Vanthampur Villa
Duke Thalamra Vanthampur can't stand the rank gossip that hangs in the air of the Manorborn neighborhood. Thus, her estate lies in the Temples neighborhood of the Upper City, as far away from the other patriars as one can get while still being visible to them.
Vanthampur Villa is a stately stone edifice with a detached stable house. Both buildings have sloped rooftops covered with red clay tiles. A 12-foot-high stone wall encloses the villa. Lanterns hanging along the wall's interior are lit at dusk and extinguished at dawn to illuminate the yard and villa at night. The wall features three wooden gates—the main entrance and a coach gate to the south, and a postern gate to the north.
Architecture
- Fendrick Gray, a decrepit seventy-year-old butler
- Sarvinder Peck, a salty fifty-two-year-old groundskeeper and stable master
- Gabourey D'Vaelan, a fussy thirty-five-year-old cook
- Ambra Fallwater, a plainspoken nineteen-year-old maid
Villa Locations
V1. Yard
Nine lawful evil human guards patrol the yard in three groups of three. When the characters first arrive, these groups are located at the points marked "V1" on the map, and are circling the yard counterclockwise. The guards attack anyone who trespasses onto the estate without the consent or prior notification of Duke Thalamra Vanthampur or one of her sons.V2. Stable House
This stone building contains stables for four draft horses, plus a fully equipped smithy with an anvil and a hearth. Sarvinder Peck (see "Servants" above) can be encountered here, making and fitting new shoes for the horses. Trapdoor. A 3-foot-square flagstone in the southwest corner of the stable doubles as a hidden trapdoor in the floor. Any character who searches the area finds the trapdoor with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The stone covers a brick-walled shaft and a wooden ladder that descends 15 feet to area V27 of the dungeon. If the Vanthampurs need to flee the dungeon, they can use the trapdoor to reach their horses quickly.V3. Foyer
If the characters knock on the front doors, the butler, Fendrick Gray (see "Servants"), makes his way here from area V10 to greet them. He ushers them in if they are expected, but turns them away otherwise. Apart from the main entrance, this room has two exits. A plaster shelf lined with ornate vases circles the room at a height of nine feet. Spread across the flagstone floor is a ten-foot-wide, fifteen-foot-long rug of exquisite design, depicting a royal coronation. Two tapestries hanging on the walls depict a dragon flying over a ship and pilgrims on camels, respectively. Four invisible imps lurk among the vases on the high shelf, one in each corner. The imps swoop down to attack anyone they perceive as intruders, including characters who have Mortlock or Amrik as a prisoner. Treasure. The vases, rug, and tapestries are valuable art objects, though they don't go well together. Each of the sixteen vases weighs 2 pounds and is worth 25 gp. The rug weighs 50 pounds and is worth 250 gp. Each of the two tapestries weighs 5 pounds and is worth 75 gp.V4. Servants' Quarters
This undecorated room contains four single beds and a dining table for the manor's servants. The servants keep spare uniforms and other personal belongings in drawers under their beds. Nothing of value is kept here.V5. Kitchen
Pleasant aromas fill this area throughout the day as cook Gabourey D'Vaelan (see "Servants") prepares meals for the Vanthampurs and their staff. Gabourey doesn't like other people in the kitchen while she works. Pots, pans, and cooking utensils dangle above three wooden preparation tables in the middle of the room, and shelves are lined with bowls, platters, herbs, spices, and dried goods. A dumbwaiter with a manually operated rope-and-pulley system allows meals to be delivered to Duke Vanthampur's bedroom (area V17). A tiny bell near the dumbwaiter rings whenever the duke wants food sent up to her. Slobberchops the tressym prowls the kitchen, killing rats and eating whatever Gabourey drops on the floor. Slobberchops has no loyalty to the Vanthampur family, and detests Thurstwell and his imp spies. The tressym befriends any character who feeds it, following that character around the house and using its Detect Invisibility trait to warn of invisible imps nearby.V6. Pantry
Food and drink is stored on shelves in this musty room.V7. Stairs Down
This room contains a barrel of fresh water and a brick-walled staircase that descends 15 feet to area V20.V8. Parlor
