Adventures in the Forgotten Realms: Deepest Night

4. At the Threshold

The galeb duhrs in area 2 animated six Medium-sized boulders into position here to seal off the cleft in hopes of keeping idle trespassers out—and thereby protecting the statue beyond, if they could. If four Medium-sized boulders are removed from the cleft, enough smaller rocks fall loose to allow Medium-sized creatures to reach the interior of the passage.

This area is dimly lit from natural light.

The statue, of course, is the petrified form of Hamish Hewland (see appendix A), the giant who accompanied Sylvene, Waltarn, and Artura here more than 50 years ago. Hamish tried to reseal the lair but caught sight of Kathikon on the other side just as he was fixing the slab into position. Kathikon was satisfied to leave Hamish there, holding the slab in place, in hopes that it would slow or thwart future visitors.

Hamish's round, wooden shield—big enough for a giant—is still propped up near the statue's feet, but it has rotted beyond practical use.

If restored to life with a greater restoration spell or similar magic, Hamish comes back to life with a gasp. As far as Hamish is concerned, he had been fleeing the dark well beyond, alongside his adventuring peers, just moments ago. He realized he was being petrified for one fleeting moment, then he was unthinking stone. Hamish was down to 11 hit points when he was petrified.

Hamish is willing to help the adventurers if he believes their intentions are good. He shares any lore he knows from the section "Hamish's Tale," if he thinks it won't get people needlessly hurt. He wants to avoid descending the well shaft, or venturing beyond, after his last experience in there. He's happy to help with climbing gear, provide light, and otherwise be of use.

5. A Deep, Dark Well

The top of this chamber was meant to be the floor when the structure was made. The walls at that end of the structure are etched with deep carvings of humanoid figures of many races, all of them with heads upturned and arms outstretched toward their sky as if basking or reveling. Behind them, a depiction of a long wall of tall towers and spiked battlements runs all along the well shaft. The only break in the ring of people features a carved set of double doors in the depiction of the wall—but it is only a picture. (This was intended to be the location of the mystic door now located in area 11.)

The floor at the feet of the carved figures is dominated by a silver disc almost 10 feet in diameter, etched with sigils and symbols in concentric circles and anchored by a short, iron pedestal and a simple mounting bracket designed to hold something that is no longer there. (It was made to hold the tuning fork that is now located in area 10.)

Irregularities in the rock walls, plus a variety of hooks and sconces (all upside down), make it easy to secure ropes and other climbing gear throughout the well shaft. The copper arms sticking out of the walls once grasped the Stone of Creation. Their clamping grippers were bent and mangled when ancient intruders stole the stone centuries ago and are still misshapen. The arms themselves were designed to support almost 1,000 pounds and are still strong.

Three original chambers extend off this center well shaft: areas 4, 6, and 7.

What is now the bottom of the shaft has fallen into the ground and become part of the physical construction made by Kyrilla and Kathikon using one of the keystones. The drop from area 5 to the floor of area 8 is a distance of 30 feet.

A giant zombie constrictor snake (see appendix A) clings comfortably to this chamber, nestled into an angle where walls meet the floor. It came from area 6.

6. Giant Snake Den

This is where the giant zombie constrictors usually wait out eternity. Unless it has been drawn out by sounds of battle, a second giant undead constrictor snake is coiled here.

7. Lost Bones

The mass of bones clinging in place here is the body of a skeletal horror (see appendix A). It has braced itself into position to await intruders and attacks when living creatures investigate its bones or attempt to leave the area—even if they disturb nothing. It is unmoved by the sights or sounds of battle in the well shaft.

Centuries ago, yuan-ti cultists slipped into the lair and arrived in this chamber. They closed up the tunnel when they left the site for good, capping that tunnel with the boulder and the altar at area 3.

Any treasures taken from the bodies of the yuan-ti whose bones make up this skeletal horror are now at the bottom of the poison pool in area 8.

8. Poison Pool

This foul liquid combines all the fluids that have ebbed, flowed, or been bled into the lair over time. Most of it is rain and groundwater that have seeped in but all of it has become a gruesome and powerful poison through the accursed power of Kyrilla's lair.

The poison pool is 2 feet deep and 3. The bottom of it is covered in broken pieces of statues made from yuan-ti cultists she petrified and then had destroyed.

A living creature whose eyes, nose, ears, or mouth are submerged in the poison must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, suffering 11 (2d10) poison damage if it fails, or half as much if it succeeds. A creature that starts its turn submerged repeats the saving throw.

A creature that drinks a mouthful of the poison must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can attempt a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the condition on a success.

The pool also hides a mass of bones that are actually the prone body of another skeletal horror. Merely disturbing the pool isn't enough to stir its attention; it waits until living flesh touches the pool—or when Kyrilla commands it—then rises to attack intruders.

9. Abandoned Chambers

These rooms were meant to be part of Kyrilla's and Kathikon's living space in this ornate prison, but as they fell into rote habits, they wandered their own spaces less and less.

10. Rotting Ceremonial Chamber

This area received all of Kyrilla's attention when she conjured the place with her keystone of creation. She created the ceiling's mural from memory and saved the chime after it fell from a wall during the sphere's arrival in Faerûn. There used to be five of them, hung from the walls at the base of the well shaft.

The ceiling depicts four pieces of lore about the Stone of Creation:

• First, the Stone was placed inside the sphere, depicted by three wizards raising it magically into the grip of the three copper arms while a white male human and a green-skinned gorgon look on.
• Second, the Stone is carried away by tall figures, possibly giants, as depicted by figures that make the human and the gorgon look small by comparison. They appear to be carrying the stone to a lake or inland sea.
• Third, the human and the gorgon are struck by a curse depicted as green flames that surround their bodies and replace their eyes.
• Fourth, the Stone is shown breaking into pieces by lightning, fire, and wind where a simple silver tuning fork touches it. Beneath it, towers turn to smoke.

11. Magic Door

This area holds only the mystical door that leads to Kyrilla's extradimensional refuge.