The Obelisks of Taggoth

The Obelisks of Taggoth
Type	Dungeon
Status	Explored March 883 TA
Location	Shadowkeep (now Dwarrowdelf)
Hex	2313
Campaign	Shadowkeep Campaign #11
Adventure #	75

Introduction

All rooms in this campaign are pitch black. All light sources will dim with time. Fireballs will become less firebally, etc. The light is absorbed by the obelisks (in all their forms) and channeled to Taggoth in the main temple. All light will make him tougher and tougher.

The party has encountered the obelisks before. They were in an upper level of the dungeon being controlled by the priests of Hastur. Those obelisks were stolen from this realm and taken to the sewers to become slaves. This is where the obelisks live, in worship to Taggoth, a great octopus-like creature of alien nature. They channel their energy, drawn from light, into Taggoth. The obelisks are immune to most magical weapon attacks. The black-bladed implements found scattered through the upper levels, however, are very effective, doing quadruple damage.

This dungeon is basically divided into three parts. They begin by being trapped in a corner tower of the obelisk city of Garone-Ugh. After escaping from there, they must make their way through the streets of the city to the Temple of Taggoth. There, they must defeat Taggoth to finish this level.

Canto Eleven: Taggoth

The orb of black is darkness pure,
Its swirling energy is yours,
Seek the source, but don't stay long,
The dark and death are always wrong.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 1

Room 1: The Upper Chamber

This room is pitch black. A low gutteral growl can be heard coming from several points surrounding the party. From the echos, this room is probably small and the creatures are probably large.

The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room is made of a soft black stone which is warm to the touch. Surrounding the party are eight black panthers. A single spiral staircase in the southwest corner of the room leads down.

The panthers will attack when the party creates any sort of light. They are actually beasts made out of the same stone as the walls making their armor class lower than their furry counterparts (AC -6). They cannot be charmed, since they are mindless creations.

Room 2: Room of Unknown Origin

The stairs end in a dark landing with a single narrow hallway running to the east. The hallway opens into a small room, roughly 30 foot square with the hallway continuing to the east. It is very dark here.

In the center of the room is a small black stone obelisk.

This room is meant to "introduce" the party to the obelisks and their powers. The obelisks fight as 30th level spellcasters, although they are fairly low on beans (unless light is introduced). They have the standard AC -6 for creatures in this part of the dungeon.

Room 3: Empty Room

This small room is 40 foot square with a single hallway cut in the west wall. A spiral staircase in the east leads down to a lower level. A hallway leads to the north and south.

Room 3a: The Obsidian Golem

The only unusual feature of the hallway is that the entrance is carved in the shape of a large mouth filled with rows of sharp, pointed teeth resembling the mouth of a piranha.

A closer examination shows that there is a shimmering wall just inside the last row of teeth. When the party approaches, a sense of fear suddenly overcomes them.

Save at 30th level secular magic or flee.

When a character gets within a few feet of the opening, the following poem starts running through their head:

I do not breathe, but I run and jump.
I do not eat, but I swim and stretch.
I do not drink, but I sleep and stand.
I do not think, but I grow and play.
I do not see, but you see me every day.

By whispering the words, I am a leg, the party can pass through the teeth. Otherwise, they will be hit with snapping jaws for 100d4 of damage, save to half.

Inside the room is a black stone golem standing in front of a small chest.

Room 3b: Karelia's Chamber

A strange, star-shaped room lies at the end fo the black hallway. There are no footprints here, and there are no signs of recent habitation. A small star-shaped dias stands in the middle of the room. On top of the dias, a small ring is magically suspended in a crystal globe. Snowflakes dance around the globe. On the dias are six words carved in Common.

ALLOY
OBLONG
SAC
TODDLE
NOISE
CEASEFIRE

Around the dias five magical levers have the following words carved into them.

APPROPRIATE
FURLONG
NAPED
HOLOSCOPIC
FACTORIES

By pulling the lever labeled FURLONG, the door opens up. The first letter of the first word is A, the second letter of the second word is B, and so on. The only word whose seventh letter is G is "furlong". Otherwise, the floor opens up to reveal a pit and a block of the ceiling falls down to crush the adventurer in the pit.

[Solving the puzzle:] The ring spins faster and faster emitting a bright white light. The crystal dome shatters, emanating a blinding white flash.

The Ring of Karelia.

