L2-19. Remand Well of Beltar - Trap Gaol
An iron portcullis bites down behind you. Nearly the entire round chamber is a yawning pit, its rim just a few feet from the walls. Ten feet below, a narrow stone ring-walk circles the shaft, slick with dark smears. Faded murals of blindfolded judges count out a measured six while a faint tik…tik…tik keeps time within the stone. Tattered Howling Moon gear—split shields, broken javelins, a wolf-spiral banner—litters the rim. Fresh blood and scraps of flesh streak the inner wall, then trail away from the threshold toward the halls that lead to the Mortuary.
Features & Interactions
- A. Portcullis (law cadence release):
Waist-high rail with six worn dimples. Tap each dimple in true six-count to unlatch for 1 minute (INT/Religion DC 12 or matching the metronome grants advantage). STR DC 20 or cutting the side ratchet (AC 15, 15 hp) forces it. Forcing advances nearby response clocks by one step. - B. Murals & Metronome:
Six blindfolded judges raise hands in order; a soft metronome ticks from the east basecourse (Perception DC 13 to pinpoint). Matching its pace aids the portcullis and the secret door. - C. Secret Door — Service Egress (east wall):
Flush stone law-slab (Investigation DC 14 or Perception DC 12 with dusting).
Open key: Press the 3rd judge’s palm, then the 6th, then hold one silent beat—panel releases to a low natural cavern passage (single file) that winds toward your eastern caverns (use to loop to L2-09 or as a stealth exfil). - D. Evidence of Recent Use:
- Orc sign: snapped shafts, a cracked round shield (wolf spiral), a torn leather harness, 1d4 javelins (poor).
- Blood trail: fresh smears from ring-walk ladder hooks to the door, then along the corridor toward L2-03—the Ruby Custodian and Ruby Ghouls dragged four orc corpses to the Mortuary within the last hour.
Fall from the upper pit
Your boot finds only air. Gravel hisses past your ears as the floor gives way and you plunge through cold darkness. A breath later—stone flashes by—then a ring of slick tiles rushes up. You plunge past the ledge, crashing into cold stone and bone grit below. The metronome’s tik…tik…tik echoes up the well as dust and red flakes drift around you. Looking up, you see the narrow ring-walk ten feet above and, higher still, the rough circle where you fell through. The walls are slick—and streaked with fresh blood.
From Above (L1-7 Pit)
Creatures dropped from L1-7. The Gauntlet Walk 'Murder-Gallery Corridor' fall directly into this shaft:
- Hit the ring: 1d6 bludgeoning; on a failed DC 12 Acrobatics, slide to the sump for +2d6.
- Miss the ring (or shoved): 3d6 total to the sump.
Climbing the slick inner wall is Athletics DC 15; a dangling, rusted service chain reduces to DC 12.
Occupants & Triggers
(choose or roll 1d4)
- Ruby Custodian (Specter variant): Enforces cadence; attacks those who break the six-count (dash, shout, horn) or deface murals. Whispers “Hold the measure” if the rail is tapped correctly.
- Ruby Ghouls (1–2): May arrive from L2-03 within 7–8 rounds if fresh blood hits the ring or sump.
- Bone-Leech Swarm: Burrowed in the sump; fire/salt repels.
- Empty, but Active Sign: You hear receding bootfalls and chain rattle toward the Mortuary; increase the next response roll by +1.
Tactics & Response
- Noise at the portcullis or a fall impact counts as a disturbance for L2-17 / L2-17a (check your R2/R4/R6 clock). Expect 2 orcs from the Praxis Ring on R2; an elite drill leader by R4 if the fight sustains.
- Consecrated behavior (silence, measured six-count) can stall one response check at the GM’s discretion.
Treasure & Clues
- Ruby bead set into a shackle lock (10 gp), law stamp (Wee Jas star-glyph) usable to impress later wards, and a pottery ledger shard marked with six notches (History/Religion DC 12 to read as custody tally).
