The Black Parlor
RoomDCC ATG · p.9
Open source p.9Area 1-7 – The Black Parlor
The door to this chamber is trapped. A DC 15 find trap check will identify that the door is spring loaded to close automatically, although this mechanism is built behind the stonework of the adjoining wall. The door could be held open with the use of iron spikes.
Four ghastly purple orbs drift through this chamber, bathing it in a dim, somber radiance. The room is carved entirely from dark, polished marble. To the east and west, meticulously arranged pyramids of skulls fill two open ornate treasure chests. A stately mirror rests against the northern wall, its frame crafted in elegant detail with a repeating pattern of roses.
This room was a reading room, but after Lyria’s occupation of the labyrinth it became an oubliette where she keeps her victims, both alive and deceased.
Holes in the Walls: Concealed holes in the walls can be discovered by a character searching the walls who succeeds a DC 13 Intelligence check.
Piles of Skulls: These skulls are the remains of Lyria’s victims, serving as her trophies.
Balanced Treasure Chest Trap: Both treasure chests are filled to the top with an equal weight of skulls. An observant character succeeding a DC 9 Intelligence check notices the glint of metal at the bottom of the chest, hinting at treasures beneath.
Both chests are perfectly weighed to the other and affixed upon fully concealed pressure plates, secured via hidden bolts to prevent shifting when the floor tilts. The trap is activated when the weight difference between the two chests is more than 5 lbs. A character succeeding in a DC 15 find trap check identifies the presence of the pressure plates. On a failure of 5 or more, they set off the trap.
When triggered, the door to the chamber slams shut and the floor pivots sharply from its center up to 45 degrees toward the heaviest point in the room, which depending on where characters are standing could be north, east, south, or west. Any character standing in the room when the trap is triggered must make a DC 13 Reflex save or fall prone and slide down the incline. The section of chamber at the bottom of the incline descends 5’ into a pool of green slime below the room that filters in via the holes in the wall. Any character who fails their save falls into contact with the slime and takes acid damage. The victim will take damage again at the start of each initiative count until the slime is scraped off or destroyed. Against wood or metal, green slime deals acid damage each round, and any nonmagical wood or metal weapon or tool used to scrape off the slime is effectively destroyed. Applying fire to the slime can also burn it away, but short of a fireball or similar spells, the entire pool’s contents can only be avoided, not fought.
While the chamber is tilted, any movement toward the center of the room can cause an extreme shift that sends the characters tumbling onto another section of the chamber. A character attempting to move up the incline without causing a dramatic shift must make a DC 12 Agility check. On a failure, all characters in the chamber must make another DC 13 Reflex save or potentially fall to the opposite side of the room and into the acid as before.
To reestablish balance, the characters must position themselves relatively evenly around the room and ensure the weight on both pressure plates is equal. Each chest, when full of skulls, weighs 100 lbs. However, after the trap is activated, the chests’ contents spill out with the room’s movements, causing an imbalance. The easiest way to reestablish balance is to empty both chests (which themselves have equal weight). This causes the floor to lock in place once again.
Mirror of Life Trapping: The mirror on the northern wall is a magical prison containing six thieves. If the room’s trap is activated, the mirror falls from the wall and shatters, releasing its inhabitants. The six prisoners are all female members
of the Gravelight Sorority who came to the labyrinth to take back the Reliquary of Silent Sisters from Lyria. Mistaking the characters for another of Lyria’s cruel games, they prepare to defend themselves fiercely. A character succeeding on a DC 15 Personality check can convince them to cease their attack. If befriended, they share the information in the background of the adventure regarding Lyria and Dara’s relationship and the Gravelight Sorority. Under no circumstances do they join the characters in delving deeper into the trap-filled tomb; having gained their freedom, they are eager to leave with their lives intact.
Treasure: The bottom of each treasure chest contains a +1 dagger and five black opals worth 500 gp each.