The Hypostyle Halls

Temple complex (abandoned, fishy). Lesser halls (low-ceilinged). Echoing passages (corbel-vaulted, gloomy).

• Search lesser halls: Bas-relief illustrated scenes. Suggestive glyphs.
• Decipher glyphs: Meaning tries to crawl into the mind, teases comprehension, promises treasure. Perhaps a little more time?
• Keep deciphering glyphs: Roll d6: (1–4) Just a little more time (1 turn), (5) INT check to find Tomb of History, (6) find Tomb of History and spot door curse.
• Scout temple complex: Warren of monastic cells. Each turn of searching: • 1-in-6 chance to find a stairway to the Temple of the Earthshaker (page 18). • 3-in-6 chance to find a plinth with a large glass jar holding a mummy wearing a glass helmet and adorned with a pectoral of beaten gold and semi-precious stones (350gp). Touch: mummy awakens in 1d4-1 rounds. • 5-in-6 chance to find 1d4 niches with liquid-filled glass jars (sleeping waterwights (page 11), ornate jewelry worth 50gp). Path to Slabs, masonry, flooded channels, cave flora. Hewn ways, narrow bridges, burbling waters.

Initial Exploration

Greater Hall

Pillars (stout, hundreds). Cave wisps (vibrating clouds). Shadows (dancing). Flooded crevasses (glints, shadowy forms). Rubble (ancient). Repairs (shoddy, old).

• Examine pillars: Intensely illustrated pre- Glab-Glab story of the God Carp swimming through the void and dreaming the world into being (1 watch to make rubbings of key passages, worth 1,000gp to a museum).
• Explore a flooded crevasse: Roll d4: (1) 1d6 bog mummies (not undead) in primitive finery (50gp), (2) 1d4 sleeping Glab-Glab waterwights (page 11) in precious stone tunics (100gp each, DEX check or wights wake), (3) twinkling flora, small fish, (4) deep current to the Small Lake (page 18, 1 watch swim, mostly submerged).
• Examine repairs: Sad attempt by a much reduced civilization.

Further Exploration

Tomb of History

Stone caryatids (mammoth, heroic). Dome (concrete rotunda). Massive stone door (jade, ominous glyphs, cursed).

• Inspect caryatids: Not quite human, too glabrous and elegant.
• Door (to Non-Euclidean Naos): Ominous glyphs curse all who would despoil history (reading with magic reveals password to avoid curse). Curse makes worldly treasure appear worthless (no save, lasts 3 days, reduces all apparent gp values 10-fold).
• Mining the door: triggers the curse, takes 1 watch, and yields 3,000gp of jade.

Non-Euclidean Naos (Hidden)

Fractal chamber (non-uniform space). Paintings on walls (shifting). Massive stone door (on far wall, jasper, holy).

• Approaching walls / door: 1 turn and WIS check to approach or leave a wall.
• Paintings: Recede into detail as one approaches. Deep histories painted in vivid colours on fragile wooden pinaxes (1d10 x 100gp each).
• Door (to Adyton): Mosaic of a dark fish and a light fish entwined, eating one another’s tails. Vibrates with holy awe. Prayers and sacrifice, or touch triggers wave of holy terror: save vs spells or flee 1d6 turns (potentially get lost).
• Harvesting the mosaic: Worth 4,000gp. Triggers the holy awe, takes 1 watch and summons 1d4 shadows every turn. The shadows lie in wait until at least 20 accumulate.

Adyton (Hidden)

Altar (white stone slab). Faceless fish statue (white-and-black marble). Wall niches (thousands of fist-sized precious idols of the Fish).

• Make offering: Permanent +1 hp. Receive blessing (as bless, remove curse, or cure disease). Acquire slightly fishy aspect. Works once per PC.
• Steal idol: Each is worth 1d6 x 20gp. Each theft inflicts 1 hp holy damage.

Regional Challenges

6. Pillar collapses: Rubble buries direct route. Bypassing requires 1 watch or explosives. 7. Crevasse yawns: Quake shifts rock layers, creating a 10’ wide, 50’ deep pit, cutting the hall in half. 8. Flooding: Waters rise to knee height. 2d4 cave fish (as piranhas) swim up from below. 9. Hungry shadows: 1d8 shadows detach from friezes and follow the party.

Collapse

1. Pillars crack like gunshots. Stone shrapnel flies (save vs breath or 1d8 damage). +d6 to collapse checks. 2. Pillars fall like dominoes. PC bringing up the rear must save vs paralysis or be entombed (1d6 turns to dig out). Stone dust shrouds region. +d6 to collapse checks. 3. Dark waters flood the halls. Fish and waterwights alone now remain.