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There are two ways through the lower caverns. One passes through a grell lair, and the other passes through a string of hazards. This encounter covers part of the latter.
Night Below encourages the party to go after the grell and to avoid the hazard area. I have tried to put some muscle into these sanctions by merging two of the hazards: the ledgeway and the wormhole. In the hazard sheet, the ledgeway is inevitable but the worms are optional (unlike the aggressors of encounter X4)... assuming the PC's don't venture into any strange holes. I've taken a cue or two from Aliens.
X4 is a purple worm hazard, and Reference Card #3 says that there is an equal chance of encountering tunnel worms (of the centipede family) in a wormhole. Since I don't see why the two species of worm have to coexist, and since the wormholes do not connect with each other outside the main tunnel network anyway, I elected to use tunnel worms. (See my 3e conversion here.)
Lastly, an overview of the loose ends this page addresses: more variety in hazards, a more complex maze, the source for the gargoyle encounters, and a place for the gnomish dagger of II.10 in lieu of the trolls. There also ought to be a strong hint that the PC's cannot provide a permanent solution to this area. Hazakian the Wise avoided the grells (Handout 13) and passed beyond the slime caves (14-16); therefore I've allowed him a few more words here, in the course of which he foreshadows the later three handouts.
I hope you find it helpful to your campaign.
This is a colony of 6 worms, the maximum allowed in the MM monster description. They have tunnelled into an area which ensures a steady stream of wounded and unalert victims. A flock of greedy gargoyles has marked this area for much the same reason. Their strategy is to drive their prey, divided, into the tunnel worm caves where they can loot their corpses. It is a textbook example of symbiosis.
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You are picking your way across heaps of rubble. The walls, ceiling, and even floor are punctured by two-foot diameter holes. |
The holes lead nowhere; all are filled with rubble. Some holes have bones in them; many humanoid.
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The rough corridor breaks into a vast, open cavern. You now find yourselves on a narrow ledge hundreds of feet up that cavern's wall. |
When the PC's leave the safety of the entrance tunnel...
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Part of the ledge has collapsed, but someone or something has bridged the gaps with scaffolds of cured fungal logs. Between the gaps you note some small, low-ceilinged caves in the wall. |
When as many PC's as possible have crossed the platforms, a flock of gargoyles swoop in and attempt to push them over the brink. Others swoop at the platforms. The party is likely to duck into the alcoves to eliminate the gargoyles' 3-D advantage. The above graphic assumes a two-alcove model, and there is no compass rose, but the DM may alter this as needed.
The caves have two foot-wide holes in the ceiling. PC's can be snatched by worms from above as they concentrate on gargoyles at the entrance.
It is claustrophobic and the ceilings are unstable. Fireballs and loud noises in general are a Bad Idea. Silence is probably called for.
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You have found yourselves in a stinking abattoir. Dozens of dead things, many humanoid in origin, lie on the ground or are propped against the wall. It is a dormitory of the damned. |
Not all the creatures here look dead. In fact, if the party investigates...
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The elf opens its eyes, windows into the Abyss. She pleads with you - "please... kill me..." She convulses! A huge centipede-like insect bursts from her chest. |
Other worms, hidden, choose that moment to lunge out of hidden tunnels in the walls and ceiling. Note that if the party is under silence it will not be able to hear them...
The gnomish dagger from II.10 is here, with Handout 13.5. High up the south wall, a ten-foot diameter tunnel opens. This tunnel leads out to a narrow, isolated ledge above the party's route.
If the party wins out over this horror, they will probably not want to endure it again. The gargoyles and tunnel worms both come from elsewhere, ensuring reinforcements, and they will not give up their best hunting ground. Indeed, when the party returns they will find the same awaits them, although at DM option the gargoyles may be replaced with cave fishers, demons, flying spiders who've escaped the derro, grell, or other flying predators - the only difference being that they will not wait until the party is in reach of the worms. There is really nothing for it but to carve out a secure route, at the expense of the grell.
The gargoyle lair lies across the cavern. The gargoyles are the creation of a treasure-seeking spellcaster. Such a spellcaster created the Interdicted Chamber beyond the gnomes (II.6-7), at which time she (1) created magic robots, (2) collected treasures, and (3) was evil. As before, it is the DM's option whether this spellcaster is still alive and/or still evil. The players should wait until they gain more XP before they investigate.
10-12 November 2001 - created from the loose ends left by other parts of this project.