L2-01. Great Crypt Hall of the Six

The center statue: Lendor, Keeper of the Measure

A tall, austere Suel patriarch stands robed in square-cut geometrics, hair bound with a narrow circlet; his right hand steadies an armillary-like cradle, his left supports a broad bronze-gold basin. Across the rim, tiny tick-marks in groups of six form a measuring scale. On the plinth is a Suel glyph for “MEASURE/COUNT.”

• Arcana/Religion DC 12: This is Lendor, the Suel Time-Father and law of sequence.
• Closer details (Investigation DC 12): The basin’s rim has six inlaid ruby pips spaced evenly; faint channels lead down the pedestal. The metal is warm to the touch, as if quietly humming with counted beats.

The bowl (“Basin of Moments”).

• Perfectly still; acts as a true mirror for the room—but will also show the intended final facings of the six statues when meaningfully engaged (see “Clues & Hints” and “Sealing the Decision”).

Great Crypt Hall of the Six by 3orcs

The six outer statues

(clockwise from the NE corner, label them A→F for notes)

A – Jascar , the Oath-Stone (NE)
Mountain-crowned helm, square jaw, hammer at rest; cloak cut like jagged ridgelines.

• Domain cues: hills, guardianship, oaths, edge-true craft.
• Correct facing: NE (toward the “high place”/rising angle of the room).

B – Pyremius , the Ember Knife (E/SE zone)
Lean and smiling, a dagger held over a cupped flame; filigree vents around the base carry soot stains.

• Domain cues: fire, poison, murder, heat-judgment.
• Correct facing: SE (“flame rises” toward the stair’s draft).

C – Beltar , the Pit-Maw (S)
Gaunt matron with a broken crown; fingers hooked like talons; the plinth is gnawed and pitted.

• Domain cues: malice, caves, pits, the under-dark.
• Correct facing: S (depths below).

D – Fortubo , the Anvil-Ward (SW)
Broad-shouldered smith with engraved mail; one hand on an anvil, the other steadying a mason’s square.

• Domain cues: stone, metal, dwarven craft, steadfastness.
• Correct facing: SW (toward the weight of the earth/stone-laden quarter).

E – Wee Jas , Ruby Law (W)
Severe priestess crowned with a ruby diadem; left hand holds a scroll of funerary writ, right palm outward in stay-the-hand benediction.

• Domain cues: magic, law, death, proper rites.
• Correct facing: W (toward the crypt-door she governs).

F – Lendor , the Measure (N)
A leaner, youthful aspect of Lendor bearing a measuring staff (yes—two faces of Time were honored here).

• Domain cues: sequence, order, the way forward.
• Correct facing: N (toward the sealed way/future path).

Design note: If you prefer six unique gods without a second Lendor, swap F for Norebo (luck/chance) facing N as “fortune favors the bold road,” or for Lydia (song/knowledge) facing N as “knowledge leads onward.” The mechanics below are unchanged—only the carving’s description and rune change.

Using the statues

• Rotate: STR (Athletics) DC 12 to turn a statue to the next detent; two successes to move 120°. Each detent clicks audibly.
• Lock: Once a statue matches its facing, a faint harmonic hum resonates from the base (Perception DC 10).
• Reset: The room will not judge a configuration until the decision is sealed at the bowl.

DM Notes — How players figure out the seal (no skill check required)

What the room itself tells them

• Six is everywhere. Six ruby pips on the bowl; six tick-mark groupings on the rim; faint detents every 60° on each statue base; every 6th floor tile is notched. If a player taps the bowl rim six times evenly, the surface gives a tiny concentric ripple after the 6th beat (never for 5 or 7).
• The statues hum when right. When a statue reaches its correct facing, the base gives a soft, sustained six-count hum (you can hum it at the table). If they rotate away, the tone dies.

Sealing the decision (the player moment)

When the party is satisfied with the positions, a creature places both hands on the bowl’s rim and speaks, in a steady six-count cadence, the old ward-line:

“Lendor’s Measure, Ruby’s Law; Jascar’s Stone, Pyremius’ Flame—Suloise pass.”

