The Maze of Nuromen

The Maze of Nuromen is a 1st level dungeon I crafted for our Holmes Basic edition game.

 The influences of various modules I played as a kid can clearly be seen, including the Tower of Zenopus dungeon. Hopefully you will note some originality as well. 

In playing this adventure, we had a great time and it was good for about five sessions of play with a party of 4-6. It was the first dungeon I designed after getting out gaming for a long time. 

While some mistakes can be noted, I don't have the time to edit it at the moment but it should be easy enough for any DM worth his salt. The Map should be examined with the key as some changes were made to a final map I have which is too large to scan (I used a very large piece of craft paper). Some of the monsters are toned down versions of their true D&D and AD&D templates but since I ran the game for some first time D&D'ers, they never knew the difference and had a blast anyway!

Maze of Nuromen was actually designed as a kickoff adventure for a series of quests centered on finding and destroying an evil relic and preventing an extra-dimensional being called gamosh from entering the Prime material plane. It can be played as a single adventure--if anyone is interested in the larger tie ins for a campaign idea, let me know as there a few additions to the dungeon key to expand the adventure for campaign use.

The blogging platfrom I am using does not allow me to add attachments so I have cut and pasted the Dungeon Key from Microsoft Word. Unwieldy, I know.

I grant permission to anyone to make a PDF of the Maze and key as long as it is distributed free of charge and the credits have my name, J.E. Becker. I will be uploading several such dungeons and keys so that my fellow gamers can enjoy these adventures as much as our party did. Have a great game!

Update: Here is a PDF of the Maze, graciously provided by a fellow OSR gamer:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B7VvBkJqjcCkZmYxODFmYjUtMGY5Zi00ODcxLTgzODMtMjI2ZWU0ZWQ5OWQ3&hl=en_US&pli=1

The Maze of Nuromen

Nuromen the Black was a powerful wizard who actually gathered a number of followers to his tower in the wilderness. Here they built a small village known as Law's End because it lay beyond the reach of all kings. Nuromen took advantage of an extensive cavern network beneath his tower and had it excavated and refurbished with stone and woodworks. This underground lair was the abode of he and his guardians and, according to legend, the site of terrible rituals and experiments. Nuromen finally brought destruction upon himself and the people of Law's End by tampering with the Forces Beyond. People living in the nearby hamlet of Camlann saw a terrible fiery light over the region of Law's End. An expedition was mounted and the folk of Law's End were discovered dead in their streets and homes…there was no sign of Nuromen, and his tower lay in smoldering ruins. From that day forward the people have shunned the ruins of Law's End, believing that a just recompense came upon that folk for their evil doings. The wood elves who dwell in the Delvingwood around Law's End set a watch to make sure that no one ever tries to rebuild the ill fated town.  While stopping over in Camlann on their wandering through the Eastern Realm, the player characters hear of the Maze of Nuromen and of the fabulous treasures said to be there…they decide to investigate for themselves.

General Notes on Law's End and the Maze of Nuromen

Law's End lies some fifty miles from the hamlet of Camlann on a mountain in the Delvingwood at the foot of the Misty Peaks. Below the ruins of the town a river flows out of the mountain's roots, becoming the Misty River.

On the way to Laws End, the party will be met by a band of elves who, upon learning of their quest (or surmising it if players are tightlipped) will recount how an elf prince approached Nuromen once and tried to befriend him. The wizard killed the elf and took his crown…a magical crown which the elves wish to see retrieved from the Maze. They will bestow the title of "elf friends" (see Tolkien) upon the party if they do so as well as reward them with gifts (GM imagination).

On the flat summit of the hill stands the remains of Nuromen's great tower and around this, the fallen down buildings of a small town. The statues and carvings of the ruins indicate that it was a place of great wickedness, but the town is overgrown with foliage and its streets broken. It is still and silent and there is nothing to be salvaged as the goblins of the Misty Peaks have picked it clean though few ever found the way into the Maze from the underground river chamber until a few days before the party arrived.

As for the Maze of Nuromen, it is a marvel of engineering, being made of great stone works and unless otherwise noted ceilings are arched and as high as 20' in the larger rooms. It is dark except in those areas lit by magic as mentioned in the dungeon key and the party will need torches, lanterns, or magical light. The whole place is filled with skeletons and cobwebs and spiders. The doors and wood works of the Maze are still functional…most can be forced open if locked. The steel traps are a bit rusty but unfortunately still function unless otherwise noted in the dungeon key. Nuromen set an array of traps and magicks around the Maze before his untimely demse and some of them reflect the wizard's morbid sense of humor….

