14. Hidden Flooded Room

Swimming in the narrow conduit, you wonder if you will find anything at the other end, hoping that you will not suffocate doing so. Your hands guide you as you are blinded by the murkiness of the water. After what seems to have been an eternity, you finally swim into a much larger area, exiting the conduit. You stand up and take a breath of fresh air; at last. Poking around, you notice you are in a small natural room that is completely flooded and completely dark. The area is entirely flooded and approximately 4 feet deep and its stalactite covered ceiling is 8 feet high. The foul smell is just as bad as it is in room 13. If for some reason the tentacle worm found in area 13 was not killed and was driven into the hole at the bottom of the water, it will be in this area, attacking as soon as characters swim into this room. At the bottom of the water, next to the eastern wall, a tiny metallic chest can be found if the PCs spend 1d2 turns searching the bottom of the pool. Due to its greenish color, the chest appears to be made of copper. Motifs of trees and flowers have been cast on the lid. It is quite corroded, but still holds and is locked. The key to open it is long gone, and the PCs will need to either pick the lock or smash it. The chest contains the following items: 1,400 cp, 1,500 sp, 300 gp, a semi-precious carnelian (50 gp), and a beautiful deep-orange topaz, as big as a human fist and finely cut to give it a round shape (500 gp).