The Ghoulish Library of Leng

1. KRAKEN GATE

A portcullis with bars of corkscrewing tentacles blocks the entrance. Inside the low cave, a massive iron candelabra shaped like a kraken dangles from the ceiling. Each of its appendages wraps around an unlit candle. Faint mumbling echoes from the south.

• Portcullis. DC 20 STR to lift. The open/close lever is in Area 2.

• Candelabra. Lighting any candles fills the room with dim light,

oily smoke, and the overwhelming stench of rotting fish. Taking a candle causes the tentacle to animate and lash out at the offender (as kraken, SD pg. 229, one attack).

• Mumbling. "345... 346... 347..." This is an obsessive-compulsive

gargoyle named Grimgald (Area 2) who should be guarding the gate but is re-counting his bag of 492 mouse bones instead. DC 12 DEX to sneak past him through Area 1.

2. GUARD ROOM

A bestial, winged statue hunches over a table scattered with tiny white objects and whispers: "355... 356... 356... curses, double counted!" A corkscrewing lever juts from the wall behind him.

• Statue. A twitchy gargoyle named Grimgald. He compulsively re-

counts his bag of 492 mouse bones (or is it 493?). He guards the portcullis in Area 1 but is distracted (DC 12 DEX to sneak by him).

▶Grimgald assumes PCs are visitors. He ushers them to Area 4 to wait while he fetches his master Achocklak (Area 24). Grimgald and Achocklak return to Area 4 in 5 rounds.

▶Key. Grimgald wears the brass key to Area 28 on a neck cord.

• Lever. A spiraling tentacle shape. Operates the portcullis in Area 1.

3. GARGOYLE ROOST

Five statues of leering, winged demons lean out from high perches. Piles of moss grow on their heads and shoulders like snow.

• Demons. Off-duty gargoyle guards who have enjoyed 50 years of

rest after Grimgald (Area 2) lost a bet to them. They roost on 20' cave shelves. Loud noise wakes them (disoriented 1d4 rounds).

▶Gargoyles: Icarus (bully), Regaran (drowsy), Hestia (gluttonous), Molossus (academic), Trivonus (vain).

4. WAITING ROOM

Red velvet reading chairs gather dust beside crowded book shelves. A few glittering trinkets sit on a low parlor table.

• Books. Grim fables about never trusting anyone ("The Hidden

Knife," "Betrayal of Brothers"). "The Watcher" is a sentient book and tattle-tale; it spies on visitors and reports what they said to Achocklak (Area 24). It shrilly interrogates people if opened.

• Trinkets. Dry ink pots, paper weights, crystals. Among these is a

silver spinning top (1/day, spin for 1:4 chance to gain a luck token).

5. THE FANGS

Humid cave that smells of rotting paper pulp. Six ivory, curving fangs as tall as men thrust from the floor. Dozens of books are skewered on them; black ink runs down the fangs like blood.

• Fangs. Execution site for condemned sentient books. Skewering

a sentient book here grants 3 XP but deals 1d4 CHA damage.

• Books. Most are dead. Four still flap weakly and whisper for

mercy. Removing a living book from a fang allows it to heal.

▶"They Walk Among Us" (paranoid; believes 1 in every 20 people is a doppelganger), "In Sunlit Lands" (has gone mad; begs to be returned to the wizard's college in the City of Masks), "Memoirs of Malfune" (devious and sly; it details the life of the sorcerer Malfune the Traitor), "Bibliodemon Biology" (clinical; it analyzes the Librarian of Lengs' painfully acute senses).

6. CAVE CRABS

The entire rear wall churns with a carpet of hand-sized, gray crabs. The cave hisses softly with thousands of tiny claws tapping on stone.

• Crabs. 200 soft-shelled crabs interlock their legs and slurp up

cave minerals. Treat as 3 piranha swarms. Delicious to eat raw. DC 12 STR to pull one free; cumulative 1:20 chance to provoke attack.

▶Skeleton. The crabs cover a deep one skeleton wearing Bracers of Defense (SD pg. 301) engraved with suckered squid tentacles.

7. HUNGRY FROST TROLL

A lanky, ice-encrusted giant lunges and gnashes wildly at the end of a chain cuffed around its neck. The chain groans and strains.

• Giant. Underfed frost troll named Hrog. It breaks its weakened

chain in 1d4 rounds after smelling nearby prey.

▶Hungry. Giving the troll fresh meat calms its rage. It speaks Giant haltingly and says it will be good if freed (it won't). It fears the whips of the "fish-men" and wants to slaughter them.

