As the party approaches the canyon of the priests, they will hear a distant booming sound. At first, it will be mistaken for thunder. However, as they draw nearer to the canyon, it will come to sound more like the beating of a great drum.

In actuality, this sound is coming from the spy tree (quickwood) that the priests of Salsmen has formed a pact with. The party was spotted by a tree under the control of the distant quickwood and it is now booming out a warning that strangers are approaching.

Patrols

The distance from the imposing and nearly unassailable edifice of the Stronghold of the Ebon Blade to the area of the catacombs the priests of Salsmen maintain a retreat is less than a mile, and if the PCs follow the booming sound they will walk right to it. However, the priests of Salsmen maintain several patrols to drive off the intruders. Roll ld8 on the following chart to determine what the players encounter:

1 2d6 Black riders
2 2d6 Skeletons
3 2d4 Zombies
4 2d3 Zombies and 1d3 Ju-ju Zombies
5 1d4 Giant Skeletons*
6 1d8 Skeletons and 1d4 Zombies
7 1d2 Leucrotta
8 1d4 Giant Ravens**

* see area 8 below

** see The Birds below

Approaching the Canyon

After they have battled several patrols, they will begin to move into a barren area. An even more desolate area will become visible to the east.

As you head nearer to the source of the drumming sounds, you see a truly forsaken land. The trees and grass give way to low shrubs that soon die out to leave a barren, cracked land that looks like a dried sea bed with canyons sunk into it. Round, red rocks dot the lifeless areas between the canyons.

Entering the Canyon

Travel through this region is fairly easy, for the land is not cluttered up with living things. The ground can be treacherous, but the general impression is one of rapid travel. After the party has traveled another quarter of a mile, they will be deep into the lifeless region of caverns.

Now that you have entered this forsaken region, you notice that the large rocks you saw from afar are nothing more than especially hard nodes of rust red dirt. In fact, not a rock can be seen in this area. Everything is made of sun baked, wind swept clay with sheer vertical walls of hardened adobe. Most are between 15' and 40' deep. The ridges between the canyons are only slightly rounded while the canyon floors are very square. At the bottom of the canyons are small, dried up streams that trace white patterns in the baked earth.

The very feeling of death seems to seep from the ground in this place. Even the hottest desert would seem more alive than these desolate canyons. High up in the sky you can see a great crow riding the wind currents in lazy, graceful circles. It seems to be the only other living thing in sight.

Brushes with the Macabre

The Bodies

Out on the ends of several of the buttes, a single small wooden post can be seen. These posts all have a set of manacles hanging from chains that are attached to their tops. Many of the manacles are clamped around human bodies in some state of decay. While some are nothing more than barely intact collections of withered flesh and bleached bones, others are still in the early stages of decay. Most of the latter bodies show signs of having been partially eaten.

The priests place victims here for a number of dark reasons. The giant crows of this area end up killing most of them after the elements have sufficiently weakened them. If the PCs are captured, they will likely share this fate.

The Birds

Occasionally, giant ravens (AC 4; MV 3, Fl 18 (D); HD 3+2; hp 25; THAC0 17; #Att 1; Dmg 1d4+2; Ml 15; XP 175) will attack those who wander through these canyons. If the DM wishes to, the party may be attacked by one or more of these evil birds. If not, they should at least see one or two of them feeding on the bodies suspended high atop the canyon walls.

The Bones

As the party approaches the area of the altar caverns, they will encounter a canyon that has numerous bones embedded in its walls. These bones will range in size from those of a mouse to some which appear to have belonged to a massive humanoid some 100' tall. These bones will be spread throughout the entire canyon and are embedded in all the adobe to any depth that the PCs might dig.

The Broken Ones

The last 100' of canyon wall before the entrance to the canyon are lined with human skeletons hanging upon wooden stakes. At lesser and lesser intervals, a wooden stake topped with a human skull and a few raven feathers will be seen on either side of the canyon. These serve as a final warning to those who might enter the canyon.

1.) Spy Tree

The stake and skull marked path you have been following leads ahead and opens up to surround a large dark oak tree. You have a distinct feeling that something dark and sinister is watching you. Looking up, you can see the dark forms of giant crows circling high above you. Their haunting cries echo through the canyon like the spiteful laughter of a ghost.

The oak tree is actually a quickwood (AC 5; MV 1 (roots 3); HD 10; hp 68, THAC0 15; #Att 1; Dmg 3d4; Ml 16; XP 3500) (spy tree). It important to the priests as it uses several of the oaks nearly a mile away as spies to inform them of intruders. The thumping sound that the PCs heard earlier was caused by this creature.

If the quickwood is attacked and cannot take care of itself, it will let out a special series of thumps. Upon hearing this signal, eight chaos hordlings (AC 4; MV 12; HD 4+4; hp 29, 25, 22, 21, 21, 19, 16, 12; THAC0 13; #Att 3; Dmg 1d6/1d6/2d6; Ml 19; XP 975 each) will leap up out of secret trap doors set in the dirt that rings the tree. They will help defend it against any attackers.

If the party manages to defeat the hordling guards, and still threaten the tree, a most frightening thing will happen.

As soon as it becomes obvious that the quickwood tree is still in danger and that the hordlings have failed, a powerful spell will be unleashed. This deadly magic animates skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 20 each of 8,7, 6, 5,4,3,2 and 1; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65) hidden under the stakes that hold the priests' watchmen. All at once, with a dry scratching sound, secret doors will open to reveal coffin-like chambers under each of the stakes. With a clacking of bone, a skeleton leaps out of each coffin and attacks the party. The holding areas of the skeletons are latched from the underside so that anyone pulling out a stake will not discover them. However, a successful search for secret doors would reveal them. There are a total of 180 skeletons. These skeletons are also released if the altar to Salsmen is destroyed.

2.) Rib Cage

As you enter the end of this box canyon, you see a huge rib cage embedded into the clay canyon floor. The ribs stick some 15' out of the ground and they all arch up to a large bone plate. It looks as if the creature that these bones had come from had some sort of shell covering it.

Within the rib cage is a pile of men and women in various stages of decay and rot. Several of them call out pitifully to you, waving diseased limbs your way and begging to be rescued.

Although even a large man could walk between the ribs, none of them are doing so. Around the rib cage are several decayed stumps that seem to be tangled in nets crafted from thick vines.

There are a total of 25 humans in this cage. Ten are zombies (AC 8; MV 6; HD 2; hp 5; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d8; XP 65), two are ju-ju zombies (AC 6; MV 9; HD 3+12; hp 32; THAC0 15; #Att 1; Dmg 3d4; XP 975), and the rest are trapped humans. All the humans have been magically silenced so that they can not speak. They are actually attempting to wave off the PCs from the trap, not beckoning for help. A character who takes special care to examine the situation might (DM's option) notice this. The stumps and nets are actually kampfult (AC 4; MV 3; HD 2; hp 15, 15, 12, 11, 10, 8,7, 4, 4,2; THAC0 19; #Att 6; Dmg 1; SA surprise and paralyzation; Ml 13; XP 175), a deadly plant.