While entertaining visitors in this room, the duke likes to sit in an austere, high-backed chair facing a pair of padded couches and a coffee table. A hidden compartment in the left armrest of the duke's chair contains a silvered dagger. A character who examines the chair can locate the hidden compartment with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. Thin drapes cover the windows to diffuse the natural light, and the walls are lined with framed paintings of the duke, her three dead husbands, her three sons, and the family's winged cat, Slobberchops. Treasure. A tapestry hanging on the north wall depicts burning angels falling from the sky into a pit of fire. The tapestry weighs 5 pounds and is worth 150 gp.V9. Dining Room
Thalamra Vanthampur and her sons gather here once a tenday for an always-tense family dinner. Read the following when the characters can see this area: An iron-wrought chandelier hangs above a black oak dining table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs carved to look like devils. A fireplace dominates one wall, flanked by red-curtained windows. A handsome, glass-doored wine cabinet stands against one wall. Perched on the chandelier are three invisible imps that behave like the imps in area V3. A rope-and-pulley mechanism allows the chandelier to be lowered and raised. The rope is tied around a hook mounted on the east wall near the wine cabinet. Treasure. The cabinet contains a set of eight red crystal goblets (25 gp each) and sixteen bottles of wine. Fifteen of the bottles contain fine wine (10 gp each). The last bottle is laced with midnight tears, a tasteless poison (see "Poisons" in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). This tainted bottle is set aside for guests whom the duke intends to eliminate.V10. Gallery
Black curtains are drawn over the windows to the south, keeping this hall dark and cool. Unless otherwise occupied, Fendrick Gray, the venerable butler, paces the hall with a lantern while the maid, Ambra Fallwater, dusts (see "Servants"). A wooden staircase at the north end of the hall climbs 15 feet to area V11. This gallery contains an eclectic collection of tapestries, paintings, and alabaster busts on pedestals meant to impress guests. The duke bought the pieces thinking them to be valuable art objects, but all are knockoffs acquired from dubious sources. The haphazardly assembled collection is a testament to bad taste. Wax Statue. A 6-foot-tall wax statue in one corner depicts Duke Thalamra Vanthampur cradling the family pet, Slobberchops, in her arms. The tressym has a wax rat in its mouth. Visitors who enter the gallery from the foyer (area V3) are often startled by the statue because of its location just inside the door and its lifelike appearance.V11. Upstairs Hall
Lanterns hang from the rafters of this drafty hall. The staircase to the north descends 15 feet to area V10. Five lawful evil human guards stand watch here—one by each door. They attack anyone not accompanied by a Vanthampur family member. If they hear trouble elsewhere, the guards can't be surprised, but they stay put unless ordered to move by a member of the family. Combat here alerts Thurstwell Vanthampur in area V13.V12. Balcony
A crenelated stone battlement encloses this balcony overlooking the front yard. It's a 15-foot drop from the balcony to the ground.V13. Thurstwell's Bedroom
Drab curtains cover the windows of this plain room, which contains a bed, a padlocked iron chest, a claw-footed iron bathtub, and a fireplace. Standing in the middle of the room is Thurstwell Vanthampur, a frail and hateful forty-two-year-old man clutching an infernal puzzle box (see "Treasure" below). If alerted to intruders, Thurstwell has locked the puzzle box in the iron chest and tucked the key into his robe pocket. Thurstwell commands several imp spies who enter and leave his room through the chimney, but only one such creature is present when the characters arrive. This imp is invisible, lurks in the fireplace, and attacks anyone who threatens Thurstwell. Thurstwell greets intruders in the most uncivil fashion—by casting sacred flame at the nearest one. On the same turn, he casts sanctuary on himself as a bonus action and uses his movement to cower behind the bed while the imp defends him. If taken prisoner, he whines about the failure of his guards to protect him and bides his time, hoping his captors get in over their heads and afford him a chance to escape. If interrogated, he offers the following information in exchange for his release:- His mother, the duke, is in the dungeon below the villa with Thavius Kreeg. She and the former high overseer of Elturel are plotting to seize control of Baldur's Gate.
- He and his brothers recently stole the Shield of the Hidden Lord from a crypt under the city. A powerful devil named Gargauth is trapped in the shield, and has vowed to help the Vanthampurs conquer Baldur's Gate if released. Thavius Kreeg is confident that he can devise a way to release Gargauth from the shield.
