TEXT: Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module
  TOWER OF SKULLS
  Written by “Weird Dave” Olson
  An Adventure for Level 6 Characters
  KS1
   
  Lord of the Bone fieLds #1
  
  TOWER OF SKULLS
  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module KS1
  An Adventure for Level 6 Characters 
  Written by “Weird Dave” Olson
  Lord of the Bone fieLds #1
  Death and darkness has risen from churned black soil! A 
  festering evil returns to the land, spreading a palpable fear to 
  all in its area. A brave band of heroes are needed to seek out 
  the site and cleanse it once and for all. But be wary! Brave 
  heroes have fallen victim to the traps and dangers contained 
  within the legendary ... TOWER OF SKULLS!
  A fAntAsy renAissAnce Adventure ModuLe Brought to you By your friends 
  At cut to the chAse gAMes!
  www.cuttothechAsegAMes.coM 
  cut to the chAse gAMes LLc 
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  Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module BF1
  TOWER OF SKULLS
  LORD OF THE BONE FIELDS #1
  Writer: “Weird Dave” Olson
  Cover Art: Aaron Siddall 
  Interior Art: Matt Morrow
  Cartography: Glynn Seal 
  Layout: “Weird Dave” Olson
  The Cut to the Chase logo is a trademark of Cut to the Chase Games LLC.
  This product is based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, 
  published by Goodman Games. This product is published under license. 
  Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. 
  All rights reserved. For additional information, visit www.goodman-games.com 
  or contact info@goodman-games.com
  
  2
  TOWER OF SKULLS
  A dangerous cancer lurks in the shadowy crevasses 
  of the land, spreading death and misery like a weed 
  chokes the life out of a garden. Its foul presence spoils 
  the natural order, creating pestilent beasts that stalk 
  the unwary and grim hauntings to terrify the brave. It 
  is known as the Tower of Skulls, an unholy site that rises 
  from pitch-black soil, and it always hungers for fresh 
  life.
  BF1 Tower of Skulls is a Fantasy Renaissance Adventure 
  Module filled with horror, darkness, undead, and 
  nightmarish plants. It has been designed for a party of 
  four to six level 6 or 7 characters for the Dungeon Crawl 
  Classics RPG. This adventure presents a twisted, evil 
  dungeon for a party of adventurer’s to explore and 
  hopefully destroy, though in doing so they unwittingly 
  release an imprisoned evil back to the world.
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Atmosphere
  DMs who run this adventure should strive to achieve 
  an atmosphere of fear. Turning down the lights, 
  playing in the evening or into the night, and utilizing 
  creepy organ music are all good ways to achieve the 
  right mood for the adventure.
  Adventure Background
  Within the evil-soaked realm of the Abyss, powerful 
  demon lords and princes fight for dominion over the 
  many layers. As a particularly powerful creature begins 
  to dominate its fellow demons and outsiders, the layer 
  of the Abyss twists and takes shape to the ruler’s whim, 
  sometimes unconsciously. Horrors beyond horrors can 
  be found between those near-infinite layers, lorded 
  over by heinous beings of unquenchable power.
  Orcus, demon prince of the undead, is a name 
  whispered in rumors on the Prime Plane, and in 
  even more hushed tones on the Abyss. The powerful 
  demon prince has fought countless battles against 
  innumerable foes to control his land and his dominion 
  over the undead. His victories have left scores of rivals 
  dead, insane, or both.
  One such challenger was Lamotruu, a demon 
  lord who held sway over plants and undead alike. 
  Lamotruu had many names - Keeper of the Bone 
  Fields, He of the Withering Gaze, the Bone Flower, the 
  Autumn Reaper, the Horned Shepherd. His favorite 
  was the Skull Father, and Lamotruu had a fondness 
  for skulls of all shapes and sizes. In the heart of his 
  Abyssal domain, he held court in a grisly site called 
  Kharrel-Tavox, Abyssal for the Tower of Skulls. A great 
  spire whose exterior was embedded with hundreds 
  of thousands of leering skulls, it commanded respect 
  and housed the demon lord’s greatest prizes and was 
  the seat of his power.
  Orcus and Lamotruu clashed many times over the 
  centuries, sometimes in fierce multi-day long bloody 
  combats that wet the Abyssal plains with demon 
  blood and sometimes in darkness-shrouded assassin 
  strikes with surgical precision. Orcus longed to be the 
  sole demon lord with command and dominion over 
  the undead, and Lamotruu saw Orcus as nothing more 
  than a fetid goat demon with delusions of grandeur.
  Their rivalry peaked when Orcus lured away a trio of 
  Lamotruu’s greatest generals with promises of power. 
  Furious at the betrayal, Lamotruu launched a surprise 
  offensive on Orcus’ home layer, summoning great 
  walking graveyards and titanic elder deathsoil worms 
  to overwhelm the demon prince’s palace.
  The surprise, however, was for Lamotruu. Orcus knew 
  of the planned attack and used his mastery over 
  the Abyssal plane to make sure that his palace was 
  safe from any harm. With Lamotruu so preoccupied, 
  however, it was easy for Orcus to cut through the 
  former’s defenses and set foot in Kharrel-Tavox itself.
  It was the end for Lamotruu. Orcus, with his full host 
  assembled, laid low to Lamotruu’s defenders and 
  captured the Tower of Skulls. The defeated demon 
  lord waited for death to finally claim him, as was the 
  natural cycle of existence.
  But Orcus would not be so merciful. He bound Lamotruu 
  to the Tower of Skulls, uprooted it wholly from the 
  Abyss, and cast it into the Prime Plane using powerful, 
  demonic sorcery. Lamotruu would live, forever bound 
  to his home, which would eternally remain detached 
  from the Abyss in the realm of mortals. Afterwards, 
  Orcus assumed control over Lamotruu’s Abyssal layer 
  and the fallen demon lord faded into obscurity.
  On the Prime Plane, Kharrel-Tavox became a site 
  of horror and nightmares. Cursed as it was, it could 
  only appear under a full moon and it moved across 
  the land mysteriously. Wherever it traveled, death 
  followed – nightmarish creatures rose from unnaturally 
  blackened soil. Heroes sought out the Tower of Skulls 
  to plunder its halls of treasure and to stop its evil 
  influence, but so far few have penetrated deep into 
  its madness-inducing walls. Many perish before they 
  can even enter the legendary site.
  Inside, Lamotruu has gone insane. He longs to be free 
  of his torment and to let death overtake him, but he 
  knows that feat requires strength and bravery – two 
  things he lacks. So he has turned his former power 
  base into a death trap for the unwary, cackling away 
  at the mortals who blunder in to find naught but their 
  doom.
  
  3
  Module Synopsis
  The characters search for and discover the legendary 
  Tower of Skulls. They could be actively searching for it, 
  or they could just stumble upon it one night. The DM 
  is free to use one of the adventure hooks described 
  below or come up with his own reason.
  Along the way to the tower, the DM could use on 
  the optional encounters. The unwholesome power of 
  the Tower of Skulls has given rise to the buried dead, 
  breathing new life into their corpses. The tower’s 
  presence also fouls the land in unnatural ways, 
  creating a pestilent zone of death and decay all 
  around its unnatural position.
  Those seeking the tower to put an end to its foul 
  existence encounter an omen of ill-fortune at sunset 
  just before the tower rises– a flock of grim ravens in the 
  shape of skull.
  Entering and exploring the Tower of Skulls should prove 
  challenging and worthwhile to a group of experienced 
  characters and players. The experience is made even 
  better, however, with a clear, identifiable goal that 
  the characters need to accomplish. The DM can 
  use one of the hooks below or come up with his own 
  reason for using the haunted and twisted halls of the 
  demon lord’s skeletal tower.
  Using the Tower
  The Tower of Skulls can be used in one of several ways 
  in your game. The first way is exactly as presented in 
  this module - a twisted, dangerous dungeon filled with 
  traps and difficult encounters that the characters are 
  not expecfted to complete the entire way through. By 
  removing the ability of the party to take a full rest and 
  regain spells and abilities, the encounters in the tower 
  become more difficult the longer the characters go. 
  This is intentional and maintains the mystery and threat 
  of the site itself.
  The second way is to integrate the tower into your 
  campaign more fully. Perhaps you wish to utilize 
  Lamotruu as an ongoing villain (utilizing the further 
  modules in the LORD OF THE BONE FIELDS series), in 
  which case the goal becomes to destroy the Tower 
  of Skulls. In this case, you can ease up the difficulty 
  of the module by allowing the characters to take a 
  long rest in one of the Rooms of Respite. The tower 
  appears only during a full moon but perhaps it shows 
  up for three nights in a row, allowing the characters 
  to recover during the day and return to conquer 
  the site. This provides a sense of urgency without the 
  breakneck and lethal pace of the first option.
  Future Modules
  BF1 Tower of Skulls serves as a stand-alone module 
  designed to challenge higher level characters in a 
  grueling unwholesome dungeon filled with danger 
  and despair. It functions on its own, outside of any 
  connecting storyline, and works great for a one-shot 
  night of adventure or as the culmination of a long 
  quest.
  If the characters manage to defeat Lamotruu in the 
  tower’s upper most level, they will have unwittingly 
  released the demon lord from its prison. Additional 
  adventures can be spawned from such an event 
  as Lamotruu seeks to regain his former power and 
  domain from Orcus and other fiendish beings. What 
  happens when the Abyssal pecking order becomes 
  upset? Lamotruu’s story continues in the LORD OF THE 
  BONE FIELDS series.
  Involving the Characters
  There are many ways characters could become 
  involved in the legend of the Tower of Skulls. Below 
  are some suggestions that the DM is free to use.
   
  •	
  An object that a character has been previously 
  unable to find is discovered to be in the Tower 
  of Skulls. This information could be gleaned from 
  divination magic (the object is in the Tower of 
  Skulls) and then a potent location spell (pointing 
  the character in the right direction).
  •	
  The characters, having heard rumors of the Tower 
  of Skulls and its purported stash of magical items, 
  decide to risk the danger and hunt down the 
  haunted location. They know (from divination or 
  even rumor-mongering) that the tower appears 
  only under a full moon so a quick strike is needed.
  •	
  Jakob Devileye, a hunter of the dead, has been 
  searching for the Tower of Skulls for many years. He 
  went inside two years ago alone, but failed in his 
  endeavor to destroy the place and was ejected 
  out, minus most of his equipment. He approaches 
  the characters with a plea for help to destroy the 
  accursed tower. Jakob has a skull from the tower, 
  which points him in the right direction.
  •	
  Alternatively, one of the characters could be a 
  hunter of the dead, and is on a mission to destroy 
  the Tower of Skulls, a well-known symbol of 
  undeath and corruption.
  •	
  In an unrelated adventure, the characters 
  come across a human skull. It has no markings 
  of any kind, but it becomes engulfed in harmless 
  black flames two days before the Tower of Skulls 
  
  4
  
  5
  appears. When the characters are facing in the 
  appropriate direction, the eyes of the skull light up 
  with a crimson glow. Thus is the way to the Tower 
  of Skulls illuminated.
  •	
  The characters find that they need to go 
  somewhere nearly impossible to find and have 
  run out of options. At the top of the Tower of Skulls 
  sits the Orb of Dimensional Flight, a powerful relic 
  that allows travel to anywhere in the multiverse. 
  It is, of course, guarded by the denizens of the 
  tower along with Lamotruu itself, but if the party 
  can reach it they may be able to bargain with the 
  deposed demon lord. Or defeat it.
   
  Investigating the Tower
  Whatever method the DM decides to use, characters 
  can gain more information on the Tower of Skulls by 
  using resources and spells. Refer to the appropriate 
  section for examples of what is revealed using the 
  three most common forms of investigation: consulting 
  a sage, consulting a high-level wizard, and the legend 
  lore spell.
  Consulting a Sage
  The Tower of Skulls has been encountered by many 
  individuals across the years, and more than one of 
  them has written of their encounters. Characters 
  can find out more information about the tower by 
  finding a sage with a well-stocked library. No check is 
  necessary, but each piece of information below should 
  take time, gold, or a favor to the sage (or all three!). 
  * The Tower of Skulls was the home of an ancient 
  demon lord hundreds of years ago. The tower is 
  constructed out of the bleached skulls of his enemies.
  * A pair of individuals sought out the tower to destroy 
  an ancient tome – a holy paladin of light and a 
  dark necromancer. Why the two were together is a 
  complete mystery, and if they were successful or not 
  remains unknown.
  * It is whispered that the coming of the Tower of 
  Skulls is heralded by a flock of crows, flying in a skull 
  formation. It is an omen of ill-will anyway, but doubly 
  so in the evening.
  Consulting a High-Level Wizard
  The sorceries that created and uprooted the Tower 
  of Skulls are ancient and demonic. A few sages and 
  wizards have sought out this knowledge for their own 
  gain, as consulting with a high-level spellcaster can 
  show. The bullet points below can be given out in 
  exchange for gold or favors at the GM’s discretion.
  * The Tower of Skulls was created using magic of the 
  darkest form – not just necromancy, but a form of 
  ancient druidic magic so vile it was not meant for the 
  mortal world. The demon lord who constructed the 
  tower infused the building with powerful sorcery from 
  this school.
  * The Tower of Skulls was enchanted with a strange 
  incantation that actually made it alive. When the 
  tower appears, the skeletal walls moan and groan for 
  all to hear in the night, creating a most ghastly sight 
  and causing insanity to those who are around it too 
  long.
  * Two individuals entered the Tower of Skulls and 
  confronted the demon lord. One was a paladin of 
  light, but the other was a practitioner of the undead 
  arts – a necromancer of the highest caliber. The 
  necromancer was half-dead herself, and used dark 
  magic to prolong her life.
  * The Tower of Skulls is enchanted in such a way that it 
  bolsters the power of evil and weakens the power of 
  good. Undead especially are a dire threat within the 
  tower’s walls.
  Patron Research
  Lamotruu was a powerful demon lord, and a great 
  many mortal servants offered their pledges to his will. 
  Much time has passed, though, and the secrets of 
  communicating with the Demon Lord of Graveyards 
  via the various patron spells have been lost. If the 
  characters were so enterprising, however, they 
  might be able to dig up in an ancient library some 
  information regarding various groups that served 
  Lamotruu. Whatever members or power these groups 
  once possessed has long faded, but their names are 
  still written in musty tomes in the far corners of forgotten 
  curious. Whether any of these are still around is up to 
  the Judge.
  * The Doomseers of Lamotruu were a group of wizards 
  bound to serve the demon lord as advisors and as 
  vessels to greater power.
  * The Eyes of Death were the extraplanar scouts, the 
  eyes and ears so to speak, of Lamotruu’s will. They 
  were powerful witches who gave up their humanity 
  long ago.
  
  6
  FINDING THE TOWER
  The easiest way to find the Tower of Skulls is to locate 
  a skull that’s been taken from the tower. Visitors who 
  manage to leave Kharrel-Tavox alive always find a 
  single skull in their possession – the reason for this is 
  unknown, but it happens every time.
  Two days before the tower appears, each skull 
  becomes limned with harmless but impressive black 
  fire. When the skull is facing the direction of the 
  tower, the eye sockets become illuminated with a 
  malevolent, crimson glow. The skulls are resistant to 
  destruction and seem impervious to magic.
  The distance from whatever major city the characters 
  are in to the Tower of Skulls is 64 miles. (At a movement 
  rate of 20 feet, with 16 miles per day, it is a four day trip. 
  With horses (some move at 50 feet and some at 60) the 
  time is shortened considerably.) High-level characters 
  no doubt have many items and spells at their disposal 
  to make this time go faster – for instance, a carpet 
  of flying or the fly spell. Both of these decrease the 
  amount of travel time by so much for so long.
  Using the skull to get to the tower is pretty 
  straightforward – the DM may use one of the optional 
  encounters presented here or make up his own 
  random encounters on the road if he wants to prepare 
  the characters (and the players) for the Tower of Skulls.
  The Tower’s Influence
  Like an abhorrent weed, the Tower of Skulls spreads 
  its unholy tendrils to choke out the life from the 
  surrounding countryside. From a week out to its rise, 
  a circle roughly encompassing 20 miles radius from 
  the tower becomes changed and unnatural. This is 
  referred to as the Influence Zone. Refer to the below 
  table for how strong the effect becomes.
  Days 
  Before Rise
  Effects
  6-7
  Birds (except for crows) flee the 
  Influence 
  Zone; 
  earthworms 
  crawl up to the surface at night 
  to create great squirming swaths; 
  wolves and other predators attack 
  without provocation.
  4-5
  Patches of exposed earth turn 
  black as pitch; the sickeningly 
  sweet odor of grave flowers fills 
  the 
  Influence 
  Zone; 
  normally 
  passive animals become hostile 
  and vicious.
  2-3
  Graveyards expel zombies and 
  skeletons in the Influence Zone 
  to terrorize the living at random 
  hours; black and green sap ooze 
  from trees like wounds during the 
  night; thick clouds gather in the 
  sky accompanied by rumbling 
  thunder and flashes of purple 
  lightning, but no rain falls.
  0-1
  Packs of hungry wolves stalk 
  the 
  land 
  seeking 
  easy 
  prey; 
  thick patches of corpse flowers 
  suddenly appear to cover open 
  areas during the night; thick gray 
  moss appears on trees in the 
  Influence Zone, forming the image 
  of leering skulls on the trunks.
  The key with the Influence Zone is to show the 
  malignant power of the Tower of Skulls and the threat 
  that it poses to the surrounding area. Good-aligned 
  characters and any that care about the well-being 
  of the land the people who dwell on it should feel the 
  pull to put an end to the unwholesome sight.
  The Omen of Ill-Fortune
  On the day before the tower appears, the characters 
  witness the omen of ill-fortune that supposedly 
  precedes the appearances of Kharrel-Tavox – a flock 
  of grim crows in the shape of a skull.
  The adventure assumes late autumn, before the 
  snow, as the season. The DM should change the text 
  appropriately if the season is other than that.
  A cool, northern breeze blows across the land, 
  causing the tall grass around you to ripple and sigh 
  like the dying breath of an old man. A shiver runs 
  down your spine as you gaze up at the steel gray 
  clouds in the sky. Farther up the beaten path you 
  see a tree. Or at least, what remains of a tree. It 
  appears as though the towering oak had been 
  struck with a horrible cancerous disease – its limbs 
  are barren, devoid of the spark of life that once 
  dwelled within its thick bark. The branches at this 
  distance take on a twisted appearance, as if some 
  grotesque giant with multiple limbs were grasping 
  towards the sky.
  As the characters draw closer to the tree they can 
  see the branches aren’t completely devoid of all life. 
  Perched on the limbs are large, black birds – perhaps 
  three dozen of them, standing silent and still.
  A moment later, with a shriek the entire flock takes 
  to the sky. The characters can see now that they’ve 
  