Although not more than two of these creatures will be able to attack any one PC (due to their placement and their slow movement rate), the real danger to the party is hidden atop the bone shell.

Lurking above the party's heads on the bone shell are eight chaos hordlings (AC 4; MV 12; HD 4+4; hp 29, 25, 22, 21, 21, 19, 16, 12; THAC0 13; #Att 3; Dmg 1d6/1d6/2d6; Ml 19; XP 975 each). They man a small skeletal catapult which is armed with a special net. When fired, the net spins out (weighted by skulls) and falls on anyone entering or attempting to leave the area. The net is made of sinew and is very strong so that those caught in it must roll an open doors attempt to break a strand. If five strands are broken they can escape. The net will expand to fall on an area 30' in diameter, and two such nets can be fired (the second must come three rounds after the first due to reloading time.

Those fired at by the catapult must save vs. paralyzation at -3 or be trapped. The hordlings will then toss off ropes and lower themselves to the canyon floor. They will proceed to stake the net to the ground, trapping the characters caught in it. They will then guard them closely for several days until they are too weak from hunger, thirst, and fear to be any threat. Next, they will be magically silenced, stripped of all significant gear, and placed in the rib cage. From here, they will either die of disease, be sent into one of the catacombs to perish at the hands of the horrors that dwell there, be hung up from one of the stakes found atop the canyons, or suffer any one of a number of less than pleasant fates.

Anyone not caught in the net can attempt to cut others out of it. Each strand has 8 hit points and only edged weapons can be used against it. Due to it's flexibility, all damage inflicted on the strands is halved unless a second person holds the net steady.

If the adventurers manage to reach the hordlings and engage them in combat, they may be able to put the catapult out of commission.

Any attempt to rescue (or even investigate) those in the cage will cause all the zombies in the cage (which are hard to distinguish from a number of the captives) to attack.

3.) Sentinels

You see before you a silent, motionless sentinel of a most unusual sort. A giant skeleton (AC 4; MV 12; HD 4+4; hp 30; THAC0 15; #Att 1; Dmg 1d12; SA double damage if charging; SD as skeleton, no damage from fire based attacks, Turn as Mummy; S L (12' Tall); Ml 20; XP 1400) is mounted on a large skeletal lizard (AC 5; MV 15; HD 10; hp 55; THAC0 11; #Att 3; Dmg 1d8/1d8/2d8; SD as skeleton, no damage from fire based attacks, Turn as spectre; Ml 20; XP 5000). The skeleton is sitting on a dried, bleached leather saddle and holds a set of reins in one hand and a lance seemingly carved from bone in the other. The end of the lance is stained with a brown color that looks uncomfortably like dried blood.

Any attempt to get within 500' of the canyon from the top will be challenged by these sentinels. Also, anyone climbing up out of the canyon will also be attacked.

If the skeleton strikes with a charge of 19 or 20, the lance will splinter, causing an additional 2dl2 damage. On an attack of 1 or 2, the lance will also splinter to no avail. In either case, the lance is then ruined, and the skeleton will pull out a ball and chain for further attacks (also 1d12 Dmg, but no charging).

4.) Raven Monument

A four story ziggurat of adobe topped with a large raven statue rises some 50' upwards. The raven's head is even with the tops of the canyon walls. It is currently facing in your direction. Upon each of the landings below the raven are skeletal guards standing at motionless, silent attention. You can hear the wind moan as it blows through their bleached bones. Each is holding a spear tipped with a slender bone blade. Black raven feathers fluttering in the breeze adorn the spear shafts and head bands of these deadly guards.

With a scratching, grinding sound the raven begins to rotate until its gemstone eyes come to face the party. At the heart of each eye is a glimmer of light that fills your soul with dread.

Each tier of the ziggurat is 10' high and the landings are 10' wide. There are three tiers of guards, the bottom contains 24 skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7(x8), 5(x16),3(x24); THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65), the next 16, and the one just below the raven holds 8. They are all commanded to do nothing but defend the ziggurat. The skeletons on higher tiers will do nothing unless an opponent is on the tier directly below them (then they'll throw their spears). After the spear volley, no other attack will come unless an opponent is on that skeleton's tier in which case it will attack with honey hands and fingers. Of course, any skeleton that is attacked will defend itself no matter what level the attacker is standing on.

Trapped within the raven statue are two giant skeleton (AC 4; MV 12; HD 4+4; hp 48, 33; THAC0 15; #Att 0; Dmg Nil; SD as skeleton, no damage from fire based attacks, Turn as Mummy; S L (12' Tall); Ml 20; XP Nil). They have been instructed to rotate the statue about a wooden pivot beam so that it always looks at anything moving through this area. Thus the statue will rotate to follow the PCs movement. If they break into multiple groups, it will follow the largest group which just broke from the current group it is tracking. Be sure to make this seem ominous and not comical.

If the PCs break through the statue (which is made of hardened clay painted in some dark fluid), the skeletons within will not attack, but will continue their job of rotating what is left of the statue.

A secret trap door exists on the top of the ziggurat. It can only be found if the statue's shell is broken and entered, or if those wishing to gain entry say, "Raven Rise". In which case the giant skeletons will lift up the pivot pole and hold the raven high enough for the character's to climb under. The raven is too heavy for non-giants to lift unless mechanical means (like levers) are used.

The secret door leads to a small treasure room some 25 feet on a side and 20 feet high that the High Priest placed here in honor of the raven, a bird sacred to the priesthood of Salsmen. It contains 250 cp, 130 sp, 50 ep, 430 gp, 50 pp. 12 egg shaped bloodstones (worth 100 gp each), a 350 gp onyx statuette of a raven, a Ring of Infiltration with one unshattered gem, and two clear coin sized crystals (these are actually eyes of the eagle).

5. The Catacombs

Two dry cracks open up on either side of this dead end canyon. The cracks are high but narrow. Although you see nothing to alarm you, a terrible anguish seems to hang heavy over this cul de sac. The parched canyon walls here look even more dried and hardened than they do elsewhere in the canyon complex. In the very center of the canyon is a human skeleton drawn taught by leather thongs fastened at the wrists and ankles. Each of the leather straps is fastened to a wooden stake that is driven deeply into the ground.

Anyone examining it can determine that it has been here for a long time. While the skeleton is not undead, it does have a powerful curse upon it. Anyone touching it will fall back and experience a terrible deep ache in the hand that touched it, no saving throw is allowed. For the next day, use of the arm will be painful and awkward (-3 Dexterity). Arthritis will set into the joints and begin traveling up the arm. Within a day, even simple movements will be made with extreme pain (dropping the character's Dexterity by 3 more points). The person's skin will dry up and age spots will appear. Eventually, the person will become emaciated and die (taking about a week). All flesh will quickly fall off, dry up, and blow away, leaving only a skeletal frame behind. At any time during the development of the curse, a remove curse spell will restore the person to their original state.

Besides the use of a remove curse spell there is one other way to be rid of the curse. If the altar to Salsmen is destroyed, the curse will be lifted.