8. SKULL CAVE

Countless gaping skulls line the walls of this vast cathedral cave. At its center, a monumental pillar of stone climbs from floor to ceiling.

• Skulls. Thousands of humanoids. Each has a clay tablet inside its

eye socket engraved with that person's worst fear (spiders, the sea, Auntie Nellie, leeches, the Willowman, public speaking, etc.).

▶Two skulls have 500 gp diamonds instead (30 minutes to find each). Images of cavorting demons dance inside the gems.

• Pillar. A secret door opens to a slippery, corkscrewing tunnel (DC

18 DEX to stop/climb) that chutes creatures 60' down into Area 50.

• Ritual. The first time the PCs enter this area, throaty chanting

(many voices) rises from the eastern passage.

▶4 Librarians of Leng and 8 deep ones drag 4 pale, ragged peasants (lost explorers) in chains to this room from Area 14. The peasants are drugged with Vapor of Leng (see Area 20).

▶The Librarians release the peasants in Area 8 and observe for 5 rounds as they attack each other in drug-addled terror. Then, the deep ones shove them through the secret door in the pillar.

9. ARGUING DEEP ONES

Angry gibbering, wet slaps, and caterwauling echoes from this cave. A group of bulge-eyed, fish-faced men stand in a circle furiously pointing their webbed claws at each other.

• Men. 6 deep ones argue savagely in the Merran tongue about

whose fault it is they forgot to bring the key to the door. They are distracted and do not notice anything except loud sounds or direct intrusions.

▶One carries a note written in elegant hand: "Make sure that damned stingbat infestation has been eradicated. -Xenoxes"

▶After 3 rounds, the deep ones leave in a huff to retrieve the key from Area 49. They return with it in 10 rounds.

10. CISTERN ENTRANCE

Four screw-threaded pillars sweat beads of water that trickle down and stream along the gently sloping floor toward the north.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Pillars. They turn like screws. Tightening all four intensifies the

steam in Area 11, causing the brain eaters to run out yelping.

11. SAUNA

Hissing gills along the floor disgorge gouts of white steam. Human- sized shapes move within the pale cloud.

• Shapes. Two visiting brain eaters scholars, Talurac (stern, soft-

spoken) and Graalix (arrogant, bold). Not immediately hostile. They can hear the PCs' surface thoughts. They want to steal "The Hexagonal Tome" from Area 42 and are willing to cut a deal.

▶Treasure. Talurac's delicate Wraith Chain (SD pg. 321) is folded neatly on a bench. Graalix wears a Necklace of Charm (SD pg. 308) fashioned from shark teeth.

12. CISTERN

A humid, dripping room of gray-green stone. Every surface is slick with moisture. The floor slopes toward a lightless hole in the center.

• Slick. Aggressive movement requires DC 12 DEX not to slip on the

floor and fall. Creatures who do slide into the hole.

• Stingbats. After two rounds of noise in Area 12, six stingbats fly

out of the hole (see below) and attack interlopers.

• Hole. 10' deep. Leads to cave-like cistern, same size as room above

with waist-deep water and a grate on the wall at neck height.

▶Stingbats. Six stingbats hang upside down from the ceiling.

▶Grate. DC 18 STR to pry off. Opens to a sharply angled chute (big enough for a human) that drops overflow water 140' down into the ravine outside (see Area 12 in Entrances and Exits, pg. 39).

13. TIME TEAR

Bright green light flashes around a jagged oval on the back wall of the cave. It looks out onto sunlit grassland blowing in the wind.

• Oval. A tear in space-time. Large enough for creatures to pass

through. The other side is 10,000 years in the past.

▶Cumulative 1:6 chance per round a group of 2d6 prehistoric, spear-wielding beastmen and their 1d4 trained smilodons walk by. They approach the oval with fear and puzzlement.

14. GLASS GATE

A drafty cave with a portcullis at its east end. The bars are a green, translucent material bristling with barbs. Past the portcullis, the air shimmers like a mirage.

• Portcullis. DC 20 STR to lift. Barbs deliver a toxin; DC 15 CON or

scream "Intruder!" in Primordial for 1d4 rounds. Lever is in Area 15.

• Mirage. Teleports creatures who walk through it to Area 29.

15. GLASS LEVER

An enclosed cave with green, translucent lever protruding from the wall. Hooked barbs sprout from its handle.

• Lever. Opens/closes the portcullis in Area 14. Barbs deliver a toxin;

DC 15 CON or scream "Intruder!" in Primordial for 1d4 rounds.

• Secret Door. In the south alcove wall. It exits to an outdoor

precipice behind the Library (see Entrances and Exits, pg. 39).

16. FLOATING EYES

About a dozen apple-sized, floating orbs dart around the cave.