Dungeon Key

A. In the ruins of the old wizard's tower lies a deep shaft. Once a stair that has long since collapsed, the shaft may be accessed using about 100' of rope. Surprisingly, there are already a set of ropes going down…they are left by a small party of goblins who have recently entered the ruin. An elf or dwarf will smell goblin about the ropes and recognize them of goblin make. It leads to a large, moist circular cavern filled with stalactites and stalagmites and cut in two halves by a fast flowing underground river. The river is cold and just deep enough to create deadly rapids.

A1. The underground river. Flows in from iron portcullis. Ruins of a broken down bridge can be seen in the water. Character with highest dexterity should attempt any crossing first. Anyone crossing must roll a d20 and get their dexterity or less on the die or else stumble, lose hold, or fall in and be swept away through the hole on the opposite end. If this happens, they will be swept through the cave of the Kelpie (Chamber 0) and a d20 check against their agility should again be made to see if they can get out of the river before being swept out of the mountain. Clever party members can make use of ropes to try and rig up a rescue from Chamber 0. Once a party member crosses with a  rope, no d20 check is needed for those following.

A2. Bottomless pit. Things dropped in cannot be heard to hit bottom, a cold wind issues upwards. If anyone explores the pit on a rope or using any long pole, a flock of bats will fly out of the pit and attack. The bats do only one point of damage each and have only one hit point each. There is nothing else in the pit.

B. Hall of Prisoners. Once the holding area for those who displeased Nuromen, the occupants of the cells are now skeletons in irons, except in the last cell. Here is an old man in irons who seems happy and has no desire to leave. He will say gratifying things about Nuromen and warn the party to leave the Maze. He is but an illusion, an ancient spell cast in a moment of Nuromen's fancy.  He will begin to repeat himself after a while, rather like a record skipping. This should be a clue to the players. Detect Magic will reveal magic of course and a Dispel magic spell will cause the old man to vanish.

C. The Old Armory. Here Nuromen's guards stored their shields, armor and weapons. There is an assortment of rusted weapons, old pole arms, shields, and suits of armor. If carefully searched, a suit of magical chainmail can be found (+1 AC).

D. Hall of Statues. Here is a vast hall filled with the statues of Nuromen and his ancestors. This can be deduced by the inscriptions on the bases of these large, well carved statues. Only someone who says they are examining the statues will find that there are two statues of Nuromen here and they are identical. Behind each is a secret door which will open if the head of the statue is turned. If anyone states they are searching the base of the statues, they have a 4 in 6 chance of discovering a hollow base in one of them that contains a rotted leather coffer of gold coins (200). Thieves who declare they are looking will find it automatically.

E. The subterranean lake. A small but deep lake lies beyond the Western secret door. In its center lies a small island and there can be seen some sort of square object in the flickering light of the party's torches. The square object is in fact one of Nuromen's treasure chests. However, it is guarded by the ghost of Morkainen the Master Thief. He appears as a sad but human looking figure who greets the party in a seemingly unthreatening way. Thieves and perhaps fighters will have heard of the famed Morkainen who was reputed to be the greatest thief who ever lived but who vanished mysteriously many years ago. Morkainen came to the Maze while Nuromen yet lived and managed to reach the lake isle but here was caught by the wizard's men. In punishment, Nuromen had him killed but used necromancy to trap Morkainen's spirit here and force him to become the treasure's guardian. Even in death, though, Morkainen retained some will and he will allow the party to pass and obtain the treasure if they can answer a riddle he will put to them. The ghost gives them five minutes to unravel the answer, at which time he will attack if it is not forthcoming. In the locked and trapped chest (poison needle) is kept 300 gold, a magical dagger (+2), a ruby worth 100 gold, and a potion of gaseous form. Morkainen's Riddle: My life is measured in hours. I live by being devoured. Thin I am quick. Fat I am slow. The Zephyr are my foes. Who or what am I? The answer is a candle. The party has only three guesses, if the third guess fails, Morkainen attacks. Normal weapons pass through him as if through smoke, only spells or enchanted weapons can harm the ghost. If the party answers the riddle correctly, he will bow and gesture towards the treasure, telling them that when the treasure is taken, his spirit will be released from this plane of existence at last and indeed this will happen in a dramatic fashion (use your imagination). He will speak of nothing else in the Maze.

