The Wavestone Monolith

1. Roaring Waterfall. 10' curtain of mist obscures cave behind it. DC 12 DEX or slip into frothing river (20' deep). Underwater at cave mouth, statue of woman with raised arms sits on riverbed (10' tall, cracked malachite). Blank mask covers her face; wormy tendrils peek around the edges from behind. Jade nautilus (40 gp) inlaid over heart.

2. Cave. Vast, thick with stalactites. Reaches high over translucent, green lake (5' deep). Black ziggurat rises from lapping water 40' from shore (5 tiers, 10' tall each). Broad steps ascend to open archway at top lined in smooth malachite and swarming with hundreds of trilobite fossils. Damp stairs lead down into darkness.

• Trap: Two trilobites are worn to a shine. Pushing them deactivates trap for 5 rounds. Pressure on fourth step down turns stairs into ramp. DC 15 DEX or slide into 20' deep trapdoor pit at bottom (2d6).

3. Fossil Antechamber. Wet. Echoing silence. Black stone walls with a few glossy, horse-sized ammonite fossils. Grey slugs in floor puddles that writhe away from light. Eating one has 2:6 chance of restoring 1d4 HP. Otherwise, violent vomiting for 1 round and an odd thirst for sea water.

4. Leech Pool. Vaulted ceiling, fishy smell. Pool (20') of still, green water lined in tiles of lapis lazuli and malachite (each tile worth 1 gp). Four giant leeches trawl the pool. Wide grate on wall 10' down lets in water from lake (Area 2) through shaft (DC 15 STR to pry). An open, underwater tunnel on floor of pool leads to Area 5.

5. Underwater Vault. 20' deep. Clear, green-tinged water. 3 stone chests on bottom. 1. 200 gp, hefty mother-of-pearl nautilus shell studded with amethyst (80 gp). 2. Hostile black pudding. 3. Wand of Acid Arrow, corked bottle with Scroll of Bless.

6. Nautiloid Mother. Sound muted as if underwater. Light refracts oddly. Six statues identical to Area 1 serve as pillars. All face a limestone statue of 12'-tall woman with tentacled nautilus head, details worn smooth with age. Conical shells and trilobites dot every inch. Hands extended and cupped.

• Placing offering of at least 100 gp value in hands grants a wish effect (once per PC); DC 18 WIS after or walk numbly to Area 7 and attempt to drown self in pool for 2d4 rounds.

7. Conversion Pools. Faint sloshing. Bas-relief wall carvings of humans devolving into cephalopods. Three alcoves hold 5' pools of cloudy water. Under surface of each is unconscious peasant (jungle native). Fledgling tentacles sprout from melting faces; skulls stretch into still-soft nautilus shapes. Gibber and howl if woken.

8. Disciples' Quarters. 6 berserkers with nautilus heads devour chum (failed transformees) from a filthy pool. Can breathe water. 4 more sleep in south room of knee-high, fetid water. All obey the brain eater.

9. Brain Eater's Chamber. Piles of perforated skulls on floor. Clax'uul meditates on malachite dais behind velvet curtain. Blank mask covers face, purple skin taut over spiral-shaped cranium. Wears Antediluvian Shell.