• Orbs. 10 in total. Each is an eye with a snake-like pupil and neon-

colored iris. DC 15 DEX each round inside room to avoid colliding with one. Touching an eye hits the target with a random eyestalk ray effect of The Ten-Eyed Oracle (see SD pg. 255), but 1:6 chance of imparting a one-time use of the effect to the target instead.

17. PILLARS OF PETRIFICATION

Thick iron chains hang from two rows of stone pillars. A human with a long beard is lashed to one, his face contorted in silent agony.

• Pillars. The pillars slowly and painfully petrify any humanoid

lashed to them into a gargoyle over the course of 1d4 hours. Gargoyles lose the memory of their former lives.

• Human. Finnius Dexitorus (L mage), captured after he teleported

here by accident. He's half-petrified and has lost most of his memories. Kind-hearted, but also horrified and confused.

18. KITCHEN

Two fish-faced men in white aprons charge around a kitchen full of roiling pots and fire-belching ovens. It smells of steamed crab.

• Men. Cooking deep ones, Lork (head chef, militant) and Flarb

(sous chef, loyal). They don't look up when the door opens. Lork yells, "You're late, moron! Get to work!" and tosses an apron.

▶Knife. Lork's butcher knife is a +2 vorpal dagger (beheads a humanoid opponent on a natural 20 attack roll).

19. ALCHEMY ROOM

A nine-foot tall figure in purple robes stoops over a table cluttered with bowls and vials. Wall racks and work table hold countless varieties of colorful bottles. The sharp reek of alcohol fills the air.

• Figure. A Librarian of Leng named Riarn. He's brewing a potion.

DC 15 DEX to approach him stealthily. He is furious at being interrupted. He has a master key to all locked areas.

• Bottles. Alchemical ingredients. Eye-watering liquids, chalky

powders, clumpy balls of fungus, neon-colored gels. Mixing at least three ingredients together has a 2:6 chance of producing a random magic potion (SD pg. 282 and 286). Otherwise, it creates a noxious gas (DC 15 CON or 1d6 CON damage to all within near).

▶Potions. A Potion of Forgetfulness (SD pg. 310) sits on the table.

20. ELIXIR STORAGE

Several bottles clusters on storage shelves along the walls.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Guardian. An invisible stalker hides along the wall. It guards the

potions and poisons from unauthorized access. The contingency to end its servitude is by speaking its True Name.

• Shelves. Labeled in Primordial as "Potions," "Poisons," and "Inks."

▶Potions. A Potion of Giant Strength, Potion of Polymorph, and Potion of Vitality (SD pg. 310-311).

▶Poisons. 4 vials (1 dose each) of Vapor of Leng, an oily yellow gas that works when inhaled. DC 15 CON or INT stat becomes 3 for 1d4 hours and subject experiences terrifying hallucinations.

▶Inks. 1 bottle of Magic Ink (SD pg. 306), 1 bottle of Purple Ink (see Area 59), 1 bottle of gold-flecked ink (worth 200 gp).

21. HALL OF MIRRORS

Ten-foot tall mirrors stand in the alcoves, each set into a heavy frame of a sculpted metal.

• Mirrors. Frames are adorned with cavorting satyrs and devils.

▶Gold. Northern alcove. Magically enhances the viewer's beauty (+1 CHA stat for a day, limit 1/week).

▶Silver. Central alcove. Actually a Mirror of Mischief (SD pg. 307). Evil duplicates immediately try to blow the PCs' cover.

▶Meteorite. Southern alcove. Magically improves the viewer's intellect (+1 INT stat for a day, limit 1/week).

22. ROBING ROOM

Wall hooks hold extremely long, silky robes and yellow sashes.

• Robes. 6 complete outfits the Librarians of Leng wear (robes and

the sashes they use to cover their eyes and ears). Sized for 9-foot tall beings. The robes are morzo moth silk and each worth 100 gp.

23. STUDY

A large alcove houses a collection of books. Slightly too-tall desks and leather reading chairs line the walls.

• Books. Arcane texts, very dry. ("Principles of Alchemical Bonds,"

"Ethereal-Dimensional Threads," "Transmogrifying Elements," "Harnessing Psychic Emanations"). An INT-based spellcaster who studies at least 3 of these books during their downtime gains +1 to spellcasting checks (once only).

24. SENSORY DEPRIVATION CHAMBER

A black void of utter silence lies beyond the threshold of the door. A thin, red string emerges from the darkness along the ground.

• Void. Magical silence and darkness blanket the room. Even dark-

adapted creatures can't see inside it. Achocklak, a Librarian of Leng, meditates within.