This skeleton belonged to a handsome young woodsman from a nearby town who's entire family was captured by priests of Salsmen. She kept them in captivity for a long while as her minions tried to capture him as well. He was elusive, but eventually she held him too. She then forced him to watch her as she tormented his beautiful young wife and family.

As they was slowly killing him with a daily dose of cause light wounds while he was staked to the ground at this very spot, he summoned all the anguish in his being and called forth a powerful curse, "May you who touch me suffer the fate that befell my wife:'

The High Priest came out that morning to find that the young man had died during the night. Thus, she didn't touch him with the cause light wounds spell which would have altered her existence. He ordered a slave to move the body, and beheld his grimace as he touched the body. Quickly, he realized what was occurring, and has since left the body here for several reasons: as a warning to other priests, as a form of torture to others, to serve as a guardian, and so that they can enjoy using the power of the curse intended for them against others.

If the skeleton is cut lose, it will animate (as a standard skeleton), and march off to attack the altar. It will surely be destroyed by the giant skeletal guards which protect the altar. But this may lead the PCs closer, and as it dies, all skeletons attacking it will crumble to dust.

6. Cavern to the Altar of Salsmen

A narrow fissure in the side of the canyon here leads back into the baked mud. If the party explores this area, turn to the next chapter, "Cavern to the Altar of Salsmen".

7. Cavern of the Gateway

A slender split cuts deep into the side of the baked mud wall here. If the adventurers enter it, they will discover the Cavern to the Gateway, turn to that section of the book.

Cavern to the Altar of Salsmen

First Level (can cast 3/day)

Analyze Balance (Div.), Animal Friendship (Ani.), Anti-Vermin Barrier (Wrd), Bless/Curse (All), Call Upon Faith (Sum.), Combine(C) (All), Create Water/Destroy Water (Ele.), Cure Light Wounds/Cause Light Wounds (Hea.), Detect Evil/Detect Good (All), Detect Magic (Div.), Detect Poison (Div.), Detect Snares & Pits (Div.), Endure Cold/Endure Head (Pro.), Invisibility to Animals (Ani.), Invisibility to Undead (Nec.), Know Direction (Tra.), Light/Darkness (Sun.), Locate Animals or Plants (Ani.), Locate Animals or Plants (Div.), Log of Everburning (Ele.), Magical Stone (Com.), Mistaken Missive (Cha.), Protection From Evil/Protection From Good (Pro.), Purify Food & Drink/Putrefy Food & Drink (All), Ring of Hands/Ring of Woe(C) (Pro.), Sacred Guardian (Gua.), Sanctuary (Pro.), Shillelagh (Com.), Weighty Chest (Wrd)

Second Level (can cast 2/day)

Aid (Nec.), Augury (Div.), Aura of Comfort (Tra.), Barkskin (Pro.), Chant (Com.), Charm Person or Mammal (Ani.), Detect Charm/Undetectable Charm (Div.), Dissension's Feast (Cha.), Draw Upon Holy Might (Sum.), Dust Devil (Ele.), Find Traps (Div.), Fire Trap (Ele.), Flame Blade (Ele.), Frisky Chest (Wrd), Heat Metal/Chill Metal (Ele.), Know Alignment/Undetectable Alignment (Div.), Lighten Load (Tra.), Messenger (Ani.), Produce Flame (Ele.), Resist Fire/Resist Cold (Pro.), Sanctify/Defile(C) (All), Silence, 15' Radius (Gua.), Slow Poison (Hea.), Snake Charm (Ani.), Speak With Animals (Ani.), Speak With Animals (Div.), Spiritual Hammer (Com.), Withdraw (Pro.), Wyvern Watch (Gua.), Zone of Truth (Wrd)

These acolytes will not be encountered in the Entrance (1), the Alight (3), or the Sink Hole (4). They are safe from all the dangers in this place, even from the magic item robbing of the phantoms in the Alight (3), so long as their unholy symbol is prominently displayed. The are most likely to be encountered in the Temple to Sslsmen (8), or inside the altar area of the giant skeleton (9 or10).

1. Entrance

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: None)

As you push through a slender crack in the sunburnt walls of the canyon you discover that it widens into a dangerous looking passage. The air is dark and dry, with dust drifting up from your every footstep to scratch at your eyes and lungs. The passage is jagged, with two long stalactites near the entrance that give you the impression of a cruel, tanged mouth opening wide to bite you. The ground seems to have been stained here by some dark fluid. Crossing the middle of the corridor is a wrought iron gate with wickedly barbed uprights. Bound to the iron gate is a skeleton dressed in rags. Any cleric of the good Traveler gods will recognize the way the ropes and leather thongs are threaded through the bones of the skeleton shows that this was the victim of a consecration ritual to Salsmen.

2. Chamber of Runes

(Ceiling Height: arched 10'-20'; Illum: Dull blue Continual Light)

Many evil symbols of power and pain are deeply marked into the walls here. Their terrible appearance causes a shudder to run through your body for a brief moment. The darkness in the passages ahead seems unnaturally deep, having an almost liquid appearance.

Have all the players make saving throws vs. magic for their characters at this point. Those failing their saves will have to make a roll to bend bars in order to pull their weapons from their sheaths when they try. Non-sheathed weapons are not affected. For spell casters, use of magical spells will require an Intelligence check for wizards or a Wisdom check for priests. Those failing their rolls will be unable to cast the spell correctly and it will simply falter. All penalties will exist until this cave complex is exited.

3. The Alight

(Ceiling Height: 20'; Illum: None)

The floor ahead is covered by an eerie moving mist. It is jet black in color, perhaps knee high on a human, and looks almost like some vaporous ink. There seem to be things moving about in the mist, for it has ripples and eddies like those caused by fish in a river, but you see no sign of any living thing in this seething black smoke.

Every character who comes into sight of the black mist must make a save vs. spells. Those who make it will get a bad feeling about the "passage" ahead. Nothing they do, however, will provoke any response or reveal any information about the mysterious vapors. The only way to cause something to happen here is to walk into the mist. Characters who are not carrying magical objects can pass safely through the region. Those with such devices, however, are in for a shock. Determine what magical item on their person is closest to the ground and then read them the following text:

You notice a ghostly white hand with long, sharp nails reaching up from the mist. It is slender and gaunt, but not completely skeletal. With speed that seems impossible to believe, it lashes out and grabs onto your (magical item). Although it seems to have a firm grip the object, you feel no force being exerted.

The hands will grab the lowest magical item they can get a hold of. There will be one hand per character with magical objects.

The hands are actually mist phantoms and are not corporeal. They cannot be attacked in any way, save by something that would destroy all of the mist (a wish that the mist were gone, for example). Their touch will slowly cause the item being grabbed to turn into mist and flow away. To prevent this from happening, the characters must escape the mists. However, all those in the mist will be under the effects of a slow spell. Each round have the character make a save vs. spells (adjusting by the pluses of the item or its equivalent). Failure means that the item has vanished and the hand will move on to another (if any remain).

