Naga Lair

A Dungeon for 8th Level Characters

Overview

Recently, a column of light has erupted from this lair. The light is a magic beacon, originally intended to assemble priests and officials. The creators and their kingdom have long since died, but one guardian naga named Jihiri remained, residing over the ancient ruins. After two spirit nagas invaded its home, Jihiri activated the beacon to call for help while being eaten alive by the enemy. Since then, the beacon burns, attracting adventurers like moths to a flame.
Now, the spirit nagas have made the ruins their home and consume Jihiri’s body whenever it comes back to life. They have grown fat and enjoy this carefree life.
The light erupts from the top of a sizable mound, located in a large clearing in the High Forest. Two adventures called Bumi (CN female half-elf acolyte) and Froschor (LN male half-orc guard) are waiting outside with shovels while they bicker about the right course of action, like digging in from the top or side, buying new weapons or an inn from the soon to be unearthed treasure, or putting more vegetables or meat in the stew. Both react friendly to adventurers, if they return the courtesy. Bumi and Froschor would prefer to work with a larger team, if the treasure is split fairly.
If adventurers enter the complex from the dig site Bumi and Froschor started, they arrive in room B1, directly above the beacon. A 100-foot-long hempen rope is needed to reach the bottom from the top of the hill, which Bumi and Froschor can supply. Anyone who searches the area and succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check finds irregularities in the flora, hinting at a buried entrance. If adventurers dig at the newly found location, they arrive on the staircase in B6.

Lair Locations

B1. Beacon

A radiant beacon, erupting from a small ziggurat, bathes this room in bright light. Next to it, an underground river rushes through the chamber. The current is strong, carrying away pebbles into the dark.
Creatures can manipulate the beacon via a large control station located on the room’s southern wall. It features many levers, buttons, nobs, and dials. Anyone who operates the station must make an Intelligence (Arcana) check. The total indicates the outcome on the table below.

DC	Outcome
1-4	The creature accidently intensifies the beacon.
5-9	The creature changes the beacon’s color.
10-14	The creature learns how to activate and deactivate the beacon.
15+	The creature learns how to activate, deactivate, and intensify the beacon, and opens the secret door to room B7.

While the beacon is intensified, creatures in the room take 2d6 radiant damage at the beginning of their turn. Roll a die each round the beacon is intensified, beginning after the first. On an odd number, the beacon and the diamond in room B7 are destroyed. Additionally, the beacon burns any nonmagic ropes used to descend into the chamber.
Anyone who succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check spots irregularities in the walls, hinting at a secret door. However, adventurers cannot open it without figuring out how to manipulate the beacon.

B2. Underground River

These crystal clear waters wash pebbles and colorful rocks downstream.
Anyone who falls into the river must succeed on a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, made with disadvantage if the creature is wearing heavy armor, or else get swept off their feet and exit in area B8 prone.

B3. Spirit Naga Lair

A small pool of hot, bubbling water in the center of this room spreads warmth and a sulfurous smell.
Unless alerted by noise from adventurers, the two spirit nagas warm up in the center of the room, slung around the hot pool.
The nagas attack as soon as they notice adventurers and open combat by casting hold person at 5th level, always picking adventurers who appear heavily armored. The nagas renew the hold person once they lose concentration or all adventurers succeed on their saving throws. If adventurers stand lined up in a corridor and the nagas can hit at least two of them, the nagas cast lightning bolt. Otherwise, the nagas expend all 4th-level spell slots casting blight, and then use their regular attack. The nagas fight to the death, knowing that they will soon come back to life to exact revenge.
Anyone who succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (Nature) check knows that nagas come back to life after a few days. The naga always reassembles at the location of the largest remaining piece of their corpse.

B4. Fake Treasure Chamber

Two halves of a skeleton lie on the ground, slowly falling to dust in the middle of the room. Small piles of rust and metal flakes have accumulated in between the bones, discoloring some of the bleached remains.
The skeleton is that of a long-deceased spelunker. The adventurer fell victim to the trap.
Anyone who searches for traps without passing the room’s halfway mark and succeeds on a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check is certain that no mundane traps are installed. Anyone who checks the room with a detect magic spell finds magic triggers crisscrossing the entirety of the room’s halfway mark, making them unavoidable. Additionally, they see a waist-high strip of magic on the room’s walls, a trap that creates a deadly force field.
The force field originates from all walls simultaneously, crushing affected creatures’ pelvis region. If a creature passes the halfway mark, the force field appears and creatures in the area must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw. A target takes 10d12 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Adventurers can avoid the trap by crawling on the floor. In the final room, adventurers find two empty chests.

B5. Jihiri's Resting Place

A gnawed snake skull of unusual size rests on a small ziggurat, smeared with dried blood.
The spirit nagas stored Jihiri’s skull in this room so they can consume the guardian naga as soon as it revives. Roll a d6 to determine after how many days until Jihiri uses its Rejuvenation.
Inside the small ziggurat, shielded by 1 inch of lead, rests the true treasure. Anyone who casts detect magic notices the shielded area. If adventurers destroy the ziggurat and open the secret compartment, they find 15,000 gp, 2,400 pp, a gold birdcage with electrum designs (250 gp), a carved ivory statuette (250 gp), and a holy avenger rapier.
If adventurers take Jihiri’s skull with them, or wait around long enough, the guardian naga comes back to life. It thanks adventurers for their help if they killed and removed the spirit nagas. If adventurers took the treasure from the ziggurat, or the diamond from the machine room, Jihiri asks the adventurers to return the treasure, and attacks if they refuse.

B6. Staircase

This staircase leads up to the surface, but debris and earth block the way.

B7. Machine Room

A large diamond, fastened in a metal contraption, rests in a waist-high pillar in the center of this room. The smell of burnt oil and metal lies heavily in the air.
The diamond can be extracted without issue if the beacon is deactivated. As long as the beacon is active, anyone who attempts to take the diamond must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 6d12 fire damage and cannot retrieve the diamond, and a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and retrieves the diamond.

B8. Jetty

A jetty borders the rushing underground river, with no boats in sight. If adventurers follow the river downstream, they can exit the cave system after two days as the underground river joins with the Dessarin River.

Type

Dungeon

Related Plots

• Column of Light