- Thavius arrived in the city a few days ago with the puzzle box. The duke insisted that Thavius let the family safeguard the item while he studies the shield.
V14. Mortlock's Bedroom
This dark room contains a bed, a wooden chest with clawed feet, and a night table. The chest weighs 25 pounds and contains a few drab garments made for a man of Mortlock's size, a few worthless personal effects, and a stuffed troll doll from Mortlock's childhood.V15. Amrik's Bedroom
This tastefully appointed room contains a bed, a side table, a claw-footed iron bathtub, a fireplace, and an iron-banded wooden chest. A three-foot-wide, six-foot-tall mirror is mounted to the east wall opposite the fireplace. The mirror's varnished wooden frame is carved with images of rats, ravens, and spiders. Treasure. Amrik's chest contains neatly folded and tailored apparel to fit a slender noble, and a jewelry box carved from bone (10 gp). This tiny box contains a gold signet ring (5 gp) bearing the Vanthampur motto, "Stone hearts never bleed."V16. Duke's Powder Room
This room contains a vanity topped with a framed oval mirror, bottles of perfume, brushes, cosmetics, needles, and spools of thread. Other furnishings in the room include a folding wooden partition adorned with a bird of prey rendered in gold leaf, a tall black wardrobe filled with corsets and fine clothes, and a decorative gold rug laid out in front of three unlocked wooden chests. One chest is full of shoes, another contains three old bridal gowns, and the third contains seasonal hats. Treasure. The vanity holds six bottles of fine perfume (20 gp each), a silver hairbrush inlaid with lapis lazuli (100 gp), and a wooden jewelry box with electrum filigree (75 gp) holding a pearl necklace (250 gp), a platinum cameo shaped like a winged cat (50 gp), and two potions of healing in thin crystal vials.V17. Master Bedroom
Duke Vanthampur retires to this chamber when she needs to rest or shake off a headache. She also takes most of her meals here. Food is delivered via a dumbwaiter in the southwest corner (see area V5 for details), which has a cord that rings a bell in the kitchen. Other features of the room include a canopied bed with a gossamer shroud for keeping insects at bay, a freestanding wooden privacy screen, a cast-iron bathtub with clawed feet, a fireplace, and a padlocked iron chest. The padlock is cast in the shape of a horned devil's scowling visage. Thalamra Vanthampur carries the key to the padlock (see area V28), which can be picked by a character with thieves' tools who succeeds on a DC 17 Dexterity check. Treasure. The chest weighs 65 pounds and is trapped (see "Trap" below). It contains three thin, black-covered ledgers with entries written in Infernal (records of Duke Vanthampur's legitimate business dealings), a set of calligrapher's supplies (15 gp), a poisoner's kit (50 gp), a coin pouch made from a sheep's bladder (containing 22 pp, 85 gp, and 113 sp), and pipes of the sewers. Trap. The chest has a false bottom underlaid with metal springs. The combined weight of the items in the chest holds the false bottom down, but if three or more items are removed, the false bottom rises and pulls the cork out of a thin glass vial hidden underneath it. The uncorked vial releases a cloud of poisonous gas that fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the chest. The cloud is stationary and lasts for 1 minute, or until it's dispersed by a strong wind. Any creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) poison damage.V18. Duke's Study
An oak writing desk angled to face the middle of the room has a matching chair behind it and two black candlesticks atop it. Other furnishings include three bookcases and a freestanding suit of black plate armor topped with a bucket helm and equipped with a longsword and a shield. A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads up to area V19. The suit of armor is a helmed horror that was fashioned on Avernus. The construct understands Infernal but can't speak, and it is immune to the following spells: fire bolt, sacred flame, and shocking grasp. The only creatures permitted in this area are Duke Vanthampur and her sons. If any other creature enters the room unescorted, a fiery orange light fills the helmed horror's hollow interior as it attacks. The helmed horror pursues intruders beyond the room, returning here only after the trespassers leave the villa or are hacked to pieces. Bookcases. Duke Vanthampur abhors reading but keeps a modest library of fine literature for the sake of appearances. Her study contains two hundred books. A character who spends 1 hour sifting through the collection can find twenty rare first editions (25 gp each). The remaining books are worth 5 gp each to interested buyers, except for a worthless book titled Last Charge of the Hellriders. A cavity cut into its pages holds a small iron ring with two keys hanging from it. These keys unlock the cages in area V19.V19. Tower Peak
