Reliquary of the Ape
RoomDCC 107 · p.50
Open source p.50Area 2-2 – Reliquary of the Ape
The archway leading into the chamber is set with the runes for Violence and Revenge, which are readily deciphered by wizards and priests, and thieves succeeding on a DC 10 Read Languages check.
Broken flagstones and toppled pillars litter the roughhewn chamber. The air is choked with hanging dust and the tang of blood and sweat. The source of the destruction is clear: an enormous manape, slumbering against the far wall, its massive wrists and neck shackled by thick iron bands. Resting on the ape’s corpulent belly is a golden hand, set atop a rod of polished black stone. The deep rumble of the ape’s rhythmic breathing shakes the very stones beneath your feet.
The giant man-ape is the doom of Violence; the goldentipped rod is the reliquary of the Abbot’s Hand. It is left to the judge’s discernment whether the ape is truly asleep or merely feigning slumber. As a guideline, if the PCs have taken pains to explore the tunnels with caution and stealth, there is a 60% chance that the ape-demon is asleep. However, if the PCs haven’t explicitly taken steps to silence their actions, the man-ape is awake and hoping to lure foolish adventurers into its grasp.
If the ape is asleep, a thief can slip into the chamber and steal the Abbot’s Wand with a DC 15 Sneak Silently check and a DC 10 Pick Pocket check. If successful, the character succeeds in stealing the wand, causing the ape to awaken at the end of the round. If either check fails, the ape awakens and may take a surprise action before both sides roll for initiative.
Though shackled to the wall, the ape-man has enormous reach, able to snatch anything within 15’. On a successful attack, in lieu of inflicting damage, the beast can instead elect to seize the target (DC 15 Strength check to escape). A captured target is automatically hit in subsequent rounds.
The ape-man can also hurl stones at ranged targets. In the debris-strewn room there is effectively an unlimited amount of potential missiles, but magic or creative actions by the PCs could potentially sweep the area clean.
(The ape-man’s stats account for its bonds and inability to move about the chamber. If the spirit is somehow freed, use the improved bracketed stats.)
The beast’s belly breaks open when it is slain, spilling out small, bloodied ape-things. The size of halflings, with lanky arms that hang to the ground and covered in gore-drenched fur, they scatter through the chamber, fleeing for the exits and savagely attacking anything blocking their flight. Roughly half flee through each exit. Those that flee to area 2-3 are later found dead, picked to naught but bones.
Those that escape to the north rally after rounds, and begin stalking the PCs. They creep along the walls and cling to the ceilings, hungrily stalking the PCs. Given the opportunity, they swarm a single PC, dragging the unfortunate soul to his doom.
The Abbot’s Wand: The Abbot’s severed hand was dipped in molten gold and set upon the tip of a polished granite rod. The relic is worth 250 gp, but students of the occult will pay a far greater amount. See area 2-6 for mechanics on using the Wand against the Abbot.
Spirit of Violence (giant man-ape): Init ; Atk slam melee (), bite melee (), or stone ranged (); AC 10 [15]; HD ; hp 43; MV 0’ [40’]; Act []; SP grab; SV Fort , Ref [], Will ; AL C.
Gore Spawn (): Init ; Atk bite melee (); AC 10; HD ; hp 4; MV 40’ or climb 30’; Act; SV Fort , Ref , Will ; AL C.