Items removed from the adventures by the mist phantoms will be deposited in a storage area in the main fortress of the Ebon Blade for the inspection of the priests. If the adventurers reach this room in the next 1d4 days, they will be able to recover all of their items. For each day after the initial 1d4, a magical item will be taken by the priests and given to favored lieutenants and captains.

4. Sink Hole

(Ceiling Height: domed 10'-20'; Illum: None)

The floor in this room is covered with fine sand that makes it somewhat slippery. In the center of the chamber is wide hole in the floor that seems to be natural. The air is still and the only sound you can hear is the grating of the sand under your boots.

Anyone stepping within 5' of the sinkhole will cause its edge to collapse. They will slide into the pit and become half buried in its bottom. All characters who fall in should make a Dexterity check. Failure means that they are buried head first (consult the AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Handbook for details on Holding Your Breath). The five foot rule applies to those attempting to aid their trapped comrades as well.

5. The Shattered Room

(Ceiling Height: varies 5' to 25'; Illum: None)

The end of this passage shows signs of a violent geologic shock. Minor cracks and fissures fill the walls, but there seems to be no exit from this chamber other than the obvious passage to the north. Two promising passages do split off west and south, but they quickly narrow to uselessness. From within the shadows of the cracks you catch an occasional glimpse of something that might be a cruel, sparkling eye.

High (20') up on the East wall is a ledge which is so difficult to distinguish from the rough cave walls that a search for secret doors is required to discover it. At the back of the ledge is a passage that continues on to area 6.

6. Stone of Death

(Ceiling Height: domed 10' - 30'; Illum: Dull greenish glow from top of Death Stone)

A smooth stone slab blocks your view into the heart of the room ahead. You can see a skeleton hanging from chains on the east side of the room and a manacled rotting body is suspended to the west. The air smells of death and decay, but the buzzing of insects one might expect in such a place is noticeably absent. A sense of dread hangs over this place.

This room contains four skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 3, 1(x3); THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65) and four zombies (AC 8; MV 6; HD 2; hp 14, 11, 9, 8; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d8; XP 65), although only 2 are visible to the PCs as they enter the room. They all appear manacled to the walls. However, the wall pins can easily be slid out and these undead guards then use the manacles as flails. The creatures will animate once the characters are well inside the room.

When the party can see the far side of the stone slab they will observe the following:

The broken figure of a human woman is stretched out upon the stone slab. She is held in place by iron bands around her neck, wrists, and ankles which are spiked into place on the slab. Although she may once have been quite lovely, she shows every indication of having starved to death here.

Only an examination of the girl will reveal that she is actually still alive. Although she is too badly injured to cry out or speak, anyone who touches her will cause her to moan weakly in anguish.

If any attempt to remove her is made, the strain will kill her. The only way to aid her would be to use magical healing. However, even this will simply prolong her misery as the stone slab is magical and has captured her essence to feed upon. She will continue to lose one hit point a day until she dies (she currently has only 3 hit points left).

If she is removed from the slab, a wisp of mist will stretch from the slab to her body. As she moves farther from the slab, the wisp will become thinner until it is not noticeable, but it will still be there. The only way to truly save her is to destroy the slab itself. This would require magic or other such extreme methods (normal weapons will only slightly chip it as it is unnaturally durable). One of the few ways in which the slab can be destroyed is with a transmute rock to mud spell. Other spells may or may not work, at the DM's discretion.

This slab is where the priests of Salsmen places helpless victims once a month. The powerfully enchanted slab feeds upon the life force of the victim and channels it throughout the caverns to give energy and magical power to the animated dead and other magical occurrences.

7. The Bone Narrows

(Ceiling Height: varies 10' to 20'; Illum: None)

A slender stone passage widens here to form a natural chamber. The entire area is littered with bones of all shapes and sizes. Some are obviously human, while others obviously aren't. An old rotting table leans against the far wall of the room. Two of its legs seem to have buckled so that it is tilted away from you at a sharp angle. Because of this, it is impossible to tell if anything rests upon the table or not.

The table once held a golden statuette of a wolf, however, it has since fallen off and is now buried by bones. It is worth 450 gp, but reaching the table will be dangerous as the bones cover a 20' deep pit.

In the bottom of the pit are four half-decomposed Humanoid bodies. Furthermore, anyone who falls into the pit will startle the ten giant centipedes who live there. The priests keep them here to torture people, and they are quick to crawl out of their cracks and attack.

Giant Centipedes (10): AL N; AC 9; MV 15; HO 1/ 4; hp 2 each; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg 0; SA Poison; S T; ML 7; XP 35 each.

8. Temple to Salsmen

(Ceiling Height: 90'; Illum: Flames of giant skeletons, flaming iron braziers, the eyes of the enormous skull)

You can see an eerie light up ahead. As you approach this room you behold an amazing sight. Two giant skeletons (AC 6; MV 12; HD 8; hp 45, 41; THAC0 15; #Att 1; Dmg 1d12; SD as skeleton, no damage from fire based attacks, Turn as Mummy; S L (12' Tall); Ml 20; XP 1400) stand like sentinels near a bridge composed wholly of bone. On platforms in their chest cavities, two huge bonfires burn. The flames from these fires reach high into the air, dancing against the collar bones of the giants. Each holds a wicked looking polearm at the ready.

The bridge, which reaches out across a sea of swirling greenish mists, is an intricate creation of many various types of bones. Skulls adorn the femur railings while the floor is a mesh of many different bones. This bridge leads to a ghastly looking skeleton of huge proportions. Red flames burn fiercely in the eye holes of the enormous skill. Its backbone disappears into the swirling mists of the chasm below. A landing of bone is suspended in the huge skeleton's rib cage and you can barely make out a spiral staircase within.

The two giant skeletons will attack only if they are attacked or if someone steps onto the bridge. As soon as they are activated, however, they will cut the ropes supporting the bridge. This will cause those upon its surface to make a Dexterity check or fall into the mists below. Those making their checks will be able to hang onto the bridge, but will swing with it when it falls and crash into the skeleton's pelvis. When this happens, they must take 2d6 points of damage and will have to make another Dexterity check if they wish to avoid falling into the mists. They may then climb up to the landing in the center of the colossal skeleton with only minimal effort.

In the mean time, the skeleton sentinels will attack all those who were not on the bridge. They will first stick their weapons inside their chests, causing the blades to ignite. Any opponent that is knocked down during the combat will be thrown off the edge into the mists unless a Dexterity check is made.

The chasm is filled with an eerie mist. Anyone using magic to move across its opening will notice the mist rising to meet them. If they persist, it will envelop them and they will fall into it. Anyone falling into the mysterious fog will feel as if they are endlessly falling. Their cries will be heard by those above them as if they are falling farther and farther away. Actually, the mist is holding them some 30' below its boundary. If a rope were to be lowered in the exact location they disappeared at, they could grasp it and climb out. Trying to find the bottom of the pit is impossible as it is virtually endless.

The huge skeleton statue is standing on a floating stone pedestal that has a rough, jagged underside (as if it were ripped from the ground).