▶Achocklak. Shrewd, suspicious. Speaks slowly and deliberately. Believes all the gargoyles (Areas 2 and 3) are idiots and resents being their keeper. He has a master key to all locked areas.

• String. Tied around Achocklak's finger. Pulling it summons him

from his meditations.

25. STATUE OF LENG

A life-sized, black marble statue of a man stands on a plinth. Dozens of small tokens are scattered around its base.

• Statue. A human wizard with a tired smile. He displays his palm,

which has an eye in it. He holds a real book under his other arm. A plaque in Primordial says: "Archmage Leng, Oracle of the Lost."

▶Book. The Tome of Gehemna (SD pg. 318). Taking it causes the tome to awaken from a torpor. It pleads to be returned to Mordanticus in the Library of Gehemna where it belongs.

• Tokens. Various eyes made of glass, metal, amber, and bone.

Leaving an eye-shaped offering grants a luck token (1/week).

26. BACKWARDS MOTION ROOM

The surfaces in this room subtly bend and move when not directly observed, creating an uneasy sense of vertigo.

• Movement. Moving toward any destination in this room while

facing it causes it to grow more distant at an equal speed (it extends into an infinite dimensional rupture). Walking backwards toward the destination mitigates this effect.

27. ALTAR OF TERROR

Two rows of inky black pillars stand before an alcove housing a dark altar. A human woman in rags lies upon it, unmoving.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Pillars. Touching a pillar allows one to view the nightmares of the

victim on the altar (see below) as if through their eyes.

• Altar. Oily black marble placed on an ornamental red carpet. A

creature lain upon the altar enters an endless nightmare (DC 15 CHA to resist) until it is removed.

▶Carpet. A Flying Carpet (SD pg. 303). The weighty altar requires a DC 20 STR check to lift for long enough to pull it free.

• Woman. A powerful young witch, Anamaxis (C archmage). Proud

and cold. She is currently without spells and suffering from extreme deprivation. Her priority is escaping the Library of Leng.

28. EYE OF DEATH

Patches of black powder are sprinkled on the floor. The northeast wall has a broad, oval-shaped carving at it center.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Powder. Smells of charred meat (it's disintegrated bodies).

• Carving. A closed eye. It opens when any creature in the

room speaks in a language other than Primordial. It shoots a disintegration ray at the offender (DC 15 DEX or 5d8 damage). Level 2: Areas 29-64 Danger Level. Risky. Check for an encounter every 2 rounds. Light. Total darkness unless otherwise noted.

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

d6 Details 2d4 Librarians of Leng taking a mage prisoner to Area 52 6 deep ones leading a trained frost troll on a collar and chain 2 Librarians of Leng arguing about who misplaced a book An escaped sentient book dragging itself down the hall A lone deep one drunk on morzo moth milk from Area 37 The Ten-Eyed Oracle departing after delivering a prophecy

29. ENTRY TUNNEL

Two grand doors of engraved, black-green stone tower overhead in the east passage. A thick gate of iron bars blocks a tunnel to the south. To the far west, the air shimmers like a mirage.

• Doors. 15' high. Carvings of thrashing, intertwined eel-snakes hide

two subtle hand imprints at 6' in height. Pushing the doors open with a hand in each imprint prevents its trap from activating.

▶Trap. All creatures within near are outlined in a sickly green aura of light for 10 rounds. For affected creatures, all spells are DC 15 to cast and they cannot knowingly utter a lie.

• Gate. DC 20 STR to lift. Lever to operate it in Area 45. Four captive

frost trolls lurk in Area 46 and sometimes beg and threaten passersby in broken Giant for their release.

• Mirage. Teleports creatures who walk through it to Area 14.

30. JADE HALL

A vast, silent hall reaches up and out into endless darkness. Jade floor tiles flare with a reflective glow as light washes over them.

• Hidden Watchposts. Areas 31 and 56 overlook the hall through

hidden arrow slits (can be found by actively looking). A Librarian of Leng watches from inside each.

▶Hostile. Librarians immediately attack any creatures outlined in the green aura from the door trap in Area 29.

• Lever. On the wall outside the door to Area 52. It opens and closes

the grate covering the pit in Area 52.

31. HIDDEN WATCHPOST

A tall, purple-skinned being in red robes presses its silk-wrapped face up against arrow slits lining the walls. It sniffs at the air.

• Being. A Librarian of Leng monitors Area 30 through arrow slits

hidden from the outside.

▶Hostile. Librarian immediately attacks any creatures outlined in the green aura from the door trap in Area 29.

• Secret Door. To Area 33.