  7
  taken flight that they are gaunt, black crows. As they 
  watch them take to the evening sky, they see a shape 
  begin to take form from the movement of the flock. 
  The form appears as that a large, leering skull staring 
  down at them from the sky.
  The flock of grim crows are non-combatant and fly 
  away into the evening sky.
  TOWER OF SKULLS
  When the characters reach the location of the Tower 
  of Skulls on the map, the skull they are using as their 
  guide burns up with the hellish black fire that has 
  illuminated it for two days. That’s how the characters 
  know they are in the right place – their guide goes 
  away.
  Walls and Floors
  The walls and floors of the Tower of Skulls are not made 
  out of any material known to the world currently. It is 
  a demonic-style of material, found in many places in 
  the Abyss. Known as bonemelt, it is gray and coarse, 
  and is actually made of ground up bone. Not all the 
  bones are ground up, however, and some can still be 
  seen in the walls and floors (impossible to pry loose, 
  unfortunately).
  Doors
  There are no traditional doors within the Tower of Skulls. 
  All doors are secret and revealed only by completing 
  certain actions in the room, though the presence of 
  a door can be revealed with a 2 in 6 chance after 
  investigation check. All secret doors are locked but 
  have no handle or keyholes – they are opened only 
  by activating them. Activating a door is different for 
  each room. When open the door remains open for 1 
  minute.
  Though the rooms are close together, each doorway 
  is completely enshrouded in impenetrable shadow 
  that blocks all sensory perception between rooms. 
  Passing through a doorway has an effect that people 
  call “someone walking over your grave” – a chill runs 
  up and down the spine and gooseflesh rises on arms.
  Magical Properties of the Tower
  The Tower of Skulls radiates an unholy aura, and has 
  been fixed with a permanent magical effect that 
  causes Turn Undead attempts within the towerto  
  automatically fail.
  Time Within the Tower
  Due to the nature of the curse that Orcus placed upon 
  it, the Tower of Skulls exists only at night. The night lasts 
  twelve hours (sundown to sun up).
  Resting
  The unnatural properties of the Tower of Skulls prevents 
  resting in most of its chambers. The moans of the dead, 
  a subtle shifting of the floor and walls, and a psychic 
  presence invading the sleeping mind all prevent 
  rests. The only exception are the Rooms of Respite, 
  one hidden on each of the first four floors, that each 
  allow short rests inside of them. The characters can 
  detect this effect upon entering the tower and should 
  know that they must conserve their resources as they 
  explore the Tower of Skulls.
  Leaving the Tower
  There are only two ways to exit the Tower of Skulls. The 
  first way is to jump through one of the portals that are 
  located in the Rooms of Respite. The portal transports 
  characters 1d% miles away from the tower, but each 
  of their magical items has a 50% chance of being 
  transported to area 50d, the Vault of Treasure. Upon 
  taking stock of their possessions, the character finds a 
  strange skull which points the way back to its home at 
  the tower.
  The other way – and far more dangerous – is to locate 
  the four keyskulls and use them to unlock the Gate 
  of Despair and ascend to the fifth floor of the tower. 
  There, in the Skull Throne, is the demon lord’s Orb of 
  Dimensional Flight, which transports the characters 
  wherever they wish to go (with their equipment).
  
  8
  The Tower Arises!
  The tower appears in the middle of the night as a 
  thunderstorm rages around the characters. Read 
  the following text when night descends (or if the 
  characters approach the site by night).
  The chill breeze that has been blowing all day picks 
  up in intensity, raising goose bumps on your exposed 
  skin. The sky above you darkens with the advent 
  of angry storm clouds – dark and malevolent, 
  there’s almost a palpable evil in their menacing 
  shape and foreboding gray color. A low rumble of 
  thunder ripples through the air. A rain drop hits your 
  shoulder, and then another, and another, until the 
  clouds unleash their fury in the form of drenching 
  rain. A flash of unusual purple lightning streaks 
  across the sky, illuminating the clouds in its eerie 
  light, and the thunder rumbles like the footsteps of 
  a thousand monstrosities.
   
  As the characters get their bearing, an unusual 
  rumbling begins as the tower itself rises up from the 
  ground!
  You feel the ground beneath you shiver and quake, 
  but not from the thunder. About two hundred feet 
  from where you stand, a large mound rises, like a 
  great bubble beneath the earth. The mound must 
  be at least one hundred feet in diameter and about 
  ten feet tall. The rain continues to come down in 
  sheets with the strangely colored lightning in the 
  sky the only source of illumination any more. You 
  watch the mound as it cracks and breaks under 
  enormous pressure, creating a darkened crater. 
  And inside that crater something massive moves. 
  Rising up from the hole is a tower, stretching up to 
  the sky in mere moments. It must be at least three 
  hundred feet high, and, looking at from the brief 
  flashes of lightning, you see that it is made entirely 
  out of skulls – grim, polished, leering skulls, staring 
  at you with empty sockets. Even at this distance, 
  you can hear soft moaning echoing from it, a quiet 
  murmuring that quickly grates on your nerves. The 
  ground around the newly risen tower is covered in 
  unearthly black soil.
  Thus the Tower of Skulls arises from the ground to 
  torment the living. Once the characters get within 80 
  feet of the tower the deathsoil worm arises from the 
  ground in an eruption of soil and attacks.
  Tactics: A single deathsoil worm acts as the guardian 
  of the Tower of Skulls. It appear when a character 
  comes within 80 feet of the tower and fights to the 
  death, moving beneath the ground to launch surprise 
  attacks against any intruders.
  Outside the Tower
  Once the characters have defeated the guardian, 
  they can approach the tower. When the characters 
  reach the end of the trail, read the following text.
  The sound of tortured moaning grows louder as 
  you approach the base of the skull tower, making 
  it difficult for you to concentrate. There are no 
  entrances that you can see, and, looking farther up 
  the tower, you can see no windows as well. Only 
  skulls, staring at you with their unearthly, empty 
  eyes.
  If a character comes within five feet of the tower, one 
  of the skulls emerges from the wall and becomes alight 
  with red flames. The flame skull snakes its way down to 
  the characters before stopping about ten feet from 
  them. It speaks in a grating voice from beyond the 
  grave:
  The entrance to the tower is hidden
  In a lock whose key is on the tongue
  Use it by calling the past now forbidden
  But be wary of death that moves among
  The answer to this riddle is to say the true name of 
  the Tower of Skulls. By speaking Kharrel-Tavox, the 
  entrance into the tower is revealed.
  Read the following when the characters solve the 
  riddle (or defeat the flame skulls):
  The eerie, flaming talking skull retreats back to its 
  niche in the wall. In front of you, the skulls in a ten 
  foot by ten foot area began to shake and convulse, 
  and then roll to either side as a huge dragon skull 
  rumbles to the surface. The lifeless jaws open wide, 
  creating an entrance into the tower through its 
  gaping, skeletal mouth.
  The PCs are now free to enter and experience the 
  horror that is the Tower of Skulls.
  Tactics: If the flame skull is attacked, it calls upon 
  its allies and fights back. On the second round of 
  combat, three more flame skulls appear to pester the 
  characters.
  The flame skulls concentrate their efforts on any divine 
  spell casters – clerics, paladins, and druids, in that 
  order. They are inexorably linked to the tower and 
  cannot move beyond 100 feet of it. If the characters 
  flee beyond that point, the flame skulls retreat back. 
  If the characters approach once more, they are 
  allowed a second chance at the riddle.
  If the characters defeat all the flame skulls, the door 
  opens up just as if they had answered the riddle 
  correctly. If the characters answered the riddle, 
  
  9
  award them XP for all four flame skulls. Change the 
  flavor text to accommodate the situation.
  TOWER LEVEL 1
  1. 
  Hall of Entrance
  You step through the yawning portal, slightly leery 
  of the ghastly motif that surrounds you. Inside is a 
  chamber, about 30 feet long and half that wide. 
  There are no doors visible in the hall – the ever-
  present moaning of the very walls is the only sound 
  that reaches your ears. Great patches of quivering 
  brown-colored mold cling to much of the walls and 
  floor. An unearthly chill fills the chamber causing 
  your breath to appear in puffs of warm air from your 
  lips. On the west, south, and east walls you can see 
  enlarged human skulls set about five feet from the 
  ground. The skulls are twice the size of a human 
  skull.
  If the characters turn around to look, they will find that 
  the entrance has also been sealed up behind them. 
  Two rounds after the characters enter the Hall of 
  Entrance, the wall-mounted skulls speak via a magic 
  mouth spell. They repeat the following cryptic rhyme:
  Welcome to your final rest
  Your life I claim as mine
  Watch where dark shadows nest
  Four skulls for you to find
  Encased in pillars, only the best
  A way out you must find
  Or forever stay as my guest
  And lose your life and mind
  After the skulls give their rhyme, they fall silent and 
  remain silent. Two of the skulls are inanimate and 
  completely lifeless. The one on the north wall hides 
  the monster.
  The patches of brown on the walls and floor is a 
  dangerous hazard known as brown mold. Contact 
  with brown mold causes 1d8 cold damage, but if it 
  is subject to fire damage it grows incredibly strong 
  and fast. Cold damage destroys it immediately. 
  Characters can easily pick paths around the brown 
  mold to avoid the cold damage from contacting any 
  of it. Unfortunately, the frost giant zombie currently 
  covered in brown mold has no such inhibitions. The 
  flesh on the monster’s face has been removed and it 
  is the skull on the north wall, the rest of it being walled 
  up behind a thin layer of material. Two rounds after the 
  characters enter the frost giant zombie lets out a roar 
  and bursts free, lurching forward to attack relentlessly.
  Tactics: The frost giant zombie is coated in brown 
  mold and uses the hazard to the best of its ability. 
  Characters are going to be walking over the brown 
  mold in the room if they wish to avoid the monster as 
  well.
  Doors: The door to area 12 on the west wall is opened 
  by placing a hand inside the mouth of the skull on 
  the west wall. The door to area 2 on the east wall is 
  opened by defeating the frost giant zombie.
  2. 
  Field of Woe
  The stench of carrion and death hangs heavy within 
  this square room. You are standing on a five foot 
  ledge that borders the entire chamber, beyond 
  which the floor drops fifteen feet. As you inch closer, 
  you see that the floor of the broad pit is gray and 
  somewhat lumpy. As you look closer, you see that 
  they aren’t lumps at all - they are heads! Several of 
  them writhe and wriggle ever so slightly, creating a 
  moving field of eternal woe. Their mouths and eyes 
  open and shut in silent agony.
  It was in this room that Lamotruu imprisoned the souls 
  of those who displeased him in his travels. They moan 
  and writhe in eternal agony and woe, and can do 
  
  10
  nothing to the PCs if they do not touch the floor.
  If one of the characters touch the ground, the 
  defenders of the Field of Woe appear. It takes one 
  round for the 4 blackroot shamblers to break free of 
  the field (they appear 5 feet away from the character 
  who first stepped upon the field), after which they can 
  attack normally. The blackroot shamblers, special 
  servants of Lamotruu, cannot leave the Field of Woe.
  Unlike the rest of the bodies, the blackroot shamblers 
  in this room are the result of doomed experiments 
  performed on soldiers who had proven themselves as 
  competent warriors. The demon lord sought to create 
  the perfect demonic soldier, but failed miserably. The 
  results are the tortured blackroot shamblers that now 
  exist in eternal suffering.
  Tactics: The blackroot shamblers fight with a terrible 
  tenacity but use sound tactics against opponents. 
  They engage in melee as soon as possible so as to 
  negate the possibilities of a mass attack spell. They 
  never surrender and do not talk.
  Doors: The door to the north leading to area 4 can 
  only be revealed by killing the blackroot shamblers. 
  The door on the east wall to area 3 opens when the 
  blackroot shamblers rise from the ground.
  3. 
  Sleep of the Roses
  The thick scent of roses is heavy in this twenty foot 
  by thirty foot chamber. It appears that this room is 
  some kind of garden – there are some very large, 
  crimson roses growing around at random intervals. 
  They are each about five feet in diameter, and all 
  are facing towards you. Hanging from the twenty 
  foot high ceiling is a grisly chandelier made of finger 
  bones. As you look the candles begin to flicker to 
  life.
  These flowers are indeed deadly, but not in any 
  obvious way. There are six of them in the room, marked 
  on the map with an “X”. The chest holds the treasure 
  of the room.
  There are 6 roses of Lamotruu in this room, appearing 
  as large flowers. They once grew abundant in 
  Lamotruu’s Abyssal lair but now can only be found in 
  the Tower of Skulls. When disturbed, the rose exudes 
  a fragrance that puts mortal creatures into a deep 
  slumber, after which the semi-sentient rose devours 
  the sleeping creature.
  The chandelier candles ignite completely after 1 round 
  passes. All non-plant and non-undead creatures in 
  the room suffer from the affliction of the gods spell (CL 
  8, spell modifier +16, Fort save DC equal to the spell 
  check result). The chandelier candles stay lit as long 
  as one character suffers from the spell; once everyone 
  has saved or the duration has passed the candles go 
  out. The chandelier is hung from the ceiling by thick 
  iron chains.
  Tactics: The roses of Lamotruu are connected to one 
  another, and can sense each other’s actions and 
  movements. If one rose activates its sleep musk, the 
  rest activate theirs to create a cloud of sleeping gas 
  that fills the entire chamber. The grasping vines seek 
  out sleeping victims but fight groggy ones just the 
  same.
  Doors: The door to the north that leads to area 5 is 
  opened by removing all of the candles from the 
  chandelier (there is one candle for each character 
  coincidentally). If the characters entered the room 
  from the north the door on the west wall leading to 
  area 2 is opened via this way instead.
  4. 
  Riddle Pillar of White Winter
  The chamber beyond the doorway is a fifty foot 
  diameter dome with a ceiling reaching at least 
  forty feet high. The ground and air is covered 
  in snow, pushed and swirled around by strong, 
  circular gusts of wind. In the center of the room is a 
  stark white pillar, five feet in diameter and standing 
  ten feet tall. Black arcane runes adorn its surface. 
  The walls of the dome are coated in a thick layer 
  of ice and the frosty temperature inside penetrates 
  to the bone.
  This is one of the four Riddle Pillars in the Tower of Skulls 
  that holds a keyskull. In order to gain access to the 
  fifth level, characters must possess the four keyskulls 
  and then pass through the Gate of Despair. It is also 
  the only way to gain access to the second floor of the 
  Tower of Skulls.
  The entire chamber is considered difficult terrain 
  because of the snow generated from the Riddle Pillar. 
  The wind and snow hide 4 yetis, bound as eternal 
  guardians to the chamber. The monsters obey the 
  will of the gwiddon who is also bound forever to the 
  Riddle Pillar.
  Once the characters enter the gwiddon reveals 
  herself from behind the Riddle Pillar. She demands to 
  know what the characters are doing in the Tower of 
  Skulls. She is only stalling to allow time for the yetis to 
  position themselves for maximum effectiveness.
  Tactics: The yetis move stealthily amidst the blowing 
  snow, trying to position themselves so that they can 
  hit as many characters as possible with their breath 
  weapon. The gwiddon launches into attacks at the 
  same time, focusing on spellcasters first.
  
  11
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 5 opens after 
  the gwiddon is defeated. The door on the north wall 
  to area 7 opens after the yetis are defeated. The door 
  on the west wall to area 10 opens when the holder 
  of the Riddle Pillar’s keyskull walks within 5 feet of it. 
  A spiral staircase appears leading up to the second 
  level (area 13) when the white keyskull is picked up.
  Riddle Pillar of White Winter
  In the center of the room is the Riddle Pillar of White 
  Winter. Carved on its surface in Abyssal is the following 
  riddle:
  One tooth to bite,
  He’s the forest’s foe
  One tooth to fight,
  As all dwarves know.
  The answer to the riddle is an axe. In order to gain 
  access to the hidden keyskull a character must hit 
  the pillar with an axe. Any axe will do – battleaxe, 
  greataxe, or hand axe. Allow some flexibility in solving 
  the puzzle if the characters lack an appropriate 
  weapon – a magical construct or similar effect could 
  work just as well if it’s in the shape or form of an axe. 
  Once the pillar is struck by an axe, read the following.
  Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind tears through 
  the room, nearly knocking you off your feet. You 
  watch in growing horror as the pillar you just struck 
  begins to shake, sending large chunks tumbling 
  to the ground with a crash. The bitter, cold wind 
  blows strongly around you, growing stronger with 
  each successive gust. And then, all at once, the 
  wind stops completely and the pillar crashes to the 
  ground. Lying in the rubble is a white skull, marked 
  with a single silver rune upon its top.
  The white skull is one of the four keyskulls. Any 
  character who can read Abyssal knows that the rune 
  is the symbol for the word winter.
  5. 
  Thorn Walls
  Beyond the shadow-filled opening is a hallway, 
  about fifty feet long and twenty feet wide. The east 
  and west walls are covered with large, barbed 
  thorns, about the size of a man’s hand. You see a 
  darkened path on the floor that zig-zags across the 
  hallway to the wall on the opposite end.
  This hallway is marked by two traps, which are both 
  described below.
  The zigzagging path that goes from one end of the 
  room to the other is the way to avoid one of the traps 
  in the hallway. If a character steps on a section of the 
  floor that is not marked by the path, the north and 
  south walls spit a multitude of barbed thorns at the 
  victim. Each time someone steps off the path into a 
  five foot section of thorns the vegetation shoots out 
  four heavy thorns at random targets in the room. Each 
  thorn makes a missile attack roll with a +8 bonus. A 
  target that is hit takes 1d10 piercing damage and 
  must make a DC 16 Fort saving throw or suffer 3d10 
  poison damage (or half on a successful save).
  However, the path is marked by spiked fireball pits. 
  Detecting the cleverly hidden pits requires checking 
  carefully with a pole with a 3 in 6 chance. Each pit 
  trap is 10 feet by 10 feet and triggers when 25 or 
  more pounds of pressure are applied to it. Anyone 
  unlucky enough to be standing on it must make a DC 
  16 Reflex saving throw or fall down the 20 foot shaft, 
  suffering 2d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall and 
  3d6 piercing damage from the spikes. Upon hitting 
  the floor, the fireball spell triggers as well, though the 
  prone victim at the bottom suffers -4 against the DC 
  16 Reflex saving throw for half of the 4d6 fire damage.
  Treasure: In the northeast corner a skeleton lies 
  slumped on the floor. This is where a valiant hero 
  succumbed to his bleeding wounds after making it 
  through the Thorn Walls. For the most part, he’s been 
  picked clean by the other would-be heroes who have 
  come across his body.
  Characters can make DC 16 Luck skill checks to notice 
  the gleam of gold on the skeleton’s right hand, middle 
  finger.  The ring is a Ring of Protection (described in 
  Appendix A).
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: An Old Trick
  If you’ve got an old ring lying around that fits one of 
  your fingers, you can use this old DM trick on your 
  players. In order to retrieve the ring, you can place 
  your hand on the table and instruct the player whose 
  character is taking the ring to demonstrate how. 
  The skeleton is completely inanimate, but the player 
  should be nervous nonetheless.
  Doors: The doors on the north wall to area 6 
  and the west wall to area 4 open when the 
  most northern pit trap on the floor is triggered. 
  6. 
  Styxian Well
  This thirty foot square chamber is littered with intact 
  skeletons laying on the ground or against the walls. 
  Some wear rusted armor while rotting robes and 
  clothing hang from others. In the center of the 
  room a wide well sits, ten feet across and five feet 
  high, with a wooden bucket sitting on the ledge.
  The well in this room descends ten feet before reaching 
  unnaturally brackish water, churned slowly by some 
  unknown force. At the bottom of the well twenty 
  feet below the water’s surface is a roiling portal that 
  