9. The Bone Staircase

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: None)

The party stands upon a platform crafted from bone in the heart of an immense skeleton. A great spiral staircase, built from huge shoulder blades, leads upward. A railing, formed from interlocking hands and arms, runs along the side of the stairs. It is worn fairly smooth and is warm to the touch. The staircase spirals upwards and exits the back of the enormous skeleton through an archway of bones to curl about the neck vertebrae and enter the back of the huge skull through another bone archway.

10. Atop the Stairs, the Altar to Salsmen

(Ceiling Height: domed 10'-20'; Illum: Flickering candles on altar, fires built in eye holes of skull)

Within the enormous skull is the site of an altar consecrated to Salsmen. It is made from the typical black basalt, but deeply stained from countless sacrifices. The very floor of the room is thick with dried blood. Embedded in the altar is a replica of Salsmen's Chaos Sword, and is the instrument of sacrifice. Any non-Evil character who touches the Chaos Sword will take 2d10 damage from a fierce electrical shock. Hanging from hooks embedded along the wall to the right of the altar are a number of identical wicked-looking bone keys. Each key radiates a strong evil and magical aura, if detected. Any one of these keys will unlock the doors which lead into the Cavern to the Gateway.

If the altar should be destroyed, the huge skeleton will begin to crumble. Due to the shaking, tossing, and turning, it will require a minimum of two rounds to reach the edge of the platform in area 9. Each of these rounds, all of the characters in the area must make a Dexterity check or they will not make any progress. Those who fail must make a second check or tumble into the mists below. Every round all within the skeleton are subject to damage from falling bones (Roll a THACO 15 and those hit suffer 1d1O Dmg). In any event, the entire place will collapse into the mist on the sixth round after destruction of the altar.

Cavern to the Gateway

Wandering throughout this cavern are 6 acolytes, 4^th level priests of Salsmen. All have AC 7, have hp 23, 21 (x2), 20, 15, 19, are armed with maces, and have access to the same spells as the acolytes of the Cavern to the Altar of Salsmen.

These acolytes will not be encountered in the Sand Trap (3), Room of Trials (7), near the Soul Beckoner (10), the Collapsing Trap, or the Secret Passage (12). They are safe from all the dangers in this place so long as their unholy symbol is prominently displayed. The are most likely to be encountered meditating near the Statue of Ssalsmen (1), the Spiders' Lair (13), or near the Portal of Mists (17). If discovered in this last room, they will attempt to flee before any intruder can determine the proper method for activating the portal.

1. Statue of Salsmen

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: Faint red glow from Chaos Sword)

A foul and evil looking statue of Salsmen stands at the end of this passage. He leans lightly against the hilt of his wicked Chaos Sword, which glows slightly with a sickly reddish light, and is holding a human skull in his left hand that looks quite real. Deep in its blackened eye sockets are tiny flickers of light. There appears to be no natural explanation for this strange phenomenon. You cannot escape the feeling that there is more to this statue than it appears.

The skull has a secret lid on it which will allow it to be opened. Although the lid is not obvious, it is not hidden and anyone who takes a close look at the skull will be able to find it. Opening the lid reveals a small compartment, within which is trapped a lone bat (AC 8; MV 1, Fl 18 (C); HD 1d2 hp; THAC0 20; #Att 1; Dmg 1; Ml 2; XP 15). When the lid is opened, it will speedily fly away, and seek the High Priest (like a homing bat). Once the bat is gone, a skeleton key will be found by anyone who takes a second look inside the skull.

2. Crawlway

(Ceiling Height: 5'; Illum: None)

The stone floor of this passage is split open here as if by the blow of some titanic hammer. Looking into the darkness beyond, you see a sandy floor some 12 feet below. There is a faint breath of wind drifting up through the hole that is somewhat cold upon your faces. A faint scent of moisture lingers in the breeze, but the odor is not overwhelming.

The crevice opens up into a small chamber some five feet in diameter. A narrow crawlway, that will be found by anyone who searches the area, leads out of the chamber. Character's heading down this narrow passage will have to crawl on their stomachs to fit and anyone in bulky armor will have to remove it in order to continue.

3. Sand Trap

(Ceiling Height: 20'; Illum: None)

A narrow crawlway opens up here to form a large stone chamber. The floor is sandy and the air moist. A single rib, seemingly that of a human or demihuman creature, has been jammed into the wall of this cavern. There is no indication as to why it is here, but the fact that it is yellowed with age indicates that it may have been here a long time.

Some 20' ahead, the floor suddenly ends and leaves you looking out across a mist filled cavern. The vapors in this area are a very pale blue in color, giving you the impression of fog in a field of blue flowers. The ripples in the mist are almost hypnotic.

More stunning than the mist, however, is the bridge that spans the chasm. It is clearly nothing less than a 20 foot long bone, the femur of some immense humanoid. The bone arches out above the veil of fog to reach a landing some distance away.

Closer inspection of the rib bone will reveal that it is in fact, a lever and that is seems to be little used. The mechanism that the bone-lever activates is a vital safeguard for these caverns. Once pulled, it releases a torrent of sand into the crawlway between areas 2 and 3. The process is slow, taking one complete turn. Anyone who states that they are trying to escape from this chamber as soon as the sand begins to pour in will make it back to area 2 if they have a movement rate of at least 12. Anyone slower than that will end up buried alive in the crawl space. They will very likely suffocate (see the AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Handbook for rules on holding your breath) as digging them out will take a round per foot of sand removed (only one worker from any direction due to the cramped quarters).

4. Chasm of Spirits

(Ceiling Height: varies 20' to 50'; Illum: Pale blue glow from mists)

This is a narrow rock ledge that stands in the center of a wide chamber. Beneath the ledge is a chasm filled with swirling mists. They seem to shift and ripple like boiling water in a cauldron. A bitter, almost acidic scent drifts up from the mists, but nothing can be seen within the mists themselves.

Two huge bones form bridges off of this ledge and above the misty chasm. One heads off in a roughly northern direction while the other arches off to the west. The bones are yellow with age, although a fine layer of moisture, no doubt a by product of the mist, clings to them like teardrops. While it is obvious that these bones once belonged to a humanoid, their owner must have been enormous.

Although the bridges are completely safe to cross, they are wet with moisture. As the first PC reaches the central ledge, the phantoms in the mist will become aware of the group. These are the undead spirits of those who have died here at the command of the priests of Salsmen. They are very lonely and want others to join them. As the PCs cross the bridges, they will rise up looking like swirls and eddies in the mist, then suddenly take on the features of rotting bodies and attempt to scare the party (horror check). Anyone who fails their horror check or who attempt to cross the bone bridge at greater than walking speed must make a Dexterity check or fall off.

Those falling will land on the pile of bones at the bottom of this 40' deep chasm and take 4d6 points of damage. There is a 307 chance of landing on an upturned rib bone which will impale the PC for an additional ld8 points. Anyone killed by this fall will instantly become one of the undead spirits. Such spirits will quickly return and attempt to scare their friends into joining them. Anyone seeing a phantom of a former companion suffers a -4 penalty on their horror check.