Room 4: Empty Room

A small 30 foot square room has a spiral staircase leading up from a level above. A hallway leads to the west.

This room is empty.

Room 5: The Heart of the Tower

A faint glow can be seen coming from the room ahead.

This small room is 40 foot square with a single hallway cut in the east wall. A spiral staircase in the west leads down to a lower level. In the center of the room is a large heart-shaped stone several feet in width sits on top of a small stone dias. The stone is covered with lichen which gives off a soft phosphorescent light. Around the heart are four black obelisks.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 2

Room 6: The Entrance Hall

This room is long and narrow filled with obelisk-shaped pillars. A sprial stairway in the west leads both up and down. The eastern end of the room turns into a narrow hallway ending in a blank wall. There are runes carved into the walls.

TAGGOTH IS MY MASTER

Speaking the words will open up the door to the outside. Otherwise, cutting the wall will cause it both to heal and summon more obelisks to the room.

Room 7: The Roots

A single spiral staircase leads down to this odd room. While the walls and ceiling are made of the same smooth black stone as the rest of the dungeon, the floor is a knotted tangle of large roots and knobs. They appear to be made of the same stone, but their form belies that of something living. Several skeletons can be seen strewn amongst the roots.

Careful examination shows that the skeletons are those of dwarves, their armor and axes long rusted from disuse. One of the skeletons has a small leather pouch with the following message written in dwarvish.

An extra-dimensional gate should bring us to a place of darkness. My research shows that the quest lies with a temple of some sort....

The Temple of Sun Stands Bright and Clear,
In The City of Darkness and Death and Fear,
Its Gates Are Gold With Burst of Sun,
And The Word of Light is a Single One.

My research shows that this second verse is tied to finding the temple. I have long sought the golden chalise of sunshine, and I hope that this will be the key.

With potent, flowery words speak I,
Of something common, vulgar, dry;
I weave webs of pedantic prose,
In effort to befuddle those,
Who think I wile time away,
In lofty things, above all day
The common kind that linger where
Monadic beings live and fare;
Practical I may not be,
But life, it seems, is full of me!

I fear that we may have made a mistake coming to this light-forsaken place. Already, our party numbers only half of the original company. We have begun digging to escape the obelisk, having failed to solve the puzzle of the runes. Our lantern oil is almost gone, so this might be my final entry.

Bentrad Sunseeker, Dwarven Master of Lore.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 3

The City of Garone-Ugh

You find yourself at the edge of a small city. To the north and west, towering black mountains loom high into the sky. To the south and east, a vast maze of dark alleys and strange stone structures spread out to the edge of your sight. The only noticable features from this vantage point are several large obelisks similar to the one you were just in ringing the perimeter of the city. The center of the city is dominated by a large obelisk-shaped temple, several times larger than the one behind you.

Within the city, there are very faint sources of light. These provide some light for the party, although seeing is limited to a few feet.

Closer examination show that these "lights" are actually phosphorescent rock outcroppings. Close to each outcropping is a black obelisk, roughly four feet in height.

The streets are constantly patrolled by a number of the black stone panthers.

Several dark dragons may be encountered in the air. Their breath weapons are an inky black cloud which makes it impossible to see (and do any ranged attacks).

The Temple of the Sun

This building is unremarkable from the rest, except for a large black bas relief of a sun on the large front doors of the building. Careful examination will show that it is actually a golden door covered with black soot.

Speaking the magical word "riddle" will open the doors and let sunshine flood the area. This will be bad, of course, since it will let in the light that will allow the obelisks to become powerful. It was actually covered up to hide it from the obelisks in the first place.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 4

The Obelisk Magnificent

The center of the city is dominated by a huge obelisk-shaped temple several hundred feet high. The obelisk has no doors or windows of any kind, and it is made of the same black material as the rest of the city. In each of the corners, a circle has been etched into the ground. Inside the circles are runic symbols. The obelisk itself is unadorned.

A = Treasure Room (air)
E = The Rift Room (earth)
F = Balin's Prison (fire)
W = Taggoth's Chamber (water)

Room 8: Treasure Room (A)

This room is formed like the inside of a pyramid with the sides of the room sloping to a pointed roof 40 feet overhead. The floors and walls of this room are made of the same smooth black stone. On the ground are scattered bones from a number of humanoid creatures, a number of magical items and coins, and a teleportation circle. The room is dark, but a swirling mist can seen here.

