Dragon Delves: For Whom the Void Calls

Glyph Cards

A Glyph Card is a ceramic tile roughly the size of a playing card, engraved with an asterisk-shaped glyph and inlaid with blue crystal. The glyph on the card matches the glyph on the Starglass Waypoint's sealed doors. Outpost staff and guests used Glyph Cards as passkeys. The cards can now be found in various locations inside the outpost.

Touching a Glyph Card to a sealed door unlocks it; the door remains unlocked for 1 minute. Once opened, such a door can be propped open to keep it from locking again.

Elevators

Each elevator consists of a mechanical lift inside a two-story housing with sealed, sliding glassteel doors (see "Glassteel Doors" above). Once inside the elevator, a creature can command it to ascend or descend as a Magic action by saying or signing "up" or "down" in any language. The elevator's doors must be opened and closed manually. It takes 6 seconds to move from one floor to another.

Crystal Fountain

Closer examination of the fountain reveals stagnant, murky water. If the water is disturbed, a Hostile Water Elemental lurking in the fountain ambushes the characters.

As a Study action, a character can examine the fountain's statue and make a DC 15 Intelligence (History) check. On a success, the character recognizes that the statue depicts Gith, the legendary warrior who helped liberate her people—the githyanki and the githzerai—from the tyranny of mind flayers.

Treasure

Characters who spend 10 minutes sifting through the fountain's basin find a Glyph Card and 25 GP in loose coins.

Crates

The locations of the crates are shown on x. Four crates (marked 1 through 4) are real. The crates marked with a Q are actually four Modron Quadrones with their legs retracted and weapons hidden from view. (They aren't present if they were previously drawn to area x.) Any character who has a Passive Perception of 14+ recognizes a disguised quadrone once the character gets within 5 feet of it. The crate marked with an M is actually a Mimic hoping for a good meal, since it doesn't eat modrons.

If anyone other than a modron or githyanki tampers with any of the real crates or with the mimic, the quadrones attack. They are otherwise Indifferent toward intruders and fight only in self-defense. They know Modron and Common Sign Language.

Treasure

The four real crates contain goods the githyanki left behind; Ylagan hasn't realized there are valuables in these crates and so hasn't claimed them for his hoard:

Crates 1 and 2 each contain one hundred Rations, which have been magically preserved to make them edible despite being decades old.

Crate 3 contains forty-nine 5-pound silver trade bars (worth 25 GP each). One silver bar is clearly missing (it's in the sinkhole in area x).

Crate 4 contains clockwork gears, springs, chains, and other replacement parts for the outpost's elevators. Amid this loose junk is a flat pine box containing a Clockwork Amulet.

Treasure

A character who rummages through a stall for 1 minute (or 1 hour for a stall buried under rubble) can take a Search action to make a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check, finding treasure on a success. Once a stall's treasure has been found, nothing else of value remains there.

The first stall the characters search is empty. The characters discover the other stalls' treasures in the following order:

• Crystal box (worth 20 GP) containing four Potions of Comprehension
• Gold ring set with bloodstones (worth 250 GP)
• Tapestry depicting a red dragon (worth 750 GP)
• Potion of Healing (greater)
• Fire opal (worth 1,000 GP)
• Mithral Armor (Breastplate)

Windows

Windows overlook the concourse 13 feet above the western floor. They are made of glassteel (see "x"). The windows allow a view into two luxury suites (areas x and x).

Roleplaying Ylagan

The Hostile young dragon assumes the characters are returning to the Astral gate chamber (area x) to steal more of his treasure, having succeeded at least once already. As an Influence action, a character can try to convince Ylagan they aren't responsible for the thefts, doing so with a successful DC 17 Charisma (Persuasion) check.

Once convinced the characters aren't the thieves he's after, Ylagan fights them only if they endanger him or his hoard. Furthermore, he asks them to help find the thief stealing gems from his hoard. If the characters demand a reward, Ylagan says he has a magical cloak (the Cloak of Many Fashions from his hoard) he's willing to part with in exchange for their help.

Ylagan seems skeptical of any claim that the characters were lured to x by a telepathic bag, but he's smart enough to know that some magic items are sentient, so he doesn't dismiss the claim. If the characters offer to buy the bag, Ylagan is willing to sell it to them for 2,000 GP in coins or other valuables. (If they strike such a deal, the dragon insists the characters remain where they are while he fetches the bag.)

Ylagan in Combat

If the characters say or do anything to suggest they intend to kill him or plunder his hoard, Ylagan uses his Sleep Breath on them from his hiding place, trying to catch as many characters in its area as possible. He then bursts from the rubble and fights any characters not put to sleep by the gas.

In combat, whenever Ylagan starts his turn Bloodied, he makes a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, Ylagan's instinct for self-preservation kicks in, and he flees by the safest route, either returning to his hoard (area x) or leaving the outpost. The dragon values his own life more than his hoard. He holds a grudge against those who force him to flee, however.

Clearing the Rubble

A character can clear one 5-foot cube of rubble in 10 minutes. Multiple characters working together can shorten the time proportionately.

Hidden Door

The rubble obscures a door in the south wall, behind which a staircase leads up to a hallway (area x).

Astral Gate

The purple arch used to be a two-way portal to a githyanki city on the Astral Plane. The gate has been irreparably damaged and no longer functions properly. Any creature that moves into the space between the two halves of the arch or starts its turn there takes 11 (2d10) Psychic damage.

