Whirlpool Barrow

Scale: 10 ft.
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A - Entry

The stairwell down curves along the south wall. The double doors to the east are stuck; to the west, locked.

Under the stairwell are barrels - mostly empty: some with decomposed foodstuffs. Under the barrels is concealed a trapdoor to G: the trapdoor is not locked.

Curving with the north wall from door to door is a crescent shaped surface - almost like a bar - which is flush with the wall at its extremes, but is 5 feet deep in the center. Along this are placed minor offerings - grains, spices, etc. - of little or no value: in the center is a statue of an obese figure with a dragon's head. The eyes, nostrils, and ears have hollow sockets, as though they once had gemstones in them.

B - Western Wing

The walls of the hallways in this wing are of stacked stone. In the nook directly west of the double door to A is another small altar - on it is an idol worth 400 gold pieces to a collector and 100 silver pieces in coin. If a character takes the idol, they will feel a rush of heat then nothing further.

There is a Gelatinous Cube (B35) roaming the hallways like a Roomba - there is a 45% chance it will be in the north wing, a 45% chance it will be in the south wing, and a 10% chance it will be wedged against the door to A.

The two doors to E are wrought iron - not locked. The two doors to D, neither have handles, knobs, or other visible means to open them. To enter, one must speak the passphrase: "his word is reliable, his command unchanged".

C - Hidden Crypt

Along the corridor, three Ogres (B40) guard what appears to be a gaping hole in the wall. In truth, it is a secret door that the Ogres have forced open rather than finding the precise mechanism.

Inside the room, two more ogres are rummaging through four burial shrines set into four pyramid-shaped enclaves. There are jars with teeth, some ragged cloth, and smooth river rocks: nothing of value. On the north wall of the room is written "his word is reliable"; on the south wall is written "his command unchanged".

D - The Oracle Well

In this room is a well of circular shape, 10 feet in diameter, concentric to the room. The well is seeming of infinite depth - with a swirling tempest of mystic energy, rife with frequent lightning inside. Above it is a glass dome, held aloft by five statues - each five feet tall - in their mouths are spessartite garnets: each worth 100 gold pieces, and on each of their left hands is a silver ring: each worth 10 gold pieces.

If a ring is touched while the magic of the well is active, the character touching the ring takes 2d6 lightning damage: they may Save vs Spells for half. If a garnet is touched while the magic of the well is active, the character must Save vs Death or be immediately turned to ash. The garnets power the well - if one or more is removed or destroyed, the energies dissipate. The silver rings stabilize the well - for each ring removed while the well is active, there is a 1-in-6 chance per garnet that the garnet in question will shatter.

The well, while active, can be used to cast the spell Commune as a ritual: a semi-spectral avatar of the deity Communed with appearing to hover under the glass dome. If the well is used for this purpose, the number of questions able to be asked is 5. It could theoretically be used to travel to the plane of existence on which the target deity resides - however this is left to the discretion of the GM.

The well, inactive, is circle of stone depressed into the floor. It is 1 foot deep.

E - Reliquary

This narrow hallway's walls are solid, smooth rock. Along the east wall, three alcoves are separated from the hall by iron bars set into the stone.

• Ei - a skeleton wearing a faded vestment and carrying a thick tome. In the tome is a catechism for a forgotten religion.
• Eii - a skeleton wearing archaic plate armor and carrying a shield with embossed heraldry - but the paint having decayed and flaked with time, it is difficult to tell which.
• Eiii - a dust and cobweb covered table with a heavy iron chest. The chest is open, inside it, crumbling papers.

Two Mediums and a Master (B39) are in the space, studying the bars of Ei. One medium has memorized Magic Missile; one medium has memorized Detect Magic; the master has memorized Detect Magic, Read Languages, and Light. The master carries a scroll of Charm Person.

F - West Pool

The doors to this room are neither locked nor stuck. In the center of the room, a five foot diameter whirlpool of magical energy, extending in a slow-rotating vortex from the floor, roughly 18 inches in height.

Floating in the whirlpool like satellites are 80 gold pieces. If a player enters the vortex, they will feel moderately buoyed, but it tries to expel them, as opposing ends on a relatively weak magnet might do.

G - Cloistered Hall

The doors to the halls in this room are all unlocked. There is, however, a pressure plate in the north side of the hall - at the splitting junction. Unless a weight of human-sized heft or heavier is placed on the plate, which will visibly depress it, any character attempting to open the door to room H will release a swarm of hornets (Insect Swarm, B37).

H - Central Pool

The doors of this room are neither locked nor stuck. In the center of the room, a five foot diameter whirlpool of magical energy, contained by a series of copper rods at its perimeter. It appears to sink into the floor.

If a copper rod is displaced, the character displacing it takes 2d6 points of lightning damage - they may Save vs Spells for half. For each rod displaced, the link is broken and the vortex has an X-in-8 chance of dissipating, where X is the number of rods removed.

