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This ancient temple was raised among the tall reeds and sparse islands of the marsh on the south end of the great lizard lake. It can only be reached by boat or flying. Luckily the tribe of Weetok is positioned in the north outlet of the main river that forms the lake. A number of prehistoric creatures reside in the lake including plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. Travel anywhere but in the shallow reeds along the edges is dangerous. If the player's have their characters scoot across the center of the lake, they will be attacked instantly by a monster from the table below for each hex they pass through. If they skirt the edges there is only a 1 in 6 chance of them encountering any monsters during the entire trip (roll below if they do).
Reed Marsh Lake Random Encounters Hit point checkboxes are included below; however, there are certainly more of each type of monster than the number of checkboxes supplied. Add additional hit point rolls or erase checks from previously slain individuals as needed. 1d2 Large Crocodiles: AC 17, HD 6, #At 1 bite, Dam 2d8, Mv 30' (10') Swim 30' (10'), Sv F6, ML 8, XP 500 ea. HP 1d6 Giant Bats: AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d4, Mv 10' Fly 60' (10'), Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 ea. HP 1d4 Giant Crabs: AC 18, HD 3, #At 2 pincers, Dam 2d6, Mv 20' Swim 20', Sv F3, ML 7, XP 145 ea. HP 1 Giant Octopus: AC 19, HD 8, #At 8 tentacles, 1 bite, Dam 1d4 tentacle, 1d6 bite, Mv Swim 30', Sv F8, ML 7, XP 875 HP 1d2 Ichthyosaurs, Medium‡: AC 17, HD 7, #At 1 bite, Dam 2d8, Mv Swim 60', Sv F7, ML 8, XP 670 ea. HP 1 Mosasaur, Large‡: AC 16, HD 12, AB 10 #At 1 bite, Dam 3d8, Mv 40', Sv F12, ML 9, XP 1,875 HP 7-8 1d2 Plesiosaurs, Large‡: AC 17, HD 7, #At 1 bite, Dam 3d6, Mv 40', Sv F7, ML 8, XP 670 HP The temple is surrounded by thick reeds, although there is a clear path to the entrance (#1 below). Moving through them by boat is possible but slow. The smell of the marsh is a strong, wet, rotten stink on top of the alkali of the lake. Small crocodiles swim around, although most are harmless. Birds can be seen around the fringes, fish are in the water, and frogs croak now and then. The temple is built from red, hard stone that yellows in the sun. The roof is about 50' over the water level; it has a steep angle
CHILDREN • 14
1. Entrance room
The bottom stone steps are usually 10 feet or so under water, while the top steps leading up to the first floor are 10 feet over the water. The main structure is two stories. See room #2 for descriptions of the main doors. Windows in the second story (see #11 and #12) peer down over the doors.
2. Main Hall room
The north and south walls are pierced by a set of large double doors. These are banded and faced in brass. They are never locked and will open easily, but swing shut unless wedged open. This is a simple entrance hall. Beside each of the four pillars is a brazier for offerings and incense: inside each is a melted lump of gold and silver worth 100 gp (weight 20 pounds), some of which is still visible as coins. The high ceiling (20 feet tall) and lack of any windows means the interior is always dark, except where light flows in from either entrance. The sound of skittering claws on stone comes from the west. The place stinks of the marsh, mud, and slime.
3. Komodo Dragons room
From out of the darkness looms four hulking lizards (komodo dragons) and further back in the darkness are another four (eight total). They nest here during the heat and exit through the doors to swim through the reeds and hunt along the small islands nearby. The stone steps in the south west go up to the second floor room #9. 8 Komodo Dragons: AC 14, HD 2*, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d6 + disease, Mv 30' (10'), Sv F2, ML 7, XP 100 ea.
4. Empty Room room
The stone steps in the northeast go up to the second floor to room #13.
5. Causeway room
There is a sharp dip down some 8 feet to the top of this flat stone causeway between the buildings. The surface is no more than 2 feet over the level of the goopy mess around it and is dirty with dried mud.