F. The Empty Hall. This place has some ruined furniture and broken statues. It is also occupied by five goblins. If the party takes care, they will listen at the door before entering and they will hear the goblins cursing and speaking of the general horrors of the Maze and the emptiness of its treasures (actually they are too stupid to find these…). The party can gain an element of surprise or spring some trap for the goblins, who are unable to pass beyond the south door since none have found the key from the wizard's bedchamber and the door is too heavy for them. They will fight to the death unless they fail morale check. They have 25 gold among them, a bone talisman, and their weapons, nothing else. The bone talisman has a spell cast upon it that makes it's wearer irresistible to any goblin of the opposite sex (you can use this for fun in some other adventure). The iron door to the stair can only be opened with the strange key form the Wizard's Study--it cannot be picked by any thief below 10th level.

G. Cave of the Magic Bones. Another treasure hiding place. Upon entry, the party will see on the far end of the cave a small clay pot overflowing with precious gems…there are at least 400 gold worth as well as a beautiful golden necklace. Also leaning against the wall is a scabbard with a long sword in it and on top of the gems, a majestic crown. Here is the elven crown, stolen from the elf prince whom Nuromen slew in the Delvingwood.  Lying in the middle of the chamber is a single skeletal arm clutching a rusty sword. The arm is enchanted and if anyone approaches it or the treasure pot, the arm flies into the air and begins swinging the sword at the nearest character. The magic bones must be defeated before the treasure can be had. If any character wears the elf crown, they will have a vision of the court of the wood elves, they will have a permanent +2 increase to their charisma, and they will feel some spiritual affinity with elves form that moment on, as well as enjoy the special favor of elves. However, forevermore, dwarves will be disdainful and cold toward the character. The crown will impart this gift but once to one wearer, only one character can thus benefit.  

H. Chapel of the Evil God. The door to this room is painted with the name and image of Gamosh. Within, the place is permeated with an aura of evil. Here it was that Nuromen paid homage to his deity, a malevolent northern deity known as Gamosh. There is a giant stone carving of Gamosh on the western wall--he is depicted as a giant baboon with huge teeth, one large eye, and eight arms clutching wicked scimitars. Clerics will recognize the carvings and runes as belonging to Gamosh and will observe that the altar at the top of the steps on a dais was most likely used for unspeakable rites. Two burning braziers lit by magic burn perpetually, one on each side of the altar. If any character touches the altar or any of the items on the dais, secretly make a saving throw vs. magic for them. If successful, say nothing, but if they fail, they are smitten with leprosy. Only a powerful cleric will be able to remove this curse. Brother Boroon in Calamm can do so but he may lay a quest upon them in the name of St Cuthbert. If the altar is pushed aside there is a +1 mace below it but this mace has been dedicated to Gamosh and if used by a lawful character any damage inflicted will be turned upon the user!

I. Hall of Sorrows. This long pillared hall looks like it was once a church of some sort. In it can be heard faint wailing and weeping. At the Hall's eastern wall stands a colossal statue of Gamosh. If anyone walks through the hall, about midway they will be beset by ghostly apparitions who will command them to leave the Maze or die. If the party advances further the apparitions will fly at them--weapons pass through the shades but nor do the apparitions harm anyone, They pass right through the party and fly around trying to frighten them. They are only an illusion but anyone seeing them must make a saving throw against magic or be overcome with fright and flee the hall for 1 turn. The illusion will not be here once the party returns from the burial crypts. The statue of Gamosh has a great red ruby for an eye. It may be pried loose if a thief ascends the statue but there is a trap inside the mouth of the image, a tube and spring with a poisoned iron spike. If not detected and disarmed,it will be triggered and a save vs. dexterity made to see if the character dodges. failing this, the spike hits and a save vs. poison must be made successfully or the character dies! 

J. Path to Nuromen's Treasure vault. There is a pit trap with a false floor covering set here. Anyone stepping on it must make a saving throw vs. their dexterity (d20, roll their dexterity or lower) or fall into a 10' deep shaft. Otherwise the room is empty.

