AREA 1 – ENTRY HALL
The white marble floor of the entry hall is perforated with dozens of tiny holes.
PRESTIDIGITATION HALL: Anyone stepping onto the floor of this room will have dirt, grime, blood, or other filth sloughed off their bodies due to a permanent prestidigitation effect. The filth disappears down the holes in the floor.
- GM Background: The paving stones of similar function in the Temple of the Ebon Hand were commissioned from the Red Company of Magi.
AREA 2 – MAIN HALL
A cross-shaped crimson carpet runs across the width and breadth of this large hall, with one leg crossing from Area 1 to Area 9 and the other leg running from a pair of double doors flanked by statues (leading to Area 6). On the wall opposite the statues, a golden disc has been inlaid in the floor.
CARPET OF SERPENTS: The red carpet is embroidered with four snakes which twist and twine around each other. Any Red Magi can speak a command word which will cause the snakes in the carpet to become animate as fiendish giant constrictor snakes.
Fiendish Constrictors: Use giant constrictor snake stats (MM 2024, p. 351) with the following abilities:
- Devil’s Sight: The fiendish constrictor has darkvision 60 ft. which is not impeded by magical darkness.
- Damage Resistance Cold, Fire; Nonmagical Attacks That Aren’t Silvered
- Magic Resistance: The fiendish constrictor has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Fiendish Fangs: Bite attack is considered a magical weapon.
STATUES: One statue is of a strong, muscular man and purports to depict Vladaam, the founder of House Vladaam. The other depicts a beautiful woman in swirling robes holding an orb which glows with a faint blue light. This second statue has a plaque naming the woman Flambara of Ossyr.
- DC 16 Intelligence (History): Ossyr is the name of what was once one of the small Sea Kingdoms.
- GM Background: Flambara founded the Red Company of Magi with Aliaster in 691 IA and was his mistress. She was assassinated in 698 IA.
GOLDEN DISC: This disc displays an embossed map of the Empire, including the Whitewind and Southern Seas.
- True Seeing: Anyone looking at the disc with a see invisibility or true seeing effect will see small, glowing points of light which indicate the physical location of anyone carrying the badge of the Red Magi. Anyone touching the disc and naming someone with a Red Magi tattoo can contact them as per a sending spell and receive a response in return. Use of the disc while casting scrying on Red Magi causes inflicts a -5 penalty on their Will save against the scrying.
- Inscription: Engraved in an elegant script of Draconic around the perimeter of the disc. “A gift from the Red Company of Surveyors to our Brothers in the True Pursuit. Let us hold and send forth the eye of all knowledge.”
AREA 3 – DINING HALL
A well-worn dining hall.
CABINETS: Contain dishes, glasses, and silverware. All of that is normal, but the cabinets themselves are magical: If they are opened, telekinesis effects will set the table with a number of place settings equal to the number of people currently in the room.
CHEST OF SUSTENANCE: A simple cantrip on the large chest under the window on the south wall keeps food placed within it fresh.
AREA 4 – SUPPLY CLOSET
Contains alchemist’s supplies and spell components.
SPELL COMPONENTS: A generous supply for any spell of 5th level or below, including:
- 100 gp pearls for identify (x12)
- lead-based ink for illusory script (100 gp worth)
- diamond dust for stoneskin and nondetection (1,500 gp worth)
- gold dust for arcane lock (300 gp worth)
- ruby dust for continual flame (600 gp worth)
- jade dust for magic mouth (100 gp worth)
- gilded skull for summon undead (300 gp)
- crushed black pearl powder for circle of death (1,000 gp worth)
AREA 5 – KITCHEN
A perfectly ordinary, well-stocked kitchen.
CELLAR DOOR: Trap door in the floor leads down to Area 24.
GM Background: The Red Magi keep trying to convince Madame Hammala (their cook and housekeeper) to let them “improve” the kitchen with various magical accoutrements. She refuses.
AREA 6 – GUILDHALL
A life-size jade statue of Kharos, God of Magic stands at the end of the hall before several rows of pews. It holds a tri-forked wand in his left hand and cradles a silver cat in the crook of his right arm. A crackling disc of blue energy three feet across stands directly in front of the statue. A basin stands in one corner of the room.
- DC 15 Wisdom: The cat is actually made from mithril and is worth 10,000 gp.