6. Mud Bog Of The Dead room
On each side of the causeway is what appears to be a mud bog strewn with human bones, armor, rusted weapons, wheels from chariots, and other rubbish. Nothing of value can be seen in it; the debris was thrown in by someone smart. Anyone disturbing the sacred place in the temple (fighting in room #8) releases a curse: for 6 rounds 1d8 skeletons will animate each round and begin to rise up from the muck. They will slog out of it (taking 1 round before the first wave gets onto the causeway) and attack the trespassers. Once disturbed, they stand guard for four weeks before returning to the muck. Attempting to destroy all the bones in the muck is a massive undertaking that would require months of work; the limits of the number of undead are due to limited magic, not bone supply. Up to 48 Skeletons: AC 13, HD 1, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d6, Mv 40', Sv F1, ML 12, XP 25 ea. HP
7. Main Sanctuary room
This sits on a stone platform equal in height to that at #2. Stone columns support a stone roof that starts some 15 feet over the deck, inside the shade of which is a square building constructed from heavy stone. There are no windows, only the doors in front. The massive double doors here are solid bronze and will not budge. Given an army and a huge ram, they might be knocked down. Each door is locked in place by ten heavy bronze bolts (five on top; five on bottom) that slide inside the frame. They are set and withdrawn via the cranking gear upstairs in room #12.
8. Temple Of Horror room
A massive statue broods on a dais. While it once may have been nothing but a common idol of some vain deity, something has corrupted it with grotesque evil. The room stinks of death and decaying flesh. Five 5-HD necrotic oozes (found in the Basic Fantasy Field Guide Volume 1) inhabit the room: one over the door, two on the statue, and two in the darkness behind it. They come sliding down to attack when victims get within 20 feet or so of where they lurk. 5 Necrotic Oozes: AC 15, HD 5, #At 1 slam, Dam 1d8 + rotting disease, Mv 10', Sv F5, ML 11, XP 360 ea. Behind the statue is a pile of shining treasure consisting of 3,000 gp, 14,000 sp, 500 ep, and 3,000 cp. The statue has been corrupted by evil. It emanates evil so strongly it can be detected not only by magic, but also by standing nearby and becoming very calm. Destroying it should net the player at least 2,500 XP alone.
9. Upstairs room
Nothing here. The stairs go down to room #3.
10. Watch Room room
This door opens into an empty room with table, cot, chairs, etc. All of the furniture is made of bamboo and so old and soft that it will collapse if sat upon.
11. Bats! room
Twelve giant bats are hanging from the ceiling, roosting during the day and leaving to feed at night. A large, open window is in the center of the south wall, some 4 feet high and around 20 feet wide. Heavy wooden pegs rim the window's edge where tarps might have been tied in place or wooden shutters lashed down during monsoons. On the floor in a heap of dung including some undigested bones is a slightly-mangled gold necklace with 5 gems (total value 600 gp: 100 gp each gem, 10 gp gold, and 90 gp workmanship). 12 Giant Bats: AC 14, HD 2, #At 1 bite, Dam 1d4, Mv 10' Fly 60' (10'), Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 ea.
12. Gear Room room
The heavy bronze double doors to this room are squeaky and jammed shut from the outside by spikes hammered into the edges. A large bronze hoop in each door is set in a position that makes them perfect for a heavy padlock, but none can be found. A large open window facing north looks out over the walkway at #5. The window is some 4 feet high and 20 feet long and has heavy wooden pegs along the rim for tarps or wooden shutters. A huge wheel is on the east end of the room, attached to a crank system. The wheel can be turned by one to three people: the fewer the people the slower it works (3 people = 5 minutes, 2 = 10 minutes, 1 = 20 minutes). Turning it east-to-west for the duration causes a loud clanking to come from the temple doors at #7 as the bars inside are drawn to unlock the doors. The doors are currently locked. If the main temple doors are unlocked, anyone looking out the window will note a shudder pass through the mucky debris at #6, even though there is no wind at the moment. Once the doors are unlocked, turning the crank west-to-east forces the bars back into the holes in them.
13. Stairwell room
The stairs go down to room #4 on the main floor.
14. Watch Post room
An empty room with cots, chairs, tables, and other items, most of them of old, soft bamboo that will collapse if sat upon.
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