Bower of the Abbotess
RoomDCC 74 · p.8
Open source p.8Area 1-4 – Bower of the Abbotess
The chamber has an arched ceiling some 20 feet in height. The floor is of polished white stone, with winding veins of crimson. Deep purple tapestries hang on every wall, embroidered with black, gold, and silver thread.
A lavish bed rests at the back of the chamber, hung with silken sheets, satin pillows, and the white fur of some great polar beast. A meditation pillow rests before a simple shrine: a polished marble crescent depicting the gibbous moon.
During the night the abbotess is found in area 1-9, offering up sacrifices to Máni. During the day she retires to her bower.
The curtains are embroidered with wicked sigils, diabolic signs, and sinister intimations. Searching behind the heavy curtains reveals two hidden passages: one to the south and north respectively.
PCs inspecting the shrine discover that the marble crescent is set upon an iron plate concealing a hidden vault. The plate’s latch is protected by a poison gas trap; opening the latch without first rotating the marble crescent triggers the trap. All targets within 10 feet must succeed at two separate saves. First, a DC 13 Fortitude save or take damage and slip into a deep torpor for rounds. Second, a DC 10 Will save or be overtaken by a suicidal melancholy that compels the PC to kill himself before the next full moon. The melancholy can be cured by an appropriate quest of the judge’s choosing.
The vault contains a polished wooden sword stand (intended for the Falx) and two simple copper coffers. The first coffer contains 527 gp; the second contains 291 sp and a false bottom concealing four platinum ingots (the equivalent of 100 pp).