The mist makes the walls of the chasm quite slick. Anyone trying to climb them suffer a -25% penalty to their chances of success. Special care or the use of mountaineering equipment may reduce this penalty at the DM's discretion.

Just below the ledge upon which the bones rest is a passage opening. It is concealed such that only someone who is at the bottom of the chasm can find it. Even then, a roll to detect concealed doors is required because of the mists. Further information on this passage is presented as area 12.

5. Mist Cavern

(Ceiling Height: 15'; Illum: None)

This narrow passage appears to be a natural creation. The smooth texture of the stone here indicates that this cavern may once have been filled with swiftly moving water. Now, however, it is almost dry.

The only sign of moisture in the area is an eerie mist that lingers along the ground. It never reaches a higher than a foot or so and seems to shimmer when light hits it. There is an odor in the air that reminds you of lemons, but it is so faint that you quickly learn to ignore it.

From here on, the floors of the cavern will be layered with these unusual mists. Also, everything will be damp and cold. Anyone wearing wool garments will begin to itch excessively. The characters will begin to get cold and start shivering after a turn. Open flame will burn dimly, sputter constantly, and spark and die down from time to time (cut the radius of any flaming light source in half). Sounds will seem to echo loudly if they are locally produced, but those from further away will be strangely muted. Starting a new fire with flint and steel will become next to impossible.

After an hour, a sense of oppression will settle over the party. Each hour after that the PCs must all save vs. petrifaction or make some unkind comment to one of their companions. This chance may be adjusted up or down by +/-4 based on the DM's assessment of the character's personality. A kind and loving character might be more resistant while a snide or cynical character might succumb more readily.

Sleeping in this place will prove very unrefreshing as the cold will penetrate any form of covering. Thus, it will take 12 hours of attempted sleep to gain the equivalent of 8 hours of comfortable sleep. The whole time, of course, the mists will be eating away at the party's nerves.

6. Bone Pile

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: Faint red glow from the bones)

A very narrow passage opens up into a man-made stone chamber here. It is roughly rectangular in shape, but fans out along it's eastern wall in a somewhat triangular manner. The walls are bare and show no signs of recent work. While it is impossible to guess the age of this room, a feeling of great antiquity seems to resonate from the entire chamber.

The only feature in this room is a pile of human or demihuman bones along the eastern wall. A faint red glow, like the coals of a dying fire, seems to radiate from the heart of the bone pile and a thin grey smoke rises from them. The strange glow radiates no heat and the smoke, which smells like sulfur near the bones, quickly loses its scent as it mixes with the mists that drift along the floor of this whole area.

If these bones are disturbed, a shaft will be discovered beneath them. The red glow will fade away as soon as the bone pile is disrupted, but the smoke will remain. Of course, the shaft is also filled with bones and the smoke seems to drift up from between them.

The shaft is 30' deep and completely filled with bones. Removing them will require six hours. However, anyone standing in the smoke and strongly desiring to get to the bottom of the shaft will melt away into smoke (any who witness this must make a horror check) and then vanish. They will reappear in area 7.

7. Room of Trials

(Ceiling Height: arched 10' - 30'; Illum: Pale reddish glow from the urns, pale yellow glow from the statue)

The first thing you notice in this area is the face of a stunningly beautiful woman. Her hair is long and dark, her eyes almond shaped and inviting and her complexion dusky and rich.

As your eyes take in the rest of her, however, you cannot help but gasp in horror. As you move toward her and the shadows slip away from her perfect skin, you realize that she has three pairs of arms. In each of her six hands, she holds a short black rod with a human skull mounted on it. As you draw nearer, you see that she has no legs, but stands upon the coiled body of a snake.

With a sigh of relief, you realize that this is nothing more than and incredibly lifelike statue. From several feet away, however, you cannot help but feel that it has locked its gaze onto you. It seems almost impossible to take your eyes away from hers, they seem so kind and concerned. But there is something more, a spark of danger and evil that cannot be denied.

Once the characters have had a few seconds to adjust to the shock of this unusual creature, they will be able to take in the rest of the room. At this time they will notice that there are three alcoves in the section of the room behind this foul woman. The ones on the north and south walls contain smoking urns, with the alcove on the eastern wall is filled with bones.

As soon as they have looked around the room, a voice (which is apparently coming from the statue) says, "Choose with an even head, the skull of your destiny".

The voice is a form of telepathy originating from the statue. The skulls can be taken from the statue's hands and will clearly have something inside of them. In fact, they are a form of arcane rattle. Any attempt to break them open will fail, and all damage that might have been inflicted upon them will rebound and strike the person attacking the rattle. Have each player announce which rattle they are going to shake and then read the following to see what happens to them:

Upper Left: When this rattle is shaken, the smoke from the two urns will well up, dissolving all but the bones of the victim. This can be quite a painful and lingering death, for the smoke inflicts only ld4 points of damage per round. The only way to escape this death is to leave the chamber, a difficult thing to do at best.

Center Left: The statue will animate (AC -5; MV 12; HD 7+7; hp 41; THAC0 12; #Att 6; Dmg 2d4x6; Ml 20; XP 3000) and attack the character who dares to rattle this skull.

Lower Left: The smoke from the urns will race toward this individual and envelope them like a shroud. Like a chilling wind, it brushes along their skin and sends shivers through their body. After a minute or so, it fades away and the smoking urns return to normal. This individual has now gained one of the common penalties of being undead, roll on the table below to determine which one:

1 Damage inflicted is always 1d6

2 Can be turned (Hit Dice = level)

3 Holy water does 2d4 points of damage

4 Character becomes mindless

5 Can be affected by spells that affect undead

6 Suffers 1d4 damage/turn in sunlight

Upper Right: As soon as this rattle is sounded, the smoke from the urns will swirl around the character. He will gradually (over the course of 1 round) evaporate into smoke and reappear in area 6.

Center Right: The smoke from the urns will race around the character who shakes this rattle like spectral snakes. After one turn of this frenzied behavior, the smoke will return to normal. The character will feel no different, but the DM should note that he or she has now gained one of the common benefits of being undead. Roll on the following table to determine which one:

1 Immune to fear

2 Immune to cold based attacks

3 Immune to sleep spells

4 Immune to charm spells

5 Immune to hold spells

6 Always walks without making noise

As soon as the dancing mist recedes, the character will evaporate into smoke and appear in area 6.

Lower Right: As the sounds from this rattle die down, the statue speaks again, saying, "The way is now open."'

Once the statement is made, the mist column between area 9 and 10 will begin to flow and will continue to flow for three hours.

Once a skull has been selected, no other skull will cause any special effects if shaken by that particular individual. Also, others will always see anyone selecting a skull appear to choose the one in the upper left arm.

Anyone killed in this room will be dissolved to mere bones by the smoke. Their remains will then rattle across the floor and squeeze into the south alcove, pushing all the other bones up the chute into area 6 a little further.

Anyone touching the urns must save versus death magic or have their life force sucked into them, making the character forever dead. Those who save will evaporate into smoke and reappear in area 6.