If the characters climb the wrought-iron spiral staircase from area V18, describe this room as follows: The spiral staircase climbs fifteen feet to a square room with crisscrossing rafters ten feet overhead and a peaked roof above that. An empty bookcase dominates the west wall, and two filthy padlocked cages stand on the floor. Each cage holds a human prisoner and a chamberpot. The keys to open the cages' padlocks can be found in area V18. A character with thieves' tools can also pick a lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. The locks can't be picked from inside the cages. Perched atop the cages are two invisible imps. When no one else is around, the imps torment the prisoners with idle threats and taunts, and the prisoners know not to speak or cry out lest the imps sting them. The imps avoid combat with well-armed intruders. If anyone tries to free a prisoner, the invisible imp closest to that prisoner slips through the bars of the cage and stings the prisoner to death, turning visible as it does so. On its next turn, the imp turns invisible and takes refuge above the rafters. Prisoners. The prisoner in the northern cage is Shaleen Zoraz (neutral female human commoner), a sewer maintenance supervisor who was backing an effort to extend the Lower City's sewer system into the underground space occupied by the Dungeon of the Dead Three. Duke Vanthampur plans to hold Shaleen for a few days before letting her go. The imps have so terrorized Shaleen that, if freed, she intends to abandon her expansion plans and never say an unkind word about the Vanthampurs for the rest of her life. The prisoner in the southern cage is Kaejil Orûnmar (neutral evil male human commoner), a tax collector who has been giving the Vanthampurs a hard time. Once Duke Vanthampur is satisfied that no one important will miss him, she plans to kill Kaejil and feed his remains to the rats in the city sewers. If freed, Kaejil plans to leave Baldur's Gate and never return.Under the Villa
Dungeon Features
The dungeon is remarkably clean and kept in excellent condition. Its common features are summarized here. Lit Tunnels. Tunnels are 9 feet high and have curved ceilings. Oil lanterns fitted with thick panes of green-tinted glass hang at regular intervals on 1-foot-long iron chains. Each lantern sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius. Iron Doors. Doors are made of riveted iron plates, with iron handles and well-oiled hinges. Some doors have locks or barred windows set into them, as noted in the text. A character can use thieves' tools to pick a door's lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, or force open a locked door with a successful DC 24 Strength (Athletics) check. Surfaces and Secret Doors. The dungeon has brick walls and stone-tiled floors. Rooms have 10-foot-high plaster ceilings. Secret doors blend in with the surrounding walls, but a character with darkvision or sufficient light can find a secret door with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. Smell of Incense. Pairs of black-robed human cultists march through the corridors with censers, constantly perfuming the sewers with incense to counteract what would otherwise be a mildly nauseating stench.Dungeon Locations
V20. Cellar
The characters might enter this cellar by descending the stairs from area V7, or they might enter through the eastern door. Four stone pillars brace the ten-foot-high vaulted ceiling of this dry cellar, the walls of which are lined by a dozen barrels on wooden braces. Half the barrels have brass spigots tapped into them. The room also contains two stacks of wooden crates—one in the middle of the room and another by the south wall. The topmost crate in the middle of the room contains three spined devils that spy on this area through knotholes in the crate's sides. These devils burst forth and attack intruders on sight. The other crates in the middle of the cellar contain dried meat, loaves of bread, wheels of cheese, and other assorted foodstuffs—enough to sustain the Vanthampurs and the cultists in the dungeon for a month. The crates by the south wall contain candles, oil flasks, incense, and rat traps. Six of the barrels contain drinking water, and six contain ale.V21. Wine Cellar
More than two hundred corked bottles of wine are displayed in seven-foot-tall wooden racks that span the west and south walls. Empty wooden crates are stacked in the middle of the room. Treasure. Seventeen of the bottles contain fine wine (10 gp per bottle). The remaining wines on display are common vintages (1 sp per bottle).V22. Sewer Tunnels