K. The Treasure Vault of Nuromen. Here is the chamber where the greedy wizard hid his life's treasures. The door to the chamber is of bronze covered iron and can only be unlocked by the special amulet key from the main sepulcher in the Burial crypt (Chamber N). The key hole is a round impression wherein the amulet will fit nicely and when this happens the door will swing inward..otherwise, no amount of force, no spell and no attempt at lock picking will budge the magical door. When it does open, three small holes in the upper lintel of the door will eject a stream of poisonous gas release from capsules which dissolve when the dungeon air touches them. The person closest the door must make a saving throw vs. poison or die. If they do not die, they still take d4 damage from the gas. If they survive this gift of Nuromen, they will see a room magically lit by burning torches on the wall which never expire. This 30x30 chamber is cut in half by a 10x30' pit which is 10' deep. It's bottom is filled with row after row of bristling iron spikes, and it is immediately evident that some liquid coats the tips of the spikes. On the other side of the pit are gathered chests and coffers overflowing with golden coins, jewels, and miscellaneous valuable items . This is all yet another parting gesture by Nuromen…the spiked pit and the treasure are both illusions. The real treasure lies at the bottom of the "spiked pit"…if anyone falls into the pit or climbs into it they will pass through the illusion like vapor and land 16' below and there they will find Nuromen's goods. The "treasure' on the far side of the pit is also an illusion…it is really an iron crossbow with metal wire which fire's three iron spikes. Anyone who approaches the treasure must save vs. paralysis or take d4 damage, others may need to roll as well (GM discretion or use dice to determine who). Nuromen's treasure is great indeed: 4500 gold, 10 diamonds worth 300 gold, two potions of invisibility, a +1 magical dagger which can be thrown and yet returns to its master's hand, an elvish rope (can attach and loosen itself to things high or low upon command), three potions of healing, a potion of polymorphing (shape change) and a ring of feather falling useable once per day from any height. If the party is larger, the GM may increase the treasure and items.

L. The Priest's Room. Here lived the evil cleric who once served the Chapel of Gamosh. His skeleton lies on the floor, wearing the tattered vestments of the evil god. There is an image of Gamosh on the rotting table where a small personal shrine once was. The skeleton's hand clutches a vial of poison that the cleric drank when the end came upon Nuromen and Law's End. A necklace with an image of Gamosh is around his neck--if taken, characters will sense great evil but if they insist they may wear it--(drop to a 3 charisma permanently for anyone who puts it on). There is a book called the Rituals of Gamosh filled with terrible rites--if anyone burns the book, they gain +1 wisdom. Should the book be taken out of the Maze, the owner will suffer -1 to hit against all evil creatures he or she fights until the book is disposed of by burning. If any lawful or neutral cleric of 3rd level or higher sees the book, they will recognize it as being cursed and urge it's destruction...however, evil clerics will pay handsomely for it. Aside from the rotting bed, there is an iron box and in the box is 100 gold and a jewled ring worth 300 gold. The ring is not magical.

M. The Chamber of the Chapel Instruments. In here were kept the robes for the Chapel's devotees as well as the musical instruments and incense that accompanied the chapel rituals. There are some old stringed instruments which will break to pieces if played. However, the incense is still good, it is a pungent incense from the far east which produces a narcotic effect if it's fumes are inhaled. This will result in -1 to all attack rolls or other reaction rolls if used in the Maze. It can fetch a high price on the market, perhaps 300 gold. Used in large quantities the inebriant will experience mild hallucinations  somewhat like a vision or dream. There is otherwise nothing of value.

N. Nuromen's Ancestral Burial Crypt. This dark and haunted hall is vast and cold. Pillars line the wall and the walls are painted with scenes of Nuromen's family history going back centuries, interspersed with images of Gamosh. There are stone sarcophagi  along the north and south walls, fourteen in all…these have statues of their dead occupants on the lids. At the east end of the crypt is a large sepulcher ornately carved. Nuromen paid greatly to have his family's remains brought to Law's End for he had planned to have a great kingdom one day. When Nuromen himself died in the disaster that befell law's End, the cleric of Gamosh laid him and his wife Zimena to rest in the sepulcher before taking his own life. Although not a cleric, Nuromen was devoutly religious in the sect of Gamosh and it is for this reason that he did not pass into the world  beyond but has remained as a lich! The lich of Nuromen lies within the sepulcher next to his wife..he will be awakened by the party's exploration of the crypt and he and Zimena will emerge, as will four of his ancestors from the stone sarcophagi! Zimena and the ancestors are mummified corpses but fight only as skeletons--Nuromen will cast spells and fight as a lich. He may, if the GM determines it to be dramatically appropriate, engage in some verbal exchange with the party before summoning his undead servants. Nuromen's lich speaks in a gravelly, echoing voice as cold as the grave and where his eyes once were burn two cruel red embers. Inside his sepulcher there is no treasure but around his neck lies the amulet key to the Treasure Chamber.