32. FORTUNE-TELLER

A goblin in a silk turban sits on a pillow inside a tall glass cube on a red base. Dazzling lights along the glass flash in wavelike patterns.

• Goblin. The Great Zambini, a mechanical goblin. He tells a fortune

with strobing eyes and a robotic voice when 1 gp is inserted into a vertical slot in the cube's base. Anyone who inserts more than 5 gp a day: DC 15 CON check or struck deaf and blind for one day.

▶Fortunes. Roll 1d6. 1: Misfortune. A random item you carry disappears forever. 2: Woe. Lose 1d6 XP. 3: Unclear. Lose a luck token. 4: Promising. Gain a luck token. 5: Weal. Gain 1d4 XP. 6: Good fortune. A weapon you carry gains a permanent +1 bonus.

33. BOOKS OF DRAGONS

Black mahogany bookshelves reach to the ceiling. They house a few hundred tomes bound in pebbled reptile skin of jewel-toned colors.

• Tomes. Each closely details the life of every dragon that has ever

lived. It takes 4 rounds to find a specific dragon by name.

▶Reading. Books are in Draconic. 3:6 chance that opening one unleashes a dragon breath weapon at the opener matching the book's coloration. Reading at least 3 tomes grants the reader a permanent boon of fireblood, frostblood, or stormblood (once per reader, see dragon talents, SD pg. 210-211).

▶Draconification. Stealing a book causes the thief to gradually turn into a wyvern over 2d6 days (reverses if book is returned).

• Secret Door. To Area 31.

34. BOOKS OF MORTALS

A dense forest of teetering, stacked books spirals toward the ceiling. The books are a wild mess of different colors, shapes, and materials.

• Books. Each is a log of the fears of every member of a mortal

family line (all ancestries). Finding a specific book takes 4 hours without a Librarian of Leng, who can find any title instantly.

▶Reading. Tomes are in the relevant ancestry's language. Several books have purple ink blotting out entries; this ink (from Area 59) can erase a fear from the book, erasing it in real life as well.

35. CHECKOUT DESK

A 9-foot tall, purple-skinned being in yellow silk robes slumps at a stone desk with his hand on his chin, tapping his fingers.

• Being. A young and bored Librarian of Leng named Terkule on

checkout desk duty. Has a one-sided grudge against Cirroc (Area 61) over a forgotten insult and wants to see him humiliated.

• Desk. Cluttered with books. Bottle of Magic Ink (SD pg. 306).

36. CURIO MUSEUM

Dozens of orderly wall niches each display a unique trinket.

• Trinkets. Most are worthless novelties from the surface world.

Plaques describe each object and its "far-flung" origin. Tea cup, magnifying glass, pinned butterfly, demon mask, horse shoe, etc.

▶Blue Cube. 4 inches wide, metallic. Touching it to a living creature allows wielder to transform into that creature for up to 10 rounds a day. Cube can hold one memorized transformation at a time; wielder can change it to a new creature.

37. REFRESHMENTS CHAMBER

A lone imp wearing a blue velvet tailcoat sits in the middle of a long dining table and saws tunelessly on a viol. Trays of dainty appetizers and silver ewers full of dark liquids surround him.

• Imp. Smellik, a burdensome "gift" from a visiting demon prince.

The Librarians of Leng don't know what to do with him and have DISADV on spellcasting while he's playing viol within earshot.

• Appetizers. Crab cakes, aboleth roe, seared cave slug. All slimy.

• Ewers. Morzo moth milk. DC 12 CON per gulp or drunk 10 rounds.

38. BOOKS OF DEMONS

Black shelves are crammed with tomes bound in crudely stitched skins, sheets of metal, or oily leathers. Room reeks of sulfur.

• Tomes. Written in Diabolic and sorted randomly. Each is a first-

person autobiography from the perspective of a demon; it updates even while being read. Finding a specific book takes 2 hours (a Librarian of Leng can find any title instantly).

▶Mirror-Bound Tome. The Princess of the Ivory Palace, Yarina Tesura, is trapped inside a book with a mirrored cover. The pages narrate as a demon relentlessly chases her. The only way to free her is by writing a new sentence into the book narrating her escape with the Purple Ink from Area 59.

39. SORTING ROOM

A muttering, long-limbed being in green silk robes trudges around depositing books onto wheeled carts.

• Being. A Librarian of Leng named Hakiri. On sorting duty as

punishment after trying to tame a stingbat (wants one as a pet).

• Carts. Ordinary books mixed with 2 sentient books who want to

escape the Library. They whisper entreaties to potential allies.

