Previously, I mentioned the hook for this series of adventures: the sage Ladan hires the player characters to search the ruins of lost Acadus for ancient texts.
What I didn’t mention was that the characters are the second group Ladan hired for this purpose. You see, he had previously enlisted the services of Edward and William, two adventurers who successfully located the Hall of Sages.
Unfortunately, only William returned from the expedition, reporting that Edward had accidentally fallen to his doom shortly after they found a magical-looking tome. Ladan was upset to learn that Edward had been carrying the book when he fell into the chasm. Nevertheless, Edward received his due pay, and went off to deliver William’s share to his next-of-kin.
Now, Ladan has finished brooding over the matter and has decided to hire a new group of adventurers to examine the Hall of Sages again, more carefully. He hopes that perhaps the chasm was not as bottomless as it seemed and that the book can yet be found.
The directions to the Hall, left by Edward, are quite vague and consist of just a small number of landmarks. While the characters are wandering the ruins trying to find the correct place, use the die-drop table below to select random encounters.
| Hall of Sages: Level A |
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Level A
A1: Entrance hall. One of the oaken doors at the front is broken off and has fallen down the steps.
A2: Staircases down to B1.
A3: Office. On the desk lie a quill and inkpot, and various pieces of paperwork and bills in Cadian text. In a drawer can be found an iron lockbox, filled with ancient Cadian coins.
A4: This room has been demolished by a huge plant that has sprung up over the centuries. Make a WIL save or fall asleep if you inhale its soporific pollen.
A5: Main hall. The roof is mostly intact here, albeit with some holes. Pinewood pews still line the room, but those on the left have been pushed around by the plant from A4, which extends into this room. Some creeping vines are hiding in the pews and will attack at a moment of their choosing.
A6: Platform. Another large plant is growing here, but has yet to open its bud. A chest tucked at the back of the platform contains a set of linen robes and a bronze headdress set with emeralds. There are two statues: on the left is a male sage with empty hands outstretched: it looks like looters have wrested something from his grasp. The right-hand statue of a female sage is smothered by the large plant: if the vegetable matter can be hacked away, the crystal orb she holds can be obtained.
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| Hall of Sages: Level B |
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Level B
B1: Staircases up to A2. A tapestry of arcane sigils hangs here.
B2: Two statues of sagely demeanour are here, duplicating the ones upstairs. The roots from the plant in A4/A5 penetrate this room. There are several tapestries of the night sky around the room. A secret door to B5 is behind one of the tapestries. The door is carved with constellation symbols, and the tapestries give clues as to the correct order in which to press them. One tapestry (on the left side) has been mangled by the plant roots.
B3: Library. A scene of horrific devastation greets you in this room. Two great bookshelves have been knocked down by invading plant roots from A4/A5, scattering mouldering books all over the floor. Two more bookshelves are still standing, although the books are still quite decrepit.
B4: Balcony. Looming over a dark chasm, this balcony is edged with what was once a beautiful wooden railing, now grey with age. A dais supports a vacant lectern and two long-extinct candelabra. The railing is broken in one spot, with bloodstains and scorch marks leading up to this place.
B5: Secret stairs down to C4. It’s a long way.
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| Hall of Sages: Level C |
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Level C
C1: Chasm base. The loamy soil here supports a patch of pale subterranean flowers, as well as the roots of the plant from A6. The broken body of Edward is here amid crushed flowers and scattered petals, still lying where he fell from the railing. He has suffered some bad burns, and William’s red-hilted dagger is in his back. The body clutches tightly to its chest the binding of an ancient Cadian text: most of the pages are ripped out, but one remains.
C2: Dark pool. Caught between two rocks nestled in the sludge is somebody’s lost ring, gold with a small diamond.
C3: A bare limestone ledge, with a masonry archway leading to C4.
C4: Hall with stairs up to B5. It’s a long climb.
C5: Some sort of alchemy workshop, with a workbench full of glass equipment. One of the flowers from C1 is here, quite shrivelled after so many centuries. A chest holds some finished potions, probably fermented by now. A cabinet holds many jars of alchemical reagents, which are likely stale.
C6: Storage chamber. A chest holds some ancient salted pork, now more like leather. Another chest holds ten sets of linen robes which are in fairly good condition. In a crate are varied pieces of alchemical glassware and potion vials, carefully packed to prevent breakage.
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| Die-Drop Table: Acadus Ruins Encounters |
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Drop a d6 on this table while the players are searching the ruins of Acadus for the Hall of Sages.
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