  12
  leads to the River Styx on the first layer of the Abyss. 
  Unfortunately, the water in the well is fed from that 
  portal and carries similar mind-altering powers. The 
  skeletons in the room are those people who drank or 
  touched the water in the well and forgot what they 
  were doing, laying down to eventually starve to death 
  in this chamber.
  The bucket on the ledge is dry and empty at the 
  moment. Anyone that touches or tastes the water in 
  the well suffers from the affliction of the gods spell (CL 
  8, +15 spellcasting modifier, Fort save DC equal to the 
  check result). The effects of the spell wear off after 1 
  hour’s rest, however, regardless of spell results.
  Unfortunately, the portal at the bottom of the well 
  is unstable. Every minute the characters stay in the 
  room roll 1d6. On a roll of a 1, the portal flares up and 
  sends a geyser of Styxian water gushing out of the 
  well! Everyone in the room must make DC 16 Reflex 
  saving throws or get some of the River Styx water on 
  them, forcing a save versus its effects as above.
  Doors: The doors on the west wall to area 7 and the 
  south wall to area 5 open after the first geyser releases.
  7. 
  Pit of Screams
  This small chamber is only twenty feet wide and 
  twenty feet long. There is, however, no floor beyond 
  the narrow two-foot ledge that skirts all around the 
  black pit in the center. A mournful howl echoes up 
  from somewhere deep in the darkness followed by 
  a desolate scream that is suddenly choked off.
  The Pit of Screams is the home to 3 howling wraiths, 
  which first appear on the third round after the 
  characters enter. The three creatures attack without 
  mercy.
  The pit itself is actually a portal to the Negative Energy 
  Plane. Those who fall into the Pit of Screams suffer 2d10 
  necrotic damage each round of falling (characters 
  fall 50 feet per round) until they are drained of all life 
  and are sucked into the Negative Energy Plane.
   
  Tactics: The three howling wraiths that guard the 
  portal to the Negative Energy Plane delight in pulling 
  opponents down into the pit and hearing their 
  screams.
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 6 opens when 
  someone screams into the pit. The door on the west 
  wall to area 8 opens when the howling wraiths are 
  defeated. If the characters entered via one of these 
  ways, the door on the south wall to area 4 opens on 
  the same trigger.
  8. 
  Demon Face Off
  Passing through the shadow-filled doorway you 
  are greeted with an awesome sight. A magnificent 
  chamber is revealed with a floor of polished 
  obsidian, as deep as night. Although there is no 
  light source that you can see, the room is well lit, 
  allowing you to see the two magnificent statues in 
  the center. They are carved of ivory, each facing 
  one another, and each is a fifteen foot tall and 
  wide crouching toad demon, mouth open wide 
  in a snarl and claws raised against its opposition. 
  The only difference between the two statues is their 
  eyes – the south statue has blue gemstone eyes and 
  the north statue has red gemstone eyes. The ceiling 
  is twenty feet up and made of polished obsidian.
  This room is the doom of curious characters. The two 
  demonic ivory statues in the center have five-foot tall 
  open mouths, with darkness inside. Climbing into them 
  is the only way to get to the treasure and to open the 
  doors, but it is also the only way to trigger the trap. 
  A closer examination of the mouths of each reveals 
  an unnatural chill emanating from the inside of the 
  blue gemstone statue and an uncomfortable warmth 
  extending from the inside of the red gemstone statue.
  Climbing into either one causes the statue’s mouth 
  to close shut, trapping the person inside. Escaping 
  without magical aid to melt the hardened ivory is 
  near impossible. Immediately after the mouth closes, 
  energy begins to build up inside it - cold energy for 
  the blue-eyed statue and fire energy for the red-eyed 
  statue. At the same time the eyes of both statues 
  begin to glow fiercely.
  If no one is in the opposite mouth in 3 rounds, the 
  energy buildup explodes in the statue’s inside, dealing 
  6d6 cold or fire damage to the victim (depending on 
  the statue). The victim is also spat out of the statue 
  onto the ground in front it. If both statues are occupied 
  before the 3 round buildup is complete, the eyes of 
  the statues sparkle with brilliant radiance before the 
  built up energy is expelled at the opposite statue - the 
  cold and fire smash together in a brilliant display of 
  power that deals no damage to anyone, including the 
  victims in the statues. After this display, the gemstone 
  eyes become inert and can be removed easily.
  Treasure: One of the blue and red gemstones are 
  nonmagical gems worth 750 gold pieces each. The 
  second items are Eyes of the Obsidian Toad (described 
  in Appendix A). If someone tries to pry out one of the 
  gemstone eyes without triggering the energy release 
  they are hit by a blast of 6d6 damage, cold or fire 
  depending on the gem. The trap can be avoided 
  with an antimagic field or similar magic.
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 7 opens when 
  the red-eyed statue releases its energy. The door on 
  
  13
  the west wall to area 9 opens when the blue-eyed 
  statue releases its energy. This includes if someone 
  tries to steal the gemstones.
  9. 
  Forest of Graves
  This octagonal chamber reeks of dirt and decay. 
  The walls are covered in thick tangles of black 
  brambles that extend over the twenty foot high 
  ceiling. Scattered about the room, sitting in the 
  black loamy soil that coats the ground, are a 
  dozen or so granite tombstones. Some bear carven 
  images on their rocky surface.
  One of Lamotruu’s favorite servitors lives in this room, 
  waiting to lurch forward and consume intruders. Two 
  rounds after the characters enter, the dirt on the 
  ground rumbles and 2 walking graveyards rise from 
  the western end of the room, skulls and bones sticking 
  from their earthy form.
  Tactics: The walking graveyards attack all intruders 
  indiscriminately, doing their best to keep people from 
  leaving.
  Treasure: Once the monster is defeated, the characters 
  can search the remains for treasure the creature stole 
  from previous victims. Inside the characters find a suit 
  of Armor of Arrow Deflection (described in Appendix 
  A) and a scroll containing choking cloud.
  Doors: The door on the south wall to area 11 opens 
  when the walking graveyard is defeated. Alternately, 
  if the characters entered that way, the door on the 
  east wall to area 8 opens via this same trigger.
  10. 
  Room of Respite I
  This small square chamber is only fifteen feet across, 
  but inside you feel shut off from the rest of the tower. 
  The consistent moaning that echoes throughout all 
  the previous rooms is notably absent from here. A 
  multicolored portal swirls to life on the north wall.
  This is the only room on the first floor of the Tower of 
  Skulls that the characters can take a short rest in. The 
  portal on the north wall transports characters out of 
  the Tower of Skulls, sans some of their equipment (see 
  Leaving the Tower at the beginning for details).
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 11 opens after 
  a short rest has passed (about an hour). Alternately, 
  if the characters entered that way, the door on the 
  east wall to area 4 opens via this same trigger.
  11. 
  Blast Furnace
  The dryness and heat in the air of this room sucks 
  the moisture from your mouth in an instant. Inside 
  this square chamber, on the western wall, sits four 
  ten foot tall furnaces made to resemble ornate iron 
  ogres. The furnaces open at the belly of each ogre, 
  which glows red hot through the bars on the hinged 
  door. Soot and black dust cover the floor and walls 
  of this otherwise unadorned room.
  Anyone stepping or passing into a line extending 
  straight out from each of the furnaces triggers a 
  flaming gout, shooting a line of fire 25 feet long, 
  blasting the wall opposite. Anyone caught in one of 
  these lines must make a saving throw or suffer 4d10 fire 
  damage (half on a successful save). The flames last 
  for 1d4 rounds before the furnace goes out.
  Characters running across the chamber trigger each 
  of the furnaces, but forward momentum means they 
  only suffer 2d10 fire damage from each blast, or none 
  on a successful save. They must still save against each 
  one however.
  The ceiling is 10 feet tall in this chamber so it is possible 
  to fly or climb over the flaming gouts from the furnaces. 
  The furnaces themselves reach to the ceiling and are 
  incredibly hot to the touch (2d10 fire damage from 
  touching them, no save).
  Doors: The door on the south wall to area 12 and the 
  door on the north wall to area 9 opens after all four 
  of the furnaces have been triggered at least once. 
  The door on the east wall to area 10 opens when 
  any object is placed and incinerated inside the most 
  northerly furnace on the wall.
   
  12. 
  Changing Cages
  This room is littered with tall iron cages, about eight 
  of them in total, each standing ten feet tall. None 
  of the cages seem to be locked but they are all 
  currently closed.
  The cages in this room are used to transform intruders 
  into mundane beasts. There is a powerful compulsion 
  put on the cages as well. Any character in the room 
  feels a strong urge to climb inside one of the cages. 
  Resisting this urge requires a saving throw. On a failure, 
  the character opens one of the unoccupied cages 
  and climbs inside.
  Once inside, the magic of the cage polymorphs 
  the character into a random creature (DC 18 Will 
  saving throw negates the effect). If the save fails roll 
  on the below table to see what type of creature the 
  character is transformed into. Once the transformation 
  is complete the cage door swings open.
  
  14
  1d8
  Polymorph Results
  1
  Bat
  2
  Cat
  3
  Frog
  4
  Hawk
  5
  Owl
  6
  Rat
  7
  Raven
  8
  Snake
  The polymorph lasts for 12 hours or until the effect is 
  removed as per the spell.
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 1 and the 
  door on the north wall to area 11 opens when one of 
  the cage doors is closed and then opened again.
  TOWER OF SKULLS 2ND LEVEL
  13. 
  Cauldrons of Mystery
  This large, expansive room is barren of features 
  except for large, black cauldrons suspended from 
  the twenty-foot ceiling by great chains. You count 
  eight of them, each of them five feet in diameter, 
  five feet tall, and hanging six feet off the ground.
  This room has eight large cauldrons, each with different 
  contents. The cauldrons are labeled A through H on 
  the map and are described below. They all share the 
  following characteristics: five feet in diameter, five 
  feet deep, and six feet off the ground.
  Grabbing the side of the cauldron will cause it to 
  become off balance, spilling the contents onto the 
  unfortunate character. Characters with the ability of 
  flight can fly in the ten-foot space between the top of 
  the cauldron and the ceiling.
  There are 2 bone golems that maintain the liquids in the 
  cauldrons and protect the area from intruders. They 
  move from opposite corners to confront characters, 
  hissing and preparing to strike.
  Each of the cauldrons contains a different liquid as 
  described below.
  A. 
  This cauldron has light green liquid that steams 
  slightly. It contains acid (anyone touching it takes 
  4d10 acid damage, spilling allows a saving throw 
  for half).
  B. 
  This cauldron contains a clear liquid. It is a rare 
  water known as everclear, and characters that 
  drink from it are healed 4 (1d6+1) hit points. 
  Characters who are immersed in it are healed of 
  all wounds. The waters work in such a way only 
  once for each character in the span of seven 
  days.
  C. 
  This cauldron is filled with red hot, molten lava. 
  The heat can be felt from up to ten feet away. 
  The lava deals 4d10 fire damage to anyone that 
  touches it, and if the cauldron is spilled onto a 
  target a DC 16 Reflex saving throw is allowed for 
  half damage.
  D. 
  This cauldron contains a liquid that is incredibly 
  dangerous. It is a large vat of poison, similar to 
  shadow essence but it is considered contact 
  poison (4d10 poison damage, DC 16 Fort saving 
  throw for half) and it only lasts 1d4 minutes if 
  taken out of the pool (coating a weapon with it 
  will have this duration).
  E. 
  The steaming liquid in this cauldron is similar 
  to liquid nitrogen (freezes things on contact). 
  Touching the liquid nitrogen deals 4d10 cold 
  damage, and if the cauldron is spilled onto a 
  target a DC 16 Reflex saving throw is allowed for 
  half damage.
  F. 
  This cauldron contains a golden liquid that gives 
  off a warm glow that can be felt from up to 5 feet 
  away. Characters who drink from this pool gain 4 
  temporary points of Luck (lasting for 1d6 hours). 
  Drinking from the pool more than once creates 
  an overflow in the brain, reducing Intelligence 
  by 4 points of temporarily (lasting 1d6 hours). The 
  waters have no effect unless ingested.
  G. The silver liquid in this cauldron is the equivalent 
  to a potion of heroism that lasts for 1d4 hours. 
  Its effects do not stack with itself or a potion 
  of heroism, but it can be used multiple times. 
  H. 
  This cauldron contains simply cool water.
  Tactics: The bone golems, though large, can move 
  beneath the cauldrons without impediment by shifting 
  their bones, giving them access to the whole room.
  Doors: The door on the north wall to area 14 opens 
  when the chain is pulled down on cauldron A (can 
  happen when it is spilled). The door on the south wall 
  to area 18 opens when the chain is pulled down on 
  cauldron H. The door on the west wall to area 17 
  opens when the bone golems are defeated.
  
  15
  14. 
  Hall of the Ebony Armors
  This long chamber contains eight magnificent suits 
  of armor, four lined up on each of the east and 
  west walls. The armors are black as night, complete 
  with helmet, well-crafted sword, and ornate shield. 
  Intricate designs of demonic trees are laid with 
  great detail on the suits of armor, which stand as 
  though waiting for an order.
  These are the ebony armors of Lamotruu’s personal 
  bodyguards, now just empty shells of their previous 
  existence. However, they are not without destructive 
  merits themselves. There are 6 iron shadows that move 
  to animation as the characters enter the room.
  Tactics: The iron shadows are animated by the will 
  of Lamotruu and they fight ruthlessly against any 
  intruders into this hall.
  Treasure: The two suits at the most northerly part of 
  the hall are not monsters. One is a nonmagical suit 
  of plate armor, while the other is Demonic Armor 
  (described in Appendix A).
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 15 and the 
  door on the south wall to area 13 open when the iron 
  shadows are defeated.
   
  15. 
  Gelatinous Haze
  This square chamber is nearly thirty feet across and 
  filled with a hazy mist that makes discerning details 
  difficult. The only thing you see is a large golden key 
  suspended in midair in the center of the room.
  The mist obscures a transparent ooze in the middle of 
  this room, which holds the key in its bulk as a lure. It 
  takes a DC 16 Luck skill check to spot the ooze. The 
  ooze monster knows to wait for hapless people to 
  simply walk into its bulk.
  However, as the characters enter the room, the 
  trap triggers and a greed-inducing gas quickly fills 
  the chamber (near invisible in the misty haze). All 
  characters must make saving throws. Those that 
  fail are affixed by the golden key suspended in the 
  center of the room (actually in the middle of the 
  transparent ooze) and run towards it. Anyone that fails 
  the saving throw receives no saving throw to avoid 
  the transparent ooze’s engulfing mass. Any damage 
  suffered breaks the greed-inducing gas effect.
  The key itself, though nonmagical, is needed to exit to 
  the next chamber.
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 16 and the 
  door on the east wall to area 14 open when the key is 
  brought within 5 feet of them
  16. 
  Room of Respite II
  This small square chamber is only twenty feet across, 
  but inside you feel shut off from the rest of the tower. 
  The consistent moaning that echoes throughout all 
  the previous rooms is notably absent from here.
  This is the only room on the second floor of the Tower 
  of Skulls that the characters can take a rest in.
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 22, the door 
  on the south wall to area 17, and the door on the east 
  wall to area 15 open after a short rest has passed 
  (about an hour).
  17. 
  Riddle Pillar of Brown Spring
  The chamber beyond the doorway is a fifty foot 
  diameter dome with a ceiling reaching at least 
  forty feet high. The ground is covered in thick 
  gooey mud that bubbles at irregular intervals. In the 
  center of the room is a dark brown pillar, five feet in 
  diameter and standing ten feet tall. Black arcane 
  runes adorn its surface. The walls of the dome ooze 
  more mud, black and brown, and great clouds of 
  small buzzing insects move about the whole area.
  This is one of the four Riddle Pillars in the Tower of 
  Skulls that holds a keyskull. In order to gain access to 
  the seventh level, characters must possess the four 
  keyskulls and then pass through the Gate of Despair. 
  It is also the only way to gain access to the second 
  floor of the Tower of Skulls.
  The entire room is considered difficult terrain because 
  of the mud, which makes moving strenuous. In 
  addition, it hides sinister guardians. Slithering beneath 
  the mud are 3 black oozes, who instinctively begin 
  moving towards the characters stealthily.
  As the characters enter, a gwiddon steps from behind 
  the pillar in the center of the chamber and demands 
  to know what the characters are doing in the Tower 
  of Skulls. The gwiddon tries to keep the characters 
  occupied while the black puddings slither into the 
  best position to strike.
  Tactics: Concealed beneath the mud, the black 
  puddings are near impossible to spot. The gwiddon 
  waits until the characters are surrounded by the oozy 
  monsters before launching into attacks of her own.
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 22 opens 
  when the gwiddon is defeated. The door on the south 
  wall to area 20 and the door on the east wall to area 
  13 open when the black puddings are defeated. The 
  door on the north wall to area 16 opens when the 
  holder of the Riddle Pillar’s brown keyskull walks within 
  5 feet of it. The spiral staircase in the northwest corner 
  
