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AREA 10 – LOWER ANTECHAMBER

A chamber of white, blue-veined marble. The walls, floor, and ceiling are lightly rimed with frost.

There are 6 wights (MM, p. 300), 2 ghasts (MM, p.), and 2 frostbanes.

DOOR TRAP: Any living creature touching the door leading to the hallway triggers a cloudkill that fills the room for 10 minutes.

• Magical trap
• DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) to detect.
• DC 16 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) to disable.

AREA 11 – GORGON GUARDS

The walls and ceiling of this chamber are painted sky blue with blood-red clouds.

Standing guard upon a pair of double doors crafted from glistening ebony are 2 gorgons (MM, p. 171).

AREA 12 – THE IRON THRONE

A long red carpet leads up to a small dais on which sits a throne of stone and iron.

THRONE: The throne is designed to teleport its user to Area 16 (in Aggah-Shan’s Sanctum). To operate the throne, the user must strap themselves into it. During the teleport, carefully positioned spikes sprout from the chair, inflicting 20d6 points of damage (no save). (The spikes pass harmlessly through a skeletal figure.)

• Mechanical trap
• DC 11 Intelligence (Investigation) to identify the trap.
• DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) identifies the teleport properties of the throne.
• DC 20 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) to disable the spikes (but this also disables the teleport effect).

TELEPORT TRACE: Aggah-Shan has blocked divinations leading to his sanctuary, but if he has recently used the chair (25% chance) a teleport trace or similar effect will reveal the chair’s destination.

AREA 13 – ADAMANTINE SKELETONS

The vault (Area 14) is guarded by 4 adamantine ettin skeletons.

VAULT DOOR (10-in. iron): AC 19, 300 hp, DC 24 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools)

ADAMANTINE ETTIN SKELETON

Large undead, lawful evil

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Armor Class 14 (natural)

Hit Points 85 (10d10+30)

Speed 40 ft.

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STR 21 (+5), DEX 10 (+0), CON 17 (+3), INT 2 (-4), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 4 (-3)

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Skills Perception +4

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Damage Immunities poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t adamantine; critical hits become normal hits

Condition Immunities poisoned, exhaustion; can’t be poisoned

Languages Giant, Orc (can’t speak, but can understand)

Challenge 5 (1,100 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

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Two Heads. The ettin skeleton has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and on saving throws against being blinded, charmed, deafened, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious.

ACTIONS

Multiattack. The ettin skeleton makes two adamantine claw attacks.

Adamantine Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) slashing damage. This counts as an attack with an adamantine weapon, automatically dealing a critical hit to objects.

AREA 14 – FALSE VAULT

This outer vault contains:

• 3,113 gp
• amber gold earring (525 gp)
• ceremonial electrum dagger with star ruby pommel (930 gp)
• death mask of beaten gold (85 gp)
• gold medallion with black opal gemstone (1,500 gp)
• golden sphere (75 gp)
• heavy wrought gold bracelet (650 gp)
• beaded headdress (100 gp)
• ornamental silver skullcap, inclaid with runes and a moonstone set above the brow (315 gp)
• small gold statuette of a maiden on a unicorn (175 gp)
• potion of restoration
• heavy crossbow +2
• dagger +1

Playtest Tip: There are two reasons for the specificity in Aggah-Shan’s vaults. First, it makes looting the place cooler than just “you find 4,355 gp in jewelry.” Second, because Aggah-Shan isn’t on site, the likely outcome of any heist here is that he — and his organization — will be looking for the PCs. Each item can be targeted by divinations. Each item the PCs fence can be traced. Each item gives a vector for continuing the scenario by other means.

SECRET DOOR: DC 25 Intelligence (Investigation). Panel slides away to reveal a second vault door. Moving the panel without applying pressure to the correct sections triggers a trap. A gemstone inset on the vault door shoots out 1d4+1 beams of purple-black energy, targeting any characters in line of sight (starting with those closest).

• Magical trap
• Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, one creature. Hit: Life drain, dealing 10d10 necrotic damage. The target must succed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

VAULT DOOR (10-in. iron): AC 19, 300 hp, DC 24 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools).