O. Cave of the Kelpie. If anyone is swept away by the underground river, they will emerge into this large cavern where a saving throw vs. dexterity (d20, dexterity score or lower is successful) will mean they can get out of the flood and onto the sandy shore. On the south shore is the body of a drowned goblin with 5 gold and a long dagger. He fell in when his companions crossed the river and washed up on shore. On the north shore is an older skeleton, the remains of an adventurer who perished here. On the skeleton's finger is a ring of dark-seeing (can see in the dark as well as full day for one hour at a time).However, this cave is the abode of a Kelpie, a magical water horse who will attack the hapless character. On the west  The Kelpie has lived in the river of the underground cave for centuries and although Nuromen knew of it (he explored all of the Maze thoroughly), he did not destroy it but set magical wards which keep it confined forever to this place.

P.  Nuromen's Bed Chamber. This ornate and well furnished room was the sleeping quarters of the wizard and his family. The cold stone walls are draped with long tapestries which depict the life and career of Nuromen, as well as the funding of Law's End. Anyone examining the tapestries will gather that Nuromen was a vain and conceited fellow who saw Law's End as the culmination of his life's work. There is also a depiction of Gamosh (see the key to Chamber H) and an image of a lush garden and fountain (Chamber Q) with a little girl and a beautiful woman seated on it. There is a canopied bed, many couches, a vanity with a  mirror, and many finely detailed toys. In fact, there is a magical toy which Nuromen made for his daughter which can be kept as an item of wonderment by whoever finds it. It is a finely wrought silver puppet figure which dances and spins by magic when taken form one's pocket and set upon the floor. This is lying on the bed next to the skeleton of a small girl and her nanny, The two skeletons are dressed in fine but rotting garments and covered with the dust of ages. The girl's bony wrist bears a silver bracelet which has the name Antha engraved upon it..in Nuromen's wicked heart if there was any ray of light it was the affection he bore for his daughter and wife and in fact, the girl's name is the password to the Magical Study (Chamber V). This is where the two were sleeping when the calamity of Law's End struck. Aside from the magical puppet, there is nothing of value except possibly some old perfumes that belong to Zimena, Nuromen's wife. There is a wardrobe filled with worn and moth eaten fineries.

Q. Fountain and Underground Garden. Here Nuromen had fashioned a fountain fed by a small underground spring and several varieties of strange but beautiful plants that can grow underground. The plants once adorned stone planters that surrounded the bases of the pillars of the chamber but, untended, they have all died; their  rotting remains are now a deadly poison. The fountain still flows and the water is sweet and good.

R. Passage to the Feasting Hall. Hiding in this passage is a lone goblin who heard the party's approach and fled in fear. His name is Snaga and he will beg miserably for his life. He offers his five gold and his dagger in exchange for mercy. He is trapped since the door in the western wall is locked. If threatened he will  tell what he knows about his friends.

S. Table of the Harpies. Upon entering this room, a foul stench will assault the party, as well as the grisly sight of a banquet table(S1) surrounded by skeletons dressed in rotting finery. Some lean back in their chairs, others slump forward, and some have fallen from their chairs. Upon the table is an assortment of gold and silver serving vessels, chalices, and plates which are of a value of up to 300 gold. In addition, the skeletons wear jewelry worth up to 200 gold. There is a good bottle of wine on the table worth 50 gold in town--it is over 150 years old. The moldy remains of their final meal adorn the plates. At the north end of the banquet hall is a hearth and fire place (S2) whose spout come up somewhere in the mountains. An old copper pot hangs over the cold ashes. Hiding in the shadows of the pillar tops are four harpies who found the chimney spout and have set up a lair here. The chimney is befouled with their excrement and is the source of the stench. They will attack when it is advantageous, shrieking and squawking.

