The Beckoner in the Dark

Set Up

* The PCs decide to investigate an old treasure map found in an earlier foray into the Cairn Hills.

* The PCs are attacked by the grell (from this dungeon) at night while adventuring in the Cairn Hills, and drive the monster away. It flies back into the dungeon, leaving a dripping spoor (if wounded by a weapon) that can be followed.

Special note: The PCs must possess at least two + 2 or better magical weapons.

The Dungeon

This is mapped below. The single entry is a 6-foot wide, 8-foot high tunnel leading down some 80 feet to the entrance shown on the map. The entranceway is obscured by hallucinatory terrain so that it appears to be normal rock. Tactile exploration will be needed to find it (or true seeing, etc.).

The passages and chambers of this dungeon are decorated with many wall murals of battles and martial exercises and training. The figures shown are human, but they are unlike any native Flanaess race, with characteristic dark woolly hair, slightly slanted eyes, and unusually long and slender limbs and hands. Ceiling height is 15 feet within the dungeon. Only basic details of room decor are given here; you may elaborate detail as you see fit.

Terrain: Dungeon (Hills)

Total Party Levels: 35-40 (average 6th)

Room 1 is an antechamber that has a long-dead body (a victim of the grell) in the northeast corner. Its leather armor has rotted away, but from the decayed purse on its belt spill 15 gp, 45 sp, and a 50 gp gem.

Room 2 is the grell's haunt, from which the monster forays when it gets hungry. It hovers above the doorway, dropping its tentacles down on the first PC entering and gaining +2 to surprise rolls with this action, unless specific precautions are taken (invisibility won't help, since the grell can smell the PCs). The room itself is littered with bones and a sprinkling of treasure (16 pp, 72 gp, 88 sp, two gems worth 100 gp and 50 gp, and an ivory brooch worth 200 gp).

Grell: AC 4; MV Fl 12; HD 5; hp 33; THAC0 15; #AT 11; Dmg 1d4 (x10)/1d6; SA 10 paralyzation attacks; SD immune to electrical attacks; AL NE; SZ M; ML 14.

Room 3 contains a stone golem guard that will attack anyone entering this otherwise bare chamber, or whenever the door to Room 4 is touched or opened. The golem uses a strange, crystalline rod as a weapon, and when the golem is destroyed, this rod glows cherry-red and explodes on the round following the golem's destruction. Everyone within 50 feet suffers 3d 10 hp of damage from radiant heat and flying crystal splinters. If PCs are able to get out or duck behind cover, they are not subject to this. The map shows a shaded area in which damage is sustained when the golem is destroyed; PCs moving outside of this area are safe.

Stone Golem: AC 5; MV 6; HD 14; hp 60; THACO 7; #AT 1; Dmg 4d6; SA/SD numerous, see Monstrous Compendium entry; AL N; SZ L; ML 20.

The door to Room 4 is locked and trapped; if the door is so much as touched, its iron handle turns into a claw, strikes at the PC touching the door (THACO 12; bare skin is treated as AC 10, less any Dex bonus) and grabs a limb, crushing it for Id 10 damage per round until the claw is destroyed (this requires 12 hp of magical damage, from magic missile spells, etc.).

Room 4 is a lengthy passageway with a large number of alcoves, as shown. The floor is especially treacherous, covered in rock fragments, broken stone statuettes, and the like (normal movement rate is reduced to 50%). Each of these alcoves is entirely obscured by an inky, hazy, magical darkness that cannot be dispelled. Each time the first PC steps past an alcove, there is a 25% chance that a slow shadow emerges from the darkness and attacks (+ 2 to surprise rolls). While PCs are fighting a slow shadow, there is a 5% cumulative chance per round that another will emerge from the first alcove along this passage and attack the rear of the group within the passage. No extra slow shadows emerge while the party is already fighting two of them, however.

Slow shadows that are successfully turned simply disappear into the nearest alcove and re-emerge from another one (select randomly) after ld4 + 4 rounds. No more slow shadows appear after all PCs have passed the final alcove.

Slow Shadows: AC 8; MV 12; HD 4; hp 19 each; THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg Id4; SA - 6 to enemy surprise rolls, Id4 automatic chill damage after first hit, slowing; SD + 2 or better weapon to hit, immune to magical cold, lightning, sleep, charm, hold spells; AL CE; SZ M; ML 20 (special).

Room 5 has a permanent veil spell effect within it, and it appears to be bare, with a central sunken well. On the round following the PCs' entry into this room, the scene changes and the monsters here attack. On the circular stone "wheel* around the well is a circle of 10 necrophidii, plus a huge stone necrophidius that has all the special attacks and defenses of its smaller relatives but is a more formidable combat opponent. The necrophidii use their hypnosis dance when they appear, gaining automatic surprise (unless a PC has true seeing, etc. and warns his fellows), then they attack by biting.

Neerophidii (10): AC 2; MV 9; HD 2; hp 9 (x3), 11 (x3), 14 (x4 THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg Id8; SA paralyzation, hypnosis dance; SD immune to mind-affecting spells, gases, poison, paralyzation; AL N; SZ L; ML 20. Stone Necrophidius: as above, except: AC 0; HD 8; hp 46; THACO 13; Dmg Idl2.

Once the PCs can observe the well, it is shrouded in mist and fog; visibility is no better than 5 feet. Physical testing (ropes, etc.) or a true seeing spell show that there is a drop of 30 feet to a floor below. PCs can descend in the usual ways (fly, levitation, climb walls skill, ropes, etc.).

The Tomb

Room 6 contains a great, black stone tomb atop a redveined marble slab. Around its walls are perfect specimens of the murals seen earlier. The largest of them features a great fighter clad in black chain mail with a red marbled brooch, hefting a rune-embossed bastard sword. As soon as any PC enters this room, the creature within the tomb begins its whispering attack. It is a Soul Beckoner (Monstrous Compendium: Greyhawk Adventures Appendix), capable of emerging from the tomb in its non-material wraith form in one round.

Soul Beckoner AC 2; MV 6; HD 4; hp 29; THACO 17; #AT 2; Dmg Id6/ld6; SA whispering attack, energy drains, gains THACO/HD/hp if levels drained from victims; SD magic to hit, immune to sleep, charm, hold spells; AL NE; SZ M; ML 16.

If the PCs defeat the creature and open the tomb, they find a skeletal figure, crumbled to dust, and a magical bastard sword that flies out to attack them. The sword has AC 0, MV Fl 12, 30hp, THACO 15, Dmg ld8+3, and 50% chance for energy drain. The sword cannot be affected by mind-affecting spells, gases, poisons, or paralysis. The weapon attacks until reduced to 0 hp; when this occurs, it explodes in a 10-foot radius of flying steel and shrapnel (3d6 damage, save versus wands for half damage).

The tomb itself contains gems and jewelry of unusual craftsmanship worth a total of 12,000 gp. A red marbled brooch on the skeleton is a brooch of shielding (75 hp capacity) that also gives + 2 to all saving throws versus magical fire-based attacks.