AREA 15 – TRUE VAULT

The inner vault contains:

• 1,000 pp, 4,300 gp, 8,765 sp
• Gems: violet apatite (50 gp), graveyard plume agate with white flames (60 gp), block of green jade (125 gp), rusteen (210 gp), 25 peach sunstones (10 gp each), 25 red sunstones (10 gp each)
• Potions: giant strength, healing, endure elements (x2), enlarge, magic weapon, spider climb
• Scrolls: alter self, levitate, blur, jump, mage armor, minor illusion, shield, mirror image, charm person, conjure animals, summon fey
• horn of goodness/evil (wrought from a bicorn’s fluted horn of white and black)
• horn of Valhalla (this specific horn is tied to the ancestors of the Grey Mountain barbarians who are marching on Ptolus, see Night of Dissolution, p. 5)
• horn of silence (advantage on saving throws against sonic effects when held; 1/day create silence spell that can be dismissed with a second blow; 1/day create the effect of a shatter spell)
• (75% chance) adamantine arrow keyed to the ley-laced marble statue in Area 18. (If it’s not here, then Aggah-Shan has it.)
• Book of Lesser Chaos and Book of Greater Chaos

HORN OF GOODNESS/EVIL

This trumpet adapts itself to its owner, so it produces either a good or an evil effect depending on its owner’s alignment. If the owner is neither good nor evil, the horn has no power whatsoever. When the horn is blown, it produces the effects of a magic circle spell. If the owner is good, they can choose for the circle to be effective against fiends or the undead. If the owner is evil, they can choose for the circle to be effective against celestials. The horn can be blown once per day.

Go to Part 2D: Aggah-Shan’s Sanctum

Go to Part 1

AREA 1 – ILLUSORY WALL

The stairs from the White House bottom out into a small room with an iron chest.

ILLUSORY WALL: The wall immediately to the north of the stairs is illusory, created with a major image spell (cast using a 6^th level spell slot to make it permanent). A DC 21 Intelligence (Investigation) is required to discern the illusion for what it is.

WIGHTS (12): There are 12 wights (MM, p. 300) behind the illusory wall. They attack when the trap on the iron chest is activated (they can see through the wall without any problems) or if anyone passes through the wall.

IRON CHEST: Empty. It is locked (DC 13) and trapped. (DC 18 to detect). Anyone touching the chest must succeed at a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed. In addition, they exude a carrion stench for 2d6+2 rounds that causes all creatures within a 10-foot-radius to become poisoned for 1d6 rounds unless they succeed at a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. (Characters must repeat the saving throw for each round that they remain within 10 feet of the stench-exuding victim.)

AREA 2 – THE DOOR CHOICE TRAP

The north door in this room is gilded with silver. The south door is gilded with gold. Each door has a magic mouth.

ENTRANCE SCRIPT: Entering the room from Area 1 triggers the following script from the magic mouth. Leaving the room and re-entering will trigger the script again.

• Both Doors: Each of us will ask a riddle. To pass us you must answer true.
• Door of Gold: One shall always tell the truth.
• Door of Silver: One shall tell a lie.
• Both Doors: One question you may ask; then answer must be given.

FALSE SOLUTION: It’s a trick. If asked, “Will the other door tell me yours is the right path?” (or some similar circumlocution), then the Door of Silver will say “Yes” and the Door of Gold will say “No” (logically indicating that Silver is the correct door). But opening either door will trigger a fireball trap (14d6 fire, DC 20 Dexterity saving throw for half damage; Detect DC 14).

TRUE SOLUTION: Ask a door, “What is your riddle?” Then answer the riddle accurately and the door will open safely.

GOLD’S TRUE RIDDLE:

Do not begrudge this,
For it is the fate of every man.
Yet it is feared,
And shunned in many lands.
Causes problems, and sometimes gaps,
Can hobble the strongest, and make memory lapse.
What is this danger we all face?
For being part — of the human race.

ANSWER: Old age.

SILVER’S TRUE RIDDLE:

With this you can do wondrous things.
Look at things close or far away.
You can see things big,
Or you can see things small.
Or maybe you don’t see them at all.
I come in many colors and hues,
Sometimes green and sometimes blue.
And when I’m read — it’s not from shame.
But from something with a different name.

ANSWER: Eyes.

AREA 3 – WIGHTS, GHASTS, AND A FALSE DOOR

There are 6 wights (MM, p. 300) and 6 ghasts (MM, p. 148) in this room.

