R3: Lake Side Temple

The area around the entrance is swampy and mucky, overgrown with grass and wet with standing water. Hidden in the grass here are the guardians of the entranceway: three giant constrictor snakes (pythons). A passage lined with heavy stone blocks leads into the cliff side; on the north end are steps that go up 30 feet and open onto the garden area at #2. The passage ceiling is 10 feet high. 3 Pythons: AC 14, HD 5*, #At 1 bite, 1 constrict, Dam 1d4 bite, 2d4 constrict, Mv 30', Sv F5, ML 8, XP 405 ea.

A grassy area with some wiry weeds, small fruit trees, and shrubs. Amid the weeds are giant scorpions, hungry for prey. Each of the set of stone steps that lead out of the garden descend 30 feet. 4 Giant Scorpions: AC 15, HD 4*, #At 2 claws, 1 stinger, Dam 1d10 claw, 1d6 stinger + poison, Mv 50' (10'), Sv F2, ML 11, XP 280 ea.

The thin bronze door to this chamber is latched but not locked (lifting the latch opens it). The hinges are very squeaky; oil would be handy. The room itself has assorted furniture (desks, tables, beds), all fairly rotten and useless. Two 5-foot wide passages lead to a room in back with a library of old and worthless scrolls stuffed into wooden shelves. The secret door in the south wall is made to foil visual searches but swings in or out at a push; it is 3 feet high and 6 feet wide.

The corridor that leads into this room is protected by six spear traps set into the ceiling, with trigger plates set in the floor below them. There is a 2 in 6 chance (1-2 on 1d6) that each person passing through will trigger one and will be attacked as if by a 3-HD creature, suffering 1d6 points of damage if they are hit. Once triggered, a trap must be reset manually; they hang down until reset. This secret room is a repository of secret teachings of the divine faith. It contains old wooden shelves with small pigeonhole locations for scrolls (most of the scrolls are long gone). One remains: it provides sketchy details about a temple hidden in a lake that can only be found once a month when the lake drains. Where said lake exists is not known.

Stone steps lead down from the garden at #2 to the main chamber. The main entrance (the south one) is open year round (there are no doors). The double doors in the east wall are made from thick wood and have racks for bars, but are not currently barred. The floor is covered by 1 foot or so of dirty water, under which is 1 foot of syrupy silt. Opening the double doors east does not let the water out; the hallway it opens into is humped in the middle and slopes gently down to this room. Columns support the 20-foot high ceiling (unless stated, all other ceilings in the complex are 10 feet high). The walls are decorated with colorful if ragged frescoes and tapestries. In front of three false walls to the north (each marked "F" on the map) is a bowl on a tall pedestal intended to receive offerings; the wall itself is a highly-stylized frieze with the image of a deity. Pressure plates are set in the floor in front of the main entrance and eastern doors. Detecting them under the mucky water would be hard at best. Stepping on either one causes the three false walls to the north to rise up, releasing the zombies and skeletons in room #6.

Zombies and skeletons wait here to attack any intruders. 12 Skeletons: AC 13, HD 1, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d6, Mv 40', Sv F1, ML 12, XP 25 ea. HP 6 Zombies: AC 12, HD 2, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d8, Mv 20', Sv F2, ML 12, XP 75 ea. Each zombie has a necklace with 10 gp on it and each skeleton has a necklace with 5 gp on it. The coins are very ceremonial, cast with a triangular hole.

A small room with a table, cot and chairs.

This hallway humps in the middle a few feet, sloping gently down to the east and west. Ogres! Four ogres have discovered a small vein of gold on the surface. Mining it out from the top, they have dug down into the hall at this location (where the number is on the map). They now have gold nuggets in a leather bag (1,800 gp worth). Be sure to read the details for room #10 below as well. 4 Ogres: AC 12, HD 4+1, #At 1 weapon, Dam 2d6, Mv Unarmored 40', Sv F4, ML 10, XP 240 ea.

Empty except for some rotting wooden furniture. Evidence shows that whoever lived here was in charge.

If the player characters encounter and fight the ogres in #8, the noise might result in this encounter, otherwise random luck determines. As the player characters get close, the secret door in the north end of this room opens and out steps a native covered in vivid green paint, wearing a fancy feathered head dress and bone necklace. This is an evil witchdoctor from the sect of Hate from Skull village. Depending on the conditions of the encounter that results, he might scream and flee, or act jovial and try to talk the characters into the room, where he calls for his followers to attack. This secret room with a 20-foot tall ceiling is devoted to evil and features three 15-foot tall statues of demons devoted to torture, murder, and mutilation. Each statue has 50 gp gems for fingernails (30 gems x 50 gp = 1,500 gp value). Scattered inside are twelve natives in green paint. Their traveling gear (woven baskets, hide sacks, flint-tipped battle axes, spears, shields, fruit, meat, etc.) is stacked around a broom of flying that has a continual light spell cast on it. Three large leather sacks contain 1,200 sp and 500 cp, as well as a pit viper snake in each to guard it. Evil Sect Witch Doctor: AC 12, HD 4, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d8+2 for Strength, Mv 40', Sv C4, ML 8, XP 240 HP Spells: cure light wounds, light, resist fire 2 Natives: AC 12, HD 2, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d6 or 1d8, Mv 40', Sv F2, ML 8, XP 75 ea. 10 Natives: AC 12, HD 1, #At 1 weapon, Dam 1d6 or 1d8, Mv 40', Sv F1, ML 8, XP 25 e

This area eroded away centuries ago; the hallway is an easy route around it. The eroded region slopes down to the north and is full of crickets and chirping insects. It funnels the sound of the surf pounding on the shore (see room #13). The natives believe this area is an oracle; if a sanctified priest chants a reasonable question, the answer (it is said) will appear in a whispering combination of surf and insect chirping.

Each set of steps goes down 10 feet in elevation.

This gallery overlooks the lake, with high cliffs all around and crushing breakers below. Most of the north wall is open (with arches every ten feet). There is an open arch on the west end which allows access to steps going 10 feet down to the platform below.

This exit/entrance opens onto a platform of concrete and stone. The cliff face it was built against is some 70 feet high. Crumbled rocks form a barrier against the erosive effects of the blue-green breakers (waves) that wash constantly against the cliff base. This gravel slopes down from the cliff to the ocean. Two concrete piers stretch out into the ocean. The end of each is 10 feet above the waves. The old, rotten frames of portable ladders/stairs lie at the end of each pier. Two canoes lie upside down on the piers (each has a capacity of about eight people plus some cargo). There is a tangle of roots at the location marked "crabs" from gnarly shrubs scattered along the cliff. Among the roots are over a dozen brown shapes, covered by sea weed and barnacles, making them difficult to spot until they move. They will come scuttling across the rocks towards any prey that appears on the platform. These are five giant crabs and their smaller offspring. The locals know they are there and usually avoid them. 5 Giant Crabs: AC 18, HD 3, #At 2 pincers, Dam 2d6, Mv 20' swim 20', Sv F3, ML 7, XP 145 ea. 8 Giant Crab Offspring: AC 16, HD 1, #At 2 pincers, Dam 1d4, Mv 20' swim 20', Sv F1, ML 6, XP 25 ea. HP The crabs cannot attack the PCs all at once. The GM should figure how many can based on the situation, rolling 1d6 to see how many giant crabs attack at a time and 1d8 for the number of offspring (for example). Among the roots that the crabs infest are rag- draped human bones. A torn l