Anyone attacking the statue will cause it to animate, see the Center Left result presented earlier. In addition, anyone who does not select a skull in a timely fashion (DM's decision) will also suffer the wrath of this stone horror.

Once a skull has been selected and shaken, it will transform into smoke and reappear in the statue's hand.

8. Pit of Death

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: None)

This section of the natural stone cavern widens slightly as it makes a bend to the south. The mist here seems less dense than it does elsewhere in the cave, but that may be an illusion crated by the unusual patches of glowing fungus that dot this area. The strange green glow of these cave dwelling patches reminds you of fireflies on a cool spring evening.

The fungus is of no importance and will lose its blot luminescent properties if scraped off of the cavern walls. However, the glowing fungus does serve to distract the adventurers from the real danger in this room: a 20' deep pit hidden beneath the mist. Anyone who falls into the pit will suffer 2d6 points of damage.

Twelve skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7, 5, 5, 4(x3), 2(x3), 1(x3); THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65) stand in alcoves that ring the base of this circular pit, and they will all move as one to attack anyone that falls in. The bottom of the pit is magically silenced, so that no sound of impact or battle will be heard by those who avoid the pit. Cries for help from the bottom of the pit will, likewise, go unnoticed.

If the first person who falls in is killed, one of the skeletons will put on his gear, and then wait for a rope to be tossed down. If this happens, it will climb out and attempt to knock other PCs into the pit. As soon as it clears the mists of the pit, the rest of the party members must make fear checks at the sight of (what they believe to be) their former companion.

Meanwhile, the skeletons still in the pit will then jerk on the rope in an attempt to pull the rope holders off balance. Those on top of the rope will have to make Strength checks to avoid tumbling into the pit.

9. Column of Mist

(Ceiling Height: 50'; Illum: Faint greenish glow from mist, or none)

If the proper rattle has been selected from the statue in area 7, a billowing column of mist tumbles down from a crevice in the ceiling far above. The column is over 10' across and is too thick to see through. The mist tumbles out onto the floor and flows away. If the correct rattle has not yet been selected, the characters will see a pair of disks of polished black basalt embedded in the floor and ceiling, one directly above the other. Several twisted skeletal limbs jut up from the mist here and there as if it were some ethereal graveyard. Several unlit torches rest in skeletal sconces along the wall.

Anyone stepping into the column will seem to merge with the mist and disappear. In actuality, they will be lifted up to area 10. As soon as this happens, a skeleton will crawl out of a secret trap door hidden beneath the basalt disk and the column of mist, and step out of the column into the room. It is instructed to fall over and appear dead (it will not even defend itself. The sight of, as they see it, their comrade stripped down to the bone is more than enough to cause the other adventurers to make horror checks.

The small room below the column contains twelve skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7, 5, 5, 4(x3), 2(x3), 1(x3); THAC0 19; #Att 0; Dmg Nil; Ml special; XP Nil) all of various sizes (though none as small as a dwarf). A skeleton approximately the same size as the PC entering the column will step out of it. Obviously, the intent of this plan is to try and fool intruding adventurers into believing that the column strips them of everything but their bones.

10. The Soul Beckoner

(Ceiling Height: varies 10' to 15'; Illum: Faint greenish glow from mist)

Note: The events described here begin as soon as a character steps into the column of mist in area 9. All that transpires in this room should be kept secret from the other party members until the group is reunited in some way.

You feel yourself rising into the air, held aloft by insubstantial mist, and soon you emerge in a different cavern. You cannot feel the mist itself, but its cold touch seems to cut deep into your bones. There is a distinct tingling sensation from the parts of your body engulfed by the vapor.

Some of the mist spills over into the room and creeps across the floor to trickle out through two passages, one bearing south and the other heading east. Both are dark and uninviting, but a strange sound is issuing from the eastern tunnel. It sounds like a whispering voice, but it's words are hidden from you. Although the evil of this hollow voice cannot be disguised, there is something alluring about this strange siren's call.

The sound is emanating from a soul beckoner (AC 2; MV 6; HD 4; hp 24; THAC0 17; #Att 2; Dmg 1d6/1d6; SA whisper, energy drain; SD +1 to hit; Ml 20; XP 975) located in the chamber east of this room. Those who hear it must save vs. spells or be drawn to its call. Once the character enters its lair, the soul beckoner will attack. Although magically forced to respond to the beckoner's call the PC is able to defend himself from its attack. The soul beckoner will attempt to kill the character, taking on his form in order to infiltrate and kill the rest of the party.

The soul beckoner is an evil creature that exists only to kill. Those who hear its whisper must save vs. spells or be drawn to the creature. If the character resists the eeire whisper, a second save is required to avoid fleeing in terror for 1d4 + 1 rounds after hearing the whisper. Anyone under the influence of the whisper is attacked by the creature with a +4 bonus. A save is allowed each round to escape the effects of the whisper, with a +2 cumulative bonus allowed. Any successful strike by the soul beckoner automatically breaks the spell. Any time the beckoner hits with one of its claws, it drains 1 level from it's victim. Each level drained increases its own hit dice by 1, thus changing its hit point total and THAC0. Soul beckoners can be turned by priests based on their current hit dice score.

The column of mist will not support anyone once they have stepped off of it. Thus, if a character ends up running in fear from the soul beckoner, they cannot count on the mist as a means of safe escape. As soon as they step into it, they will fall 40 feet to the floor of chamber 9 below (suffering 4d6 points of damage in the landing). One thing the mist does do, however, is obscure the passage of sounds between rooms 9 and 10. Thus, those in room 9 are immune to the whisper of the soul beckoner, but those in room 10 are unable to call on their allies for help.

11. Collapsing trap

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: Oil lamps in wall sconces)

The floor of this room is completely covered by mist. At the far end, half hidden in gloom and shadow, are several natural steps that lead up to a black marble doorway. Marked with symbols of power and evil, similar to the Rune Cavern leading towards the altar of Salsmen, the door bears a highly polished lockplate which seems perfectly sized for the keys recovered from the altar room.

If a key is inserted into the lock or any other lock picking attempt is made, it causes the entire room to open up into a 20' deep pit. Everyone who falls into the pit will suffer 2d6 points of damage.

Scant seconds after the pit opens, the north end of the room begins to collapse in a cascade of stone. This deadly shower slowly moves towards the south end. Anyone attempting to move through the collapse will take 3d8 points of damage. After four rounds, escape will be blocked off. The collapsing area moves forward at a rate of 5' per round. The only safe means of escape from this trap is to find the secret door that leads to area 12.

If the door is somehow opened before the collapsing begins, a secret shaft will be discovered that leads down from the room. It is coated with oil, so climbing it is very difficult (-75% to climbing ability checks). For those who fail their climbing rolls, it acts like a slide and will dump the characters out in area 12.

12. Hidden Passage

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: None)

This corridor is fairly wide, but the floor is even more awash with mist than the rest of these caverns. When you look down, you can see no trace of your legs below the knees. When you move in any direction, the mists swirl up before you momentarily, almost as if they were trying to warn you away from a danger you cannot sense. This passage leads back to the Chasm of Spirits (area 4).