The dungeon's denizens make frequent use of these lit tunnels. The thick smell of incense hangs in the air (see "Dungeon Features" above). Smooth stone trenches cut into the floors channel water and waste toward area V30. These trenches are 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, with arching stone bridges spanning them at irregular intervals. The ledge on either side of a trench is 3 feet wide. Wandering Monsters. Ordinary rats occasionally enter the dungeon through the open pipes in the walls. The cultists lay traps to catch and kill these rats while they perfume the dungeon with incense. As the characters make their way through the tunnels, they might encounter these cultists. A typical encounter consists of two lawful evil human cultists dressed in black robes, each carrying a censer and wearing a thin, golden mask shaped like a devil's face (and worth 25 gp to an interested buyer). The censers contain burning incense. A devil mask covers its wearer's whole face except for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth. No two masks look exactly alike. If this encounter occurs in a tunnel that has a sewer trench running down the middle of it, the two cultists are walking on opposite sides of the trench, moving in the same direction while swinging their censers gently. You can make the encounter harder by replacing the cultists with cult fanatics, or adding one or more invisible imps as escorts. If any wandering cultists are defeated, reduce the number of cultists encountered in area V33 accordingly. If the characters make no effort to hide the bodies of the cultists they defeat, someone stumbles upon them eventually and warns the barbed devil in area V26. Assuming it hasn't been defeated already, the devil scours the dungeon for trespassers once notified of their presence.V23. Cold Storage
The Vanthampurs store animal carcasses and other fresh meat in this room. Hanging in the middle of the room from the 10-foot-high ceiling are six 3-foot-long chains, each ending in a hook. Flayed boar carcasses hang from four of the hooks, while the remaining two hooks are bare.V24. Dining Room
The cultists dine here, though none are present when the characters first arrive. Two wooden trestle tables with benches stand in the middle of the room, which is brightly lit by six tall wrought-iron candlesticks spaced along the walls. Each candlestick stands six feet high and has nine lit candles at the top of it.V25. Kitchen
The cultists prepare their meals here, though no cultists are present when the characters first arrive. The kitchen is uncomfortably warm and contains a pair of brightly burning cast-iron stoves with piles of wood next to them. Other furnishings include a wooden trestle table where food is prepared, as well as shelves lined with plates, mugs, pots, utensils, and jars of ingredients and spices.V26. Temple of Zariel
The iron double door leading to this room has Infernal runes carved into its arched door frame. A character who understands Infernal can translate these runes as follows: "That which falls can rise again." A character who listens at the double door or one of the secret doors leading to this room hears a half dozen humanoid voices chanting in Infernal. Characters who listen to the chants and understand that language can discern praise heaped upon the archdevil Zariel for her tireless effort to win the Blood War. Two rows of tall wrought-iron candlesticks light this vaulted chamber, each one bearing nine flickering candles. A seven-foot-tall statue of an angel with white glowing eyes and a longsword stands atop a dais to the south. A six-foot-tall fiend bristling with spines stands west of the statue, glaring at four black-robed cultists who kneel and chant in the middle of the room, their faces hidden behind golden devil masks. Nine tapestries depicting the layers of the Nine Hells adorn the walls. The spined fiend is a barbed devil named Odious. Sent by Zariel to serve Duke Vanthampur, the devil answers only to those two. The chanting figures are four lawful evil human cultists wearing black robes and golden devil masks similar to those worn by the cultists in area V22. The devil and the cultists attack intruders on sight, but can be duped by characters wearing disguises (see the "Disguised Characters" sidebar). Statue. The statue represents Zariel in her angelic form. It's a Large object with AC 17, 33 hit points, and immunity to fire, poison, and psychic damage. Toppling the statue with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check causes it to shatter on the floor. Treasure. The statue's head and neck are hollow. Lodged in this cavity is a +1 mace that can be removed only if the statue is destroyed. The head of the mace sheds bright light in a 5-foot-radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet. The wielder of the mace can extinguish or ignite its light as an action. (This light is what causes the statue's eyes to glow.)V27. Escape Tunnel