▶"Dimensional Tunneling" (nerdy about space-time; contains a Spell Scroll of Dimension Door), "Training Trolls" (strict and disciplined; all trolls have DISADV to attack the book's wielder).

40. BOOKS OF ANGELS

Marble columns and stained glass panels form bookshelves that hold glittering ivory tomes. A note is pinned near the door.

• Tomes. Alabaster and mother-of-pearl bindings. Illuminated

manuscripts in Celestial. Each details the holy deeds of an angel. Perfect organization allows any book to be found in 5 rounds.

• Note. "To all scholars: Research indicates angels do not harbor

inborn fears. Headmaster Xenoxes will purchase a captured angel (1,000 gp) to subject to fear-inculcation experiments."

41. BLACK ORB

In this chilly, silent room, a statue of a 15-foot tall Librarian of Leng holds out a clawed hand; a black orb hovers over its open palm.

• Trap. Trying to open any door into Area 41 without wearing the

Talisman of Leng (Area 59) teleports the being to Area 50.

• Orb. A 3-foot wide Sphere of Annihilation (SD pg. 315). Librarians

of Leng have ADV on INT checks to move it.

• Statue. If anyone tries to move the Sphere, the statue vies for

control of it (+4 INT bonus and ADV) and targets PCs. It can not control the Sphere once the orb moves outside of Area 41.

42. BOOKS OF PRIMORDIALS

Black, bent statuettes of winged and tentacled abominations crowd the wall shelves. The ceiling extends up and up into darkness. Light can't fully banish the shadows that spread like pools of oil.

• Ceiling. Stretches infinitely up with row after row of statuettes.

• Statuettes. Dull black stone, 2 feet high, each a different

primordial being. Every statuette holds the book that describes the members of its species. Finding a specific book takes 3 hours and requires flight (a Librarian of Leng can locate it immediately).

▶"The Hexagonal Tome." Held by the brain eater statuette. The visiting brain eaters in Area 11 want to steal it.

▶"Servants of the Eye." Held by the Librarian of Leng statuette. Every Librarian of Leng instantly becomes aware if someone touches the book. They savagely pursue anyone who does so.

43. THE BOOK OF IMMORTALS

An infinitely black room that echoes cavernously. A beam of light in the far distance pours down onto a marble plinth holding a book.

• Book. An ordinary, brown leather tome titled "That Which

Is." Each chapter is infinite in length and describes a unique immortal being. It can't be removed from its plinth.

▶Reading. A mortal who reads passages about their god or patron gains a patron boon or class talent (once only). Reading about an immortal whose alignment does not match the reader's requires a DC 15 CHA check or the reader goes mad.

44. SILENT READING ROOM

Oversized, plush armchairs cluster around the edges of the room.

• Armchairs. All sound is muted for anyone sitting in one.

▶Book. "An Analysis of Mirror Demons," left open on the seat of an armchair. Contains a Spell Scroll of Mirror Image.

45. TROLL TRAINING GEAR

Wall racks hold coiled black whips, iron neck collars big enough for bears, and iron chains. A lever protrudes from the northeast wall.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Trap. A hair-thin tripwire crosses each threshold to the north,

west, and south, causing a hidden bucket of caustic acid (3d6 damage) to fall on anyone in the threshold (DC 15 DEX to avoid).

• Racks. One hook cradles a +2 whip called Backbiter. 1/day, on a

missed attack with it, turn the miss into a critical hit instead. Any frost troll that sees Backbiter must make a morale check.

▶Whip. Melee weapon, near range, 1d4 damage, finesse property.

• Lever. Ordinary iron. Operates gate leading into Area 29.

46. FROST TROLL CAVE

Four rangy giants with warty blue skin and black eyes pace restlessly at the end of thick chains bolted around their necks.

• Giants. 4 frost troll captives. They whine, plead, and threaten

to be released in broken Giant. Trolls: Sibolg (ringleader), Erdak (aggressive), Mulda (devious), Bral (cowardly).

▶Neck Chains. 10' long, bolted to wall. DC 20 STR to break. Freed trolls betray all agreements and run to Area 47 to massacre the trainer. Then they go on a wild rampage. Random encounters have a 3:6 chance of being with the trolls until they are killed.

47. TROLL TRAINER

A rotund, fish-faced man sits at a low table and gobbles a steaming plate of crab with both hands, flinging bits of it everywhere.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Man. Troll trainer. A flatulent and overconfident deep one named

Urghast. Feels other deep ones are beneath him and would like to see them "put in their place." Has a key to Areas 45 and 47.

48. MESS HALL

Two fish-faced men sit alone at tables and shovel plates of food into their slobbering, fanged mouths. They shoot glares at each other.