13. Spiders' lair

(Ceiling Height: domed 10' - 50'; Illum: None)

The passage ends in a sharp cliff that allows you to look out into a four way intersection that has no floor. The mists in this seemingly bottomless pit bubble and ripple back and forth. From time to time, a current seems to move through the fog, but it is impossible to tell if it is natural or man-made.

Two huge ribs form two bridges across this deadly looking abyss. The bone linking the north and south passages curves upward while the one running from west to east curves down. Jumping from one bridge to the other would be very dangerous. Like the other bone bridges you have encountered in this cavern, they seem to be remnants of a giant humanoid creature.

Fifteen feet above the party is a narrow ledge that runs along all the walls. Standing upon this ledge are twenty-four motionless skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7(x3), 6(x3), 5(x5), 4(x5), 2(x5), 1(x3); THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65) with short spears resting in their hands. Chains run from rings in the ceiling some 30' overhead down to manacles around the ankles of each skeleton.

As soon as the PCs start to cross one of the bridges, the 24 skeletons will leap off the ledge, flip upside down (as the chains are attached to their ankles), swing across the rib-bridge, and attack. Anyone taking damage must make a Dexterity check or fall into the mist.

After they are done swinging, the skeletons can use their spears to push off the walls and swing themselves back onto the ledges. The pit is 40' deep, but anyone falling into the mist will be caught by a giant spider's web some 20' below (thus taking no damage). However, the four large spiders (AC 8; MV 6, Wb 15; HD 1+1; hp 9, 7, 6, 6; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1; SA poison (class A, Str 15/0); Ml 7; XP 175) who built the web will attack the struggling victims.

Those caught in the web can struggle to the edge in a number of rounds equal to 19 minus their Strength. Thus, a character with a Strength of 15 would require 4 rounds to reach the edge of the web. Persons fighting spiders cannot move toward the web and defend themselves against their attackers, they must do one or the other. Spiders attacking those who have chosen to move in the web gain a +4 bonus to their attack roll.

14. Narrow Walkway

(Ceiling Height: 15'; Illum: None)

The passage drops steeply some 15' and then continues. The mist at your feet pours over the edge of the precipice like slow moving water. A bone ladder made of giant-sized arms held tightly in one another's grasp stands here.

The ladder is safe. However, ten crawling claws (AC 7; MV 9; HD 2d2; hp 5(x3), 4, 3(x4), 2(x2); THAC0 20; #Att 1; Dmg 1d4 (armored) 1d8 (unarmored); Ml 20; XP 35) disguise themselves as part of it. They will attack when a PC gets near them.

The narrow walkway beyond will not be visible until a character reaches the base of the ladder as the mist covers both the empty space and the walkway. However, The floor will echo especially loudly when trod upon as it is simply a bridge of stone. Anyone stepping over the edge will fall 40'. As the crevice below slopes inward, those falling in will only take 3d6 points of damage as they bounce to a stop directly under the walkway. The skeleton key from area 1 will fit the locks of both doors, but only the door on the left will open into area 16. Inserting the key into the rightmost door will send a jet of fire out over the character attempting to unlock if for 2d6 damage.

15. Small Hole

(Ceiling Height: 5'; Illum: None)

A small opening in the cavern wall drops off to the left. It does not look recently used, and the mist runs down it like water in a canal. There is a scent in the air that seems to make you think of machinery, but you cannot say why.

This crack soon turns into a smoothly worked tunnel. A trip wire near the top will shower the entire length of corridor with flammable oil if broken. Anyone continuing on into the oily tunnel will slip and slide all the way to area 16, becoming thoroughly coated with oil. Anyone attempting to use a climb walls ability to move safely through this tunnel is at a -45% penalty.

16. Skeletal guards

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: Dull red light from runes and skeletons' eyes)

This room is a large, man-made chamber. The walls are covered in runes that seem to ooze death and evil into the air. Eight armored skeletons (AC 7; MV 12; HD 1; hp 7 each; THAC0 19; #Att 1; Dmg 1d6 (weapon); Ml special; XP 65) stand like soldiers at attention as you enter the room. As you watch in horror, a dull red light springs to life in their eyes and they turn to face you. With a clattering of bones and squealing of rusted armor, they charge to attack you with deadly looking two-handed swords.

If the PCs find the secret door in the southern wall and activate it, a keyhole will appear in the center of the wall. The secret door will not open unless the key from area 1 is inserted. The lock can be picked, but it is of exceptional quality and any roll to defeat it will suffer a -20% penalty.

17. Portal of Mist

(Ceiling Height: 10'; Illum: None)

Carved upon the far wall of this dark and evil room is an inscription. When you first look upon it, the language is unknown to you. As you watch, however, the letters seem to melt and shift until their meaning becomes clear to you. The engraving reads: "Place your life in my hands, and I will show you the way:'

Below this arcane message is a bas-relief of a skeletal warrior. His two gauntlet covered hands protrude from the wall with curved palms facing upwards. Several dead bodies lie upon the stone floor at his feet.

If the hands are examined, a small hole will be found in the center of each palm. The palms themselves are clean of other items. If blood is placed in each palm, the carving will animate.

A macabre black aura seems to form around the image of the skeleton. Slowly, the stone melts and shifts like clay in the hands of a potter. Suddenly, the warrior steps out of the wall and stands before the party.

With slow and deliberate motions, he removes his gauntlets. With a purpose you cannot guess at, he begins to weave his fingers as if he were casting a spell. He curls his bone fingers upwards and, while shaking his forearms and hands, a deep growling chant issues from his helmet. Slowly, the almost white mist that pervades this catacomb changes color to assume the rich red of fresh blood. A smell of raw iron fills the air and the floor begins to bubble like boiling water.

Slowly, this boiling stone begins to rise up. It reaches up to form a solid stone slab some 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

By now, the skeleton's incantation has become a deafening cacophony of thunderous growls. Just when it seems you can bear the noise no more, the room is plunged into silence. The skeleton slaps his arms down to his sides and blinding flash of red light bursts from the stone slab.

In the next instant, you see that the skeleton has returned to his place in the wall. In addition, the stone slab has now become a stone archway composed of three separate stone slabs with dark runes covering their surfaces. The only sound in the chamber is the rattling of your own breath.

If the PCs attack the skeleton at any point during his spell casting he will be sucked back into the wall and the room will return to the way it was when the PCs entered.

The arch is made of three foot thick beams of stone arranged like a door frame. As the PCs begin to examine them, they will begin to give off blue sparks. This will increase until arcs of blue electricity are running all over them. Then the mist will rise up as if attracted to the center of the gate and will grow so thick as to block vision through the gate. At this point, the gate is fully operational.

Anyone stepping through the gate will find himself in a place that seems to be nothing but mist and a cold stone floor. The gate behind him will not be there. As soon as he walks more than 30', he will emerge out of a similar doorway deep within the fortress of the Ebon Blade. It is through this gate the priests of Salsmen return after services to their dark and evil god.