  16
  
  17
  of the room only reveals itself after the characters 
  possess the keyskull. It leads up to the 3rd floor (area 
  24).
  Riddle Pillar of Brown Spring
  This is the Riddle Pillar of Brown Spring, and written on 
  it in Abyssal is the following riddle:
  My tines are long
  My tines are short
  My tines end ere
  My first report
  The answer to the riddle is lightning. In order to gain 
  access to the hidden keyskull, the pillar must be 
  struck by some kind of lightning attack, such as a 
  lightning bolt, a shocking grasp, or something else the 
  characters think of. Once the pillar is so struck, read 
  the following.
  Suddenly, a great gust of wind tears through the 
  room, nearly knocking you off your feet. You watch 
  in growing horror as the pillar you just struck begins 
  to shake as large chunks of it tumble to the ground 
  with a splash of mud. The west wind gusts around 
  you, growing stronger with each successive blast. 
  And then, all at once, the wind stops completely 
  and the pillar crashes to the ground. Lying in the 
  rubble is a small brown skull, marked with a single 
  silver rune upon its head.
  The brown skull is one of the four keyskulls. 
  Any character who can read Abyssal knows 
  that the rune is the symbol for the word spring. 
  18. 
  Out of Body Experience
  The chamber beyond this secret door is rectangular, 
  thirty feet across and twenty feet wide. The floor 
  slopes downward towards the middle, creating 
  a large bowl-like depression in the middle of the 
  room. And there, in the center, is a peculiar item. 
  It appears as though someone took four massive, 
  iron thrones and jammed them together, one 
  facing in each of the cardinal directions. The seats 
  of each of thrones are three feet off the ground 
  and stretch ten feet into the air, at which point they 
  meld together to form an iron pillar, which stretches 
  up to the fifteen foot high ceiling. Cables, tubes, 
  and wires surround and permeate all the thrones 
  and the pillar.
  This is a very peculiar room. No traps can be detected 
  upon the four iron thrones, but they all glow brightly 
  when subject to a detect magic spell.
  If one character sits in any of the chairs, nothing 
  happens. Make sure to note which one the character 
  sat in (north, east, south, or west). If another character 
  sits down, note which seat he sits in. If at any time two 
  characters are sitting at polar opposites (north and 
  south, east and west), then the trap is triggered.
  Both the characters must make saving throws or 
  be paralyzed for the duration of their “operation.” 
  Characters who succeed have the option of jumping 
  out of their seat before something happens (unknown 
  to the PC what is going to happen); if one character 
  jumps out and the other character failed, then see 
  below.
  If either characters fail, or they don’t jump out, then 
  the pillar begins to make a groaning sound. Iron 
  manacles clamp the character’s hands and legs to 
  the throne, and lightning leaps around the wires and 
  cables. Within a round, the show ends - but the brains 
  of the two characters have been switched around!
  The effect is permanent, and can be reversed 
  only through divine intervention or a wish spell. 
  The characters retain their Intelligence, Luck, and 
  Personality scores, and gain the body of the other 
  character (which includes the Strength, Agility, and 
  Stamina scores, and any other physical features). The 
  brains have physically been transported from one 
  character to another, and all spells currently prepared 
  have been lost. All abilities are retained by the PC.
  If only one character endures this process (the other 
  one having leapt out of the throne), then his brain 
  lands with a wet thud upon the opposite chair. The 
  character is dead, having no brain to replace the lost 
  one. Restoring a brain to the body requires intense 
  surgery and at least 8 hours which must be completed 
  before an attempt can be made to return the 
  character to life (except through divine intervention).
  Doors: The door on the south wall leading to area 19 
  and the door on the north wall leading to area 13 
  open after the machine has been triggered (even if 
  no brains were swapped).
  19. 
  Golden Pool of the Blade
  A square chamber opens up to you, roughly 
  twenty feet by twenty feet, lit only by a strangely 
  luminescent pool of golden liquid in the center. It’s 
  difficult to tell how deep the pool’s bottom reaches 
  as the surface is constantly disturbed by small waves 
  emanating from the center. There you can see the 
  hilt and handle of a long sword, the blade plunged 
  down into the golden water. A shining ruby in the 
  pommel competes for light in the chamber.
  Lamotruu imprisoned the soul of a paladin in the ruby 
  long ago as a form of punishment. The ruby and the 
  sword both glow as magic as does the golden water, 
  which at its deepest in the center is only 3 feet deep.
  
  18
  Anyone that touches the water suffers from a 
  dangerous disease that acts swiftly, reducing one of 
  the character’s ability scores (roll randomly) by 2d4. 
  The afflicted character must make a DC 18 Fort saving 
  throw each round to try and end the effect (three 
  successes ends the disease, three failures causes the 
  disease to last 7 days). Once a character has been 
  subject to the water’s disease they are immune to 
  further effects from the golden water for 24 hours.
  Treasure: The sword is a magical blade called 
  Demetrius, a symbol of an order of knights. More 
  information on this magic sword can be found in 
  Appendix A. The pommel stone of the blade is a ruby, 
  and anyone peering into the ruby can see the tiny 
  form of an armored knight in gilded armor pounding 
  futilely on the inside of the gem. Destroying the ruby 
  utterly destroys the trapped soul. How to free the 
  knight is up to the DM but may involve a quest outside 
  the Tower of Skulls.
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: An Ally in the Ruby
  If the characters are in desperate need of some 
  assistance, or one of their numbers has fallen to 
  some trap in the Tower of Skulls, you can use the 
  trapped knight to augment the party. Allow a magic-
  using character a few skill checks to determine how 
  to release Lord Hargrow from the ruby, who should 
  be equal to the lowest level character in the party. 
  Or perhaps instead of Lord Hargrow the characters 
  find another player’s PC that has shown up late to the 
  game!
  Doors: The door on the west wall leading to area 20 
  and the door on the north wall leading to area 18 
  open when someone touches the golden water. 
   
  20. 
  Gnarled Guardians
  A large room opens up before you fashioned to look 
  like the center of a great looming forest. The walls 
  are cleverly positioned with the trunks of gnarled 
  black trees with grasping branches filled with gray, 
  listless leaves. The ceiling, thirty feet above you, 
  is fashioned like the canopy of the gray forest, 
  covered in leaves that obscures whatever material 
  the ceiling is made of. Several of the black trees 
  stand curiously around the room, their branches 
  swaying in some unfelt breeze. Upon each you see 
  twisted, angry faces in the black bark composed of 
  knots and holes.
  When Lamotruu was a full demon lord with possession 
  over an Abyssal layer, he had miles upon miles of 
  forests that resembled this room. Now this is all that 
  remains, and Lamotruu’s anger and hatred over losing 
  all of his domain has transferred to the guardians in 
  this chamber. Inside is a single blackroot stomper, an 
  evil plant demon that feeds off blood and misery. It 
  moves to attack as soon as a character enters.
  Tactics: The blackroot stomper uses its animate trees 
  power to compel two of the normal trees into creatures 
  just like itself. It and its animated servants use straight-
  forward tactics against characters, moving to slam 
  either the strongest or anyone who seems to possess 
  fire attacks.
  Treasure: If defeated, a careful search of the blackroot 
  stomper turns up a ruby worth 500 gold nside its hollow 
  trunk.
  Doors: The door to the north leading to area 17 
  and the door to the east to area 19 open when the 
  blackroot stomper is defeated. The door on the west 
  wall to area 21 opens when fire is used on a carven 
  rune upon a tree next to the door (the rune’s meaning 
  is lost to antiquity).
  21. 
  The Grinning Skull
  A single feature dominates this square room. In the 
  center stands a ten foot tall skeleton dressed as a 
  jester, holding a scepter in one hand and a flute 
  in the other. Upon the bone statue’s head rests a 
  jester’s cap, but despite the intricate details in the 
  statue’s costume the skull is completely flat and 
  blank.
  This is the Grinning Skull, a bone golem possessed 
  with random action. Upon entering the room roll 
  on the below table to determine what the Grinning 
  skull does first. Each action it takes lasts for 1 minute 
  before it must roll again. The Grinning Skull’s attitude 
  and effective alignment is listed first followed by some 
  suggestive details on how it acts.
  1d10
  Grinning Skull Aspect/Action
  1
  Hostile 
  (Chaotic 
  Evil); 
  Attacks 
  immediately anyone that has entered 
  the room, cackling manically the 
  entire time.
  2
  Hostile (Neutral Evil); Takes immediate 
  offense to the characters intruding in 
  the room and moves to attack, but 
  can be talked down with a DC 16 
  Personality skill check.
  3
  Hostile 
  (Lawful 
  Evil); 
  Immediately 
  hates the characters but chooses 
  to accuse them of some imaginary 
  crime and stand trial over them rather 
  than attack.
  4
  Indifferent (Chaotic Neutral); Begins 
  to tell terrible jokes.
  
  19
  5
  Indifferent (Neutral); Begins to speak 
  loudly 
  and 
  vehemently 
  on 
  the 
  benefits of balance in existence.
  6
  Indifferent (Lawful Neutral); Takes on 
  a stern look and demands to know 
  why the characters have broken a 
  litany of imaginary laws.
  7
  Friendly 
  (Chaotic 
  Good); 
  Talks 
  animatedly about how freedom is not 
  free, it’s a choice for you and me.
  8
  Friendly (Neutral Good); Begins to 
  chat about wine from all over the 
  planes in a cultured, well-mannered 
  tone.
  9
  Friendly (Lawful Good); Advises the 
  characters on the tenements of a 
  made-up knighthood that upholds 
  truth, justice, and a patriotic way.
  0
  Inanimate; No actions.
  Each time the Grinning Skull takes an action its face 
  appears from the blankness to take on a frozen aspect 
  related to its outlook (angry look for Hostile (Chaotic 
  Evil), stern frown for Indifferent (Lawful Neutral), etc.). 
  Each of the aspects of the Grinning Skull represents 
  a different personality with distinct memories and 
  thoughts.
  Developments: Three of the Grinning Skull’s aspects 
  know something of interest to the party, but getting 
  the information out of the random-acting golem 
  might prove difficult. The Neutral Evil aspect knows 
  that the secret to passing the pit in area 22 is to trust 
  in wisdom. The Lawful Neutral aspect knows that the 
  safest path through the Hall of Weakness (area 24) is 
  to listen to the pillars. The Chaotic Good aspect knows 
  that the door to the “safe room” (area 16) can only 
  be opened when the keyskull is brought close to it.
  Doors: The door on the north wall to area 22 and the 
  door on the east wall to area 20 open after 3 minutes 
  have passed.
  22. 
  Howling Wraith Stone
  This expansive chamber is about 30 feet wide and 
  40 feet long. However, the deep shadows that 
  seem to dwell within the corners make you doubt 
  whether or not your estimate is accurate. In the 
  center of the room, on a large pedestal, is a great 
  black stone, about five feet in diameter.  It pulses 
  with a dark and eerie glow. In front of it rests a 
  plaque, upon which something is written in crimson 
  letters.
  This is a strange item that Lamotruu discovered on one 
  of his many pillages. The stone is a link to the Negative 
  Energy Plane that draws upon a living body’s life force 
  to create howling wraiths.
  The plaque in front of the stone reads the following 
  in Abyssal – “TOUCH ME.” The large black stone is a 
  nefarious portal to the deepest reaches of the Negative 
  Energy Plane. Doing as the plaque instructs drains the 
  victim of 2d4 hit points permanently (DC 18 Fort saving 
  throw for half, minimum 1), and each hit point drained 
  creates a howling wraith immediately, which attacks 
  on the next round. The drained character is stunned 
  for 1d4 rounds, and any conjured howling wraiths 
  concentrate their attacks on the stunned PC.
  Doors: The door on the north wall to area 23 and 
  the door on the south wall to area 21 open when 
  the black stone is touched by a living creature. The 
  door on the east wall to area 17 opens when a living 
  creature touches the plaque.
  23. 
  Rest of the Bone King
  The smell of dust and decay lies heavy within this 
  chamber, and as you glance around, you find that 
  dust-covered cobwebs fill the corners and cracks. 
  There is no light source within, forcing you to bring 
  your torch within, illuminating the 20-foot wide, 40-
  foot long room. The only thing of note is the large 
  stone sarcophagus at the opposite end of the 
  chamber. It appears unremarkable in every way 
  except for some ancient writing upon the lid.
  This is the resting place of a creature, a great warrior 
  and king that Lamotruu defeated. Instead of granting 
  his opponent death, however, the nefarious demon 
  lord brought him back into the clutches of undeath. 
  Now, mockingly called the Bone King, he waits to be 
  awakened.
  On the Bone King’s sarcophagus is written the following 
  inscription in Abyssal.
  Here lies the king of all that he saw
  A world without chains, a land without walls
  Now he sleeps in a timeless place
  Waiting for the embrace of cold dark grace
  Rise now, king, to claim what is yours
  Upon every land, upon all the shores
  Anyone reading this inscription (out loud or not) 
  summons the Bone King from his sarcophagus. He 
  arises the round after the inscription is read, trying to 
  catch the characters by surprise. On the same round 
  four of the tombs on the walls burst open to reveal 4 
  blackroot shamblers that join the fray.
  
  20
  Weird Dave’s Notebook: Handout Potential
  It is going to be easier to get the players to read 
  the inscription if you hand them a piece of paper with 
  the rhyme upon it. That way you are giving them the 
  option of reading it rather than asking the leading 
  question “Do you want to read the inscription?” 
  Curious players are a DM’s best friend!
  Tactics: The Bone King is a unique undead. He was 
  a powerful fighter before falling victim to the demon 
  lord long ago, and still retains his impressive fighting 
  ability. Lamotruu increased the Bone King’s size and 
  fighting prowess, making him a very deadly opponent 
  to those who would dare read the inscription on his 
  sarcophagus.
  Treasure: The Bone King’s tomb holds his prized 
  possession from his former life – a Figurine of the Onyx 
  Hound (described in Appendix A).
  Doors: The door on the east wall leading to area 16 
  and the door on the south wall to area 22 only open 
  when the Bone King is defeated in combat.
  TOWER OF SKULLS 3RD LEVEL
  24. 
  Hall of Weakness
  This long hallway is lined by large, stone pillars, 
  seven on each side all the way down the thirty-
  five foot length of the room. At the end stands a 
  large statue of a monstrous bipedal figure made 
  up of hundreds of bones fused together, about 12 
  feet tall. Each of the stone pillars is engraved with a 
  different rune.
  Each of the stone pillars is inscribed with a different 
  word. Starting on the left side and going north, the 
  words are as follows: “ALL,” “WHO,” “HERE,” “FOR,” 
  “STORY,” “IS,” and “AND.”
  On the opposite end, starting on the south end and 
  moving north, the pillars read: “YE,” “PASS,” “WEEP,” 
  “MY,” “TRULY,” “SAD,” and “TRAGIC.”
  When read from left to right, the pillars give the 
  following riddle: “ALL YE WHO PASS HERE WEEP FOR 
  MY STORY TRULY IS SAD AND TRAGIC.” In order to 
  bypass the creature, the characters must do as the 
  riddle commands – weep.
  The statue is a bone golem created to prevent access 
  to further parts of the Tower of Skulls by weeding out 
  the incompetent. If the characters answer the riddle 
  written on the pillars by weeping the door on the 
  east and west walls open. If the characters touch the 
  golem at all, it attacks.
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 31 and the 
  door on the west wall to area 25 both open when the 
  riddle is solved (someone weeps).
  25. 
  Bone Grinder
  Beyond the door stretches a narrow tunnel-like 
  tube only five feet wide and five feet tall. The sound 
  of pumping and grinding fills the air and steam 
  belches forth at regular intervals into the tube in 
  front of you, which you can see disappears behind 
  a corner only five feet away.
  Lamotruu enjoyed tinkering with some devices and 
  imprisoned a group of gnomes to force them to build 
  a machine that could grind up bones into powder. 
  The gnomes were successful, more or less, and 
  Lamotruu managed to smuggle most of the machine 
  away when Orcus imprisoned him in the tower. This 
  room contains a maze of tubes and tunnels that lead 
  to grinding gears and pulverizing hammers meant to 
  crush bones.
  Navigating the tubes to an exit requires three 
  successful DC 15 Luck skill checks. On a failure, the 
  characters must make DC 16 Reflex saving throws to 
  avoid being crushed by pistons for 3d6 bludgeoning 
  damage (no damage on a successful save). The exit 
  that the characters reach is determined randomly.
  The tubes are made of a thin metal that resist cutting 
  (each 5 foot section has 30 hp and suffers half damage 
  from piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing). Outside the 
  Bone Grinder is a mess of belching steam, confusing 
  pipes, and pumping pistons. Crawling around outside 
  requires a DC 16 Reflex saving throw each round to 
  avoid either a jet of steam for 4d6 fire damage (DC 
  16 Reflex save for half) or a chomping piston for 4d6 
  bludgeoning damage (DC 16 Reflex save for half). 
  Roll randomly to determine which hazard a crawling 
  character faces each round. Navigating to one of 
  the walls and then cutting into a tube that holds an 
  exit requires 1d4 rounds to find.
  Doors: Finding the doors is the most difficult part of the 
  Bone Grinder. Once reached each door opens when 
  someone approaches within 5 feet of it.
  