• Men. Two deep ones, Borbin (hot-headed, sarcastic) and Mulko

(irritable, greedy). Each believes the other cheated on a recent dice game. A shouting match erupts between them in 2 rounds, and a fist fight 2 rounds after that.

▶Rematch. Both would agree to a rematch to settle the dispute.

▶Treasure. Mulko quaffs a stolen Potion of Giant Strength before pummeling Borbin. Otherwise, he tries to pawn it off to the PCs.

49. DEEP ONES QUARTERS

Shallow pools of lapping water pockmark the floor. Human-like shapes float inside them. The smell of fish is overwhelming.

• Pools. Waist-deep, the size of a human bed. 6 deep ones float on

them face-down, asleep. DC 12 DEX to sneak by them unnoticed.

▶Treasure. A sleeping deep one wears a waterlogged Bag of Holding (SD pg. 299) on his belt filled with 300 pounds of slightly off fish. DC 15 DEX to pluck it free without waking him.

• Key. A master key to all locked areas hangs by the east door.

50. MASSACRE CAVE

Piles of bones and dried gore carpet the cave floor in a sticky mess. Heavy snuffling and scraping echoes from the north.

• Bezelak. For each loud noise, cumulative 1:6 chance the bezelak

in Area 51 comes to investigate.

• Treasure. A gold and ruby glint on a mangled skeleton's hand is a

Ring of Fireballs (SD pg. 312).

• Bars. Heavy iron. Blocks the west passage. DC 20 STR to lift.

• Secret Door. In the rock pillar. It opens to a slippery, corkscrewing

tunnel that climbs 60' (DC 18 DEX to climb) and exits into Area 8.

51. BEZELAK LAIR

A broad cave tunnel. Black streaks of feces and blood paint every surface. Overhead, a square shaft reaches up to a distant grate. The eye-watering stench of algae and sulfur boils thickly in the air.

• Bezelak. Clings to the wall 20' up, camouflaged by the muck-

spattered stone (it gets a surprise round if unnoticed). It's very hungry and does not discriminate between friend or foe.

• Shaft. 40' high. Covered in a heavy grate. Leads to Area 52.

52. DROP PIT

A narrow walkway surrounds a grate-covered pit dropping into darkness. The reek of sulfur and stagnant water wafts through it.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Pit. Covered in a grate (lever to withdraw it is outside door in Area

30). The bezelak in Area 51 can swiftly climb the pit's 40' walls.

53. OBSERVATION CAVE

A high platform thrusts out over a dripping cave strewn with bones.

• Platform. 40' high, leads to Area 54. The underside is greased

regularly with tallow (pg. 22), making it too slippery to climb.

• Man. A gap-toothed old man (peasant) who calls himself Prince

Rork lurks in the shadows. He wears stitched-together skins and alternates between a tittering stream-of-consciousness and wheezing laughter. The bezelak (Area 51) refuses to eat him.

▶Caw. If in danger, he screeches a hawk-like caw, instantly summoning the bezelak from Area 51.

▶Treasure. He wears hidden stacks of jewelry under his tunic and trades them for food. 1. Hefty gold and mithral braid (200 gp), 2. Gold snake cuff with emerald eyes, as Bracers of Archery (SD pg. 301) 3. White gold chain with cat-eye ruby (250 gp), 4. Silver and pearl torc (150 gp), 5. Half-moon sapphire pendant (300 gp).

54. PRISONERS

Two dark shapes crouch inside a heavily barred prison cell. Quiet whimpers and the occasional hysterical shriek erupt from within.

• Locked Doors. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Prison Cell. Holds subjects of the Librarians' torturous research.

▶Angel. An unarmored, weaponless archangel named Apolion. His wings are shorn and crudely stitched (can move near). Experimental fear conditioning has at last broken him; he is madly terrified of beetles and believes they are everywhere.

▶Gorilla. An intelligent gorilla named Tektumi (pragmatic and long-suffering, ruefully accepts his fate). He is wary friends with Apolion and contemplates putting the angel out of his misery.

• Curtain. Leads to an observation platform 40' high over the cave

in Area 53. The underside of the platform is greased regularly with tallow (pg. 22), making it too slippery to climb.

55. TIME DILATION ZONE

The air trembles with a subtly disorienting motion. Flickering shadows stutter and sometimes reverse their movement.

• Time Instability. Passing through this area causes all timed

effects (including torches) to randomly reset to a new duration.

• Secret Door. In southeastern hallway. Goes to Area 56.

56. HIDDEN WATCHPOST

A lanky, purple-skinned being in blue robes holds its silk-wrapped head against the arrow slits along the walls, listening intently.

