Herein is described a sublevel of the Deep Halls, the site of our dungeon exploration in Dreaming Amon-Gorloth. Numbered encounter areas refer to the keyed map in “Keys to the Deep Halls.”
13. Lower Entrance Hall
Shallow steps descend into this 30′-wide hall. After the lowest step, another column rises toward the ceiling, out of sight.
While the stairs go down 10′, the vaulted ceiling continues at the same height from 3. Grand Entry Hall, so 45′ high. The three columns and west- and south-facing doors are described below. The north- and east-facing doors are unremarkable.
Harpy (1)
Above the west door, a harpy has made a nest. In the nest are several treasures. When the party enters the hall, the harpy begins to sing.
1,000 e.p., 3 gems (50, 100, 500 g.p.), and a treasure map (see Phenster’s “Adventure Hooks and Treasure,” Treasure Maps).
Supporting the hall are three columns in similar style to the columns of 3. Grand Entry Hall.
| Fourth Column | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lunar Phases (Near/Far) | Symbol | Scenes |
| Half | Colonnade | Human figures, carrying tools, walk between rows of columns. |
| Half | ||
| Fifth Column | ||
| Lunar Phases (Near/Far) | Symbol | Scenes |
| Greater Waning Crescent1 | River | A human figure stands in a boat on rippling water. |
| Greater Waxing Crescent1 | ||
| Sixth Column | ||
| Lunar Phases (Near/Far) | Symbol | Scenes |
| Lesser Waning Crescent1 | Gate | Human figures fall into open crocodile jaws. |
| Lesser Waxing Crescent1 | ||
West Door: Door of Maat. This door is framed by carvings of hyena-headed humanoids. The sealed door is made of stone. It has no handle or visible means of opening. Upon the door is carved a seated female figure, in profile, a feather in her headdress.
To open the door, one must confess to a sin they have not committed. Once a truthful confession is made, the door slides to the right, and the covered pit beyond the door is locked. A false confession opens only a covered pit before the door (see below). From the opposite side, finger holds facilitate sliding the door to the left. A character or characters with a total Strength of 15 or more can open the door. Once started, the door opens, as does the covered pit (see below).
On either side of the door are covered pits, 20′ deep, joined by an arched opening. Centipedes prowl the bottom. Once triggered, the cover on the far side closes and resets, ready to be triggered again. The cover on the near side closes again and locks. It can be opened by a thief or by breaking the stone with a tool, such as a hammer.
South Door: Door of Ammit. Like the west door, the door is framed by carvings of hyena-headed humanoids. But this door is made of wood. Carved in the wood is a figure of a creature with a crocodile head, leopard forelimbs, and hippopotamus hindquarters. The creature crouches, its crocodile jaws open upward.
Common Knowledge:
- The seated female figure with feather headdress is Maat, known as the anti-confessor.
- The crocodile-headed creature with leopard forelimbs and hippopotamus hindquarters is Ammit, a demon which eats the souls of all those whose heart outweighs Maat’s feather.
Research:
- After weighing the deceased’s heart against her feather, the underworld traveler must then confess any sins they have not committed (religion).
14. Closet
The ceiling here is only 10′ high. Slumped in a corner lies the decaying corpse of a female elf. One hand grips the hilt of a sword in its sheath. On its head is a tiara, carved from olive wood, emerald setting.
Upon inspection, the elf appears to have been strangled.
The tiara is worth 1,000 g.p.
Wandering Monsters
| Wandering Monsters, Level 3A (2d4) | |
|---|---|
| 2 | Dreaming Priests, adepts (1-3) |
| 3 | Bombardier Beetles (2-5) |
| 4 | Gnomes, trading caravan (6-36) |
| 5 | Gnolls (1-3) |
| 6 | Goblins (2-12) |
| 7 | Orcs (2-8) |
| 8 | Shadows (1)* |
| * Shadows serve the Oneiromancer as guards and spies (see 1A. The Oneiromancer’s Chambers). This one is a spy. This result indicates the party catches a glimpse of the shadow. It does not engage. | |
1 In our world, we generally describe eight lunar phases, with three phases between new and full moons. In naming the additional phases, I split each gibbous and crescent phase in two and add prefixes lesser and greater.