L2-10. Antechapel of the Ruby Mortarch
Role & feel
This is not the Mortarch’s lair, but his muster and oath room—where attendants receive orders, where the faithful kneel before proceeding farther into his wing. It formalizes everything the level has taught: measure, silence, obedience.
The Oath Lattice
(how to open the north door, no rolls required)
On the floor before the north door is a faint hexagonal inlay connecting the six kneeler stones.
What players can discover without checks
- Each kneeler’s pip glows if touched while someone keeps a soft six-count.
- The lectern holds a brief watch-prayer rubric in ancient Suel: “Kneel in order; speak the Measure; hold the Law between beats.”
- The ruby pins above cast thin shadows in the shape of links when the vigil flames flare—hinting at chains if you get it wrong.
Do this to pass
- One or more characters kneel at any subset of the stones—but a stone must be used for each beat.
- A leader recites the watch-prayer on a calm six-count:
“Lendor’s Measure, Ruby’s Law; Jascar’s Stone, Pyremius’ Flame—Suloise pass.”
…with everyone else holding silence between beats.
- With each beat, a kneeler’s pip answers. On the sixth, the north door bolts withdraw.
If the group is short on bodies, a single supplicant can touch unused kneelers with the free hand to keep the count—this is visible in the lectern’s margin sketch.
Fail-forward / wrong cadence
- Speaking loudly, skipping beats, or striking a kneeler out of time triggers Judicatory Chains (below) but also causes one ruby pip to flash the correct order next attempt. Respectful retry on cadence succeeds.
Hazard — Judicatory Chains
(lawful restraint)
- Trigger: Breaking the cadence; mocking the prayer; forcing the north door.
- Effect: From the six ceiling studs, spectral red chains lash down to restrain offenders. Each creature in the kneeler zone makes a DC 13 WIS save or is Restrained until the end of its next turn and takes 7 (2d6) necrotic as the chains “tighten the law.” On a success, take half necrotic, not restrained.
- Calm: A creature reciting any of the Wee Jas plaque verses (L2-04) in a soft six-count suppresses the chains for 1 minute.
- Noise: A chain discharge adds +1 tick to the Attention Clock.
Occupants & behavior
- Ruby Verger (use your Ruby Custodian stat block with 10 fewer HP) often stands here, reviewing the edict codex and dispatching attendants.
- If the rites are kept: Indifferent; will answer terse questions in Old Suloise: “Measure kept. Proceed north by leave.”
- If mocked: Commands kneelers to bind (triggers chains) and calls two Ruby Ghouls from the west passage if the fight drags.
If your Clock is at 3+ ticks, replace the Verger with a full Ruby Custodian on inspection duty.
Mortarch sign
(what the codex says today)
- Edict I: “Procession by Measure; silence between beats.” (reminder for the corridor)
- Edict II: “Wing of Stone conscripts to muster three dozens.” (reinforcements brewing in L2-07)
- Edict III: “Beltar Maw: quench when passage required; feed otherwise.” (ties L2-08)
- Edict IV: “Harriers to upper temple: seize the Watch-Prayer relic if found.” (a hook to L1 artifacts)
A ruby sigil seals each edict. Rubbing the wax can transfer the mark (useful for bluffing).
Secrets, treasure & utilities
- Lectern drawer (smart rummage, or simply think to check):
- Ruby Chalk (5 uses).
- Mortarch letter-tile (a small bronze token with his mark): advantage on one social check vs. Ruby undead this level if shown.
- Scroll (silence). (Fits the theme; great for turning off noisy traps.)
- Dais cache (press six hidden studs under the lip): a vial of funerary myrrh, incense sticks (6), and a chain-key usable on older bolt racks (counts as thieves’ tools for doors keyed to the Measure).
Boxed outcomes (quick drops)
Rite kept — door opens
Six pips answer, one by one. On the final beat, the ruby pins along the north door kindle and the bolts retreat with a dry, measured scrape.
Chain discharge
Red links unspool from the ceiling with a courtroom’s inevitability, cinching wrists and ribs before hissing back into the studs.
Verger stands down
The skull turns; the staff tips in acknowledgment. “Proceed in order.”
Basalt chamber with ruby dais and lectern; six kneelers under ruby ceiling studs; vigil braziers; banners bearing the Mortarch’s skull-and-flame sigil. West service door; north ruby-pinned door deeper in.
At-a-Glance
- Open north door: kneelers + watch-prayer on a six-count (Oath Lattice).
- Trap: Judicatory Chains restrain and nip necrotic if cadence breaks.
- NPC: Ruby Verger (lesser Custodian) will parley if rites kept.
- Hooks: Edict codex telegraphs activity in L2-07 and L2-08.
- Exits: south/west back to L2-04; north toward the Mortarch’s temple.
Layout & features
- Ruby Dais & Lectern (east wall): a bronze lectern holds a thick slate codex (wax-chalk pages) listing current edicts (see Mortarch Sign).
- Six Kneeler Stones (center): each bears a tiny ruby pip.
- Ceiling pins: six small ruby ceiling studs over the kneelers—sources of the Judicatory Chains (hazard).
- Votive Braziers: divine-fire Ruby Vigil (as in L2-04): cannot be doused except by dispel magic; re-light on a six-count verse.
- West door (back to L2-04. Processional Corridor — “The Sixfold Way”): a modest, service-grade door (not the kneeler arch you entered by).
- North door (deeper into the wing): tall, banded in ruby pins; sealed by the Oath Lattice rite.
Exits
- South banded arch: back to L2-04 Processional (kneeler bar on that side).
- West service door: short return to L2-04 (bypasses the kneeler arch; used by attendants).
- North ruby-pinned door: opens by the Oath Lattice; leads into corridors toward the Mortarch’s temple rooms (your future key).
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