The Lost Library of Q'Sh - 18
Location
16).
The
southern door is locked and bolted. The door itself is of very sturdy
construction but is heavily scarred by claw marks which have dug deep furrows
in the wood of the other side Location (15.2). The lock can be picked in a
normal way but three heavy bolts lock it closed as well. Destroying the door
will be loud but shouldn't take a great deal of time with an axe. Swords and
blunt weapons will take longer and piercing weapons will be ineffectual.
The
room itself is large and sumptuously decorated. Large carpets and skins are
spread across the floor. A massively big bed is against the north wall (big
enough for 5) and the east part of the room has a table that can seat 20. There
are several dressers against the south wall to the west of the door. Nothing
seems to be disturbed except the bed linen is crumpled and the heavy cover
blanket made from the skins of several white tigers is pulled to one side and
partially under the bed.
NOTE:
The contents of this room are extremely valuable but only to the right buyer.
Most would get only a fraction of their value in the shops or from the
merchants of hammlets, towns and even small cities. Only in larger cities would
the characters be likely to find buyers and the merchants which sell such items
are likely to offer very little to the characters, while the characters are
unlikely to move in the upper class circles where they would find the buyers
themselves. These are all high quality items, but many are bulky or delicate
and are easily damaged and destroyed. It is also unlikely that the characters
would recognize the real quality of what they are looking at. In general they
are likely to get only 2 or 3 times the value of a normal item for such things
as plates, goblets, clothes or rugs, if even that.
In
each corner of the room are 2 non-functioning Manikens. They are armed with longsword
and trunchion and wear half-plate. Each is 16hp and AC3 in their armor, but
require activation to respond in any way.
The
dressers (4 of them) contain expensive clothing and shoes cut for someone short
and slim. The clothes are ornate and heavily decorated but masculine. Selling
them outside of a large city might be difficult, but in a larger more civilized
area they might go for more than scrap cloth prices. Hidden at the back of dresser
#3 is a secret compartment. Inside the compartment is a locked iron door. It is
spelled closed with both a Wizard Lock and Hold Portal spell. If a knock spell
is used (twice) the door to the metal compartment will pop open and a thick
steel plate will drop just behind the opening door. A small catch located in
another secret compartment in dresser #4 must be pushed into place and a knob
in a secret compartment in dresser #2 pulled out to stop the plate from
falling. Once the plate has fallen it will need to be raised by some means
(such as knocking down the stone wall around it, but otherwise it is jammed
shut.
Inside
the spelled-shut compartment is a small box. If it is removed without first
pushing in a metal bar in a 3rd secret compartment in dresser #1, a
guillotine-like blade slams down. This trap will cause 1d12 Dmg and sever any
unprotected non-metallic item which moved the small box. This blade must be
removed to access the interior of the compartment and the mechanism is set to
drop a wedge in place so that it cannot be lifted. A saving throw will drop the
damage by half and save the item or appendage from being severed.
The
small box is wooden and the top lifts off. Inside is a still beating, warm and
meaty heart.
On
the south wall east of the south door is a cabinet. Inside are plates, very
fragile and valuable, as well as knives, forks and spoons of silver, enough for
25 people. There is a carving set with the handles made from the bones of a
hill giant. Crystal goblets are in the upper cabinet. The plates and goblets are
fragile but only valuable in a large city; otherwise they are hard to sell and
the silver worth only its value in the weight of metal.
The
three large carpets are very fine, but the quality makes them hard to sell in a
town what they might sell for in a city. The large fur rugs are the pelts of
several griffons sewn together. The work is exquisite.
The
cover sheet across the huge bed is made from the fur of albino bears. If the
characters pull at the blanket it first appears to be stuck under the bed.
Peeking under the bed will just show the wadded up end of the huge fur blanket.
A strong pull by a combined 18+ strength will draw the blanket from under the
bed and with it will come a short man dressed in red silk pajamas. He will
immediately shout for the players to "leave!" and attack with a short
sword. The blade is very fine, +2 to hit and enchanted to leave a scar that
will not fade even with magical healing where it strikes. This Delmondo the
justice of the library. It was he who passed sentence upon those caught
committing crimes within the upper levels of the library and he who commanded
the Maniken guards. In his left hand he holds a small box with a button and a
dial. Currently the dial is set all the way to attack-kill and he will push the
button as soon as he is pulled from under the bed. The 8 Manikens will
immediately activate. 5 will respond to attack the characters. 2 will attack
the other Manikens and 1 will attack Delmondo.
While
Delmondo appears to be a living man, he is actually an advanced form of Maniken
and Man combined. The real Delmondo died long ago but he was such an effective
judge and security officer that his body was hollowed out and filled with the
enchanted cloth of the Manikens. His brain was encased in a crystal skull that
is impervious to damage and his heart was removed and placed in a small box;
stored in the secret compartment in the back of dresser #3. Delmondo can be
truly killed only when his heart is destroyed. He is a Ftr3, 24hp, AC6 due to
Dex and regenerates at 1hp per combat round. If he is completely destroyed his
skull will survive. It will turn to a blue gaseous form and reappear under the
bed in this location only to reform again in Delmondo. He does not leaves this
room and unless drawn out from under the bed or if anyone finds the secret
compartments within the dressers he will remain under the bed.
The
door to the north leading to Location (18.) is unlocked but it can be locked
and barred though the key is missing.
The
ventilation shafts run across the ceiling of this room on the east and west
with small grated openings obscured by cobwebs.