DISC OF BLUE ENERGY: A permanent floating disk on the floor in front Kharos’ statue. Anyone stepping on the disk will cause it to float 3 feet into the air.
- GM Background: Guild members will step onto the disk and become elevated while they speak to their fellow Red Magi.
BASIN OF WATER: A small basin filled with crystal clear water stands in the corner of the room. The basin is formed from the open mouth of a gaping, stylized dragon. It will purify any water placed within it, as per a purify food and water spell.
- GM Background: During guild meetings, members will ceremonially wash their face and hands at this basin before taking their seats.
AREA 7 – ARCHMAGE USTALLO
A long workbench stands along the western wall next to a low-slung divan with a hookah stand beside it. Several chests sit below the curve of the wall opposite. Two long bookshelves meet in the corner of the room beneath two paintings — one depicting a black dragon; the other a white dragon.
HOOKAH: Has 6 doses of abyss dust.
- GM Background: Ustallo is not yet addicted, but he does enjoy it.
PAINTINGS: DC 14 Intelligence (History) to recognize them as the work of Hashi, a very popular painter in the 620’s. They belong to a longer sequence known as the Chromatic Lightning, which features depictions of every type of dragon, each flying in a thunderstorm. Each painting is worth 500 gp.
BOOKS: An extensive research library on humanoid physiology. Grants advantage to diagnostic Heal checks.
SEARCH – DC 18 Wisdom (Perception): To detect a section of the wall brimming with magical potential. Pressing firmly against this magical potential causes a section of the wall to transform into a large, comfortable bed. Pressing the wall above the bed’s headboard causes the bed to re-merge with the wall.
GM Background: Archmage Ustallo also works as Guildmaster Arzan’s personal assistant.
AREA 8 – GUILDMASTER ARZAN
ALCHEMICAL LAB: A bubbling array of glass, copper, and alchemical concoctions are arrayed across two tables which fill the far wall of the chamber.
- There are notes detailing an effort to create an improved antitoxin (which would grant advantage to saving throws against poison for 1 day) based on a synthesis of chemicals found in the sting glands of a wyvern.
- DC 25 Intelligence (Alchemist’s Supplies): The entire approach is inherently flawed and was first tried by the Master Alchemist Tirnet Kal several centuries ago (although this is only detailed in obscure partial quotations from the Observations of Alchemical Reductions and the Deductions Therof, a book that was lost several centuries ago). (This check is made with a +10 bonus if the character has studied a copy of this lost work, which is available in the Complex of Zombies.)
DESK: A massive, curved desk with a high-backed chair of red velvet topped with a gold-gilted dragon stands before a broad window looking out across the front lawn of the manse.
- On the desktop are Reports from the Researchers on Crossing Street (see handouts).
- SEARCH – DC 12 Wisdom (Perception): A false bottom to one of the drawers contains an iron lockbox (DC 16 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools)). It contains 60 gp, an alexandrite (300 gp), a chrysoprase (20 gp), a white opal (6,000 gp), a red-brown spinel (80 gp), a moss agate (11 gp), and a violet garnet (800 gp).
FIRETHORN BONSAI: On a decorative table in the corner near the window, there is a bonsai tree with small, dark red fruits. This is a firethorn bonsai. At night, the fruits have the appearance of being on fire.
- GM Background: This tree was taken from a cutting of the firethorn tree on the front lawn of the manse.
SEARCH – DC 18 Wisdom (Perception): To detect a section of the wall brimming with magical potential. Pressing firmly against this magical potential causes a section of the wall to transform into a large, comfortable bed. Pressing the wall above the bed’s headboard causes the bed to re-merge with the wall.
AREA 9 – RESPITE UNDER THE STAIR
A circular table with a scarred surface and several equally well-worn chairs are gathered in the corner of the open room at the base of some stairs heading up. A silver pitcher with a mouth formed like the head of a swan sits in the middle of the table, surrounded by some wooden cups.
SILVER EWER: Magically enchanted so that it is always full of a sweet, strawberry-tinted mead.
BROKEN BOOKCASE: Stored back behind the stairs.
AREA 10 – THE LOWER TOWER
Several large crates have been stacked at the base of a spiral staircase of white sandstone.
CRATES: Contain three set of alchemist’s supplies and 20,000 gp worth of material for creating magical items.