- Among the orc leavings: 1d4 javelins (poor), a dice-bone with six pips (Hextor motif), and a slashed wolf banner (leverage with prisoners or intimidation).
Map Notes
Draw a 35–40 ft round room. Portcullis on the south. The central pit occupies most of the floor; show the 5-ft ring-walk at 10-ft depth and a deeper sump below. Mark hook points and the secret east slab. A faint blood trail exits toward the corridor that connects to L2-03.
Remand Well of Beltar - Trap Gaol by 3orcs
Type: Prison-trap chamber (lawful holding well)
Access: North of L2-17a Ruby Praxis Ring behind a portcullis
Links: Secret egress to natural caverns (east corpse-drag route leads toward L2-03 Mortuary of Ruby Law
From above: Victims drop here from L1-7. The Gauntlet Walk 'Murder-Gallery Corridor' pit trap
Layout & Depths
- Central Pit: 22–26 ft diameter; dominates the room.
- Drop to ring-walk: 10 ft (falls here deal 1d6 bludgeoning; DC 12 Acrobatics to land upright).
- Sump below ring: additional 15 ft (slip or shove off the ring deals 2d6; total 3d6 if you miss the ring entirely).
- Ring-Walk (capture ledge): 5 ft wide continuous shelf at the 10-ft depth; iron lift hooks set every 10 ft for winches/ropes.
- Perimeter Rim (room floor): 2–5 ft of walkway around the pit for wardens to work the rail and portcullis.
DM Notes
Climbing Out, Finding & Opening the Shrine’s Secret Door (L2-19)
1) Climbing out of the pit
(from sump → ring-walk → rim)
- Heights: Sump to ring-walk = 10 ft; ring-walk to rim = 10 ft.
- Surfaces: Slick basalt (damp), faint blood smears.
- Climb DCs:
- Without aid: Athletics DC 15 (sump→ring) and DC 15 (ring→rim).
- With the rusted service chain: first segment DC 12 (chain has 8 hp, AC 12; on a natural 1 it creaks—Noise +1 to next response check).
- With rope/ pitons: if a PC sets an anchor (Tools Climber’s/Smith’s DC 12 or Survival DC 12), subsequent climbs are DC 10.
2) Spotting the secret door behind the Suel shrine
(alcove on the rim)
- What it looks like: A shallow shrine niche with three stone tablets (left/right deity plates; center dais with a ruby skull relief of Wee Jas). The niche back is a law-slab that can retract.
- Passive clues:
- Passive Perception 13+: Hairline mortar seam around the dais; faint cold draft.
- Religion 10+ (glance): “Judge/measure” motifs suggest a law-locked panel, not a hinge.
- Listening a beat in silence reveals the metronome a little louder here.
- Active search:
- Investigation DC 14 or Perception DC 12 if dusted with chalk/soot; advantage if someone keeps a steady six-count while searching.
- Thieves’ Tools to probe for catches DC 15 (can find but not open without the key unless DC 20).
3) Opening mechanics
(law key & alternatives)
- Law Key (intended solution):
- Touch the 3rd judge figure carved on the mural (left to right).
- Touch the 6th judge.
- Observe one beat of silence (no speech/metal clatter) while keeping a steady six-count in mind.
→ The panel retracts with a soft stone sigh; open for 1 minute before re-seating. - Checks: Religion DC 12 to recall Jasite “order before word”; Performance DC 10 (keeping time) may substitute for the silent beat if the party is role-playing cadence.
- Breaking silence during step 3 aborts the sequence (try again after 1 round).
- Tool Bypass (hard): Thieves’ Tools DC 18 to pick the dual catches; doing so clicks loudly (Noise +1 to next response check).
- Force Bypass: Str/Damage vs. AC 17, 25 hp (adamant/force spells halve the hp needed). Breaking it permanently opens but Noise +2 and advances the nearest response clock one step.
- Wee Jas Law Stamp shortcut (if found in this room): Pressing the stamp to the center tablet counts as the 3rd+6th press; only the silent beat is still required.
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