This mist is actually an acidic rain that melts any flesh that it comes in contact with (over time). It will do 2d8 points of damage per round + 1d8 residual acid damage cumulative.

The treasure includes: Potion of Water Breathing, Potion of Treasure Finding, Ioun Stone (clear), Wand of Paralyzation, Ring of Protection from Lightning, Potion of Deadly Healing, Heavy Bolts +3 (6), Wand of Illusion, Girdle of Stone Giant Strength, Broad Sword +3, 3000 gold pieces, 500 platinum pieces.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 5

Room 9: The Rift Room (E)

This large natural cavern is made of the same black stone as the rest of the dungeon. However, this stone is jagged and natural, without polish or workmanship. There do not appear to be any physical passages into or out of this area, only the teleport symbol on the floor. The dominant feature of the room is a huge crater in its center. The edges of the crater are stone, but the center is a swirling mist of black circling into a vortex.

Careful search of the room reveals a book written in an alien tongue.

The book speaks of the creatures from the Void. Undoubtedly, it will get zapped back to Sarth for future adventures.

This room is the center of this dungeon. In the long distant past, a rift was opened up between the world of Taggoth and that of the Realm in this room. In order to seal the rift, this area was put into the bubble the Elder Gods. Once the bubble is destroyed, this rift will cease to exist.

Obelisks of Taggoth: Portal 11, Level 6

Room 10: Balin's Prison (F)

An eerie red glow comes from the center of this room large cavernous room. An old dwarf sits hunched over a set of enormous billows, slowly pumping air into a large furnace. Nearby, an anvil and hammer sits, untended. Surrounding the old dwarf are 8 black obelisks. The party enters by a teleport symbol in the western end of the room. There are no doors in this room.

Balin, Master Armorer to the Dwarven King, will tell that how in the days of old the dwarven king had many smiths, each a master. Balin served in the role of an armorer, making the finest sets of dwarven plate for the king and his retainers. One day while searching for a vein of mithril deep in the caves below the Shadowyarn Mountains, he came across a strange black obelisk standing on the far side of a small underground stream. Thinking that it might be some sort of new crystal or mineral, Balin lit a torch and crossed the river to examine the obelisk. He remembers feeling a sense of peace and serenity come over him, and then remembers watching his body from above as it returned to his workshop in the castle; packed up his magical furnace, anvil, and hammer; and then returned to the obelisk. There his memory stops. The next thing that he remembers is burning his hand and waking up in this strange room. It was obvious that he had been standing at the furnace a very long time feeling compelled to keep the furnace glowing. He tried to escape by jumping on the "W" on the teleport pad, but he appeared in water (describe room). So, he jumped on the "F" and came back here where he was charmed again. About three years ago, he burned himself again and has "played charmed" since then waiting for rescue.

The obelisks will attack if any move to help Balin are made.

Balin fights like a 30th level fighter

Room 11: Taggoth's Chamber (W)

You appear on the floor of a large room filled with water. The air around you rises in a large bubble towards the top of the room. Sloping walls gently rise to the top of the room several hundred feet above you. On the floor below you are the four teleport symbols. Scattered on the floor of this room are several dozen obelisks. Floating above you in the water is a large black octopus-like creature. It is surrounded by a number of small fish which give off a very faint blue light from a patch beneath their mouth.

This is the chamber of Taggoth which resides in the middle section of the great obelisk. Here, the real intelligence behind the obelisks floats, feeding on light and waiting for its chance to break free.

Taggoth: AC -6, Taggoth has the same powers as the rest of the obelisks plus he can conjure water elementals, do mass charms, etc. Lamprey Fish: AC 0, These fish can give off an electric shock (which makes them stop glowing) and does 8d8 to all inhabitants in the water.

Monsters

Panthers (8)
Obelisk
Obelisks (4)
Panthers (8)
Dark Dragons (4)
Obelisks (8)
Balin, Master Armorer
Taggoth
Lamprey Fish (16)
Obelisks (24)

Treasure

Potion of Water Breathing
Potion of Treasure Finding
Ioun Stone (clear)
Wand of Paralyzation
Ring of Protection from Lightning
Potion of Deadly Healing
Heavy Bolts +3 (6)
Wand of Illusion
Girdle of Stone Giant Strength
Broad Sword +3
3000 gold pieces
500 platinum pieces