Go to Part 1 – Go to Map

AREA 13: Tree roots grow down through the ruined ceiling here, curling through the rubble pile.

AREA 14: This is a false door made of bronze with runes engraved upon it. Beneath the runes there is a pair of crossed hammers. (The door is remarkably clean: Essentially spotless.) The door tingles to the touch.

Norskan Runes: THE PATH OF THE SOUL’S RICHES. (Those familiar with Neo-Norskan mythology will recognize this as part of a quotation ascribed to Illhan: “The path to the soul’s riches shall lie along no path of gaudy promise.”)

Trap: Opening the door triggers a 50’ bolt of lightning (4d6 damage). The door will then snap shut (resetting the trap). There is a circular disc of brass  in the center of the wall behind the door (from which the lightning is emitted).

AREA 15: The two sets of arches down the length of this hall are formed by two ravens with their beaks touching at the capstone. The eyesockets of each raven appears to have once been a gem, but the stones have been pried out.

Raven’s Sight: If a gemstone worth at least 250 gp is placed into the eye-socket of a raven, a character will be gifted with a visitation from Odin as per a commune spell. Removing a gemstone from one of the eye-sockets will result in a powerful curse being placed on the character.

AREA 16 (THE HEAD OF THE HAMMER): A larger chamber angling away in both directions. The archway leading to the stairs leading down is formed by two large hammers. The angled walls are covered in elaborately carved stonework forming intricate, knotted designs.

Secret Door: Twisting one of the knots causes the door to swing aside.

AREA 17:The floor in this hallway is covered in a layer of dirt 2 feet deep.

Pit Traps (30’ deep w/spikes): Covered by badly weathered, graying wood (beneath the dirt) – very weak. 2 in 6 chance that anyone crossing them will break through and fall. 1 in 6 chance that someone crossing will hear the wood creaking under them.

AREA 18: The floor immediately beyond the secret door is of a white tile inlaid with a mosaic of blue depicting a twisted knot (similar to those depicted on the hammered arch in area 16). The statue is of a broad-shouldered man wearing a bearskin with a hammer held in each hand.

Trap: Anyone crossing the mosaic without saying Illhan’s battle prayer (“Let my eyes be washed in the blood of my enemies and my hands kept clean with valiant work”) will activate the statue. Bolts of energy as per magic missile will shoot out from the hammers, striking the nearest character once per round for 10 rounds. After ten rounds, twin bolts of lightning (4d6 damage) will shoot from the statue’s eyes.

AREA 19: The walls of this chamber are clad in white marble. At either end of the hall, in the center of the wall, is a circular depression.

The Map: If the shafts of the silver hammers from area 31 are inserted into the two depressions, lines of blood will exude from the south wall, revealing a blood-etched map leading to the dwarven stronghold described in Hammers of the God. The following passage will also appear in both dwarven and Norskan runes: “THE SECRET OF ALLIANCE SHALL BE KEPT.”

AREA 20: 1 in 6 chance of stepping on one of several pressure plates which will cause the stone block forming the ceiling to fall, crushing those beneath it (4d6 points of damage). Once the block has fallen, it’s possible for a halfling or an unarmored character to squeeze through the gap between the stone block and the ceiling.

The stone block can be reset or released from area 23.

AREA 21: The portcullis in this room is incredibly sturdy and difficult to break or lift. (It’s controlled from area 23.)

AREA 22: This collapse is about 5 feet deep and blocks the width of the passage. The area around the door to area 23 has been excavated out (you can climb up and then drop down into it). Once you’re in that excavated portion, it’s possible to notice that a crawlspace has been cleared at knee-height leading to the stairs.

AREA 23: The far wall of this chamber has a large wheel affixed to the middle of it. There are two levers set into the wall – one to either side of the wheel.

Wheel: Operates the portcullis in area 21.

Levers: The one on the right releases the stone block trap in area 20 (and does nothing if it’s already down). The one on the left resets the trap (and does nothing if it’s already up).

Continued tomorrow…

(Original cartography by Dyson Logos.)

The Ruined Temple of Illhan The Ruined Temple of Illhan – Part 2: The Neo-Norska Pantheon The Ruined Temple of Illhan – Part 3: The Entrance (Areas 1 thru 12)