Slave Block II

This significantly more important location contains spellcasters who are designated for sacrifice, more powerful slaves (especially fighter-types) who are undergoing repeated charm and/or domination treatment to brainwash them completely, and slaves with exceptional skills. This area is powerfully well defended. Map 30.17 shows the layout.

The door to this tower is locked and barred from the inside. In the entrance hall (area 17a), a pair of Troll guards lurk. These brutes are shod in iron plate mail (AC 2). A slightly nervous 4th/4th level Kuo-toa Whip overseer stands with them. In the large chamber beyond (area 17b), the master jailer sits impassively at a desk; this is a huge brute of a Kuo-toa Captain. He has the keys to all the cells of the tower. There is a 50% chance that an Aboleth is also here at any given time. Note that the "stairs" leading up and down here are actually more like ramps or chutes, allowing Aboleth to employ them as crawlways. In side-chamber 17c, wizard prisoners are kept in a lightless cell with minimal bedding or furnishings. There are d6+2 wizards here, 80% likely to be human, 20% likely to be elven. They are each of 1st to 4th level and have no memorized spells, spellbooks, or equipment. Side-chamber 17d has, likewise, d6+3 priests of varying good and neutral faiths, of 1st to 5th level. Roll d6 for race: 1-3 = human, 4 = dwarven, 5 = elven, 6 = gnomish. These priests have no memorized spells or equipment.

In the upper level of the tower, area 17e is home to a group of fighters who are currently having their brainwashing completed. There are four fighters (two of 5th level, two of 6th level) here and a Savant Aboleth which is exercising its domination over them. The Savant is an 9th level priest/9th-level wizard.

Chamber 17f contains a single prisoner, the wizard-sage Krelner. By sheer mental strength and no small measure of good luck, Krelner has persistently defeated all attempts to charm or dominate him and, because of this, is scheduled for sacrifice very soon. If the PCs manage to find Krelner, they will gain possibly helpful information from him; see below after the location key. Note that Krelner is a friend of Jelenneth (they were briefly slaves together) and she can vouch for him if she is with the PC party.

The lowest level of the tower, some 30' below ground level, is entirely flooded. Chamber 17g is empty but has a waterchute leading down and out of Shaboath. The terminal point of this chute has a Continual Light spell illuminating two glyphs identical to those which protect the chute leading to area 13c. Chamber 17h is home to another Savant Aboleth, with the powers of a 12th level priest/13th-level wizard. This Aboleth will be empathically aware of any assault on upper tower levels and will come up to investigate. It uses its Word of Recall spell to retreat to the Great Towers if seriously injured. It has a Stoneskin spell active.

If the PCs do not find Krelner during a first attack on the city, then during their second attack they will see Krelner being taken to the Great Towers for sacrifice. They must rescue him from his captors to learn his valuable secrets. Krelner's guards will be a Savant Aboleth, a Kuo-toa Lieutenant, an Illithid, and four ordinary (2 HD) Kuo-toa.

If Krelner is freed, he can tell the PCs what he has learned of the Great Towers. He tells them that each can only be destroyed by use of magic of the school opposed to that to which that particular tower is dedicated (for example, the Tower of Necromancy can only be destroyed by the use of Illusion/Phantasm magic). As for the great central tower - he shudders and says this is home to some thing that makes the Savant Aboleth look like "a humble apprentice in the dweomercrafting arts." He knows that within the four Great Towers ringed around the central complex, there is a magical core which can only be annulled if the surrounding towers are put out of commission first. If asked how he knows this, he will say that he has been studying Shaboath for some years before he was captured (he had hoped to write a scholarly monograph on the Aboleth and says he now knows the subject all-too well). He can give scraps of information about the cavern which show that he is telling the truth. Krelner is very reluctant to help the PCs in their attack, but if given good equipment, a magical weapon, and access to a spellbook, he might agree (Charisma check for persuading PC). He will not be inclined to push his luck, however, and so will only help with one attack.