• Being. A Librarian of Leng monitors Area 30 through arrow slits

hidden from the outside.

▶Hostile. Librarian immediately attacks any creatures outlined in the green aura from the door trap in Area 29.

• Secret Door. To southeastern hallway of Area 55.

57. WATER ILLUSION

Translucent green water fills this room from top to bottom, cutting off abruptly at the open threshold to the east.

• Illusion. Each time entering, DC 15 INT or perceive the room to be

filled with salt water. "Swim" at half speed. Can actually drown.

58. ELITE GUARDS

Two men in black, spiny plate armor and helms stand at attention. The southeast wall has a broad, oval-shaped carving at it center.

• Men. Elite deep one guards (treat as reavers with the deep one's

sunblind trait). Nobody except Librarians of Leng may pass; they demand explanations in Primordial.

• Carving. A closed eye. It opens when any creature in the

room speaks in a language other than Primordial. It shoots a disintegration ray at the offender (DC 15 DEX or 5d8 damage).

59. HEAD LIBRARIAN'S OFFICE

A towering being in purple robes with intricate gold trim sits at a desk and passes its fingers over the open page of a book, mouthing words to itself with a hideous grin.

• Locked Door. DC 20 DEX/18 STR to open.

• Being. The head Librarian of Leng, Xenoxes. Ruthless, precise.

Fascinated with the common fears of surface-dwellers, such as spiders, snakes, and darkness. Wishes to study these trends.

▶Treasure. Has a master key to all locked areas and wears the Talisman of Leng, a mithral pendant with a clawed hand clutching a black pearl with a silver snake-eye pupil. Its wielder gains +2 AC and can summon The Ten-Eyed Oracle as an ally for 10 rounds once a month (the Oracle hates overuse of this).

• Desk. 3 vials of Purple Ink (each enough for a short sentence). Ink

can alter entries in any of the books in Areas 33, 34, 38, 40, and 42. It does not work on the Books of Immortals in Area 43.

60. COMMUNING CHAMBER

A monumental stone archway carved with gargoyles and a leering demon face fills the west wall. Moss and fungi spirals up its pillars. On the east wall, an oily green tome stands inside an alcove.

• Archway. Large enough for an elephant. Between the arches, a

surface of inky darkness ripples like water and absorbs all light.

▶Surface. Touching it reveals a distant, silent image of The Ten- Eyed Oracle. The Oracle turns and approaches the viewer, crossing through the archway into Area 60 in 1d4 rounds unless someone touches the surface again, deactivating the archway.

• Tome. The Tome of Leng. Bound in basilisk skin. A snake-like

eye rolls around on the cover. Each time a mortal being opens the book, they age 2d6 years. A random sorcerer spell (pg. 15) appears inside the book each time it's opened.

61. SCRIBING HALL

Four lavender-skinned, willowy beings with pained smiles hunch over writing desks and scratch black quills across parchment.

• Beings. 4 Librarians of Leng named Cirroc (irritable), Medzel

(overwhelmed), Jalash (languid), and Vireen (fussy).

• Desks. Carefully stacked piles of scribed parchment. Scattering

the piles causes the Librarians to sink helplessly to their knees in mental agony for one round.

62. BOOK BINDING HALL

Two silk-robed, purple beings with mocking grins carefully pull needles and thread through stacks of parchment. Partially bound books crowd the work tables.

• Beings. 2 Librarians of Leng named Darog (cool-headed) and

Nuriok (gossipy).

• Books. The only complete tome is "The Red Spectacle," a tale of

gladiatorial prowess (reader gains +1 to melee attacks, one use).

63. DISTANT PORTALS

Translucent ovals lined in blue light float inside each alcove.

• Ovals. Portals to far-flung locations. They exit to remote areas:

a lush tropical jungle, a glaringly bright desert, a mist-choked forest, a pebble beach dusted in snow, and a vast cathedral cave.

▶Return. The portals disappear behind users unless a person crossing through wears the Talisman of Leng (Area 59).

64. WENDEL STABLES

Two cow-sized slugs with spiny carapaces trawl the room, slurping up bloody piles of chopped meat. They wear riding saddles.

• Wendels. Two spiny wendels trained for Librarian of Leng riders.

DC 15 CHA for others to ride (recheck each time wendel is under duress or startled). On a failure, the wendel attacks the rider.

▶Lil' Sweetie. Friendly, food-motivated, hideously cute.

▶Baylight. Scintillating brown hide, skeptical, hates deep ones. The Ghoulish Library of Leng In/Out B G G G G G G L L A To 48 One square = 5' Secret door (wall panel on hinges) S C C C L