Accessory - Dragon Magazine #111.pdf - Index of

Mennek’s room: This room contains a
bed, dresser, half-length mirror, and nightstand.
The 3’-by-6’ bed has no canopy and
has not been used recently. The middle
drawer in the dresser holds a set of street
clothes. An unused candle is in the holder
on the nightstand; next to it is a cookbook
with a circle drawn around the recipe for
roast turkey.
Servants’ entrance and foyer: A coat
rack is the only object in the foyer. Hung on
it are two coats, one slightly larger than the
other. In the pocket of the smaller one is a
map illustrating the route from Jonholm to
Romdril Mansion. On the back side of the
map are a few lines of handwriting that
describe the procedure for using a special
three-stage poison. (This piece of paper is
reproduced in the document section.)
The bar is up on the door leading outside.
Many different footprints, belonging
to at least three different people, are visible
in the soft ground outside the door. (For
more information, refer to the “Outside”
section of the mansion description, below.)
Kitchen: The kitchen has not been
cleaned recently. Along the northern wall is
a large table on which are the leftovers from
last night’s dinner, plus various cooking
implements and spices. The fire pit contains
nothing more than warm embers. North of
the west door is a wash basin holding the
(unwashed) pots used to cook the dinner.
On the floor in front of the table is a
puddle of red wine roughly 2 feet in diameter.
(The red wine masks a fresh blood stain
on the floor. The stain can be noticed under
careful examination, and certainly will be if
someone reaches down to get some of the
wine for a “taste test.” If the wine is tasted,
see the description of the master bedroom,
above, for possible effects.)
The embers in the fire pit will burn unprotected
skin, but are cool enough to be
moved around by an implement or a heavily
covered hand. If the contents of the fire
pit are stirred, a small piece of metal will be
discovered; it has the shape of a trigger
from a crossbow or some similar device.
If the door to the kitchen cupboard is
opened, Mennek’s body will be seen
sprawled on the floor of the small chamber.
A red-fletched crossbow bolt has pierced his
shoulder; he is still in his cook’s uniform,
and he is quite dead. One of the pockets of
his jacket contains a half-filled vial of white
powder. The other one contains a shattered
bottle, and a red stain is visible on the
pocket and the part of the garment adjacent
to it. (If either or both of these substances
are tasted, refer to the description of the
master bedroom, above, for possible effects.)
Dining hall: The immense table in this
room has not been completely cleared of the
remains from last night’s meal. There are
twenty-two large chairs around the 40’-long
table, ten on each side and one each at the
head and foot.
48 JULY 1986
Sitting room: This room contains sixteen
plush chairs’ arranged in a circle, with an
unused candle in a holder next to each one.
On the cushion of one of the chairs is a
book of poetry; under the cushion of the
chair to its immediate left is a quill.
Lounge: This room has a large couch on
the south wall and a loveseat on either side
of the southern doors, the eastern one with
its back to the east wall. Four other cushioned
chairs are scattered around the room,
as are six small tables and a dozen candleholders.
Lower gallery: The walls in this area are
covered with several large paintings; in
addition, a pair of statues are displayed on
pedestals in the middle of the north and
south walls. None of the paintings are by
famous artists, no two are of the same subject,
and none of them depict the young
woman whose visage adorns the upper
gallery. The statue on the north wall is a
bronze sculpture of a sailing ship, and the
southern one is a marble representation of
an enraged dragon of some sort. If the head
of this latter statue is lifted, a hollow space
is revealed that contains a silver key with a
blue stripe across the top.
Conservatory: Musical instruments line
the walls of this room. There are three
wooden chairs arranged in a triangle close
to the windows; in front of each of these
chairs is a music stand. Twenty other small
chairs are arranged to form an audience
area in the southeast quadrant of the room.
On each of the music stands is the score
for a composition that begins as a dirge and
gradually turns into an allegro by the end
(this can be perceived by anyone able to
read music). The parts are for three instruments:
flute, violin, and mandolin. Each
copy of the score bears the signature of
Alexonus Romdril and (also in his handwriting)
yesterday’s date.
Conventional library: Thousands of
books fill the shelves in this room. In the
center of the room is a table with four
wooden chairs around it. On the table are a
quill and two ink vials.
The books cover every conceivable subject;
they are arranged alphabetically by the
author’s last name. Some of the noteworthy
volumes include several books by Romdril
himself on music, zoology, and general
science; a small book by Sandar Fleatis on
the elemental planes; and a text by Alkus
Alambar on poisons. This last volume
contains some general information on how
to prepare and apply a multi-stage poison.
If the library is investigated after 9:15,
Alambar’s text on poisons will be lying facedown
on the table, open to the page containing
the above information.
Gymnasium: This area contains various
exercise equipment, including a great many
weights, mats, ropes, bars, and rings. At
the end of the crossbow target range is a
bullseye target with three red-fletched crossbow
bolts sticking out of the center.
Main bath and water circulation system:
The bath contains a large bathtub,
two toilets, a wash basin, and two spare
robes that are completely ordinary.
The water circulation system is a hydraulic
marvel. In the center of the room is a
metal cylinder 10’ in diameter and 15’
high, on top of which is a large ceramic jug.
(The jug is a decanter of endless water.)
From the cylinder extend a dozen metal
pipes that disappear into the ceiling and
then (apparently) to the various bathrooms
throughout the mansion.
Entrance foyer and inner foyer: The
entrance foyer is completely empty. The
inner foyer contains six plush chairs and a
coat rack, which at present is bare.
Magical area
Outside the doors to the magical area is a
chime of opening specially designed to open
the wizard-locked double doors for ten
minutes before the lock resumes. If the
doors are opened and left open, they will
stay this way after the ten minutes have
passed, but will re- lock when they are again
closed. The wizard lock is of a special, oneway
construction; anyone inside the corridor
can exit through these double doors as if
they were not locked.
The doors are presently closed and locked
(from the outside), and the chime has 5
charges remaining. If the chime, a knock
spell, or a successful dispel magic (against a
21st-level wizard) is used and the doors are
opened, the smoke that is trapped in the
corridor will rush out. Everyone within 25
feet of the opened doors (or anyone who
immediately ventures inside the corridor)
must save vs. poison or be helpless with
coughing fits for five rounds (four rounds if
constitution is 15 or higher). This save must
be made every round for as long as the
doors are left open, up to a maximum of
five rounds. A cure light wounds spell or
the equivalent will negate this effect.
After some of the smoke has been let out,
the characters will be able to make their
way through the corridor by crawling. They
will be able to ascertain that the source of
the smoke is the magical library. (If the fire
in the library has been extinguished, five
rounds of ventilation — or a gust of wind
spell — will clear the air.)
In front of the open door to the magical
library lies Alexonus Romdril. He is dead
from burns covering his entire body. A
small, partially burned scrap of paper (reproduced
in the document section) is
clutched in Romdril’s fist.
If it was earlier than 9:00 when the double
doors were opened, the library will still
be on fire, and the characters should realize
that the blaze must be dealt with. (If the
doors are not opened until 9:00 or later, the
fire will have burned itself out because of
lack of oxygen.)
(Text continues on page 57)