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Note: This adventure comes from “The Sinister Spire”, by Bruce R. Cordell and Ari Marmell, as published by Wizards of the Coast.

Rest at the Dripstone Inn in Pedestal.

Return to the Necromancer's Spike.

Area S24) Hall of Mirrors

As they puzzle the meaning of six, large mirrors that make up the far wall of this room, the glass in the mirrors grinds and flows to form a large humanoid and two glass spiders. The ensuing battle involves flying daggers of glass, glass tentacles reaching from the other mirrors, and dangerous glass shards littering the floor.

With no obvious exits, the party searches for (and finds) a secret door.

Area S28) Shrine of Orcus

This evil shrine has two undead fire elementals and an incorporeal undead air elemental. Once they are defeated, the party recovers two Elemental Gems – one for Air and one for Fire.

Area S29) Cursed Stairs

As he steps onto the spiral staircase going down, Ash triggers a magical “curse” trap that he barely avoids. For his first Wisdom demonstration, Líkami wonders aloud whether the magical trap was a one-time or a recurring event as he steps on the stairs to find out. Cursed with reduced Constitution, he finds his answer.

After Freyrik dispels the magical trap, the party proceeds down the stairs, only to find that the whole thing is unstable. Freyrik and Ash tumble to the bottom amidst a pile of twisted iron.

The remaining party hurriedly fixes a rope and descends to rejoin the two.

Area S31) Gallery Hall

A short hallway houses alcoves with statues of various creatures (mostly Drow). Each appears to have been turned to stone, but has one feature (eyes in one, hands in another) that remains flesh.

Area S35) Fadheela's Lair

In the last major room in the Spike, the party finally finds Fadheela (though they don't know it at the time). She turns out to be a hybrid Medusa/Yuan-Ti and presents a serious challenge. Through most of the fight, the party manages to avoid her petrifying gaze – but once her minions are destroyed, they must take more risks to take her down. In the end, Freyrik, Yosi, and Líkami are turned to stone! (The latter does so during his second Wisdom demonstration of the adventure).

Fadheela herself is kept from dying and a bag is placed over her head so that her gaze does not further trouble the party.

In a nearby storage room and a closet, the party finds the following items of interest:

• Elemental Gem (Air) (from S28)
• Elemental Gem (Fire) (from S28)
• Two pieces of Art (200 gp each)
• A crystal goblet (25 gp)
• A set of gem-inset flatware (500 gp)
• A gold comb (150 gp)
• A platinum circlet (450 gp)
• Documents – numerous papers written in Undercommon. These papers are apparently contracts put out on various figures in Pedestal. Almost all the contracts contain a scribble in Undercommon at the bottom that reads, “Complete.”
• Three rolled scrolls written in Yuan-Ti.
• Clothing: There are numerous outfits that appear to be traveling attire or black working suits designed for Fadheela's humanoid torso. However some of the outfits include pants or other leggings that clearly would not fit her.
• Stone Chest containing 412 pp.¹⁾
• Field Provisions Box – This stone box is carved with runes denoting abundance. When activated, a field provisions box produces a full day's sustenance for up to fifteen humans or five horses. It functions once per day. Price: 2,000 gp.²⁾
• Banrhialorg³⁾ – A finely tapered staff of ash wood shod with unblemished gold on its foot and a golden draconic head with sapphire eyes and a ruby tongue on its top. Close examination reveals that the faint lines and veins in the wood form a sequence of arcane runes that repeat down the staff's length. Masterwork quarterstaff that also functions as a lesser metamagic rod of “Extend Spell”.⁴⁾

On Fadheela herself, the party finds:

• Obsidian Ring – This ring has a skull glyph carved inside its loop. It allows the wearer to bypasses the trap in S2 and control the (now destroyed) bloodhulk fighter.
• Snake Key – This small gold rod has a head showing an opened, fanged mouth about to close over a blue agate that resembles a globe. It activates a gate made of electricity (and is worth 200 gp).
• Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
• +1 studded leather
• +1 buckler
• +1 shortbow
• 15 poisoned arrows
• Key to Storage Room

Additional treasure adjustments:

• Cost for eight Identify Spells: 880 gp

Finally, Fadheela's lair has a functional Gargoyle Sink. That, along with the Field Provisions Box and the nearby lavatory means that a large group could live here for an indefinite time.

Since Fadheela was not killed outright, the party opts to keep her alive (with a bag over her head) while they question her as follows:

Why does Xeron want the bones?

Heh. Ask him yourself, if you wish. He's in my museum. You passed him on the way in.

His job was to find the bones and the weapons and deliver them to me. I was to then pass them on to the Vanguard. But the fool showed up without all the pieces, claiming he was being pursued.

I sent the bones and two of the items along, but kept one as protection against reprisal. I will NOT be punished for the incompetence of that fool!

What is your role in the House of the Circlet?

The House is for the purebloods. They like to think they serve a greater role, but in reality they only serve the Vanguard as liaison to the cattle.

What does the House want? What is their next move?

To build a new Serpent Kingdom, of course. Their next move is to await the dawn of Sertrous.

What do you know about Mosargrax?

Very little. She was dealt with decades ago.

What is the Vanguard of Sertrous?

Your future rulers.

Where are you from?

I am from the south - near what the cattle call “Arela”. But my form made me an outcast, so I moved to the frontier to help with the migration.