Southeast Ruins
(submitted by Ryan Mackenzie)
Very little remains of what was once a center for learning. The library burned completely when one young monk choose to immolate himself in the central study … yet the observatory remains intact, if not almost inaccessible. The southeast corner of the ruins lies in a slight depression making the ground throughout wet and muddy.
Map by Father David Eynon
Locations
R.3 Audience Hall
As described in the Lower Gatehouse area.
R.13
Vines and brambles ascend the exterior of this remarkably intact structure.
This solid construction faces the southern sky and continues to house the monks’ observatory. The walls of this 100-foot by 100-foot building are 4-feet thick in order to support the armature of the skylight and the telescope within. A solid metal dome graces the center of the roof of this building. Pulleys within are the only thing capable of retracting this multi-ton skylight.
There is only one door, on the northern face of the building near the shell of the library at R.18. At the base of the door keen observers will spot small wooden slivers and fragments. There is no lock on this wood and iron reinforced door. A set of 6 gems in the shape of a hexagon are set into the wall just to the side of the door. Pressing on gems 2, 4, and 6 simultaneously will open the door. Pressing on any other combinations will cause the door to explode outwards in a shower of wooden splinters and shards inflicting 1d6+1 damage on anyone in front of it. The noise is deafening and the concussive blast knocks anyone wounded off their feet. The sound of the blast is likely to be heard for quite a distance. The gems protect the door from being opened by any other means. Removing all the gems (and in so doing, destroying them) will remove the enchantment on the door. The door can then be battered down, if possible.
Inside the observatory there is a ring of 24 stone pillars in a circle. These support the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling there is a large opening 40 feet in diameter. It is along the edge of this circle that the pillars are located. This circular opening houses the steel armature which supports the telescope as well as the chains and pulleys which open the skylight. Each pillar has a small circular ledge. Each ledge is home to a glass sphere 8 inches in diameter. These orbs once acted as lights. Only one still functions. The remaining 23 are forever extinguished. Tapping it once illuminates it. Tapping it again causes it to dim. They weigh nothing.
A small field scope, worth 1000gp and weighing 10 pounds is located in a locked cabinet. The outer walls of the first floor are lined with shelves holding star charts, blank sheets of paper and rulers and compasses. 70 of the charts are too brittle to transport. A further 35 too faded too read. There are 15 - 3 foot by 3 foot - 2 pound vellum star charts which are readable and may be transported. The second floor consists only of the telescope and its armature.
R.14
A low wall of fieldstones, 2 feet high, forms the rough outline of what was once a rectangular building.
The cellar of this building is all that is left. It is 8 feet deep but is filled half way with water. Thorough searching will reveal nothing of interest.
R.15
Only the occasional stone marks the perimeter of where this building once stood. A large pool of stagnant water fills the area.
The south east ruins are at their lowest point here. The stagnant, fetid, water is only a foot deep but is home to a swarm of Hex Mosquitoes. Hex mosquitoes swarm a person as though someone else had put a curse upon them. They pour through the eyelets of visors and sting mercilessly, causing blood to flow from the wounds. As a result, the blood attracts more mosquitoes that lap it up and are whipped into a stinging frenzy. The hex mosquitoes will pursue prey up to a mere 100 feet from their pond in any direction and then return to their pond. This might force the players to run through the black locust trees which cover the ruins of the walls (See R.33 below) or stumble into R.14. There are no ill effects from the attacks of the hex mosquitoes; merely annoying, itchy bites.
At the bottom of the stagnant pool lies the skeleton of a young adventurer. His leather armor has completely rotted away but a ring of water walking remains on his left hand. This ring will allow the wearer to walk on water once a day up to a maximum distance of 25 feet. There is a 1 in 6 chance that anyone walking in the pond will become stuck. They will lose their boots or will require aid in freeing themselves.
R.16
The soft ground on the southern face of this building resulted in the entire wall giving way, taking the whole building along with it.
Thorough searching will reveal nothing but loose fist sized boulders. The ground here is wet and soft like elsewhere in the southeast ruins, but more so.
R.18
Every stone and timber is blackened and burned. The very soil is ashen and dry (unlike the wet and muddy soil which is pervasive throughout the area).
What was once a two storey library and study lies in ruins. So great was the rage of the young monk who lit himself, and the library, on fire that his skeleton remains here and will attack anyone entering the ruins. If defeated the bones will collapse in a heap, only to reform again within one day and await the next disturbance to his rest. (Skeleton: AC 8[11]; HD 1; HP 6; Atk 1 strike (1d6); SV 17; MV 12; 15 XP).
Searching through the timbers and charred book cases will reveal a book on astronomy. Only the open faced pages may be read. With any attempt to turn the page or lift up the book it will crumble to dust. No other book has survived. The constellation featured on these pages forms the shape of a downward facing triangle within a ring of stars.
R.33
The once imposing stone walls have crumbled to little more than that which would line a farmer’s field. The ruble is thickly overgrown by low trees.
The Black Locust tree thrives here on the sparse, acidic, soil. Every branch is riddled with 1-inch long thorns. Anyone walking through this briar with exposed skin has a 50% chance of scraping one of the thorns. The sticky sap confers a -1 to Initiative for one hour. The Black Locust is very protective of its fruits and has developed the thorns and sap to deter small furry animals from pilfering its branches.
Downloads
- Download a copy of the Southeast Ruins Map (Keyed)
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