy however... they locked us in here to rot. When he died after many centuries of life, this underground manse became his crypt.
• The divination pool allows those using it to peer past many magical protections that block lesser divination magic.
• The pool’s revelations could drive a user insane unless the questions asked were specific and dealt only with the physical world, avoiding metaphysical concerns. Gazing into the pool without first offering a sacrifice was exceedingly dangerous.
• Using the divination pool required a personal sacrifice, but over time, the pool’s demands grew steeper.

 

10. Dining Hall

Two long tables of plain stone stand at the south end of this dining hall, while a long marble table stands to the north. The door up the stairs leading to area 8 has “? DANGER” written in chalk on it. The door down the southern stairs is spiked shut, and has “DANGER” scrawled on it in chalk.   Five bearded devils are seated at the marble table — the last survivors of Albicocca’s expedition. When her cultist followers were routed investigating area 11, Albicocca left the devils here with instructions to guard against any creatures coming out of that area. The devils take their orders seriously, which means they all but ignore the adventurers unless the characters attack. They specifically sneer at Lilith Embergaze.   If the devils are questioned politely, they tell the characters only that they were ordered to remain here. They admit that their master is Albicocca, and speak of great treasure down the stairs to the south. The half-dragon has been gone for some time, but they have no idea what happened to her.   If the devils are offered 100 gp or more in gems, they also tell the characters that they have fought and killed undead in the complex; that the half-dragon lost something important to her cult and needs the divination pool to get it back; and that they are working for the cult on the orders of their lord Zariel, Archduchess of Avernus, who wants Tiamat out of the Nine Hells.   The characters are free to pass through this room, including entering area 11 — but they will be attacked with glee by the devils when they leave that area.  

11. Treasure Vault

While Diderius lived, this area was his bedchamber, and it still contains an elegant bed, sets of bookshelves, a large wooden chest, and a side table set with ewer and goblets. The cultists sealed this room after a disastrous run-in with its undead guardians.  

On the Stairs

The dumbwaiter shaft from area 6 to the stairwell in front of the vault was once used to bypass the long walk from the bedchamber to the upper parts of the complex for Diderius’s servants. The dumbwaiter’s ropes and rotted wooden platform are strewn across the stairs.   This area is guarded by 3 wraiths and 3 specters. The wraiths are the spirits of warriors who pledged their souls to Diderius in exchange for the wizard’s exotic knowledge. They can be defeated in combat, but their spirits are bound to the room by ancient magic, causing them to manifest again 24 hours after being destroyed. The undead are the reanimated souls of three cultists who died here and of a yuan-ti that died exploring the ruins. They do not manifest again if destroyed.  

Treasure

The bookshelves contain magical treatises and notes on divination that have withstood the ravages of time. They detail the spellcasting practices of ancient Netheril, and will fetch 750 gp if sold. If the characters search the room, they find a crumbling book titled Transubstantiality across Potentialities stuck between the bed and the wall. If it is returned to the library (area 9), the ghost is free to move on from this world.  

• The silver ewer and four goblets next to the bed are magical. If a character pours from the empty ewer into an empty goblet, a fuming gas flows between both vessels. A character who “drinks” from a gas-filled goblet receives advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage for 3 hours. Each of the goblets can be used to produce this effect once per seven days.
• The airtight chest holds seven silk robes.
• The chest also holds an amethyst-set ring of resistance (poison) and two spell scrolls of protection from energy.
• Scroll of https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/plane-shift and Scroll of https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells/time-stop.

 

12. Divination Pool

This long gallery holds the magic pool that was the source of Diderius’s power. The double doors to the south have no markings on them, but they feature the same hazard as the doors in area 4.   Broken arrows, bloodstains, and a dead Zentarim member are strewn across the floor of the chamber. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the arrows were shot from the door leading into area 13.   If a character inspects the body, it is revealed that the Zentarim member died not from arrows but from a dagger wound, the blood still spilling from their throat. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that a dragontooth dagger (See appendix C) was the killing weapon. This was the unlucky Zentarim spy sent out by Rian Nightshade.  

Pool

The pool is currently empty. Albicocca had only just completed the pool’s divination ritual. It takes 24 hours for the pool to refill automatically.   When any water hits the pool, it spreads out and flares with a black light. Any character who received Ilda’s warning (or who remembers the statues words in area 3) will hopefully declare that he or she looks away from the pool. Otherwise, a character must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw against a suggestion spell. On a failed save, the character is compelled to gaze into the divination pool. unless another character immediately pulls the curious victim away from the pool (and avoids gazing into it as he or she does so). If not pulled away, a gazing character is driven temporarily insane for 1 minute (see area 3). A character pulled away from the pool does not suffer insanity but is stunned for 1 minute.  

Using the Pool

The divination pool has always required that a user make a personal sacrifice to gain its secrets. However, the pool’s magic has grown considerably hungrier over the long years of its isolation.   After a partymember gets engrossed with the pool of divination, Albicocca and her allies jump in from their invisibilty. She intends to keep the players alive as sacrifices for the pool every 24 hours. They have the intention of knocking out and preserving their lives in order to sacrifice them every 24 hours to the well. Continue to Chapter 12: Death to the Wyrmspeakers 2 for the conflict.  

13. Crypt of Diderius

Four dead cultist lay on the ground, skin fizzled away and smelling of rotten eggs. Their veins a darkened green. A DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check indicates death by poison.  

Sarcophagus

Diderius, the mummy lord, rests within the sarcophagus. When the characters approach within a few paces of it, a deep, clear voice issues from the coffin, saying, “You approach Diderius in repose. I know what you seek.”   If the adventurers spoke well to the statues in area 1, the voice says, “Yuan-ti have taken the one called Albicocca beyond their portal in the northern wall. Be prepared, for I shall open the way to peril.” Unless the characters ask Diderius to wait, a moment later, with a chiming sound, the secret door opens to area 14. The party gains a surprise round to act against the guards there.   Those who didn’t speak well in area 1 must ask Diderius about Albicocca to gain information about his whereabouts. Failure to do so respectfully causes Diderius to say, “Leave me to my rest or face your doom.” Diderius opens the way only for those who are particularly decorous in this exchange.   If the adventurers try to open the sarcophagus, Diderius warns them. If they persist, he attacks. The mummies behind the frescoes also smash free and attack. None of the monsters pursue those who flee this room, which soon returns to its original state.   A canopic jar in the sarcophagus contains Diderius’s withered heart.