Hidden behind a secret door, this tunnel has a wooden ladder at its north end. The ladder climbs a 15-foot-high shaft to a trapdoor that opens into area V2.V28. Secret Shrine
This room is hidden behind secret doors (see "Dungeon Features"). The scraping noise either door makes when opened is loud enough to alert the room's occupant. Read the following when the characters enter: This room is lit by a pair of tall wrought-iron candlesticks in the northeast and southeast corners. Nine candles burn atop each one, casting flickering light across a claw-footed altar carved from a single block of obsidian, and which has a small angel-shaped flame erupting from its top. A gray-haired woman kneels before the altar. Duke Thalamra Vanthampur kneels before the altar. She wears fine clothing fit for a noble of her stature and carries no weapons. However, she possesses magical powers bestowed upon her by Zariel, her infernal patron. Any intrusion is greeted with hostility, and the duke is not squeamish about smashing foes with her bare hands if she finds herself in melee. Don't forget her Hellish Rebuke reaction, which she can use twice per day (but only once before her next turn). If she is reduced to fewer than half her hit points, Thalamra tries to escape through the nearest secret door that isn't blocked. She either moves to area V36 or attempts to flee via area V27. Proud to a fault, she would rather die than surrender or be taken prisoner—and she happily watches any of her sons die before consenting to ransom demands. When death finally takes her, Thalamra's dying words to her killers are, "See you in hell." Thalamra keeps two keys in a pocket of her dress. One key unlocks the chest in her bedroom (area V17 the other key unlocks the door to the vault (area V36). Obsidian Altar. The black altar weighs 800 pounds and has tiny Infernal runes carved in a ring around the nine-inch-tall, angel-shaped flame erupting from its top. This flame bears only a vague resemblance to Zariel. Defacing any of the altar's runes extinguishes the flame and causes the altar to crack in two.V29. Prison
Read the following boxed text when the characters open the door to this room: A broad-shouldered figure with purple skin and a beard of writhing snakelike tentacles stands in the middle of a room lined by iron doors, tightening its grip on a glaive as it glares at you through the darkness. Each door is set with a small barred window, and a ring of keys hangs from the creature's belt. The prison guard is a bearded devil named Thoss, which attacks anyone it perceives as an intruder or a threat. Characters disguised as cultists can try to dupe Thoss into allowing them to interrogate or release prisoners (see the "Disguised Characters"). The keys dangling from the devil's belt unlock the cell doors. Two of the cells (your choice) contain prisoners. The other four cells are empty, though captured characters might end up here (see the "Imprisoned Characters" sidebar). If you need to introduce a new party member to replace one who died, that character can begin the adventure locked in one of the empty cells. Falaster Fisk. The first prisoner is a short, lean, erudite male human in his fifties named Falaster Fisk. Originally from Calimshan, Falaster is a neutral spy with no weapons. He speaks Common and Infernal, wears an ankle-length caftan, and has dark hair. His neatly trimmed goatee beard is dyed crimson. Falaster works for Sylvira Savikas, a tiefling expert on the Nine Hells currently based in Candlekeep. When Thavius Kreeg arrived in Baldur's Gate a few days ago, it didn't take Falaster long to hear rumors that the Vanthampurs were sheltering him. Falaster tried to find out why and was caught. He can provide his rescuers with the following useful information:- "Sylvira Savikas is a sage who operates out of Candlekeep. A good friend of mine! She's been monitoring devil activity in Baldur's Gate and Elturel for months."
- "Sylvira is convinced that Thavius Kreeg struck a bargain with an archdevil, and that a copy of the contract he signed is hidden inside a magic puzzle box. She asked me to help her obtain proof of Kreeg's crimes."
- "Sylvira is no friend of Thavius Kreeg's. She thinks she can open his puzzle box, and is willing to pay for it—in gold or magic items."
- If released, Falaster helps the characters as best he can while staying out of harm's way. Expecting that he might be caught, he obtained and memorized a floor plan of the dungeon under Vanthampur Villa. He can thus lead his rescuers to secret rooms (areas V28 and V34) and the Vanthampurs' vault (area V36).