  21
  26. 
  Carrion Drips
  The smell of rotting meat fills this large chamber. The 
  stone floor is slick with blood, which drips down at 
  irregular intervals from the ceiling like a crimson rain. 
  There, 30 feet up, hang dozens of bodies in various 
  states of decay, each flayed of flesh and stripped 
  to muscle and bone. A daemonic cacophony, like 
  the chorus of unholy birds, fills the air.
  Lamotruu held vulture demons in high regard in his 
  Abyssal plane, sending great flocks of them out to 
  feast on the carrion that dotted the landscape. 
  Reduced now in power and influence, the demon 
  lord was only able to retain the services of a handful of 
  these creatures in their exile within the tower, keeping 
  them happy with promises of fresh meat.
  There are 2 vulture demons that keep to this room, 
  drying out skinless victims from the ceiling and savoring 
  the juices that run down to the floor. They move to 
  attack anyone who enters, driven mad at the sight of 
  fresher meat.
  Tactics: The vulture demons try to focus their attacks 
  on a single opponent if possible, targeting the least 
  armored first. They fight with savage ferocity until 
  death.
  Doors: The doors on the north wall to area 25 and the 
  south wall to area 27 open when the vulture demons 
  are defeated.
  27. 
  Riddle Pillar of Red Summer
  The chamber beyond the doorway is a fifty foot 
  diameter dome with a ceiling reaching at least 
  forty feet high. The floor is covered in small dunes 
  of red sand, whipped about by a hot, dry wind 
  that sucks the moisture from your lips. In the center 
  of the room is a dark crimson pillar, five feet in 
  diameter and standing ten feet tall. Black arcane 
  runes adorn its surface. The walls and ceiling are 
  golden and radiate intense heat causing sweat to 
  bead on your foreheads.
  This is one of the four pillars in the Tower of Skulls that 
  holds one of the four keyskulls. In order to gain access 
  to the seventh level, characters must possess the four 
  keyskulls and then pass through the Gate of Despair. 
  It is also the only way to enter the fourth level of the 
  Tower of Skulls.
  The red sand impedes movement – the entire area 
  is considered difficult terrain. Entering the room alerts 
  the guardians, 4 mummies, who move silently beneath 
  the sand to engage the characters as they continue 
  forward. The mummies each have a burrowing speed 
  of 30 feet. Behind the Riddle Pillar stands a gwiddon 
  that steps forward once the sand mummies reveal 
  themselves.
  Tactics: The mummies use their burrowing movement 
  to sneak up on the characters, closing into melee as 
  soon as possible, while the gwiddon uses her spells to 
  hammer on the characters.
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 28 opens 
  when the gwiddon is defeated. The door on the 
  north wall to area 26 opens when the mummies are 
  defeated. The spiral staircase in the northeast corner 
  of the room only reveals itself after the characters 
  possess the keyskull. It leads up to the 4th floor (area 
  36).
  Riddle Pillar of Red Summer
  In the center of the room stands the Riddle Pillar of Red 
  Summer, and written on it in Abyssal is the following 
  riddle:
  I have a mouth, but cannot talk
  I can run but never walk
  I have a head, but never weep
  I have a bed, yet never sleep
  The answer to the riddle is a river. In order to gain 
  access to the hidden keystone, the pillar must be 
  struck by some kind of running water for one round 
  (not just water itself). Once the pillar is struck so, read 
  the following.
  Suddenly, a great gust of wind tears through the 
  room, nearly knocking you off your feet. You watch 
  in growing horror as the pillar you just struck begins 
  to shake as large chunks of it fall to the ground with 
  a crash. The dry, hot wind blows strongly around 
  you, growing stronger with each successive gust. 
  And then, all at once, the wind stops completely 
  and the pillar crashes to the ground. Lying in the 
  rubble is a small red skull marked with a single silver 
  rune upon its head.
  The red skull is one of the four keyskulls. Any 
  character who can read Abyssal knows that 
  the rune is the symbol for the word summer. 
  
  22
  28. 
  Black Soil
  An earthen smell is thick in the air in this massive, 50-
  foot long, 30-foot wide chamber. Peering into the 
  darkness that permeates the room, the reason for 
  the smell is evident – unlike the previous areas, the 
  ground in this room appears to be freshly churned 
  dirt.
  The creature that dwells within this strange room is an 
  abomination known as a deathsoil worm – a horrible 
  undead beast similar to a purple worm. The creature 
  keeps a chest of treasure hidden in its belly.
  The dirt covers the entire room, and is 30 feet deep. 
  Other than the fact that it is the home to an undead 
  abomination, the dirt is normal in every respects.
  Tactics: The deathsoil worm lies 10 feet underneath 
  the surface, stretched out from one end of the room 
  to the other and then back another 30 feet. Its head 
  is on the eastern wall (right in front of the secret door) 
  and its tail is on the western side, 30 feet away from 
  the western wall. It rises to attack targets that enter 
  the chamber.
  Treasure: If the deathsoil worm is destroyed, the 
  characters can split it open to reveal an iron chest. 
  It is locked (-4 pick locks check) but not trapped. 
  The chest contains the following items: 220 gold 
  pieces, 160 silver pieces, and a pair of Winged Boots 
  (described in Appendix A).
  Doors: The door on the east wall to area 29 
  and the door on the west wall to area 27 open 
  when the deathsoil worm is defeated. The door 
  on the north wall to area 30 opens when the 
  iron chest inside the deathsoil worm is opened. 
   
  29. 
  Garden of Lamotruu
  A pleasant aroma of flowers in bloom fills this 
  octagonal chamber. Four large topiary statues 
  depicting fierce bipedal dinosaurs with mouths 
  filled with rows of painted petal teeth stand guard 
  over a ten foot square patch of pristine garden in 
  the center. A wire fence, only five feet tall, encircles 
  the garden, within which you can see great multi-
  colored roses, drooping pink flowers, and narrow 
  bushes bearing purple fruits amidst the greenery.
  Lamotruu’s gardens in his once grand palace were 
  known throughout the Abyss for their dangerous 
  beauty and tempting fruits. Since his fall at the hands 
  of Orcus, the demon lord has had to reduce his once 
  mighty gardens to only a handful of locations, this 
  room being the greatest amongst them. The guardians 
  of the garden, 2 walking graveyards in the form of 
  topiary dinosaurs, do not activate unless someone 
  disturbs the plants within the fenced garden.
  The flowers in the garden smell divine and fill the room 
  with an intoxicating scent. Each character entering 
  the room must make a DC 18 Will saving throw or suffer 
  under the effects of a powerful magical toxin that 
  causes the character to take random actions each 
  minute. Roll 1d6: 1-2, the character acts hostile to all 
  living things, including friends, attacking the nearest 
  one; 3-4 the character stands drooling and takes no 
  actions; 5-6 the character acts normall. This effect 
  lasts for 2d4 minutes. Once a character succeeds on 
  a saving throw against the scent they are immune to 
  its effects for 24 hours.
  Treasure: The fruit in the garden is edible as anyone 
  with proficiency in Nature can identify, but each berry 
  is subtly different. Some are covered in short hairs, 
  some are thin skinned, some are round, some are 
  ovoid, etc. Anyone eating a berry rolls on the below 
  table to determine what effect they fall under.
  
  23
  1d10
  Berry Effect
  1
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Strength for 1d4 hours.
  2
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Intelligence for 1d4 hours.
  3
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Personality for 1d4 hours.
  4
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Luck for 1d4 hours.
  5
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Agility for 1d4 hours.
  6
  Character gains a +2 bonus to 
  Stamina for 1d4 hours.
  7
  Character suffers -2 to Strength 
  and Intelligence for 1d4 hours.
  8
  Character suffers -2 to Stamina 
  and Personality for 1d4 hours.
  9
  Character suffers -2 to Agility and 
  Intelligence for 1d4 hours.
  0
  Roll again, except the duration 
  lasts for 1d4 weeks. If you get this 
  result again, roll again and the 
  result is permanent.
  Tactics: The walking graveyards fight to the death 
  against anyone who would dare touch one of the 
  plants in the center garden. They do not utilize tactics 
  very well, however.
   
  30. 
  Creeping Vines
  Hanging vines of every shape obscure sight in this 
  humid, jungle-like room. Something rustles in the 
  thick forest causing the vines to shiver unnaturally.
  While the demon lord did not create them, Lamotruu 
  is known to have cultivated many species of blackroot 
  stranglers in his Abyssal lair. This chamber holds the 
  prizes of his collection, 4 blackroot stranglers that 
  cling to the 20 foot high ceiling.
  The mass of vines makes movement difficult (treat this 
  room as difficult terrain), though spending a round to 
  hack away at a section clears that space up for 1 
  minute.
  Tactics: The blackroot stranglers wait for the characters 
  to move in before they launch their assault. They try to 
  immobilize targets as quickly as possible, focusing on 
  characters with bladed weapons first, trying to drag 
  them up to the ceiling.
  Treasure: Hanging in the center of the room is the 
  body of an adventurer moldering amongst the vines, 
  a human male fighter who met his end at the hands 
  of the blackroot stranglers. In the fighter’s pocket is a 
  horn of blasting that did not help him out in the end.
  Doors: The doors on the south wall to area 28 and 
  the north wall to area 31 open when the blackroot 
  stranglers are defeated. The door on the east wall 
  to area 35 opens when the vines covering the wall 
  around it are hacked away (which takes a single 
  round with a slashing weapon).
  31. 
  Chest of the Chaos Ooze
  This nondescript, twenty-five foot by fifteen foot 
  chamber has only one item of note - a large, iron 
  box in the center. It stands about five feet high, five 
  feet wide, and five feet long. There is something 
  written on the lid that you cannot see from your 
  vantage point.
  The chest is a container for a great chaotic slime, 
  a primordial ancestor to a black pudding, that has 
  been locked up for many centuries.
  Written in Abyssal on top of the box is the following 
  simple phrase – “DO NOT OPEN.” Characters that do 
  not open the chest do not face the challenge and do 
  not gain the XP for defeating it.
  If the chest is opened, pent up chaotic energy is 
  released in a wild maelstrom of power. All within the 
  room are affected just as if they were struck with a 
  wand of wonder. The chest also releases the black 
  ooze, which arises and attacks the characters the 
  round after the chest is opened.
  Treasure: If the black ooze is defeated and the chest is 
  searched, the characters find a small cache of items 
  at the bottom. The items are a Ring of Protection 
  and a dagger +3. All of the items are coated in a 
  thick, black slime exuded from the pent-up slime (but 
  otherwise unharmed).
  Doors: The doors on the east wall to area 31 and the 
  south wall to area 30 open when the chest is opened. 
  The door to area 34 opens when a piece of slime from 
  the black pudding is placed against it.
  
  24
  32. 
  Hang On
  The chamber beyond this shadowed door is long, 
  perhaps 30 feet, with a myriad of thin, sharp bone 
  spikes on the east wall from floor to 20 foot high 
  ceiling. Six great iron rungs hang from the west 
  wall about 10 feet above the floor. A brass plaque 
  bearing letters in the Abyssal language hangs on 
  the north wall.
  The bone spikes are incredibly sharp but hollow, which 
  are set as they are to allow for poison to flow through 
  the tip. Anyone breaking one of the spikes triggers the 
  trap. The brass plaque on the north wall reads “HANG 
  ON” in Abyssal.
  This room has a powerful magical trap laid upon it. The 
  first person that grabs on to one of the iron rungs on 
  the west wall triggers a reverse gravity effect that turns 
  the east wall into the “ground.” Anyone not holding 
  on to something (like an iron rung) plummets into the 
  spikes, suffering falling damage as appropriate to 
  how far they fall along with 3d10 piercing damage 
  from the spikes. The spikes also release their poison 
  upon impact, which forces a victim to make a DC 18 
  Fort saving throw or suffer 5d6 poison damage.
  After 1 minute the reverse gravity effect ends.
  Doors: The doors on the south wall to area 31 and the 
  west wall to area 25 open after the reverse gravity 
  effect of the trap ends. The door on the east wall sits 
  behind a clump of spikes and can only be opened 
  by breaking off several of the surrounding bone spikes 
  (which triggers the trap again).
  33. 
  Kennels of Death
  The smell of dust and the weight of a thousand 
  years hangs heavy in this large chamber. Setup 
  along the north wall are a series of great cages, 
  each 10 feet wide and 10 feet tall, made from the 
  bones of hundreds of creatures fused together. A 
  low growl echoes from the shadows of each of the 
  cages, which are pierced only by a set of great 
  ruby-red eyes.
  Hell hounds are a common enough creature in the 
  Abyss, but Lamotruu enjoyed the company of a 
  different type of beast. He bred two-headed death 
  dogs to serve as his hunting beasts, and they roamed 
  the Bone Fields in great packs.  This room holds 6 death 
  dogs within the cages, though none of the doors are 
  locked.
  Tactics: The death dogs  leap forward to attack the 
  characters. They retain their pack instincts and try to 
  focus on a single opponent at a time rather than split 
  their attention amongst many targets.
  Treasure: Each of the death dogs wears two black 
  leather collars studded with sparkling sapphires worth 
  250 gold pieces each.
  Doors: The door on the south wall to area 35 opens 
  when the death dogs are defeated. The door on the 
  west wall to area 32 opens when one of the sapphires 
  from the collars is pressed into a nearby socket 
  (identifiable with an Intelligence check).
  34. 
  Room of Respite III
  This small square chamber is only ten feet across, 
  but inside you feel shut off from the rest of the tower. 
  The consistent moaning that echoes throughout all 
  the previous rooms is notably absent from here.
  This is the only room on the third floor of the Tower of 
  Skulls that the characters can take a short rest in.
  Doors: The door on the west wall to area 31 and the 
  door on the east wall to area 35 open after a short rest 
  has passed (about an hour).
  35. 
  Hanging Hags
  The predominant feature in this large chamber 
  are the great number of chains that hang from 
  the ceiling. The chains vary in length, from about a 
  foot off the ground to about 4 feet off the ground. 
  You feel a warm breeze against your exposed 
  skin, which causes the chains in the room to rattle, 
  making conversation difficult. You also notice that 
  the ceiling is higher than normal, stretching up 40 
  feet.
  Lamotruu bound three creatures into this room, 
  crones who had displeased him. For a great number 
  of centuries the hags (3 blackroot shamblers) in this 
  chamber – named Greta, Ingrid, and Haska – have 
  served their demon lord master against their will. The 
  chains that hang from the ceiling serve as their prison, 
  but since Orcus cast Lamotruu out of the Abyss and 
  rooted the Tower of Skulls in the Prime Plane, the hags 
  have gone insane.
  This room has the following special trait.
  Hanging chains: The chains that hang in this chamber 
  impede movement (consider the entire room to be 
  difficult terrain). The chains can be climbed with a 
  Strength  check or used as a weapon (the chains are 
  considered improvised weapons, have a reach of 10 
  feet, and deal 2d6 plus Strength modifier bludgeoning 
  damage if they hit). A target can be restrained in the 
  chains with an opposed Agility check as an action, 
  and can be freed with a Strength or Agility check as 
  an action.
  
  25
  Tactics: The three hag blackroot shamblers use all of 
  their available powers to try and destroy intruders. 
  They cackle as they attack, promising to use the 
  bodies of their victims as an offering to Lamotruu to 
  restore their good graces with the demon lord.
  Treasure: Each of the three blackroot shamblers 
  keeps a small trinket on their person that they use as a 
  worry stone, rubbing it for good luck at all times. Greta 
  carries a diamond worth 1,000 gold, Ingrid holds a 
  ruby worth 1,000 gold, and Haska has an emerald 
  worth 1,000 gold.
  Doors: Three of the doors leading out of this room (the 
  door on the north to area 33, the doors on the west to 
  area 30, and the door on the south to area 29) open 
  when a hanging chain nearby the doors is pulled. The 
  door on the west wall to area 34 opens when the hags 
  are defeated.
  TOWER OF SKULLS 4TH LEVEL
  36. 
  Last Skull of the Graveseers
  A broad stepped pyramid dominates the center of 
  this large square room. The pyramid appears to be 
  made of polished obsidian, reflecting the dim light 
  from torches that spring to life along the walls. The 
  pyramid’s steps climb up to a height of 30 feet, but 
  what sits at the flat top you cannot see.
  Once long ago, Lamotruu was advised by a cabal 
  of wicked warlocks known as the Graveseers. They 
  owed absolute fealty to the demon lord, but over 
  time Lamotruu came to trust them less and less, until 
  one day in a fit of paranoid rage he had the entire 
  cabal wiped out. He kept the skulls of the warlocks as 
  trinkets, which still held the unhinged mind of its once 
  living possessor. This room contains the only Graveseer 
  skull in the tower, though what happened to the 
  others is a mystery.
  The pyramid radiates a faint aura of divination magic, 
  and if the characters climb them (or fly above them), 
  a harsh whisper echoes out from the dais at the 
  top – “Who dares disturb the slumber of Kravikovik, 
  Graveseer of Lamotruu?”
  At the top of dais stands a squat pillar, only 5 feet tall, 
  upon which rests a black velvet pillow. Resting on the 
  pillow is the pale yellowed skull of a human with green 
  fire burning in its eye sockets. This is all that remains of 
  Kravikovik the warlock, and he is quite lonely.
  Doors: Kravikovik is the only one that can command 
  either of the doors to open (the door to the north 
  leading to area 37 and the door to the east to area 
  42).
  37. 
  The Black Graveyard
  The stench of death and decay fills this chamber, 
  which slopes downward from the southern wall to 
  the northern wall. Churned black dirt fills the ground, 
  loamy and soft beneath your feet, and something 
  begins to stir beneath the surface. Several hands 
  burst forth from the ground, pale and bloated, 
  clawing up from hastily dug graves all around you.
  Many people have died in the Tower of Skulls over the 
  years and across the Prime Material Plane, and most 
  of their bodies have come to the Black Graveyard. 
  Here they return to attack the living intruders, rising 
  as 6 blackroot shamblers all around the area. The 
  blackroot shamblers are covered in corpse flowers - a 
  pale yellow flower on a black vine wrapped around 
  their bodies.
  NPC Profile: Kravikovik, Graveseer of Lamotruu
  Perhaps the most gifted warlocks of the Graveseer 
  cabal, Kravikovik devoted his life to the whims 
  of Lamotruu. When the demon lord’s paranoia 
  got all of the warlocks killed, it was Kravikovik’s 
  foresight that enchanted their skulls with their 
  personalities and memories, which he saw as 
  one potential outcome. Unfortunately, with the 
  Doomseers no longer advising him, Lamotruu fell 
  victim to Orcus’ schemes and was imprisoned 
  within the Tower of Skulls. Kravikovik swears he 
  saw this coming but the demon lord would not 
  listen, instead interring him atop an obsidian 
  pyramid to taunt travelers and adventurers who 
  had made it to the fourth level.
  Kravikovik is insane but knows a good deal about 
  the layout of the Tower of Skulls and the history 
  of Lamotruu and Orcus. He speaks in a grating 
  whisper and laughs at odd intervals. His skull is 
  impervious to damage from anything less than 
  a demon lord at this point, and he physically 
  cannot be transported out of this room. If the 
  characters speak politely Kravikovik responds in 
  kind, for at least a little while.
  Kravikovik craves knowledge as he can no 
  longer see, physically or through divine magic, 
  the world outside the Tower of Skulls. He relishes 
  stories about death, decay, and suffering, and 
  may be willing to trade opening a door for just 
  such a tale.
  