T. The Old Kitchen. Here was prepared the feasts which Nuromen and his guests took in the banquet Hall. There is a large hearth against the North wall. Rotted cupboards and casks of ancient wine line the walls, as well as a large food preparing area. There are rotting sacks of grain, the bones of old livestock hung up for a feast that never transpired, kitchen utensils on the wall, and the skeletal remains of the kitchen crew.  Anyone searching the room is likely to disturb a small venomous serpent that has crawled into the Maze from some unknown fissure. There is a 3 in 6 chance of this for each character poking around, if a 1-3 is rolled, the character must first save against dexterity (d20, dexterity score or lower) to dodge the bite. if bitten, the character suffers 1/2 point of damage but must make a saving throw vs. poison or die. Even if the character saves, the bite will be quite painful for many days. The serpent has only one venomous bite. It has only 2 hit points but will fight to the death, it's bite still does 1/2 point damage.

U. Vast Empty Hall. The walls of this chamber are painted with frescoes from the daily life of Law's End, shameful and sordid displays. The town was full of wanton and abandon and the paintings are indicative of the pride which Nuromen and his entourage took in this fact. In the hall itself there is little else save the paintings, as with most other areas skeletons lie about. A search of them will yield some jewelry worth 50 gold and 23 gold pieces.

U1. A storage area. There are 5 boxes of torches(20 ea.), 3 lanterns, a crate of oil flasks (all still good), a box of candles (50), various metal tools such as awls, hammers, picks, and 20 iron spikes that were all used for repairs to the Maze when its occupants yet lived.

U2. The Wine Vault. Here are 20 casks of the best ancient wine, sealed and in good condition. It has a value of 500 gold if the players can figure out a way to transport it back to Camlann. The wine is elvish, a gift from the elf prince who tried to befriend Nuromen and paid with his life and the wine. There is also a ghost here, the ghost of a drunkard who dwelt with Nuromen in Law's End. Anyone seeing him will immediately recognize him a spirit, white and ethereal from head to toe, smiling warmly as he draws a ghostly cup of wine. Anyone seeing him (except clerics) must save vs. paralysis or end up screaming and lfeeing in terror from the hall for 1 turn. The ghost does not attack at all--he will drink from the cup and the party will see the wine flow through him and fall to the floor. The spirit will proffer the cup to the characters--should any drink, they will turn ghostly white from head to toe and remain in this strange state until a Remove Curse spell is cast by a cleric of sufficient power. Whether the party accepts the ghost's offer or not, after this gesture, the ghost will vanish and the empty or full cup will fall to the floor.

V. The Alchemical and Magical Study of Nuromen. When character's approach this door, a magical face will appear. It will state that none may pass unless they know the password. The password is Antha, the name of Nuromen's daughter. if this is offered, the magical face will say "You may pass" and disappear as the door opens of its own accord and swings inward. If the party cannot guess the password, the face will only stare at them unblinking and answer their attempts politely but firmly, and occasionally will ask, "Did Nuromen send you? I shall tell him you tried to enter here." Should anyone try to force the door, a lightning bolt will fly out of the door and shock all who touch it, doing d4 damage with each strike if they fail a saving throw vs. magic. Without the password, the only way the door may be breached is with a Dispel Magic spell…if this happens the door will shoot a lightning bolt once at the spell caster before the magic vanishes.  It can be battered down but it has 15 hit points due to its magical nature and it will attack with the lightning bolts until the very end. If character's take either route the face will cry out as it fades away: "Nuromen! Nuromen! Strangers have breached thy Maze!" This cry will boom throughout out the Maze in echoing fashion, and it will in fact awaken the lich of Nuromen from his ghastly sleep although he will not emerge from the Crypt except in the fashion described in the key for Chamber N (the Burial Crypt).

Once inside the Study, the party will see a wondrous assortment of tables, book cases, contraptions, maps, globes, jars of small preserved creatures and appendages, bottles, lab equipment, astrological charts, bones, feathers and so on. The library is full of historical, alchemical, and scientific tomes. Spiders and cobwebs are everywhere. On a table lies a Halfling skeleton, it's bones bear marks of incision and cutting--an unfortunate experiment victim of Nuromen. Intelligent and clever players may ferret something of value from the books, use your imagination, but most can only be read by magic users. The contraptions are quite worthless as they are incomprehensible. If anyone is foolish enough to drink the elixirs the only reward is a saving throw vs. poison or magic as appropriate and a d8 roll on the following table:

1-4. Become violently sick for 1 turn, no movement or actions other than uncontrollable retching.

5-7. Turn into a frog, a bird or small insect (GM choice).