Dragon's Hoard

Unless Ylagan has retreated to this chamber, the dragon's trove is unguarded. It consists of the following:

• 600 GP, 9,000 SP, and 45,000 CP in loose coins
• Bronze urn containing eight flawed rubies (worth 50 GP each) and a silver necklace with moonstone teardrops (worth 750 GP)
• Seven jade orbs (worth 100 GP each), each engraved in Infernal with the name of a layer of the Nine Hells (Avernus, Dis, Minauros, Phlegethos, Malbolge, Maladomini, and Cania; the orbs for Stygia and Nessus are missing from Ylagan's collection)
• Bag of Devouring that appears to be an empty Bag of Holding (see "Keliphron" below)
• Cloak of Many Fashions that's neatly folded
• +1 Spear
• Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals

Keliphron

Once found, Keliphron behaves like any other Bag of Devouring. Objects the bag consumes and later spits out are ejected into the Far Realm and lost.

Qaara's Arrival

The silent alarm triggers a response from a githyanki outpost on the Astral Plane. At a moment of your choosing, a Lawful Neutral Githyanki Knight named Qaara Valreth teleports into the room, appearing in an unoccupied space as close to the console as possible. Describe her arrival as follows:

Qaara knows Gith and Common Sign Language. She uses the latter to try to communicate with any creature she encounters that doesn't know Gith, hoping to learn what's going on.

Qaara is initially Indifferent toward the characters unless they're fighting one or more modrons or admit to ill intentions against the modrons; in that case, she is Hostile toward the characters and defends the modrons.

Civil but unhelpful, Qaara wants to find out why the alarm was triggered, then return to the Astral Plane. She has no interest in the characters' quest or the dragon's claim to the outpost. If the characters describe Ylagan's violence against the modrons, Qaara says she will report the dragon's behavior to her allies on the Astral Plane, but she makes no promises the githyanki will interfere. She refuses to take orders, and if the characters treat her badly, she tries to frighten them into leaving the outpost—but stops short of fighting them without provocation.

Using the Console

The console is a quirky piece of modron technology. Any character who spends 1 minute examining it as a Study action can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. A character who succeeds on the check knows which switches and dials to manipulate to activate each function below (the alarm that summoned Qaara can't be triggered again). If a character who hasn't succeeded on this check manipulates any switches or dials, roll on the Console Mishaps table to determine what happens.

The console is a Large object with AC 18 and HP 27; the screen above it is a Medium object with AC 11 and HP 4. Both have Immunity to Poison and Psychic damage and Vulnerability to Lightning damage.

The switches and dials on the console govern the following functions:

• Activate Loudspeaker. You can utter a short message (up to twenty-five words) that is broadcast in every location throughout x. The message can be in your own voice or delivered by a mechanical voice that translates your message into Modron.
• Create Sensor. You create an invisible sensor in one of the following locations (your choice): the atrium (area x), fountain court (area x), merchants' concourse (area x), Astral gate (area x), or apartment hallway (area x). The sensor is situated to provide an unobstructed view of the location, which displays on the glass screen above the console. Things can be seen but not heard through the sensor, which lasts for 10 minutes or until this console function is used again.
• Enable Flight. You activate a magical effect. For the next 10 minutes, every creature in x gains a Fly Speed equal to its Speed and the ability to hover, but only while inside the outpost. When the effect ends on a creature that has no way to stay aloft, it falls gently and lands safely.
• Vent Gas. You vent the gas in the maintenance corridor (area x), and a deep voice emanating from the console says in Gith, "Gas vented!" The corridor remains clear for the next 24 hours, after which the gas returns.

Treasure

Each 5-foot-section of wall contains 100 GP worth of inlaid gold that takes a character 1 hour to pry out. Other valuables include two crystal decanters (worth 250 GP each) and eight crystal goblets (worth 25 GP each).

Sinkhole

Beyond the collapsed wall lies a naturally formed sinkhole (see area x).

Treasure

Each 5-foot-section of wall contains 100 GP worth of inlaid gold that takes a character 1 hour to pry out. The suite contains no other valuables.

Sinkhole

An earthquake caused a 60-foot-deep sinkhole to form here. Scaling its walls without climbing gear requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

At the bottom of the sinkhole, a Winged Kobold named Bobsin has built a makeshift abode out of cloth and broken pieces of wood and ceramic furniture. Bobsin crept into the outpost a week ago, avoided the modrons, and stole a Glyph Card. Using the card, he entered this suite and started looting it. He keeps his treasure inside the makeshift abode and defends it with his life. He is otherwise Friendly toward other creatures.

Characters who know the cause of Ylagan's distress might assume the winged kobold is the thief the dragon seeks. However, Bobsin has never laid eyes on the dragon's treasure hoard (though the greedy winged kobold certainly would like to learn more about it). If the characters deliver the winged kobold to Ylagan for questioning, the dragon interrogates Bobsin and quickly concludes the kobold is a thief—but not the thief he's looking for.

Treasure

Bobsin's collection of treasure consists of the following:

• Dagger
• Glyph Card (see "x")
• 5-pound silver trade bar (worth 25 GP)
• 22-pound ball of gold inlay (worth 1,100 GP)
• Ring of Jumping