L1-6. Doors of Wee Jas 'The Ruby Gate

Area Tags

choke point, puzzle-lever, undead skirmish, funerary lore, noise-sensitive

Light • Sound • Smell

• Low, steady torch glow from iron brackets; deep shadows in the alcove.
• Distant draft sighs through the door seams; occasional faint scrape from the sarcophagus.
• Stench: crypt mold, old incense… and an overlay of fresh blood near the threshold.

6a. The Portcullis Hall (before the Ruby Gate)

Approach Read-Aloud

Layout & control

• Gate A sits ~30 ft down the approach; Gate B another ~25 ft beyond it.
• Both are vertical iron portcullises (bar spacing 3", clearance 0").
• Control: The pair is operated remotely by the two levers in Room 5C (office). One lever raises/lowers Gate A, the other Gate B. They are not controlled from Area 6.

Stats & interaction

• Each Portcullis: AC 19 (iron), HP 27 (damage threshold 5).
• Force: DC 17 Athletics to lift a gate 3 feet (action; Str mod 16+ can maintain as bonus action each turn). On a failed check by 5+, the gate slams for 2d6 bludgeoning on the lifter and drops shut.
• Spike/Jam: DC 12 Sleight of Hand (iron spike or prybar) to wedge; a wedged gate imposes disadvantage on remote closing.
• Noise: Raising/dropping echoes; creatures in 5E/5C notice in 1–3 rounds.
• Suel Motif: Ledger runes (Wee Jas) etched every sixth floor tile; DC 12 Religion/History reads this as an order gate—passage in measured ranks, not a rush.

Clueing the control room (5C)

• Braided red cord remnants on the wall pegs match the cord in 5C. A DC 11 Investigation ties traffic here to lever use in 5C.
• Orc sign: Blue crescent daubs and boot ruts show routine use. The orc shaman forbade touching the sarcophagus past the gates.

Read-Aloud (approaching the doors)

Spot the stir: DC 13 Perception notices the stone lip quiver, dust trickling from the sarcophagus seam.

Suel Features & Lore Keys

• Patronage: Wee Jas (law, magic, funerary). Ruby accents and ledger-line engravings along the door lintels; every sixth floor tile bears a faint ledger rune. A DC 12 Religion/History identifies this as a gate between levels that should be passed “in order and under seal.”
• The Broken Seal: Palm-sized disc of ruby-stained stone, cracked. Nothing stops the party from lifting it—unless they open the doors first. If handled respectfully and placed back on the statue’s palm while speaking a short measured verse, grant advantage to the next check made to control or pacify undead in this area (once here, once on the stairs).

Lever & Doors (mechanics)

• Lever: One action to pull; opens both double doors together with a grinding report (audible to nearby rooms).
• Doors: AC 15, 30 HP per leaf; locked open/closed by the lever. A DC 14 Athletics can force one leaf 1 foot (enough to peek) if the lever is jammed.
• Reset: After 1 minute, the counterweight wants to settle; if wedged (DC 12 Sleight of Hand or an iron spike), doors remain as-is.
• Smell Burst: When first opened, a gust of cold carrion air rolls up from the stairs; any creature within 10 ft must succeed on DC 11 Constitution or be nauseated (disadvantage on Perception) until the end of its next turn.

Evidence of the Howling Moon

• Boot ruts & crescent daubs on the lever plinth; dried blood on the lower door edges. DC 12 Survival/Investigation confirms orc traffic regularly pushed the lever and descended.
• Beyond the doors (if opened): The first flights of stone steps to Level 2 are smeared with gore and smashed gear—a blood path of pulped orcs scattered down the stair. The interior face of the doors bears bloody scratch-marks, as if something pounded to get out before the doors re-latched.

Encounter: The Raging Priest of the Ruby

Trigger: When any character moves more than halfway into the room (past the lever line) or opens the doors and lingers, the undead stirs.

Read-Aloud (when it bursts):
The sarcophagus lid bucks. A gaunt shape erupts in a spray of dust—robes in tatters, ruby thread still clinging to bone. It throws back its head and howls, jaw cracking too wide, then charges on all fours with grave-mad hunger.

Behavior & Tactics

• Round 1: Screams and dashes at the nearest living creature; ignores others unless blocked.
• Undead Fortitude: As zombie. Radiant damage still suppresses it.
• Frenzy: If it takes damage and survives, it gains +10 ft. speed and +2 damage on its next slam.
• Morale: Mindless rage; fights to destruction unless pacified (see Rites, below).

Noise/Response Clock

• The lever’s grind or the howl alerts nearby orcs. From 5E and 5D, 2–3 rounds to arrive if not already engaged; from 5C/5D, 5–6 rounds. If the double doors are opened, arriving orcs hesitate at the top step unless prodded by a leader.

Wee Jas Rites (optional play reward)

• Measured Verse (1 action, audible): A creature holding the broken seal may intone a steady, law-bound chant (DC 13 Religion). On success, the raging priest must succeed on a WIS 13 save or become pacified (can’t take attacks; speed 0) until the end of its next turn. If the silver Wee Jas necklace (see Treasure) is hung on the statue during the chant, extend the pacification to 1 minute (ends if harmed).

Treasure

Inside the broken sarcophagus:

• Three tattered Wee Jas devotional scrolls (ritual litanies; 10 gp total to a temple or collector).
• Silver necklace with the Wee Jas symbol (50 gp).
• Dust, fragments of ruby inlay (no resale value unless you decide otherwise).

Map Notes

• Four-way or T-junction depending on your map; the sarcophagus alcove is immediately “left” from the principal approach corridor; the Wee Jas statue stands opposite.
• Lever plinth sits between the paired stone doors; doors swing inward toward the stair shaft.
• Lines of sight: Alcove is dim; a character past the lever line is exposed to a charge from the sarcophagus.