8. Die a horrible death as they writhe and scream in pain for several minutes.

If anyone searches for secret doors and specifically mentions checking the bookcases, they have a 5 in 6 chance of finding the secret door behind the moveable bookcase against the northern wall. The secret door leads to the hiding place where Nuromen kept his most valuable magical artifacts.

On one of the tables is an open book covered with dust and sitting in a conspicuous place--characters will notice it.  The book is a text readable only by magic users or elves. If the dust is wiped away there is an instruction to mix the blue elixir with the green in order to transmute stone to gold. Several stones lie beside the book and there is in fact a beaker on a metal stand filled with murky green liquid and beside it a glass cup  filled with blue liquid which still bubbles after all these years. If anyone should mix these liquids, a tremendous explosion will result that does 1d6 damage to anyone standing right by it and d4 damage to anyone within 10', 1 point of damage to anyone farther than 10' away up to 20'. The table, book and beakers will be destroyed and so will a large portion of books on the shelves.

On another table  also a frog inside a glass jar and the frog is alive. If freed from the glass jar, the frog will turn into a demonic shadow that howls and flies out of the room, striking one character as it passes (roll dice to determine who) and doing d4 damage.

If anyone makes a thorough search of the room, they will also find a backpack containing the personal effects of the Halfling, and a letter which identifies him as Burberry Quickfoot and tells of the shire form which he hails. Perhaps this will be an errand for the party later on, leading to further adventures, use your imagination.

Also, hanging on a hook are two large metal keys that opens the door in chamber F and the door to Chamber X. The key to the door in Chamber F, like it's lock, is of strange make.

W. The Wizard's Goods. This small room has a table and chair and on the table rest several magical artifacts. There are three spell scrolls useable by magic users and elves: Dispel Magic, Invisibility, and Charm. There is also a potion of ESP and a 2 potion of healings. These are all labeled. There is also a small bottle labeled "Anecdote" which can cure a person of the poison gas in the treasure vault (Chamber K). Also lying on the table is a Grimoire called the Book of Power. It is clasped with a lock, and the lich of Nuromen has the key though a thief can pick it. The tome is magic, and of opened and read by elves or magic users, there is a 75% chance they will be imbued with the knowledge of 1 spell in the book (pick a spell). They permanently add this spell. In any event the users receive automatically half the number of experience points needed to advance to their next level. The book is very valuable to wizards and elves who will pay three times book's weight in gold to have it (or else try to take it!). There is also a +1 magical sword in a scabbard on the table. This sword can be used against undead creatures.

X. The Chamber of Misery. This room is held fast by an iron door with a view slit. the door cannot be forced, it can only be opened by a thief or a key from the Wizard's Study. Inside are ten skeletons chained to the walls…there is also a table with moldy torture implements and in the corner an iron maiden. One is hanging in an iron cylindrical cage from the ceiling. A skeleton dressed in black and wearing a black hood lies on the floor, clutching a rotting whip. In a pouch in its cloak is a jewel worth 70 gold. The iron maiden is rusty but a character with strength of 14 or higher can force it open. Inside is only a hapless victim. Three skeletons are elvish. The skeleton n the cage is clothed and managed to conceal on his person a note and a map of the village of Camlann. According to the note, there is a chest of treasure buried below the Chapel of St. Cuthbert below the stones of the altar.

Y. The Barracks of the Maze Guard. This is where the soldiery who patrolled the Maze of Nuromen stayed while on duty. There are moldering beds, tables, and in some of the beds lie skeletons. At a table are seated four skeletons in rusty armor and helms. Plates and cups lie on the table as do dice from a game. The dice are of ivory and worth a  bit of money, 20 gold. If anyone picks them up, however, the hand of a skeleton will reach out to grasp their hand lightning quick. All four skeletons will come to life--they have been turned into undead by the lich of Nuromen! They will fight to the death. One shield in the barracks is distinguishable from the others as it is not rusted at all--it is in fact a magical shield (+1 armor class). there is nothing else of value in the room.

Z. The Underground Courtyard. This hall is littered with several skeletons, some in armor. All died here in the disaster that befell Law's End. A search will reveal several silver pieces, and little else. There are sconces on the pillars for torches Nothing of real import is in this chamber.

Z1. The Gallows. Here is where the Wizard's enemies were hung by the Maze Guard. The gallows are rotted and if anyone walks on them there is a 3 in 6 chance they will fall through somewhere and take 1-2 points of damage. There is one skeleton hanging by its neck here. It is clothed in rotting rags.

The Chamber of the Image of Gamosh