V30. Barrier of Iron Bars
This sewer tunnel slopes down gradually toward the south, channeling water and sewage into the city's sewer system. The tunnel is blocked by a 10-foot-square barrier composed of vertical iron bars with 6-inch gaps between them—enough room for a rat to saunter through, but too narrow for normal-sized characters to squeeze through. The bars are embedded deep into the stone of the floor and ceiling. A character can bend the bars with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check, creating a gap wide enough for a Medium or smaller humanoid to squeeze through. Imprisoned Characters If the characters are defeated in Vanthampur Villa or the dungeon below, you can have the bad guys stabilize dying party members, strip them of their gear (which is stored in area V28), and lock them in the prison (area V29). This alternative to a "total party kill" scenario affords Duke Thalamra Vanthampur and her cultists the opportunity to interrogate the characters and find out what they know. It also sets up the possibility of a prison break.V31. Vestry
Four wooden wardrobes stand against the walls in this area. The cultists store their robes and masks in these wardrobes before leaving the dungeon and returning to the city above. The wardrobes along the west wall stand empty. Characters who search the wardrobe on the south wall find four sets of black robes and four gold devil masks, as worn by the cultists encountered elsewhere in the dungeon.V32. Connecting Tunnel
The dim light from two of the cultists' green-glass lanterns doesn't reach the ends of this corridor, creating pools of darkness there. Two lawful evil human cult fanatics guard the tunnel, one at each end. Characters with darkvision or their own light sources spot the fanatics. Otherwise, the fanatics surprise the characters. Each fanatic wears a black robe and a thin gold devil mask similar to those worn by cultists in other areas. Sounds of combat here alert the cultists in area V33, who arm themselves but stay where they are.V33. Cultists' Quarters
This room is lit by two tall wrought-iron candlesticks each topped with nine flickering candles. Around the room's perimeter are ten wooden bunk beds, next to which are unlocked footlockers containing ordinary clothes belonging to the cultists. Ten cultists gather here, minus any cultists defeated in area V22. These cult members are lawful evil humans wearing black robes and thin gold devil masks. Some have dozed off, while others are sitting on their beds, sharing rumors regarding Thavius Kreeg's hand in the fall of Elturel and Duke Vanthampur's plans for Baldur's Gate. These cultists show intruders no quarter. Sounds of combat here alert the cult fanatics in area V32, who investigate immediately.V34. Ritual Chamber
This room is hidden behind secret doors (see "Dungeon Features"), and its features are as follows: This ten-foot-high vaulted chamber has a plaster ceiling painted with images of terrifying winged devils looking down on a symbol embedded in the room's floor: a circular disk of black stone inscribed with a nine-pointed gold star. Four wrought-iron candlesticks bristling with unlit, half-melted red candles surround the circle. The cultists use this chamber to perform diabolical rituals that duplicate the effect of a divination spell, except that the spell's contact is a devil that manifests as a pillar of smoke above the symbol on the floor. The images on the ceiling are pit fiends, recognizable by any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check.V35. Thavius Kreeg's Quarters
Wrought-iron candlesticks topped with flickering candles light this room, which is heated by a cast-iron stove with clawed feet. Across from the crackling stove is a modest desk with a matching chair. Other furnishings include a small table and chair for dining, a bed, an iron chest resting at the foot of the bed, and two tapestries: one showing spirits rising as lemure devils from the River Styx, and another depicting a dead man dangling like a marionette from hooked chains. Treasure. Thavius keeps a holy symbol of Torm (a silver pendant shaped like a right-handed gauntlet on the end of a silver chain) in the chest. The holy symbol is worth 25 gp. The chest contains nothing else.V36. Vanthampur Vault
The door to this room is locked (see "Dungeon Features"), and Duke Vanthampur has the only key. The door can be unlocked from the inside without the key. This room contains four wooden tables with two small wooden coffers atop each one. H Treasure. The eight coffers are unlocked and contain money belonging to the Vanthampur family, as well as treasure stolen from Tiamat's hoard on Avernus. Duke Vanthampur plans to use this combined treasure to bribe the city's patriars and government officials into supporting her bid to become the new grand duke. Coffer 1 contains 30 electrum ingots (10 gp each) belonging to the Vanthampur family. Coffers 2, 3, and 4 each contain 100 gp belonging to the Vanthampur family. Coffer 5 contains two pieces of a broken ceremonial dagger stolen from Tiamat's hoard: a curved ivory blade bearing Draconic runes that spell out "Fang," along with a bone hilt wrapped in leather strips and studded with gemstones. A mending cantrip can make the nonmagical dagger whole again, restoring its value (250 gp). Coffers 6 and 7 each contain 100 pp belonging to the Vanthampur family. Coffer 8 contains twenty azurite gemstones (10 gp each) stolen from Tiamat's hoard.
Type
Mansion / Villa
Parent Location
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