The Tower of Eldorath Part 3

The Tower of Eldorath 

Part 3

The land surrounding the tower is wild and overgrown. The ruins of several small buildings are close to the base of the tower, all roofless and some no more than two broken walls meeting at a corner. The water is nearby and what was once a collection of several small houses and the stubbs of beams which once supported a dock are all that can be found. There are nearby woods and the field around the tower which once must have been cleared is thick with weeds and small trees.

Hunting or fishing for supplies should present no problems but any shelter outside of the tower must be constructed. It appears that the area surrounding the tower has been unoccupied for many years.

The tower is constructed of grey stone that appears smooth but has a rough texture. It provides good tranction as a flooring and even if wet or coated with a slick substance grants firm footing. The doors and stairs in the tower appear to be of untarnished copper but show no signs of wear or verdigris.

The base of the tower has a small set of stairs leading to a pair of large doors. These are shut and show no sign of lock. No normal or commonly magical means can open these doors (at least in my campaign).

The players have been given a map of the interior levels of the tower though not of any dungeon levels, and an explanation of the odd system of locks that the tower possesses. The tower is 120ft tall and entrance is through the roof. The mage Talberth will provide 4 scrolls allowing levitation up or down for a weight matching the size of the party (up to 10) and a reasonable amount of supplies but the players may want to secure some means of at least descending the tower in an emergency, such as ropes and pulleys.

The interior and even the roof of the tower prevents any shapechanging maic or abilities. It stops planar travel or contact, It stops any magic or abilities that allow sight or travel through its walls, doors or floors.

Roof Battlements 

1. A great, apparently copper, valve is set into the floor of the roof. Near its southern edge is a lock in the shape of cat's head with four needle-like fangs. A person placing their living hand in the cat's mouth and compressing the mouth of the lock upon it so that the hinged mouth shuts will cause the four fangs to painfully bite down upon their hand. Releasing the head will let the jaws open and the fangs to withdraw. This will cause 1hp of damage which cannot be healed naturally or magically within 1/2mile of the tower. This wound will continually drip blood but causes no more damage.

Once the lock is opened the valve will split into three sections and slide into the surrounding stone. The valve will remain open for 5 minutes unless triggered to close from the inside of the tower (a small figure of a cats head on the wall at the top of th spiral stairs. Press the head to open or close the valves. Any item short of a magical weapon or item will be sheared away by the slowly closing valves (It takes about 10 seconds for the vavles to close). Something caught in the vavles can easily be pulled free to allow them to shut.

The open valve reveals a set of copper stairs that ends with another copper valve set in the 11th level floor of the tower. There is no light inside the stairwell and even natural light is dim and only reveals 10ft of space. If magical light is used it causes something to give a muffled howl and the darkness to only be illuminated in a 20ft radius. If detected for the stairwell radiates powerful energy fron the Negative Material Plane.

2. The tower appears unworn and undamaged excpet for this 30ft arc of merlons which are melted into lumps of greenish material. This material, like the undamaged portions of the tower, cannot be damaged further in any way available to the players. To those who have studied artifacts from the Sea of Dust the damage is exactly the same to some damage found on building stones found in that desolate locale.

3. The tower slants slightly down from the center. A dwarf might detect such a slant even if not searched for. The edges of the tower at the base of the circular wall have small gaps allowing for liquid to run off and down the sides of the tower.

Tower Level 11

This level radiates energy from the Negative Material plane. Normal Light illuminate a 10ft radius, magical light a 20ft radius. Dispell Magic is of no effect. If magical light is  used onb this floor it will cause a howl from room #2.

1. The central stairwell contains a section of circular stair leading to the roof. The floor is a similar copper valve as the roof cutting off further decent. There is a cat's head lock set on the edge of the floor valve but its jaw is shut and something is needed to open it (pressing the cat's head on the wall in room. The doors to this room are shut but may be opened in the fashion of the roof, each causing 1hp damage. They draw sideways into the wall when opened and will lock if allowed to close. Each time the door is locked it will require 1hp of blood and biting damage to open unless prevented from closing. Normal items will be sheared through by the slow but steady preasure of the copper door . Magical items will stop the door from closing. It Will require a strength total of 36 to force a partially closed door back open. The door will try to shut again after 5min.

Opening the door to this room causes a cacophony of howling, growling and barking erupt from its darkened interior. For decades 12 Shadow Mastifs have been trapped inside. They will immediately attack anyone who opens the door and try to escsape the room. Their first action will be escape and they will flee as far as they are able only attacking anyone blocking their path. If they find themselves still trapped in the tower they will beging hunting down anyone or anything nearest to the.

The interior of the room is a shambles. The Mastiffs have torn appart evrything inside to scrap. The only remaining objects are a series of silver-metal cages that have been broken open but not destroyed. This metal is silver imbued with moonlight and is quiet valueable. The bars are animical to creatures from the Negative Metarial Plane and can be used to cage such monsters. The metal can be reforged into weapons or armor that would be especially powerful against them.

If they debris on the floor is sifted several wooden arms, legs or limbless bodies of dolls or puppets can be found. The rest  is broken glass, bent metal bits and bits of wooden furniture. Any paper items have long since been destroyed beyond recognition.

End Part 3