Elder Evils

CHAPTER 6
PANDORYM
resistance, which stacks with any other turn resistance
they have.
This inner circle defines the limit of Pandorym’s power
while its mind is trapped within the crystalline prison.
If Pandorym’s mind escapes, the floor holding the calling
diagram cracks, and the entire hallway collapses.
The Crystalline Prison
At the heart of the complex is a 20-foot-diameter circular
room covered with sigils, runes, and incomprehensible
glyphs of arcane design. A dark, oppressive chill leaks from
the frigid void beyond the world, freezing the room’s interior.
The temperature never rises above extreme cold (DMG 302).
Fire spells deal half damage in this room. Nonmagical open
flames are snuffed out the instant they enter the chamber
and cannot be relit within its walls. Light sources provide
half normal illumination.
At the chamber’s center floats a violet crystal 15 feet tall
and 8 feet across. It pulses with an unholy darkness that
seems to suck in whatever light enters the room. It does not
shimmer, nor does it reflect or refract any light other than
hues of purple, casting a sickly violet pall over everything.
The mind of Pandorym is trapped within.
• The “crystal” is actually a modified, solidified form of
permanent prismatic wall (PH 264), six layers deep (it does
not include the violet layer). The normal magical counters
to the layers’ effects don’t function. Any creature that
touches the crystal (even if wearing a glove or other
The Crystalline Prison
protective clothing) is subject to the effect of one color
layer per round, in consecutive order, for 6 rounds of
contact. A creature still in contact with the crystal for a
seventh round is drawn into the prison and blotted from
existence; on a successful DC 45 Will save, it is instead
disintegrated as the spell (no saving throw).
A creature drawn into the prison cannot be restored
by any means as long as the crystal remains intact, since
it no longer truly exists in this reality. If the crystal is
shattered (which releases Pandorym’s mind), a creature
destroyed by entering it can be returned to life with a true
resurrection, wish, or miracle spell.
Held items touching the crystalline prison do not put
their wielders at risk, but an intelligent magic item is affected
as a creature would be.
• The crystalline prison has hardness 30, 300 hit points,
and spell resistance 40. It is immune to acid, cold, electricity,
and fire. Sonic attacks deal double damage, ignoring
hardness as usual.
• If the crystalline prison takes 100 points of damage, it
cracks and sends forth a mind shard of Pandorym. When
a mind shard is destroyed, the prison repairs 30 points of
damage. As long as the crystal has 100 or more points of
damage that have not yet been healed, another shard is
created 1d4 rounds after the first is destroyed.
• If the crystalline prison is reduced to 0 hit points, it
crumbles into a pile of slivers and dust. At that moment,
the mind of Pandorym is released.
Illus. by F. Tsai
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