  26
  Tactics: The blackroot shamblers require one round to 
  climb out of the ground, lurching forward to attack 
  immediately after. They fight until slain and do not 
  back down under any circumstances.
  Doors: The doors on the north wall to area 38 and 
  the south wall to area 36 open when all of the 
  blackroot shamblers are defeated. The door on 
  the east wall to area 40 opens when one of the 
  flower petals is pressed against a panel next to it 
  (the panel has a carven image of a corpse flower). 
  38. 
  Fountain of Many Colors
  The sound of splashing water greets your ears 
  as you gaze into this room. A small flight of stairs 
  broadens and leads down to an expansive 
  chamber, somewhat hexigonal in shape. In the 
  center of the room is a large pillar, upon which 
  are seven sculpted skulls. A constant flow of water 
  goes from each of the skull’s mouths to a grate on 
  the floor. Each head spews a different color water: 
  red, green, indigo, orange, violet, blue, and yellow. 
  Surrounding the pillar in the middle is a small pool, 
  within which resides swirling, multi-colored water.
  Each of the different colored liquids provide a 
  different beneficial effect (described below) once 
  per character per 24 hour period.  The chromatic pool 
  in the center, however, is a volatile mixture that can 
  cause various ill effects.
  Drinking from one of the colored water spouts has the 
  following beneficial effect. Even if the effect is not 
  applicable (for example, if a character is at full hit 
  points and drinks from the red spout) the character 
  still cannot gain any further benefit from that spout for 
  24 hours.
  Color
  Effect
  Red
  Heals 4d10 hp
  Green
  Removes poisons
  Indigo
  Removes all fatigue
  Orange
  Regenerates missing limbs if 
  immersed for 1d6 rounds
  Violet
  +4 bonus to Fort saves for 1 
  hour
  Blue
  Cures blindness and deafness
  Yellow
  Cures diseases
  The multi-colored liquid in the center pool is a toxic 
  cocktail of random effects, however. If anyone drinks 
  or touches the multi-colored liquid with bare flesh, 
  roll 1d4+1 to determine how many colored effects 
  they suffer and then roll 1d8 on the below table to 
  determine the results.
  1d8
  Effect
  1
  DC 16 Will save or suffer 4d10 
  psychic damage
  2
  DC 16 Fort save or suffer 3d6 poison 
  damage
  3
  DC 16 Will save or suffer from fatigue 
  for 1d6 hours, losing a die type to all 
  action dice.
  4
  DC 16 Fort save or have a limb 
  wither and fall off (roll randomly for 
  the limb, arms and legs only)
  5
  DC 16 Fort save or be turned to 
  stone
  6
  DC 16 Will save or be blind and deaf 
  for 1d6 hours
  7
  DC 16 Fort save or lose 2d4 points 
  from a random ability score lasting 
  24 hours
  8
  No effect
  
  27
  The waters gain their powers by cycling through 
  the fountain; any water removed from the fountain 
  immediately loses its magic.
  Doors: The doors on the east wall to area 39 and the 
  south wall to area 37 open when they are splashed 
  with liquid from the multi-colored pool.
  39. 
  Shadow of the Great Mushroom
  A titanic mushroom, easily reaching up to the fifty 
  foot high ceiling, dominates this great octagonal 
  chamber. The cap of the mushroom sits over the 
  entire room, its massive shadow falling over the 
  dirt-filled ground. The center stalk of the mushroom 
  is pale white and covered in black patches of 
  fungus. Dancing around the base, howling in some 
  debased foreign language, are a dozen squat 
  mushroom men wielding spears. From the huge 
  cap above a white ball plummets to the ground, 
  sits and quivers for a moment, and then bursts in a 
  shower of black spores. The mushroom men, also 
  covered in patches of black fungus, seem to revel 
  in this moment.
  Lamotruu was fond of corrupting mushroom men 
  across the planes and converting them to his 
  worship, using them as debased cultists where it was 
  convenient. In this regard he clashed with another 
  demon lord known as the Lady of Fungi, though the 
  two never came to open warfare.
  A tribe of 12 demonic mushroom men dance and 
  cavort around the base of the Great Mushroom, which 
  they view as a living extension of Lamotruu. They speak 
  no known language but gibber to themselves in their 
  curious tongue. They see any travelers who are not 
  covered in black fungus as intruders into their sacred 
  land and attack immediately. The Great Mushroom 
  assists by dropping spore bombs.
  Tactics: The demonic mushroom men shout strange 
  things as they rush to confront and kill the intruders. 
  If anyone shows a sign of being infected with black 
  fungus rot (see below), they do their best to keep 
  anyone from helping the victim, but they do not 
  attack the victim. To see someone suffer and die from 
  the insidious extraplanar disease is a great sight to 
  them.
  Once every 3 rounds, a spore bomb drops from the 
  Great Mushroom. It tries to drop the spore bomb to 
  be within 10 feet of the most number of characters. 
  It can target a character as well (who must make a 
  DC 16 Reflex saving throw or suffer 4d6 bludgeoning 
  damage, half damage on a successful save). At the 
  end of the round in which the spore bomb drops it 
  erupts and sends black fungus spores flying into the 
  air 10 feet from it on all sides. Anyone caught in this 
  radius must succeed on a DC 16 Fort saving throw or 
  contract black fungus rot, an insidious disease.
  Black Fungus Rot
  Once someone is infected with black fungus rot, 
  it takes 1d10 minutes for the quick-acting disease 
  to show the first round of symptoms. Black patches 
  appear beneath the skin around the arms, legs, and 
  abdomen, and the victim loses 4 points of Stamina 
  and have their movement speed reduced in half. The 
  second round of symptoms occur 1d10 minutes later 
  as the black patches burst from the skin, causing 5d10 
  poison damage and inflicting -4 on all attack rolls 
  and saving throws. The last round of symptoms occurs 
  1d10 minutes after that and kills the victim as the black 
  fungus takes over the body and putrefies the insides.
  Doors: All of the doors leading out of this room are 
  opened by touching a piece of the Great Mushroom 
  to it. There is a door on the west wall to area 38, a door 
  on the southwest wall to area 40, a door on the south 
  wall to area 41, a door on the east wall to area 44, 
  and a door on the northeast wall to area 45.
  40. 
  Slime Trail
  A strange trail of thick yellow slime winds its way 
  down the length of this L-shaped chamber. It leads 
  from the wall in the southwest corner to the other 
  end in the northeast corner.
  This room is used by a cleansing worm developed by 
  Lamotruu to keep the Tower of Skulls tidy. The room 
  itself contains only the slime trail of the worm, which 
  is not located here (the cleansing worms exist in the 
  spaces between the levels). There is no threat in this 
  room. The slime is nonmagical, clear, and a bit cold to 
  the touch. It dissolves bones eventually but not quickly 
  enough to pose a threat to any sentient or animated 
  creature.
  Doors: The door on the northeast wall to area 39 and 
  the door on the southwest wall to area 37 open when 
  someone touches the walls with a bit of the slime from 
  the floor.
  
  28
  41. 
  Riddle Pillar of Black Autumn
  The chamber beyond the doorway is a fifty foot 
  diameter dome with a ceiling reaching at least forty 
  feet high. Four black trees, their gnarled branches 
  devoid of leaves, stand vigilant amongst piles of 
  dead brush and black leaves. In the center of the 
  room is an ebony pillar, five feet in diameter and 
  standing ten feet tall. Red arcane runes adorn its 
  surface. The walls and ceiling are ashen gray and 
  resemble a great gathering of angry storm clouds 
  on the precipice of releasing a torrential rain.
  This is one of the four pillars in the Tower of Skulls that 
  holds one of the four keyskulls. In order to gain access 
  to the sixth level, characters must possess the four 
  keyskulls and then pass through the Gate of Despair 
  (area 49). Before the characters can get to the pillar, 
  however, they must deal with the guardians.
  The branches of the dead trees hide 3 flame skulls, 
  lost souls forever bound to the whims of Lamotruu. 
  They are commanded by a gwiddon who appears 
  from behind the Riddle Pillar to direct the attacks 
  of the flame skulls. Because of the brush and leaves 
  piling the ground the entire room is considered to be 
  difficult terrain.
  Tactics: The flame skulls move to engage the 
  characters quickly as the gwiddon steps forward and 
  hurls spells their way. The flame skulls move about as 
  much as they can, unimpeded by the difficult terrain, 
  while the gwiddon focuses on spellcasters.
  Doors: The doors on the north wall to area 39, on the 
  east wall to area 44, and on the south wall to area 
  42 open when the gwiddon and the flame skulls are 
  defeated. In addition, once the Riddle Pillar crumbles 
  a spiral staircase descends up from the ceiling leading 
  to level five (area 47).
  Riddle Pillar of Black Autumn
  In the center of the room stands the Riddle Pillar of 
  Black Autumn, upon which is written in Abyssal the 
  following riddle:
  It comes in on little cat’s feet
  Is neither sour nor sweet
  Hovers in the air
  And then is not there
  The answer to the riddle is fog or mist. In order to gain 
  access to the hidden keyskull, the pillar must come in 
  contact with some form of fog or mist. The best way 
  to do this is to use the choking cloud scroll from area 
  9 or a simlar effect. Once the pillar is struck so, read 
  the following.
  Suddenly, a great gust of wind tears through the 
  room, nearly knocking you off your feet. You watch 
  in growing horror as the pillar you just struck begins 
  to shake as large chunks of it fall to the ground with 
  a crash. The dry, hot wind blows strongly around 
  you, growing stronger with each successive gust. 
  And then, all at once, the wind stops completely 
  and the pillar crashes to the ground. Lying in the 
  rubble is a small black skull, marked with a single 
  silver rune upon its head.
  The black skull is one of the four keyskulls needed to 
  open the Gate of Despair (area 49). Any character 
  who can read Abyssal knows that the rune is the 
  symbol for the word autumn.
  42. 
  Mirror of Prisons
  This long chamber has a single feature – a floor to 
  ceiling reflective mirror that occupies the entirety of 
  the south wall. As you look, shadowy figures appear 
  in the mirror as if they are behind you, but you look 
  and see no one. The figures seem to exist only in the 
  mirror.
  This room contains a permanent version of a mirror 
  of life trapping that Lamotruu was fond of using to 
  imprison foes that proved too difficult or too valuable 
  to kill. It currently holds 8 occupants, which are listed 
  below. Each prisoner occupies a 5 foot section of the 
  mirror that cannot cross nor see anything but what is 
  in front of the mirror.
  Developments: Communication with any of the 
  prisoners must be done via some form of magical 
  telepathy – voices and sounds do not penetrate the 
  mirror’s prison walls. If contact is established with an 
  occupant, they plead for release. They all know that 
  the mirror is controlled via a command word, though 
  the only person who knows the command word is 
  Kravikovik the Graveseer (in area 36).
  What they don’t know is that the command word 
  simply swaps out a prisoner for another – whomever 
  happens to be standing closest to the mirror when 
  the command word is spoken (the speaker of the 
  command word may be the one!). If an evil creature 
  is released they do all in their power to remain outside 
  and free, but a neutral creature can be convinced 
  with diplomacy attempts. A good creature likely takes 
  their place once they realize the awful price.
  •	
  Sophyriel, a powerful female angel (Lawful)
  •	
  Oloris Greeneye, an elven archer (Neutral)
  •	
  Lucas, a wicked vampire nobleman (Chaotic)
  •	
  Vaarog, a hill giant (Chaotic)
  •	
  Nargul Blacktooth, a female orc shaman 
  (Chaotic)
  •	
  Ranahr, a toadfiend (Chaotic)
  
  29
  •	
  Xaeden, 
  a 
  male 
  human 
  necromancer 
  (Neutral)
  •	
  Bloodstrike, 
  a 
  bone 
  devil 
  commander 
  (Chaotic)
  Doors: All of the doors in this room open after 
  a round of direct mental command. All of the 
  prisoners know this information, though few would 
  willingly give it up without something in return. 
  43. 
  Curtains of the Beyond
  A small chamber, only 15 feet wide and 15 feet 
  long, stands bare before you. An ornate and large 
  curtain hangs on the wall opposite to the door you 
  just came through, depicting a beautiful night sky 
  with twinkling stars. You cannot see what is beyond 
  the curtain, which appears to be made of a heavy 
  cloth.
  Beyond the curtains lies a chamber that resembles 
  the great space above the planet. The walls are 
  painted black and there is no gravity (though there 
  is still atmosphere in this room), so the characters can 
  move in three dimensions as if they were underwater. 
  The ceiling stretches down 30 feet and the ceiling 
  climbs 30 feet from the 10 foot middle section. Four 
  curtains hang in the middle section, one on each of 
  the four cardinal directions.
  Lamotruu used rooms such as these to please the 
  vulture demon demons he was so fond of. “Swimming” 
  around in the air are 2 vulture demons. They move to 
  attack as soon as a character opens a curtain.
  The northern alcove in this room holds the door to area 
  44 and the western alcove holds the door to area 42. 
  Both of these are normal with nothing unusual about 
  them (the anti-gravity effect does not extend to the 
  alcoves). The eastern alcove resembles the other two, 
  but if anyone touches the wall they trigger a lightning 
  trap (5d6 lightning damage, DC 16 Reflex saving 
  throw for half).
  The curtain on the south wall is also trapped. Anyone 
  that touches the curtain triggers the trap, which has 
  the curtain reaching out to suffocate the character! 
  The victim must make a DC 16 Reflex save or become 
  restrained and choked, and then must make the 
  same save each round. After three failures the victim 
  falls unconscious and then is suffocated to death the 
  next round. Characters in the grips of the curtain can 
  try a Strength check to break free, or the curtain can 
  be cut with a slashing weapon. The curtain has an AC 
  of 16 and 50 hit points. If it is reduced to 0 or less it 
  releases any suffocating targets immediately. Behind 
  it is only a blank wall.
  Tactics: The vulture demons focus their attacks on the 
  least armored and most wounded targets. They are 
  smart enough to know what the curtain on the south 
  wall can do, so if they find an opportunity one of them 
  tries to push a character into the curtain. They do not 
  attack someone in the curtain, instead focusing on 
  people trying to help them.
  Doors: The doors on the north wall to area 44 and the 
  west wall to area 42 open with a simple mechanical 
  trigger discovered after a round of searching the wall. 
  44. 
  Hall of Nightmares
  A grand hall opens up before you, though its 
  exact dimensions and features are obscured by a 
  shimmering haze that warps and distorts your vision 
  along with deep shadows that stretch across the 
  floor and walls. Suddenly the sound of clashing 
  blades and the roar of dozens of monsters ring out!
  Lamotruu was fascinated by illusions, specifically by 
  the power of the weird spell and the effects it could 
  have on mortal minds. This room is dedicated to 
  experiments of that nature. Every character in the 
  room must make a DC 18 Will saving throw or suffer 
  a powerful illusion inflicting their worst fears onto 
  them. Victims suffer 4d10 points of mental damage 
  each round, but they receive a new saving throw 
  at the end of the round to try and end the effect. 
  Unfortunately, illusory monsters are not the only ones 
  that lurk in this chamber. As the effects of the illusory 
  nightmares overtake the party, a gang of 4 howling 
  wraiths slink out of the shadows and attack, doing 
  their best to keep themselves hidden before each 
  strike.
  Tactics: The howling wraiths focus on any target who 
  seems to be suffering from the nightmare effect first. 
  They hide in the shadows as best they can, striking 
  and then merging back again as quickly as possible.
  Doors: The doors on the west wall to area 41 and 
  on the north wall to area 46 open after the howling 
  wraiths have been destroyed. The door on the south 
  wall to area 43 opens when a mechanical trigger is 
  flipped, discoverable after a round of searching the 
  wall. The door on the west wall to area 39 opens when 
  someone not suffering the weird effect comes within 
  5 feet of it.
  
