Noximander's Cave
Open source p.30OSE CC4
In a dark cave beneath the city, once used by a cult of Moumb, the illusionist Noximander the Tenebrous communed with creatures from the realm of darkness. He wished to magically sever his own shadow and imbue it with consciousness—his dark mirror to command and control. Noximander successfully snipped away his shadow but the lingering influence of Moumb twisted the ritual’s effect: the liberated shadow claimed half of the illusionist’s mind, leaving his corporeal form half-feral. For many years the broken illusionist and his skittish shadow dwelt in darkness with their conjured shadow creatures. Days ago, builders demolished a wall in a crumbling tower’s basement and discovered a supernaturally dark cave. Adventurers are called to investigate.
The Adventure
Overview & introduction p.30
Level 4–5 Dungeon Adventure
In a dark cave beneath the city, once used by a cult of Moumb, the illusionist Noximander the Tenebrous communed with creatures from the realm of darkness. He wished to magically sever his own shadow and imbue it with consciousness—his dark mirror to command and control. Noximander successfully snipped away his shadow but the lingering influence of Moumb twisted the ritual’s effect: the liberated shadow claimed half of the illusionist’s mind, leaving his corporeal form half-feral. For many years the broken illusionist and his skittish shadow dwelt in darkness with their conjured shadow creatures. Days ago, builders demolished a wall in a crumbling tower’s basement and discovered a supernaturally dark cave. Adventurers are called to investigate.
General construction: Gray limestone caverns, 10′ high ceilings.
Lighting: All areas unlit, unless noted.
Light dimmed: Radius of all light sources halved.
Monsters: Names underlined. Descriptions in Terrors of the Dark, p26, unless noted otherwise.
The Illusionist and His Shadow p.31
The Illusionist and His Shadow
Noximander: A pale, emaciated human man clad in ragged violet robes. A scatter-brained and quasi-animalistic survivalist who seeks his missing shadow. Combat
stats: Goblin (OSE). Emblem: A hand with an eye in the palm.
Noximander’s Severed Shadow: A stately humanoid shadow, intelligent and independent. It fears reunification with its body. Combat stats: Shadow (OSE).
Reuniting the two: Bringing Noximander and the Severed Shadow into physical contact reunites them as a single being. The grateful illusionist happily opens up his library (17) and awards his hoarded coin to any who aid in his reunion.
Keyed entries (17)
1. 1. Disused Cellar p.31
Cobwebbed cellar stacked with empty crates. Demolished brick wall leads into inky black caves.
10. 10. Dark Garden p.31
Piles of debris (ceramic shards, dead leaves, dark soil) overgrown with black creeper vines. 6 Lantern Moths flitter about, drinking nectar from 5 midnight blue flowers (night glories, 100gp each, shrivel and die in sunlight). Moths attack any light source that enters the cave.
11. 11. Stalagmites p.31
Clusters of stalagmites crowd the floor. Movement rate is halved.
12. 12. Crystal Cave p.31
Tunnel lined with violet crystals receptive to magical light. Bringing magical light here: Crystals dimly glow. Touching magical light to a crystal: It glows as bright and as long as a light spell.
13. 13. Bottomless Pit p.31
Leads deep into the earth. Distant, monstrous howling from within the pit. At the referee’s option, the pit could lead to further dungeon levels or deep into the Underworld.
14. 14. Gargoyle Gate p.31
Heavy stone doors to 17: Magically locked. 3 gargoyle statues with outstretched hands mounted on the walls. If a magically lit item is placed in each gargoyle’s hands: Their eyes faintly glow, the heavy stone doors open to 17. 3 Stygian Spheres float around the room, attack anyone with a light source.
15. 15. Sitting Room p.31
Overturned furniture: Table and chairs, once-lavish decorations tarnished by time. Portrait above the mantel depicts a scowling magician in violet robes, wearing an amulet engraved with Noximander’s emblem. False fireplace with violet crystals where the flame should be. Secret door: The back wall of the fireplace is illusory, concealing a 3′ entrance to a stairway and corridor to 5.
16. 16. Bedroom p.31
Ransacked furniture: Bedsheets torn off, dresser drawers thrown onto the floor, shelves emptied. Invisible chest on one of the shelves. Opening: A blast of shadowy phantasmagoria. Anyone watching must save versus spells or wander disoriented along random paths for turns (roll for each PC’s path separately, check for random encounters normally, effect ends after taking damage). Inside the chest: 500gp, black opal (1,000gp), wand of radiance (12 charges). (If not using Advanced magic items: a wand that casts light, 12 charges.)
17. 17. Locked Library p.31
Bookshelves lined with journals on the nature of light and darkness, Underworld ecology, and monster anatomy. Cluttered desk: 6 crystal prisms (1,000gp each), bejewelled silver mirror (3,000gp), half-melted candles, silver shears, research notes on the shadow severance ritual. Reading the notes: Requires an INT check to interpret. Once done, an arcane caster can perfect the ritual (30,000gp and 6 months of magical research). Hidden compartment beneath a sliding bookshelf: Contains Noximander’s spell book (referee should select spells) and 300pp.
2. 2. Slippery Slope p.31
Slanted floor: Slippery rock slopes dramatically towards the south. Anyone moving quickly must make a DEX check or slip helplessly into the stream in 3.
3. 3. Stream p.31
Cold, dark water (10′ deep) rushes eastward into the depths. Crossing the stream: STR check to swim against the current. On a failed check: the character is swept to 6, bashed against rocks along the way ( damage).
4. 4. Oil Mites p.31
Stalactites crowd the ceiling, dripping into scummy iridescent puddles. 12 Oil Mites cling along dangling clumps of greasy webbing. Mites drop onto characters’ backs as they walk through the cave. Oily puddles are mildly flammable.
5. 5. Wizard’s Hovel p.31
Slivers of sunlight radiate overhead from a narrow, back-alley grate. Noximander perches on a nest of filthy linens mashing up oil mites for food. Approaching: Asks PCs if they have seen his shadow and to help find it. His memory is fuzzy but he knows that he’s somehow incomplete. Secret door: A section of the cave wall is illusory, letting in a draft that gently blows dust across the floor. Conceals a corridor to the fireplace in 15.
6. 6. Pool p.31
Deep pool of murky water. Stream flows in from the west (3). 2 Infrachameleons cling to the cave walls, grazing on patches of shaggy fungus. Opportunistic hunters: Use their tongue attacks on characters carried in by the stream. At the bottom of the pool: 2 gold medallions (350gp each).
7. 7. Shadow’s Lounge p.31
Noximander’s Severed Shadow lounging on the shadow of a mossy stone, quietly puffing shadow smoke rings. Entering: Changes shape into a grimacing shadow-monster to scare PCs off, fleeing to 14 to lure persistent PCs to the Stygian Spheres.
8. 8. Gargoyle Head p.31
Imposing stone gargoyle head mounted on the wall, its crystalline eyes glow faintly. Noximander’s emblem is etched on its forehead. Items placed in its open, shelf-like mouth have a light spell cast on them. Oak chest: Contains 10 polished violet crystals (25gp each).
9. 9. Central Cavern p.31
30′ cavern ceiling stretches beyond torchlight. 8′ basalt idol of Moumb, god of the Underworld (p16), with a yellow chrysolite eye (2,000gp). Removing the eye: Ends the light-dimming effect on the caves, attracts a furious Grue from 13. Eastern passage: Purple banners flank the tunnel entrance, bearing Noximander’s emblem in white. A Grue lurks here, waiting to ambush potential meals (surprise 1–5).