H4 The Throne of Bloodstone.pdf - Free

ignore any other targets in an effort to
place themselves between such fighters
and the lich.
They, too, are formidable foes:
Guardian Daemons (2): AC 1; MV
9”; HD 8; hp 45 each; #AT 3; Dmg
1d6/1d12/1d12; SA breathe fire in
30’x10’ cone for 5d6 points of damage
(but not on targets closer than
10’); SD immune to charm, hold,
sleep, polymorph, and fear, +2 or
better needed to hit; AL CE; Size L;
XP 1,700 each
When and if the characters are free
to examine the chamber, they will see
that a door stands in the wall of the
throne room directly opposite the
entry. This door leads to a stairway
that spirals upward. No other
entrances or exits can be found in the
room (except for the front doors).
The stairs spiral upward in a tight
circle. The light from the “burning
lava” flickers at the base of the stairs,
but quickly fades to inky darkness.
4. Landing
The stairs climb through 120 steps,
approximately 60 feet upward for
those characters who take the trouble
to keep track. It is very dark after the
first 10 feet—characters without their
own light source, or infravision, will
be quite blind from here on, except
where light sources are specifically
mentioned.
The stairway ends at the floor of a
still, dark room. A thick layer of
dust, grown pasty with condensed
moisture, gives the air a moldy
smell. The floor of the room does
not seem to have been disturbed
for years.
The door to this room is jammed
solidly shut. If the PCs smash it open
without muffling the blow under
some kind of silence spell, they will
alert Klavikus, the guard demon in
room 9. Klavikus will begin gating in
reinforcements—keep careful track of
passing rounds in order to get an
accurate number of adversaries ready
for the PCs. Read the NPC Capsule
on page 23 for more information on
the encounter with Klavikus.
Silent movement will be critical for
the characters throughout this level of
the castle. If they make an untoward
amount of noise at any time, you can
allow Klavikus an Intelligence Check
(call his Intelligence a 17) to see if he
hears the intruders. Of course, you
can give the check a hefty negative
modifier if the PCs are relatively
quiet— arguing in whispers, for
example.
5. Another Empty Room
(Very Empty)
The door in the hallway between
rooms 4 and 5 is stuck, similar to the
door to room 4. If the party moves
into the corridor beyond it, they will
see that the door to room 5 is standing
open.
This room is empty, dry, and
featureless—except for the stairway
that starts in the far corner of
the room and spirals upward
through the ceiling.
There is no stairway in this room,
nor is there anything else here. The
door contains a teleporter, however,
and any characters passing entirely
through it are instantly teleported.
Any characters who start through the
door and then decide to change their
minds (say, because their companions
just blinked into apparent oblivion
before them) will find themselves
stuck in the teleporter. They can
move forward any time they want,
but they cannot pull any part of their
21
body back out of the doorway.
If the PCs are fairly close together,
you can require those in the second
rank to make a Dexterity Check
(penalized if they are really close) to
see if they can react before they get
stuck in the trap.
Oh, yes—the ones who get caught
are immediately blinked to the upper
of the two parapets described in area
2. Of course, they will be stuck there.
At the same time, Arctigis will be
warned that the trap has been sprung.
He will prepare himself as if the All-
Seeing Eye discovered intruders outside
the castle—see the Arctigis NPC
capsule on page 15.
6. Good Moaning!
The door to this room is closed, but
the latch is clean—it does not have
the abandoned look of the previous
doors encountered on this floor. If
anyone so much as attempts to listen
at this door, he will certainly hear the
tragic sound of a woman crying. She
wavers between a low moaning keen
and a nearly hysterical wail—
obviously, she is heartbroken.
The door opens easily if pushed.
Within stands a low couch, very near
the door. A frail figure sits, hunched
over and buried in a woolen blanket,
sobbing into her hands.
Only after the door is opened does
she lift her head, and the PCs will see
that she is a ghostly creature with a
horrid, snarling visage. The creature
immediately opens her mouth and
screeches a horrible sound—the
death cry of a banshee.
Groaning Spirit (Banshee): AC 0;
MV 15”; HD 7; hp 38; #AT 1; Dmg
1d8; SA Wail causes death within 3”
(save vs magic); SD +1 needed to hit,
immune to charm, sleep, hold, cold,
electricity; MR 50%; AL CE; Size M;
XP 2,800