  30
  45. 
  Room of Respite IV
  This small square chamber is only 20 feet across, but 
  inside you feel shut off from the rest of the tower. 
  The consistent moaning that echoes throughout all 
  the previous rooms is notably absent from here.
  This is the only room on the fourth floor of the Tower of 
  Skulls that the characters can take a short rest in.
  Doors: The door on the southwest wall to area 39 
  and the door on the east wall to area 36 open 
  after a short rest has passed (about an hour). 
  46. 
  Ode to the Necromancers
  Tapestries decorate the walls of this room. Although 
  they may once have been brilliant in hue, they 
  now hang in graying tatters. Despite the damage 
  of time and neglect, you can perceive once-
  grand images of wizards’ towers, necromantic arts, 
  and symbols of magic and death. The tapestry in 
  the best condition bulges out weirdly, as though 
  someone stands behind it. That tapestry depicts 
  a bald woman in splendid black robes grasping a 
  staff made of bone topped with a leering skull.
  The tapestries depict worshippers of Lamotruu, 
  necromancers of great skill and magical expertise, 
  at the height of their respective powers. Time has not 
  been kind to the depictions, except to the one of the 
  bald woman. This is Laxaura the Harvester, a grand 
  necromancer from an age long ago (recognized with 
  an Intelligence check).
  Behind the curtain stands a bone golem hunched 
  down to conceal its height. It moves quickly to attack 
  anyone that disturbs any of the tapestries by ancient 
  decree of Lamotruu.
  Tactics: The bone golem targets the person who 
  disturbed the tapestries first and foremost. Once riled, 
  however, it fights until destroyed.
  Treasure: The spine of the bone golem is actually a 
  magical item, recognizable from its intricate runes. 
  If removed, the golem’s head becomes the top of 
  the staff and it resembles the one held by Lauxaura 
  in the tapestry. It is a Staff of Withering (described in 
  Appendix A).
  Doors: The door on the south wall to area 44 opens 
  when the bone golem is defeated. The door on the 
  west wall to area 45 opens when the Staff of Withering 
  is touched to it.
  TOWER OF SKULLS 5TH LEVEL
  47. 
  Bloodrose Entrance
  The stairs up further into the Tower of Skulls terminate 
  in a square chamber devoid of any furnishings. 
  However, the north wall holds a grand set of ornate 
  double iron doors adorned with bones intertwined 
  with intricately carved rose stems and flowers. In 
  the center of the doors squats a great skull, twice 
  as large as a human, with more roses woven in and 
  around the eye sockets and open jaws.
  The 5th level of the Tower of Skulls is reserved for 
  Lamotruu’s greatest servants. They were once a 
  paladin and necromancer come to slay the demon 
  lord and destroy the tower, but they failed utterly and 
  Lamotruu used what last vestige he had of his power 
  to turn them into formidable guardians of the last 
  level.
  There is no trap or creature in this chamber, however.
  Door: The only door on the north wall to area 48 opens 
  when pushed.
  48. 
  Throne of Bloodrose
  A huge chamber stretches out before you, easily 80 
  feet to a side with a vaulted ceiling that stretches up 
  60 feet. Six pillars constructed out of fused bones line 
  a grand path made of a blood red carpet leading 
  up to a broad dais at the far end of the hall. Small 
  steps ascend to the dais’ top where upon rests two 
  fantastically ornate thrones, each covered in thick 
  rose vines that do nothing to hide the sparkling 
  rubies and velvet cushions. Upon each throne sits a 
  body, a man in dulled silver armor on the left and a 
  woman in moldering black robes on the right. Their 
  skin has been withered and dried and no life sparks 
  in their hollow eyes. Like the rest of thrones the 
  bodies are entwined in the roses. Squatting in front 
  of the dais are two hunched figures made of fused 
  bones, their empty eye sockets staring malevolently 
  towards you. A chill runs down your spine as two 
  laughs echo around the chamber – one a harsh, 
  guttural below, the other a shrill cackle.
  This is the Throne of Bloodrose, which serves as the 
  resident for one of the two heroes who entered the 
  Tower of Skulls to banish the demon lord Lamotruu. 
  Unfortunately, they failed and now they are cursed to 
  guard the entrance to the highest level of the tower.
  The harsh laughing is from the two cursed heroes, 
  Lendor Al’Tanariv and Deviah Al’Tanariv, now 
  formidable foes filled with hate and malice (they are 8 
  HD howling wraiths with 64 hp each). They materialize 
  
  31
  NPC Profile: Lendor and Deviah Al’Tanariv, Ghost 
  Servants of Lamotruu
  The story of Lendor and Deviah Al’Tanariv began 
  long ago, when Lendor set out from his temple 
  to rid the world of a great evil that had begun 
  festering in the north. He was a paladin of a 
  righteous god, and gathered together a loyal 
  band of fellow adventurers to help him on his 
  quest. They went out to defeat the necromancer 
  known as the Skull Father, who had gathered 
  a great host of skeletons under his banner to 
  march on the lands of the living.
  With sword and spell, Lendor and his companions 
  fought their way into the Skull Father’s fortress. 
  There, they found Deviah, a woman skilled in the 
  arts of necromancy whom the Skull Father was 
  planning on raising as a possible heir. But Deviah 
  had no evil in her heart, and sensing this Lendor 
  and his band released her from the clutches of 
  the evil necromancer. Deviah and Lendor fell in 
  love that day, and together they smashed the 
  power of the Skull Father.
  Or so they thought. The Skull Father was merely 
  an apparition of Lamotruu, an extension of his 
  will that he was able to extend outside the Tower 
  of Skulls. His puppet defeated, Lamotruu raged, 
  and Lendor and Deviah knew that their quest was 
  not at an end. They sought out the Tower of Skulls 
  for many years, during which time they married 
  and went on many adventurers. Eventually their 
  searching brought them to the tower itself. In 
  they went, but the demon lord was too much 
  for them. They died, and Lamotruu grasped their 
  souls and bound their bodies to the Throne of 
  Bloodrose to eternally serve him and the defense 
  of the Tower of Skulls.
  from out of the throne itself, and as they do the 2 bone 
  golems rise to move forward as well.
  The Throne of Bloodrose itself is a strange item. If a 
  living creature sits in the cursed throne, they are jolted 
  with a powerful shot of negative energy, suffering 
  4d8 necrotic damage. The victim must make a DC 
  18 Will saving throw or have their hit point maximum 
  reduced by the amount of damage taken. The lost hit 
  points are recovered after resting for 8 or more hours.
  Tactics: Lendor and Deviah work together as much as 
  possible to take down the biggest threats.
  The most effective way to defeat the ghosts is to attack 
  their physical remains on the Throne of Bloodrose. 
  Each body suffers only half damage from all effects, 
  AC 16, and 15 hit points. Once a body is reduced 
  to half hit points or less, the corresponding howling 
  wraith becomes enraged, gaining +4 on attacks but 
  all attacks against it have +4 as well. Once a body 
  is destroyed, the howling wraith is stunned for 1d4 
  rounds.
  Treasure: Beneath the Throne of Bloodrose, in a secret 
  compartment that is not locked, the characters find 
  a removable chest. Within the chest are the following 
  items that once belonged to Lendor and Deviah 
  Al’Tanariv: Flamelicker (magic long sword), chainmail 
  +2, and the Wand of Fear. The unique items are 
  described in Appendix A.
  Door: The doors on the north wall to area 49 and on 
  the south wall to area 47 open when the physical 
  bodies of Lendor and Deviah are reduced to 0 hit 
  points.
  
  32
  49. 
  Gate of Despair
  At the end of this square room stands a large, 
  wrought-iron gate. The bars of the gate are spaced 
  so closely that your gaze cannot penetrate the 
  blackness beyond it. There is no handle or lock that 
  you can see, only a large, central, flat piece of 
  metal, with four indentations – one on the top, one 
  on the bottom, and one on each side. They are 
  round in shape. The indentations are surrounding 
  the image of a leering skull, staring at you with 
  soulless eyes.
  The four indentations are meant to house the four 
  keyskulls gathered from the Riddle Pillars in the tower. 
  They must be placed in sequence, though where the 
  first one is placed is irrelevant. The sequence is – white, 
  brown, red, black, signifying the cycle of the seasons.
  Placing them in an incorrect sequence elicits a 
  blast of negative energy that washes over the 
  entire. Everyone in the chamber suffers 4d8 necrotic 
  damage and must make a DC 16 Will saving throw. 
  On a failure, the character’s maximum hit points are 
  reduced by the damage taken. This effect lasts until 
  the character rests for 8 or more hours. Any creature 
  that is killed by this effect disintegrates and becomes 
  absorbed into the Tower of Skulls.
  Door: Once the four keyskulls are placed in the 
  correct sequence, the gate lets out a grinding sound 
  and swings open slowly. Into the darkness, the hallway 
  spirals up sharp steps towards area 50A.
  TOWER OF SKULLS 6TH LEVEL
  50. 
  Bone Fields of Lamotruu
  The spiraling ramp leads you into a massive hall in 
  what must be the top of the Tower of Skulls. The 
  ceiling is domed, and hanging from it are dozens 
  upon dozens of skeletons. Some humanoid, but 
  most of are unrecognizable – beasts on six legs 
  or more, giants, horned demons, and so many 
  others. All of the eye sockets in the skulls are lit 
  with dancing green fire that casts an eerie light 
  throughout the hall. The floor is covered with shards 
  of broken bones, yellowed, though none of the 
  hanging skeletons seem to be missing pieces that 
  you can see. In the center of the chamber, in what 
  must be the center of this top level of the tower, a 
  squat black stone ziggurat rises up from the piles of 
  surrounding bones, about ten feet tall. You can see 
  that this massive area continues on to the left, right, 
  and behind the stone ziggurat, all of it covered in 
  bone shards.
  This room has become the home of the deposed 
  demon lord Lamotruu and it has come to resemble 
  the imprisoned lord’s former Abyssal realm (which 
  was also known as the Bone Fields). As the characters 
  enter, Lamotruu calls out to them from his position 
  hidden in the ceiling (he blends in with the other bones 
  to become virtually invisible) – his voice is grating and 
  harsh but he is curious to find out more about the 
  intruders that have come so far. Lamotruu does not 
  hide his predicament nor his anger over being forced 
  to languish for eternity on the Prime Material Plane 
  by his archrival, Orcus. He reveals as much about his 
  background and the tower itself as the characters 
  are willing to listen.
  The Bone Fields are divided into five sections, labeled A, 
  B, C, D, and E. The characters arrive from area 49 in area A. 
  A – The Entryway
  The area the characters enter in is filled with bone 
  shards. Moving in the area faster than half speed 
  forces a DC 16 Reflex saving throw, with several of 
  the dangerous bone splinters lodging into flesh on a 
  failure. The character must then make a saving throw 
  as the slivers travel through the body and seek out the 
  heart – on a success the slivers are forcibly ejected by 
  the character. A failure means the heart is pierced 
  and the character dies in 1d4 rounds.
  B – The Lord’s Lounge
  The black stone ziggurat in the center is the platform 
  upon which Lamotruu spends most of his time. When 
  the characters enter the demon lord is hiding in the 
  ceiling, but eventually he comes down and reveals 
  himself in all of his glory. The ziggurat is 10 feet tall.
  C – Puppet Show
  The bone shards of area A give way to smooth stone in 
  the eastern section of the Bone Fields which contains 
  a variety of skeletons dressed in moldering garb 
  propped up by stiff black thorns. Each of the dozen 
  unanimated skeletons was once an adventurer who 
  died exploring the Tower of Skulls, but now they are 
  puppet playthings of Lamotruu. The demon lord can 
  animate them at will and uses them to make a point 
  to the characters about how dangerous he is (the 
  skeletons pose no threat and the weapons they wield 
  are wooden).
  
  33
  
  34
  D – Workshop
  The western section of the Bone Fields is where 
  Lamotruu creates new creatures to amuse himself 
  and restock the lower levels of the tower. Bones and 
  skulls lay in great heaps around the area along with 
  chunks of metal and piles of black dirt. A furnace sits 
  against the north wall, the iron door closed to keep the 
  flames inside. The passage to area 51 to destroy the 
  Tower of Skulls is through the furnace, which requires a 
  character to pass through and take 6d6 fire damage, 
  DC 16 Reflex saving throw for half. Noticing the secret 
  passage in the furnace requires looking and a 1 in 6 
  chance.
  E – The Treasure Pile
  Beyond the stone ziggurat in the center lay piles of 
  glittering coins and gemstones. People who die inside 
  the Tower of Skulls or are unlucky when they leave 
  through one of the portals have their magical gear 
  transported to this section. The amount of magic 
  contained in this section should be enough to tempt 
  even the most equipped adventurer. On a golden 
  pedestal several feet high sits an orb filled with swirling 
  prismatic fog. This is the Globe of Flight, and is the 
  safest way out of the Tower of Skulls for any character. 
  Using the Globe of Flight requires only a touch and a 
  thought to a place, and unless a greater divine power 
  blocks it the holders are transported immediately to 
  that place.
  Dealing with Lamotruu
  Lamotruu is a coward at heart. He knows that if the 
  Tower of Skulls were to be destroyed his torment 
  would end, but there’s enough doubt gnawing at his 
  thoughts that he doesn’t invite characters that reach 
  the Bone Fields to simply destroy the Orb of Oblivion in 
  area 51. He has no interest in fighting (hence he has 
  no stats in this adventure), and if combat does break 
  out he simply uses illusions to disappear and hide. 
  The tempting treasure in area 50E is also carefully 
  guarded, and if greedy characters decide to try and 
  take something Lamotruu can lay down a curse upon 
  the stolen object (the details are left up to the DM to 
  decide).
  How do the characters deal with Lamotruu? Largely it 
  depends on their goals. The demon lord is impressed 
  with anyone that reaches the Bone Fields alive and is 
  willing to entertain any conversations. If the characters 
  do not threaten him and deal honestly, Lamotruu is 
  willing to grant requests to use the Globe of Flight and 
  throw in a piece of treasure from the pile in area 50E 
  (you can roll randomly for a piece of treasure or give 
  out an item the characters have been seeking).
  Lamotruu does not stop the characters from wandering 
  around the area except to warn them about taking 
  any of the treasure in area 50E. If the characters notice 
  the secret passage in the furnace to area 51 on their 
  own, the demon lord pretends not to know where it 
  leads, but if they are persistent he grows angry and 
  demands that they leave immediately. Time is on 
  Lamotruu’s side – at some point the tower expels living 
  intruders when the sun rises, so the characters can’t 
  stay in this room indefinitely.
  NPC Profile: Lamotruu, Lord of the Bone Fields
  Lamotruu was never a mentally stable creature, 
  and his Abyssal realm was host to all manner 
  of monstrous abominations fusing grave dirt 
  with bones to suit his unearthly desires. He held 
  many titles – Lord of the Bone Fields, Master of 
  Graves, the Unearthen One, the Skull Thorn King, 
  and a host of others. His realm was a place of 
  suffering and torment, where the very ground 
  was a weapon that rose up to serve its master’s 
  chaotic and wild whims.
  Centuries being trapped in the Tower of Skulls has 
  not been kind to Lamotruu’s state of wellbeing, 
  and he suffers from wild mood swings. He’s 
  curious about the affairs of the Abyss and eager 
  to hear everything he can, though any mention 
  of his hated foe Orcus sends him into a primordial 
  rage. He has a fondness for death and rebirth 
  and a fascination with plants that can feed off 
  the flesh of the dead, leaving only bones.
  Physically, Lamotruu appears a tall humanoid, 
  about 10 feet tall, with gaunt white skin stretched 
  so thin over his frame the outline of his bones 
  can be seen. On his skull and several places 
  around his body unusual spurs protrude through 
  the skin, and rings of black razor thorn encircle 
  parts of his arms and legs. His tongue is a hideous 
  purple thing able to move out of his mouth at 
  great lengths. Lamotruu is fond of letting his 
  tongue curl around his head and body while he 
  communicates telepathically with creatures. His 
  most prized possession is the Staff of Black Thorns 
  which never leaves his hands.
  
  35
  51. 
  Orb of Oblivion
  A pulsating green and yellow light fills this square 
  chamber, emanating from a pedestal in the 
  center. Atop the pedestal rests an orb, perhaps 
  a foot across, with ribbons of emerald and topaz 
  energy swirling around like clouds just below the 
  glass. You sense some sort of presence from the 
  orb, an almost palpable intelligent tugging at your 
  mind, but you can’t make out words.
  This is the Orb of Oblivion, the beating heart of the 
  Tower of Skulls, the anchor that keeps it rooted in 
  the Prime Material Plane. It was originally a prized 
  possession of Lamotruu, but the power of Orcus 
  twisted it and turned it into the source of the demon 
  lord’s imprisonment. Lamotruu does not have the will 
  or strength to destroy it, though he suspects it would 
  free him.
  The Orb of Oblivion is an intelligent item and speaks in a 
  whisper telepathically to anyone in the room. The Orb 
  is lonely and speaks of serving as Lamotruu’s counsel 
  when they were in the Abyss. Since Orcus cast them 
  down, however, Lamotruu has grown insane and no 
  longer communicates with the relic. The Orb longs to 
  be back in its home, and tries to encourage anyone in 
  the room to destroy it so that it and Lamotruu can be 
  free of their torment. It is a vile, evil artifact, capable 
  of skimming the mind of anyone unless magically 
  protected, and it uses whatever knowledge it gains to 
  further its own end. For now, the Orb of Oblivion seeks 
  a means of destruction for it and its master’s sake.
  Destroying the Orb of Oblivion requires only a solid 
  blow from a magical bludgeoning or slashing 
  weapon. If struck so, the orb cracks, and a torrent of 
  green and blue energy releases into the air from the 
  crack. Lamotruu screams in agony, a knell that sounds 
  throughout the tower, and the walls and ceiling begin 
  to crumble. The characters have only a few rounds to 
  reach the Globe of Flight in area 50E to escape the 
  collapsing Tower of Skulls. On their way out they may 
  be able to grab some of the treasure in the area – 
  ultimately this decision is left up to the DM. Lamotruu 
  wails and shouts and appears on his ziggurat as 
  the tower is destroyed, and if the characters reach 
  the Globe of Flight they see the demon lord nod in 
  approval to them just before the magic of the item 
  takes them away.
  EPILOGUE
  In order for the adventure to end, the characters 
  must somehow leave the Tower of Skulls. This could be 
  done one of three ways.
  The first way is to simply spend too much time in the 
  tower. Once dawn breaks over the land, the tower 
  collapses back to the earth and any non-resident is 
  expelled, minus some of their magical equipment 
  (50% chance per magical item). This transports them 
  1d% miles away in a random direction (1d8 – 1 north, 
  2 northeast, 3 east, 4 southeast, 5 south, 6 southwest, 7 
  west, 8 northwest). Any equipment goes to area 50E, 
  to become part of the accumulated pile of treasure 
  stashed away in the Tower of Skulls.
  The other way is to get passed the guardians in the 
  Throne of Bloodrose, breach the Gate of Despair, and 
  enter the Bone Fields of Lamotruu. The guardians must 
  be dealt with, but after that, the PCs are able to use 
  the Globe of Flight in area 50E to travel to whatever 
  point on the Prime Material Plane they want to travel 
  to.
  The third way is to destroy the Tower of Skulls.
  Destroying the Tower of Skulls
  If the characters discover the secret passage in the 
  Bone Fields of Lamotruu that leads to the Orb of 
  Oblivion, they have the opportunity to destroy the 
  Tower of Skulls and set free its inhabitants. The exact 
  details of doing this are found in area 51.
  If the characters succeed in this task, they have 
  performed a monumental feat worthy of any high-
  level hero. Unfortunately, they also release Lamotruu 
  from its prison, though severely weakened.
  Rewards
  Treasure found in the Tower of Skulls can be kept by 
  the characters depending on the circumstances of 
  their leaving (see above). If they came into the tower 
  with an explicit purpose, hopefully they complete that 
  purpose and leave willingly.
  If they destroyed the Tower of Skulls and freed 
  Lamotruu, they have unleashed a great evil back into 
  the Abyss. However, the demon lord – now greatly 
  diminished – bides his time, seeking to regain his once 
  mighty place of power in the Abyssal hierarchy. How 
  he reacts to the characters freeing him is a story for 
  another day, but demon lords do not forget.
  
  36
  Next Steps
  What is next for the brave characters? What new 
  danger lies over the horizon, just waiting for a band 
  of stalwart heroes? The answer can only be found out 
  by going there!
  If the characters managed to destroy the Tower of 
  Skulls, they unwittingly release Lamotruu from its prison 
  as well. The demon lord does not rest on its laurels, 
  however, and quickly begins to seek out a way to 
  reclaim its former glory and position of power in the 
  Abyssal realm.
  
