The Hidden Library

This is the third map for my Legacy of the Patriarchs campaign. See The City of Jimos, The Broken Tower, and Kobold Den for more information. The map for this section was inspired by a Dyson Logos map the Howling Orc Bridge. With some bits from other Dyson maps I made my own version on a smaller scale.

1) Entry room:

The party encounters a wandering will-o'-wisp that leads them into this room. Once the party has entered the tunnel behind them collapses. The wisp continues to float in front of them going deeper.

2) Staircase landing:

The wisp continues to lead the group downward staying just ahead of them.

3-4) Art gallery:

The walls of these rooms are covered in carvings of draconic figures. The carvings depict scenes of battle between dragons and other great beasts.

Room 3 has a small window that looks out into area 6. The Returned Faerie Dragon has already cast hallucinatory terrain (heard the collapsing tunnel).

Treasure: Gems are embedded in the eyes of several carvings (25 gp worth of each type: Carnelian, Jasper, Moonstone, and Onyx)

5) Statue Gallery:

Larger gallery with statues resembling dragonborn set along the walls. If the party is still chasing the will-o'-wisp it darts around the statues heading toward area 6. There are 16 statues in total. The statues each have names carved on their bases and a prominent medallion as part of the carving.

Treasure: The statues have gemstones in their eyes. (20 gp worth of each type: Carnelian, Jasper, Moonstone, and Onyx)

6) Bridged Chasm:

The room appears to be a large cavern with a central trail of worked stone that leads down a staircase and deeper into the caves. The room is covered in hallucinatory terrain due to the returned faerie dragon. Characters leaving the path must make a DC 15 dexterity save to catch themselves or fall off the narrow walkway. Characters take 8d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall (DC 15 dexterity save for half). There is a 50% chance that any character falling off the bridge gets caught in the spider webs below, negating half the fall damage (save or not) but restraining the character.

Creatures: The skeleton of the returned faerie dragon is laying on the staircase, it appears to be a normal skeleton until a target gets within 5 feet, at which point is uses its euphoria breath. Once the dragon attacks the will-o'-wisp joins the fight. The dragon and the wisp try to knock characters off the bridge.

Returned Faerie Dragon CR 2

XP 450 each

hp 14 (Monster Manual 133)

Changes from regular Faerie dragon: dragon is undead.

Damage Resistance. necrotic

Damage Immunities. poison

Condition Immunities. charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Will-o'-Wisp CR 2

XP 450 each

hp 22 (Monster Manual 301)

A Giant spider and a spider swarm (the babies) have taken up residence underneath the bridge. They attack any character caught in the webs.

Giant Spider CR 1

XP 200 each

hp 26 (Monster Manual 328)

Spider Swarm CR 1/2

XP 100 each

hp 22 (Monster Manual 338)

7) Crypt:

Sealing stones line the walls of this chamber giving hints of possible graves behind them, 16 in total. Names on the sealing stones match the names on the statues in area 5. A successful investigation check (DC15) notices that the stones have been removed before. Each alcove contains a wrapped body. The wrappings have been disturbed around the neck of each body.

Treasure: One of the alcoves contains 3 greater healing potions in an obsidian and silver box (75 gp)

8) Library:

despite the moisture in the other rooms of the cavern, this room is very dry. Decayed shelves and their contents litter the floor.

Creature: A dragon skull is suspended in the center of this room, attached to the ceiling by thick chains. After a character enters this room or approaches the upper landing in room 9 the skull starts to glow and then bursts into flames which melt the chains. A voice echoes through the room “Intruder!”

Flameskull CR 4

XP 1,100 each

hp 40 (Monster Manual 134)

This skull is large rather than tiny. Stats have not been adjusted. Adjusted HP would be 67 if needed.

Treasure: An ioun stone (reserve) is embedded in a clay tablet.

9 & 10) Library upper landing:

This area is 15 feet up from area 8. Obscured in the northwest corner of area 10 is the entrance to a small tunnel leading into additional adventuring areas.

11) Alchemy Lab:

Shelves line three walls of this room, filled with the remains of alchemical concoctions. Various beakers and vials in differing stages of damage are scattered around the room.

One side of the room is a large open pit that drops down 20 ft. The bottom of the pit is littered with what appears to be failed experiments and trash.

Treasure: Characters scavenging the room can collect enough supplies for an alchemists kit.

12) Hidden Shrine:

One end of this room contains a raised area with a small shrine. The skeleton of a dragonborn or other reptilian race lies crumpled on the floor. Draconic writing covers the walls but large sections appear melted or scraped away. The shrine itself is almost entirely melted. Characters examining melted sections can piece together the word father if they are proficient in draconic.

Perceptive characters (DC 10) notice fresh footprints in the dust of the room. Examining the body (investigation DC 10) reveals that the left arm has been disturbed.

Treasure: Hidden in the shrine (DC 20 investigate) is a medallion matching those depicted on the statues in area 5. If a PC is wearing the medallion the flameskull in the library greets them as librarian and allows the group to enter freely.

13) Cave landing:

The worked stone of this hallway leads into a large cavern.

14) Wishing pool:

A cave with a large pool. The bottom of the pool is littered with coins.

Creature: There is a water weird in the pool It isn’t hostile unless it is attacked or someone tries to grab the coins from the pool.

Water Weird CR 3

XP 700 each

hp 58 (Monster Manual 299)

Treasure: Coins litter the bottom of the pool. (400 cp, 100 sp, 30 gp, 5 pp)

15) Upper Grotto:

The room is one giant geode. Characters chipping away can collect 100 gp worth of Quartz, and Star rose quartz

16) Bio luminescent moss chamber:

A dim bluish light suffuses this chamber, its source obvious at a glance. Blue-glowing lichen and violet-glowing moss cling to the ceiling and spread across the floor. It even creeps down and up each wall, as if the colonies on the floor and ceiling are growing to meet each other. Their source seems to be a glowing, narrow crack in the ceiling, the extent of which you cannot gauge from your position. The air in the room smells fresh and damp.

17) Underground River:

This river flows beneath the plateau and connects other caverns for possible exploration

Onward-

The party found the way out through the tunnel in the library. The tunnel led to chambers used by a cult and guarded by shocker lizards and a gibbering mouther. I might post the map later, but it is still in use for my current campaign.

#LegacyOfThePatriarchs #DnD #Theopetros

About the Author:

Stephen Mayo lives in Montana with his wife, daughter, corgi, and three cats.

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