If a character jumps into the vortex, it will transport them - one way - to F, K, or P. A successful Save vs Spells will allow the jumper to choose: on failure, it is randomized.

I - Eastern Wing

The walls of this section of hallway are stacked stone. In the west-facing pointed section is a small shrine, on which is burning half a stick of incense - the pleasant scent of which permeates the west hallway. Above the shrine is a candelabra - sold to a jeweler, the candelabra is worth 50 gp.

The incense, however, is a trap. A character who approaches the shrine, having smelled the smell, must Save vs Poison or fall into reverie for 1-4 turns. A character in reverie moves at half speed when exploring; must, when rolling a Thief skill or casting a spell, succeed a Save vs Spells or lose focus; and - when rolling for surprise, must roll twice: succeeding both rolls in order not to be surprised.

J - Broken Pool

The doors to this room are neither locked nor stuck. In the center of the room, a five foot diameter whirlpool of magical energy, extending in a slow-rotating vortex from the floor, roughly 18 inches in height. It is slightly askew, such that the top of the vortex is leaning slightly south. Inside the room, two Living Statues, Crystal (B37) face outward as though guarding the whirlpool. If a character interacts with the whirlpool, they will feel repelled by it.

K - Eastern Pool

The doors to this room are stuck. In the center of the room, a five foot diameter whirlpool of magical energy, extending in a slow-rotating vortex from the floor, roughly 18 inches in height. Inside the room, two Living Statues, Crystal (B37) face outward as though guarding the whirlpool. In this room, the Living Statues each wear an amulet - adorned by large central spessartite garnets. The amulets are worth 800 gold pieces each. If a character interacts with the whirlpool, they will feel repelled by it.

L - Lecture Hall The double doors to this room are damaged; one is closed, but unlocked - the other is slightly ajar. Inside, two White Apes (B30) have made a nest. Wrecked wooden furniture is smashed against the walls; on the east-side of the room is a raised area, 1 foot above the floor, stone. Strewn on the ground to the southern side of this raised area is a glittering mass of coins - 200 silver and 300 gold pieces. In the center of the room, local flora appears to have been hauled in and piled up from outdoors.

M - Shrine of the Tapestry

The door into this space is opened by two touch-plates on the walls to the left and right of it - too far apart for one man to press. When the touch-plates are released, the door closes. Inside, there is a pressure plate on which one man can stand to open the door: it remains open for 1-4 rounds after the pressure plate has been released: a character caught in the door while it is closing becomes pinned and takes 1-6 damage.

A thick carpet runs from the pressure plate to the west wall, against which are two floor lamps - five feet tall, each - with a candle in each. On the wall is a tapestry: a circle of 50 stars around a masculine figure - braided beard - with four wings pointing at the corners of the square piece.

N - Shrine of the Firmament

The door into this space is opened by a touch plate above the door and a pressure plate at the base of the door. When the plates are released, the door closes. Inside, there is a lever which opens the door - preventing it from closing again for 1-4 rounds. A character caught in the door while it is closing becomes pinned and takes 1-6 damage.

Inside, there is an odd warmth and glow that emerges from the walls, along the upper half of each - extending across the ceiling - is a diagram of the firmament, the constellations lining up as they do in springtime, however the stars not quite in the right alignment.

A character spending at least 2 turns in this room will glow upon leaving. For 1-4 days, they must consume double the normal amount of rations to avoid hunger, but for half of that time, their weapons count as magical for the purposes of striking resistant creatures and they benefit from a +1 bonus to all saving throws.

O - Contemplation Hall The door to the west is unlocked; the door to the east is locked. Four Thoul (B43) wearing leather uniforms occupy the space - meditating. The ceiling has been painted a deep blue color; the walls, thunderhead gray.

P - Dome to the Heavens The room is half an egg - the floor level, but the walls melded into the ceiling, domed along the oval of its perimeter. The ceiling is 15 feet high in the center. On the floor, a large carpet made from an odd slick material - feeling of glass to the touch, but with the tough consistency of thick fabric. On the ceiling is painted a star pattern outlining a galaxy - in the center, a large diamond is embedded. The diamond, if removed, is worth 1,200 gold pieces.

Q - Penitent Hall

Along this hallway are four doors in the east wall, each locked, but each with a barred window in the top, as though a prison cell. They are populated as follows:

• Qi - 1 live Thoul (B43), naked, and a pile of straw.
• Qii - A heavy iron chest; illusionary. The chest is only visible through the window in the door; if the door is opened, characters entering the room will not see it.
• Qiii - The frame for two bunk beds and a single stool. A tin bowl on the floor.
• Qiv - Empty except for a tin water bowl, illusionary. Once the door is opened, a character inside will see a frame for a bed and a heavy iron chest - locked. Inside the chest is 800 silver pieces, 400 gold pieces, and a Ring of Protection from Undead. Works as the spell, but may be used only once per day: recharging at sunrise.

If any of the doors to the above rooms are opened, the doors exiting the hall, Room Q, disappear - having been replaced by illusionary stone wall indistinguishable from the actual walls.