  Appendix A: Monster and Magical Item Information
  Deathsoil Worm (type IV demon, Lamotruu): Init -2; 
  Atk bite +14 melee (2d12); AC 20; HD 12d12+12; hp 
  99; MV 30’ or burrow 30’; Act 2d20; SP demon traits, 
  poison breath (4d10 poison damage in a 60’ cone, 
  DC 20 Fort save for half), swallow whole (opponents 
  who suffer 13 or more damage on a bite must make a 
  DC 20 Reflex save or be swallowed, swallowed victims 
  suffer 1d12 acid damage each round, can use small 
  weapons to attack insides vs. AC 22, freedom after 
  inflicting 15 damage); SV Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +12; 
  AL C
  Flaming Skull (type I demon, Lamotruu): Init +4; Atk spit 
  fire +6 missile fire (range 100’, 1d8); AC 15; HD 3d12; hp 
  22; MV fly 30’; Act 1d20; SP demon traits, immune to 
  fire; SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3; AL C
  Frost Giant Zombie: Init +3; Atk axe +21 melee (4d8+8 
  plus 1d8 cold); AC 18; HD 14d10; hp 88; MV 20’; Act 
  2d20; SP immune to cold, double damage from fire-
  based attacks, un-dead, brown mold (extra cold 
  damage on attacks, if subject to fire damage extra 
  cold damage increases to 2d8); SV Fort +14, Ref +7, 
  will +11; AL C
  Blackroot Shambler (type II demon, Lamotruu): Init +2; 
  Atk claw +6 melee (1d6 plus drain); AC 18; HD 5d12; 
  hp 27; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SP demon traits, drain (hit 
  drains 1d4 points of Stamina, recovered at a rate of 1 
  per day); SV Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5; AL C
  Yeti: Init +2; Atk claw +8 melee (1d6 plus 1d6 cold); 
  AC 17; HD 5d10; hp 41; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP freezing 
  glare (range 60’, DC 14 Fort save or paralyzed for 1d6 
  rounds), immune to cold, double damage from fire-
  based attacks; SV Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +3; AL C
  Howling Wraith (type III demon, Lamotruu): Init +4; 
  Atk claw +8 melee (1d10 plus drain); AC 20; HD 6d12; 
  hp 31; MV fly 50’; Act 1d20; SP demon traits, drain 
  (hit drains 1d4 XP unless a DC 18 Will save is made, 
  permanent drain), incorporeal (can move through 
  physical objects); SV Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +8; AL C
  Iron Shadow: Init -2; Atk slam +3 melee (1d6+2); AC 
  22; HD 2d8+4; hp 15; MV 15’; Act 1d20; SP immune to 
  critical hits; SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +0; AL L
  Transparent Ooze: Init +0; Atk pseudopod +8 melee 
  (1d4 plus corrosion); AC 10; HD 6d8; hp 30; MV 5’, 
  climb 5’; Act 1d20; SP half damage from piercing and 
  slashing weapons, corrosion (metal weapons that 
  strike it are destroyed, armor worn by hit targets lose 
  one “plus” to AC until destroyed, magic items receive 
  save DC 16), invisibility (as long as it’s not moving it is 
  completely clear, Luck skill check to notice); SV Fort 
  +10, Ref +0, Will -2; AL N
  Black Ooze: Init +0; Atk pseudopod +4 melee (1d4 
  plus corrosion); AC 10; HD 2d8; hp 14; MV 5’, climb 5’; 
  Act 1d20; SP half damage from piercing and slashing 
  weapons, corrosion (metal weapons that strike it are 
  destroyed, armor worn by hit targets lose one “plus” 
  to AC until destroyed, magic items receive save DC 
  12); SV Fort +6, Ref -4, Will -6; AL N
  Bone King: Init +0; Atk iron greatsword +15 melee 
  (2d10+8); AC 20; HD 8d10; hp 70; MV 30’; Act 1d24; 
  SP crit on 20-24, un-dead, spell resistance 50%; SV Fort 
  +10, Ref +5, Will +6; AL C
  Vulture Demon (type II demon, Lamotruu): Init +3; Atk 
  claw +7 melee (1d8+2); AC 17; HD 7d12; hp 34; MV 
  30’, fly 30’; Act 2d20; SP demon traits, screech (non-
  demons that hear it must make a DC 16 Will save or 
  be paralyzed for 1d6 rounds), spore cloud (exude 
  spores, everything in 10’ radius must make a DC 16 
  Fort save or suffer 2d12 poison damage); SV Fort +7, 
  Ref +7, Will +7; AL C
  Blackroot Stomper (type IV demon, Lamotruu): Init +0; 
  Atk kick +14 melee (2d8+4); AC 20; HD 12d12; hp 102; 
  MV 20’; Act 2d20; SP damage reduction 5, demon 
  traits, stomp (every melee attacker must make DC 20 
  Ref save or suffer 2d12+4 damage); SV Fort +12, Ref 
  +10, Will +12; AL C
  Mummy: Init +0; Atk choke +5 melee (1d4/2d4/3d4/
  etc.); AC 11; HD 8d12+8; hp 60; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP 
  damage reduction 5, mummy rot, vulnerable to fire, 
  un-dead; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +10; AL C
  Blackroot Strangler (type III demon, Lamotruu): Init 
  +4; Atk choke +8 melee (1d6/2d6/3d6/etc.); AC 15; 
  HD 6d12; hp 41; MV 5’, climb 5’; Act 1d24; SP demon 
  traits, hidden (while amongst plants, Luck skill check to 
  notice), plant animation (plants in 30’ area animate 
  to immobilize victims, DC 18 Ref save to avoid), crit 
  20-24; SV Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +6; AL C
  Death Dog: Init +2; Atk bite +6 melee (1d8); AC 14; HD 
  6d8; hp 22; MV 50’; Act 2d20; SP poisoned bite (bite 
  damage heals at half normal rate including magical 
  healing), two heads; SV Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +4; AL C 
  Demonic Mushroom Man (type I demon, Lamotruu): 
  Init -5; Atk slam +4 melee (4d4); AC 18; HD 2d12+6; hp 
  19; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP demon traits, fungal cloud 
  (any creature within 20’ suffers -2 to attack, damage, 
  and saves, must make DC 14 Fort save or lose 1d4 
  Strength per round, returns 1/day), half damage from 
  bludgeoning damage; SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +2; AL C
  
  Gwiddon (type IV demon, Lamotruu): Init +4; Atk ray 
  of rot +12 missile fire (60’ range, 2d10); AC 20; HD 
  10d12; hp 87; MV 30’; Act 3d20; SP blight aura (any 
  non-demon that stands within 5’ suffers 1d6 damage 
  each round), demon traits, spells (+10 modifier, vermin 
  blight, curse, control fire); SV Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +12; 
  AL C
  Rose of Lamotruu (type II demon, Lamotruu): Init -2; Atk 
  lash +6 melee (reach 15’, 1d6); AC 13; HD 6d12; hp 33; 
  MV 5’; Act 1d20; SP blood drain (sleeping victims lose 
  1d4 Stamina per round from blood loss that does not 
  awaken them, regained 1/day), demon traits, sleep 
  musk (non-demons in 30’ radius must make DC 14 Will 
  save or fall asleep for 1d6 minutes); SV Fort +6, Ref +2, 
  Will +6; AL C
  Walking Graveyard: Init +0; Atk fist +10 melee (2d8); 
  AC 18; HD 10d10; hp 76; MV 20’; Act 2d20; SP immune 
  to cold and fire, graveyard aura (anyone seeing a 
  walking graveyard must make DC 18 Will save or be 
  paralyzed with fear for 2d4 rounds), fester (victims hit 
  by the fist suffer 1d8 damage on the following round 
  unless the wound is healed first), half damage from 
  weapons, engulf (if it hits a victim with two fists, engulfs 
  victim who suffers 2d8 damage each round, can be 
  freed with opposed Str check vs. +10); SV Fort +10, Ref 
  +5, Will +10; AL N
  Bone Golem: Init +2; Atk slam +8 melee (1d10); AC 20; 
  HD 8d10; hp 58; MV 30’, climb 30’; Act 1d20; SP half 
  damage from slashing and piercing weapons, hit only 
  by magic weapons, magic resistance 60%, cackle 
  (can release a horrendous cackle, everyone that can 
  hear it must make a DC 16 Will save or run in terror for 
  2d6 rounds); SV Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +10; AL N
  MAGICAL ITEMS OF THE TOWER
  Eyes of the Obsidian Toad
  In his role as demon lord of graveyards, Lamotruu 
  clashed with many other powerful demons. He had 
  several clashes with Ibholtheg, a hateful creature 
  known as the Squamous Toad. In one of those 
  encounters Lamotruu managed to pluck the eyes 
  from one of Ibholtheg’s greatest servants, a titanic 
  toadfiend that shot fire and ice out of its glowing eyes. 
  In honor of that victory the eyes – one blue and one 
  red – were crystallized by powerful magic and set into 
  obsidian toad statues in the Tower of Skulls.
  When one of the Eyes of the Obsidian Toad are held 
  in hand, the holder suffers only half damage from a 
  single energy source based on the color of the gem. 
  If the blue gem is held, the holder only suffers half 
  damage from cold damage. If the red gem is held, 
  the holder only suffers half damage from fire damage. 
  The items must be held in hand, touching flesh, in 
  order for this magical effect to function.
  Staff of Withering
  This gnarled staff is made from a rare tree that grows 
  only in certain layers of the Abyss. Known as dead 
  man’s hand, the bark of the tree is black and the 
  limbs grow twisted, but the only smaller outgrowths 
  are on the ends of the branches, which resemble 
  hands. Lamotruu was fond of cultivating forests of 
  dead man’s hand trees, but since his fall only a few 
  relics remain crafted from the rare wood. It is nearly 
  indestructible and unusually heavy for its six-foot 
  length.
  A wielder of the Staff of Withering has access to two 
  magical powers, both related to evaporating water. 
  The first power is used on contact with a living creature 
  that has blood flowing in its vein. On contact with 
  such a target, the wielder can cause 1d6 damage as 
  the water in the blood evaporates in an instant. This 
  can be done when the weapon strikes an opponent 
  in combat and is in addition to the regular damage 
  for a quarterstaff.
  The second power is to drain away the blood in a 
  victim’s limb, rendering it useless. This can be used 
  once per day and again requires the target to be a 
  living creature with blood in its veins. The wielder of the 
  staff touches it to the victim’s appendage (arm or leg, 
  does not work with the head or torso) who must then 
  make a DC 18 Fort save. On a failure, the touched 
  limb withers and is useless. Only powerful magical 
  healing can restore a withered limb.
  
  Demonic Armor
  In the Abyss, demon lords have been known to bestow 
  gifts upon especially useful mortals – gifts that carry 
  dangerous properties. Lamotruu was fond of sending 
  a suit of dull black full plate armor to mortals that 
  pleased him, though few remain in the world today. 
  A suit of Demonic Armor functions as full plate +2 and 
  bears Lamotruu’s sigils and symbols all over its metal 
  surface (skulls, wrapping vines, curling tendrils, etc.). 
  Once donned, however, the Demonic Armor cannot 
  be removed except by the express command of 
  Lamotruu.
  Ring of Protection
  Long ago, a cabal of wizards came together for the 
  express purpose of gathering knowledge and sharing 
  their magical secrets in order to advance in the arcane 
  arts. They called themselves the Prismatic Circle, and 
  they dwelled in a fantastic multi-colored castle known 
  as Prism Keep. In order to keep themselves from harm 
  – for the sorcerers of the Prismatic Circle knew that 
  dangers lurked from within as well as from without – 
  they crafted useful Rings of Protection. The Prismatic 
  Circle was abandoned when one of their members 
  betrayed the rest, but a few of their items managed 
  to escape into the world.
  A Ring of Protection resembles a metal band that shifts 
  colors constantly. It resizes itself to fit anyone, from a 
  halfling up to a giant. When worn, the wearer gains 
  a +3 bonus to saving throws against magical spells. 
  Against any other saving throw it provides a +1 bonus.
  Armor of Arrow Deflection
  The famed ranger Aiden Hart was known throughout 
  the land as a fearless warrior. He survived countless 
  battles, and one of the reasons for that was a suit of 
  leather armor he commissioned from a sorcerer to 
  protect him from missile fire. Unfortunately, he met a 
  grisly end in the Tower of Skulls where his armor did him 
  no good.
  The Armor of Arrow Deflection is a suit of magical 
  leather armor +2. Against missile fire attacks, the armor 
  bonus increases by +4.
  Demetrius
  The sword Demetrius has a long history as a symbol of 
  the Splendid Knights, whose members include great 
  warriors dating back centuries. The commander 
  of the Splendid Knights wielded Demetrius and 
  inspired soldiers with it on the battlefield. In recent 
  years the Splendid Knights chose to tackle the Tower 
  of Skulls and rid the land of its evil once and for all. 
  The commander, Lord Hargrow, led a band of his 
  warriors into the infernal tower – and never returned. 
  The Splendid Knights fell one by one to the traps and 
  monsters of the tower, but Lord Hargrow managed 
  to face Lamotruu finally. The demon lord toyed with 
  the knight for a period before casting his soul into the 
  pommel stone of Demetrius itself.
  Today, Demetrius is a Lawful long sword +2 that was 
  forged to protect the weak. It communicated via 
  simple urges to the wielder, and against un-dead it 
  gained an additional +1 to hit and damage. Once 
  per day Demetrius could use detect invisible to root 
  out unseen foes. Lord Hargrow’s spirit is still trapped 
  in the ruby pommel of the sword, though he has no 
  means of communication currently with the outside 
  world.
  Figurine of the Onyx Hound
  The Bone King is an enigmatic servant of Lamotruu 
  whose background is lost to the misty shrouds of time. 
  His size and prowess puts him as no mere human, and 
  he fights with the strength and skill of a giant. He holds 
  on a single item that seems to link him to a previous 
  lifetime – an onyx figurine of a sitting hound dog 
  roughly six inches tall.
  When first held by a living creature, the bearer hears a 
  faint baying sound in their mind. The baying dies away 
  after a moment, but the impression of a single word is 
  left in the holder’s mind – Rathbone. Saying the name 
  while holding the figurine summons the hound, who 
  appears with the stats of a dire wolf (maximum hit 
  points). Rathbone can be summoned once per day 
  and stays for one hour and is completely loyal to the 
  one that summoned it.
  Winged Boots
  The elves of the Forlorn Forest build their homes in 
  the trees, away from strangers and invaders. They 
  use ladders and special elevators to access these 
  high heights, but there are some places that have 
  no such avenues of access. Sprinkled throughout the 
  Forlorn Forest are a number of Sky Temples built at the 
  crowns of the tallest of the trees, accessible only to 
  the chosen few (those who can fly). Elven priests who 
  maintain the Sky Temples use special Winged Boots to 
  travel to and from their holy sites and other locations 
  in the Forlorn Forest.
  The Winged Boots appear as white leather boots 
  of the finest material. A pair of silver wings sit at the 
  ankles, and the supple soles of the boots are sewn 
  with arcane marks. An elf or wizard can decipher 
  the marks to learn the command word, which when 
  spoken grants the wearer a flying speed of 50’ for up 
  to 1 hour in a day. A second command word disables 
  the flying speed.
  
  Flamelicker
  Lendor Al’Tanariv was a noble warrior in service to the 
  gods of light and truth. In his quests, he acquired the 
  powerful magical sword Flamelicker and bent it to his 
  own considerable will. Though the two did not see eye 
  to eye, they worked well together, especially when 
  Lendor unsheathed Flamelicker and let the sword do 
  what it did best – burn things.
  Flamelicker is a two-handed sword +2 with an Int of 9. 
  It has a Neutral alignment and communicates with its 
  wielder via empathy. It has a special hatred of water 
  elementals, against which it deals an extra 1d10 
  damage on a critical hit. The wielder can command 
  it to become a flame brand up to 3 times per day, 
  igniting the blade in flames that deal 1d6 extra 
  damage (lasts for 6 rounds). It can also be thrown as a 
  missile up to 20’, returning immediately to the owner’s 
  hand after a throw.
  Wand of Fear
  Deviah was a powerful necromancer who fell in with 
  a dangerous creature known as the Skull Father. She 
  was rescued by the knight Lendor and his followers, 
  and together the two of them crushed the Skull Father 
  and then sought out the Tower of Skulls. Ultimately, 
  they were defeated, but along the way Deviah used 
  a potent tool that she crafted herself – the Wand of 
  Fear. It is a simple wand made of bleached bone 
  roughly a foot long topped with a rough-hewn 
  emerald clutched in a skeletal grip.
  The Wand of Fear can be used to magically frighten 
  any creature, living or dead, demon or not. It can 
  be used up to 3 times per day by pointing it at an 
  opponent, who must make a DC 18 Will saving throw. 
  On a failure, the victim becomes terrified of the 
  wielder, and suffers -4 to all attacks while the wielder 
  is in sight. This fear effect lasts for 1 hour.
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level I
  1 square = 5 ft.
  1.
  2.
  3.
  1.
  4.
  5.
  6.
  7.
  8.
  9.
  10.
  11.
  12.
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level II
  1 square = 5 ft.
  13.
  14.
  15.
  16.
  17.
  18.
  19.
  20.
  21.
  22.
  23.
  A
  B
  C
  D
  E
  F
  G
  H
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level III
  1 square = 5 ft.
  24.
  25.
  32.
  33.
  35.
  31.
  26.
  27.
  28.
  29.
  30.
  34.
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level IV
  1 square = 5 ft.
  41.
  44.
  43.
  39.
  46.
  45.
  38.
  37.
  36.
  42.
  40.
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level V
  1 square = 5 ft.
  47.
  48.
  49.
  
  Tower of Skulls 
  Level VI
  1 square = 5 ft.
  50A.
  50B.
  50C.
  50D.
  50E.
  51.
  
  Thank You, Kickstarter Backers!
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  within 30 days of becoming aware of the 
  breach. All sublicenses shall survive the 
  termination of this License. 
  14. Reformation: If any provision of this 
  License is held to be unenforceable, such 
  provision shall be reformed only to the ex-
  tent necessary to make it enforceable. 
  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, 
  Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document Copyright 
  2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; 
  Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip 
  Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David 
  Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, 
  John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, 
  based on original material by E. Gary Gygax 
  and Dave Arneson. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon Crawl Classics/DCC Adventures & Settings/Lord of the Bone Fields (DCC)/BF1 Tower of Skulls (DCC).pdf