Seat of Unreason

Area 2-1 – Seat of Unreason

The throne serves as the reliquary for the severed head of the Abbot, the source of power for the spirit of Madness. The head rests within a locked funerary coffer built into the trapped maw of the throne. Meanwhile, the spirit of Madness and Unreason lurks within the nave, amid the rotting pews and fallen plaster.

At one time the ceiling of the chamber was plastered with a mosaic depicting a swirling maelstrom. Now much of the mosaic litters the floor, but a casual inspection of the ceiling reveals old bits of colored glass tiles.

Madness and Unreason: The spirit stirs as characters enter the nave, causing debris to rustle and spin about PCs’ ankles. Investigating the throne invites a cold wind to whistle down the nave; whispers can be heard on the wind, alternately warning the PCs to flee for their lives, and begging them to stay for all eternity.

The manifestations grow in intensity as the PCs investigate the throne, until debris swirls about the entire chamber. If the PCs sit upon the throne, or try to free the Head, a howling whirlwind fills the chamber (-1d to all actions; -2d to all ranged weapons), and takes the form of a towering humanoid composed of swirling plaster, rotting wood, and mud. These penalties persist until the spirit is defeated, the PCs leave the area, or the PCs succeed in capturing the Abbot’s Head.

An unholy being of Chaos, the spirit can be turned by clerics of Law. While the spirit cannot be destroyed, a successful turn attempt prevents it from attacking for 1 round.

Blows from the spirit of Madness engulf targets with flying debris. On a successful strike, the target suffers 1d4 damage and must make a DC 13 Will save or find their mind “swept” into another PC, determined at random. The original PC’s body collapses, inert. The new, combined character has all the class abilities of both PCs, but can only use one set in any given round. (Essentially, two players must share one character; if there is a dispute as to what actions to take, the players must dice off as the competing voices rage inside the PC’s mind.) Any number of characters can be combined in this manner.

The spirit of Madness’s sole motivation is to cause disquiet amongst the PCs. Once the PCs win the prize free of the devil’s maw, the spirit’s strength is shattered. The maelstrom quickly disperses, leaving the air quiet and still. Any combined characters return to their original bodies, but will forever know the other’s innermost secrets.

Judge’s Note: To prevent boredom on the part of either mindswept player, it is encouraged that whenever one player is deciding an action, the other player makes the associated rolls. Consider awarding a Luck bonus for PCs surviving, especially well-played madness.

The Throne: The stone throne resembles a mighty porcine devil in repose, its arms thrown wide. The devil is disemboweled; to properly occupy the throne, a character must sit on the devil’s lap, within its empty ribcage.

The Abbot’s severed head is locked within the devil’s maw. The statue’s jaw is hinged and locked, with a large keyhole set in the devil’s grinning fangs. A DC 5 Find Trap check confirms what the PCs must already suspect: the statue is trapped so that the massive arms snap in towards the chest cavity. A second Find Trap check (DC 15) reveals that the devil’s mouth is also trapped. Neither of the traps can be disabled, but they can be avoided:

The maw can be safely opened with a DC 20 Pick Lock check. On a failed Pick Lock check, the maw still opens – but in the same instant, the statue’s arms enfold any character standing on the dais (DC 15 Ref save to avoid; characters seated within the chest cavity cannot escape). The following round, the arms hoist any captured characters into the open maw, which slowly closes, crushing metal, flesh, and bone. Captured characters have but one round to slip their bonds with a DC 15 Strength check; those failing to escape suffer 1d16 damage and must make a DC 20 Fort save or be crushed to death.

Allies can aid their comrades by attempting to forestall the crushing jaws. Pinning the jaws open with spikes, weapons, jo staves, and the like merely delay the crushing jaws for a single round, granting trapped PCs an additional chance to escape.

The Abbot’s Head rests at the back of the maw. Exceptionally daring characters can try to snatch the head free, even on a failed Pick Lock check, with a DC 15 Agility or Pick Pocket check; on a failed check the PC is crushed in the maw as above.

The Head: Plated with hammered gold and encrusted with jewels, the Head is worth 500 gp for its raw materials alone. For those aware of its occult history, the Head is either beyond all monetary value or a thing of horror to be dreaded.

See area 2-6 for details on how the PCs can turn the relic against its master.

Spirit of Madness and Unreason: Init +2; Atk fist +2 melee (1d4 plus mind-sweep); AC 13; HD 4d10; hp 23; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP mind-sweep (DC 13 Will save to avoid); SV Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +3; AL C.