• Performance or Religion DC 13 (the cadence matters; knowing Old Suloise grants advantage, but translation alone is fine if the rhythm is right).
• On a success, the bowl reads the room and resolves the attempt.

Outcomes

• All six correct: The liquid glows ruby-gold, then drains in six neat sheets as the north wall slides away at six measured beats. The opening remains for 1 hour or until resealed from beyond.
• 1–2 wrong: The liquid browns and stills; a soft counter-chime sounds; all six statues re-randomize themselves with stuttering clicks. No damage.
• 3–4 wrong: As above plus a heat-and-cold pulse: each creature within 10 ft of the bowl makes DC 13 CON save or takes 3 (1d6) fire + 3 (1d6) necrotic, half on success.
• 5th wrong in a day (or blatant mockery of the rite): Almond-scented gas exhales from pin-nozzles in the floor (the “Measure gas”): DC 13 CON or Poisoned 1 minute. This mirrors upstairs engineering but keeps early attempts nonlethal.

Partial hint on failure: When the decision fails, the bowl briefly shows one mis-facing statue as a ghostly overlay pointing toward its proper direction.

Clues & hints

• Basin mirror: Shining light onto the bowl or lightly tapping the rim in a six-count causes the reflection to overlay faint Suel runes at the six spoke directions (players can read/translate with Arcana/History DC 12):
  N (Measure), NE (Oath-Stone), SE (Flame), S (Pit), SW (Anvil), W (Ruby Law).
• Floor geometry: Every sixth tile along each axis bears a tiny tick-mark (Investigation DC 12), aligning with the six facings.
• Library callback: Notes in the Ruby Stacks upstairs mention “Six Who Keep the Measure”—a direct pointer to the facings (if they searched there).

West door — “Ruby’s Law”

A ruby-skull relief crowns the lintel. The door opens only when someone at the bowl intones in a six-count whisper:

“Ruby’s Law is silence between beats.”

All creatures within 20 ft must remain motionless for six heartbeats (DM: 6 seconds). Any movement spoils the attempt. If successful, the door unseals for 1 minute and then locks again.

Occupants, sign & sound

• Only orc dead remain here. 5–8 corpses in various states of ruin from failed attempts at the statue rite:
• Poisoned: almond-scent trace; ruby crusting at lips/nose; greenish pallor. (Medicine DC 12 reveals inhaled toxin.)
• Burnt/withered: blistered hands and forearms; scorched hair; some flesh blackened and tight over bone. (Medicine DC 13 notes mixed fire + necrotic trauma consistent with a bowl-pulse.)
• Impact/fall signs: 1–2 bodies show crushed knees/shoulders from panicked slips on stone after a pulse.
• Positions tell a story: one corpse slumped at the bowl (hands locked on rim), another sprawled between mis-faced statues, a third collapsed near the west door with fingers outstretched as if “holding still.” (Investigation DC 12 connects these to sealing attempts.)
• Scattered gear: snapped javelins, a soot-smeared drumhead with scratch marks in six segments (a failed facing diagram), 1d4 crude fetishes. No intact rations or water.

Treasure & features

• Bowl offerings: If a ruby-tinted gem or holy water worth ≥ 25 gp is placed in the liquid during a successful seal, the bowl returns a whispered boon: advantage on one check to interact with Suel wards in the next hour.
• Plinth cache (Investigation DC 14): A sliding panel under Fortubo’s base holds a mason’s measuring square (counts as tools, mason’s kit), a small ruby chalk (10 uses; draws lines that last 24h), and a bronze key-rod that may interact with later doors.

Scaling & fail-forward

• Each wrong decision after the first adds one roaming danger check (draw them in slowly; keep this a puzzle scene first).
• If the party stalls, let the bowl’s overlay show two correct facings on the next try after 10 minutes of respectful experimentation or a meaningful offering.