FALSE DOOR: Fashioned of copper. Touching the door triggers a chain lightning trap (10d8 damage, DC 20 Dexterity saving throw for half damage, leaps to 6 additional targets; Detect DC 16).

AREA 4 – ANTECHAMBER

A cream-colored carpet runs across a beautiful floor of crimson-patterned tile. A picture of a young man hangs on the north wall; a picture of a ghastly, skeletal figure hangs on the south wall.

NORTH PICTURE: Depicting a youth with chocolate brown hair, darkly tanned features, and dressed in robes of blue silk. Purple lightning dances between the fingers of an out-stretched hand. (This depicts Aggah-Shan as he was in life.)

SOUTH PICTURE: Desiccated features, but wearing the same robes of blue silk. The figure is wreathed in flame, with the sun limned in eclipse behind him. (This depicts Aggah-Shan as a lich.)

AREA 5 – BLADE BARRIER TRAP

TRAP: Any living creature entering the 10’ x 10’ area between Area 4 and Area 6 triggers a blade barrier which blocks all four directions out of the 10’ x 10’ area. This simultaneously triggers the trap in Area 6.

• Magical trap
• 6d10 slashing damage (DC 20 Dexterity saving throw for half)
• DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check to detect the trap.
• DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) to identify the nature of the trap.
• A dispel magic spell permanently disables the trap.

AREA 6 – ULULATING FOUNTAIN

A statue of a wraith-like maiden with her mouth gaped wide serves as a fountain, pouring a black-tinted water into the stone pool below.

UNHOLY WATER: The water in the pool is unholy water (30 vials worth).

TRAP: Any living creature touching the water or the statue triggers a trap.

• Magical trap
• DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) to detect the trap.
• DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) to identify that the trap will transform the water; DC 18 check reveals the full properties of the trap.

Poison Cloud: The water emerging from the siren’s mouth is converted into a poison cloud. (DC 16 Constitution saving throw or suffer 4d6 poison damage and become poisoned; the saving throw must be repeated each round.) The cloud expands 10 feet per round to a maximum radius of 60 feet (filling this entire level out to Area 2).

Siren’s Song: The statue begins ululating a siren’s song. Living creatures within hearing must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw each round or become captivated, moving towards the fountain and then drowning themselves in it. (Those moving through danger — such as the blade barrier in Area 5 or the poison cloud — have advantage on the saving throw.)

Alerting the Complex: The siren’s song will bring any wights and ghasts from Area 3 or Area 10 that are still alive. Everyone else in the complex will maintain guard positions, but will be alerted.

AREA 7 – VASES OF LITHUIN

A collection of nineteen vases placed on pedestals around the room Some are fluted ceramics, while others are more finely crafted and crystalline in nature.

INTELLIGENCE (HISTORY):

• DC 18: These are Lithuin vases. Incredibly rare. Individual vases are worth 1,000 gp each.
• DC 26: This collection specifically demonstrates the evolution of Lithuin vase-craft. It’s unusually complete, and its collected value would be doubled (to 38,000 gp).

INTELLIGENCE (HISTORY) or (INVESTIGATION) – DC 20: The vases are covered in Lithuin runes (now undecipherable), but two of the vases also have a different symbol carved on their bottom:

DM Background: The symbol is that of the Shuul (Ptolus, p. 126). These vases were purchased from the Shuul (who make regular archaeological expeditions to Lithuin).

LITHUIN

Lithuin is a semi-legendary city that was inhabited by Titan Spawn who “sailed from beyond the sea.” They were specialists in the arts of kaostech. The location of the city was long-lost and many scholars believed it never actually existed. Various chaos cultists, however, have recently rediscovered it, and the Shuul have also come into possession of its secret location.

AREA 8 – COPPER FOUNTAINS

Several shallow copper basins are on the floor of this area. Other basins are suspended from the ceiling or built out from the walls. Copper tubing runs in tangled mazes throughout the chamber, gushing forth with multi-hued liquids here and there, creating kaleidoscopic pools of effervescent hues.

SECRET DOOR (Detect DC 15): Twisting one of the spigots causes a large basin to drain and then spin out of the way, revealing the passageway to Area 9 behind it.

Playtest Tip: Although this may initially appear to be the only route to the lower levels of Aggah-Shan’s Catacombs — in which case having a mandatory skill check to get down there would be a questionable choice — in practice these catacombs can also be approached from the OTHER direction (exploring up out of the Mrathrach Machine). In addition, triggering an alarm will cause the wights and ghasts in Area 10 come up; they will leave the secret door open, revealing its location.

AREA 9 – WHIRLING POISON BLADES

The stairway is filled with poisoned blades that come whirling out of razor-thin slits in the walls. Putting any weight on five of the stair treads will trigger the trap (which remains in motion for 5 minutes).

• Mechanical trap
• DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the razor-thin slits in the wall.
• DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) to identify the trap; DC 16 identifies 1d4+1 trigger treads; DC 18 identifies all five trigger treads.
• DC 16 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) to disable.
• +8 attack bonus, 3d10 slashing damage, DC 14 Constitution saving throw or 2d6 poisoned damage. Targets all characters on the stairs when triggered.

Go to Part 2C: The Lower Catacombs

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Frostbanes are skeletal figures case in ice, but with a flame burning within their chest. Through its icy sheath, this flame burns fiercely — usually in shades of blues, but often purple or green or even crimson.

The Frozen Damned. Frostbane are powerful undead created from corpses which have been frozen for at least a century (usually within icy glaciers, although there are tales of reaping fields upon the Plane of Ice which are maintained and harvested by ancient liches patient enough to mortal lifetimes for their schemes to unfold).

Ice & Fire. Their existence is born from paradox and their mockery of life sustained through an antithetical balance of elemental forces, for the necromancer kindles within their frozen breast a magical flame. This flame slowly consumes their dead flesh, but does not affect the ice which was their death and tomb. Thus heat and frost are maintained in an eternal, impossible tension.

The frostbane thus thirsts eternally for the warmth it is denied — drawing in the heat of life and flame around it, but instantly converting it into the deathly grip of ice.

FROSTBANE

Medium undead, neutral evil

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Armor Class 17

Hit Points 98 (15d8+30)

Speed 30 ft.

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STR 15 (+2), DEX 16 (+3), CON 15 (+2), INT 11 (+0), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 8 (-1)

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Saving Throw Dex +6

Skills Perception +6, Survival +4

Senses passive Perception 16

Damage Immunities fire

Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned

Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +3

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Aura of Ice. Anyone within 40 feet of the frostbane suffers 4d6 cold damage per round (DC 14 Constitution saving throw for half damage) Anyone touching the frostbane suffers an additional 2d6 cold damage (no save). Anyone hitting the frostbane with a melee weapon suffers 1d6 cold damage (no save). Every 3 points of cold damage heals 1 point of damage to the frostbane.

Contingent Regeneration. If the frostbane is within 40 feet of a living creature or source of heat, it regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn. If the frostbane starts its turn at 0 hit points doesn’t regenerate, it enters a dormant state and appears “dead.” If someone approaches within 40 feet of the dormant frostbane, however, they can attempt a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice an unnatural chill in the air. If the dormant frostbane remains within 40 feet of a living creature or heat source for 5 minutes, it will rouse from its dormancy (and begin healing from itsaura of ice).

The frostbane only truly dies if it suffers cold damage while in its dormant state (snuffing out the flame at its heart).

Heart of Flame. Frostbanes are immune to fire damage and heal 1 point of damage for every 3 points of fire damage they otherwise would have suffered.

Frostspawn. Any humanoid slain by a frostbane rises as a zombie (MM, p. 315) in 1d4 rounds. There’s a 10% chance that such a zombie will transform into a frostbane 1d4 hours later. (There may be rites a necromance could use to increase these odds by helping to kindle its nascent flame.)

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ACTIONS

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6+2) cold damage.

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Frostbanes appear in The Mrathrach Agenda.

Go to Part 1

Beneath the White House are Aggah-Shan’s catacombs. This ancient lair actually predates the construction of the gambling house above by at least several decades, possibly more. It can also be reached from the Mrathrach Machine below.

(Download: Large – Battlemap)

(Download: Large – Battlemap)

Design Note: There is a map of the Lower Level of the White House on p. 311 of the Ptolus sourcebook. The maps here are designed to supersede that map.

Go to Part 2B: The Upper Catacombs