The Hall of Scales

One of the biggest challenges I find with writing adventures is keeping them tight and contained. Particularly once I get a theme in mind, my mind goes in a lot of directions, which can make it difficult to pull back to what is necessary. Working on the Sanctum of the Serpent Vaults is no different.

To mitigate that, I’ve tried to keep the entire level modular. Each section strings together and builds on each other, but can be taken entirely out of their context and used as a component of something else. I’ve also focused on making each flexible and expandable even.

The Hall of Scales is the first section I wrote up, and is probably the least complex. What follows is a first draft of this entryway into the Sanctum. I haven’t landed on an illustration style yet for the maps, but personally, I think the words should be able to work without maps.

The Hall of Scales

There are two roads that lead to the Sanctum of the Serpent Vaults and neither of them are easy. The Hall of Scales are said to be a physical manifestations of the dreams of the Infinite Serpent, the one God over all things. From the base of the winding, slick stairs that lead up towards the light, a river flows into the Halls. It is red and oily, stained by what the God’s devotees call “his blessing” but what all others call a quick death.

Those that walk the road along the river never know how long or short their walk will be. Each time you enter, the halls shift and change with the whims of the God’s dreams. No journey is ever the same, but all end standing before the Grand Inquisitor. Should he find you worthy, you will find yourself in the Sanctum. If not, you will find yourself added to the Cairn of Sacrifice, your soul trapped forever in the God’s dreams.

How to Set Up the Hall

The Hall of Scales move and shift with the dreams of the God. Each time a party moves through the halls, they reset with two exceptions. If the Grand Inquisitor, the Seven Handed, or the Son of God is killed, they remain dead and their rooms are either considered empty or you may populate them with any of the monsters outlined in the Random Encounters table.

1. Before the adventurer’s enter the Hall, roll 2D6. This determines the number of rooms that will appear this time. They reset every time they are passed through, so do this every time.
2. Pick up a number of D12s equal to the number of rooms, and roll them upon a piece of paper. Re-roll any duplicates until you have unique numbers.
3. On the furthest left point on the paper, mark the Red Hall. On the furthest right point on the paper, mark the Grand Foyer.
4. Draw a line between the two ends, hitting every spot that a die fell from the Red Hall to the Grand Foyer.

Random Encounters

The shifting rooms of the Hall of Scales can only be traversed consistently by the devoted zealots of the God. Every hour that an adventuring party traverses the halls, roll on the random encounter table to see who they run across.

1-2 Trapped Adventurers (2-5)
3-6 Flayed Men (2-8)
7-8 Servant’s of the God (2-5)
9-10 The Seven Handed
11-12 The Honor Guard (2-5)

Red Hall
The horrifying mouth of the entrance to the Hall of Scales yawns open on the other side of the stairs that lead back up to the sun. A great river whose surface is covered with a red oily substance gurgles and oozes into that mouth, giving off the faint smell of rot. Just to the left of the stairs back up bubbles a fountain of clean, pure water. Crude letters are carved into its side declaring “this is the last clean water you will find.”

The Grand Foyer
This room is brightly lit from a green light washing into the room from a door on the far end. Through it the river continues off towards a town. Sitting in the center of this room upon a stone bench is the Grand Inquisitor. Only with his permission or death can you travel beyond the Hall of Scales.

1. The Hallowed Halls
The walls of this grand hall are lined with alcoves in which stands the Honor Guard of the Last Warlord. If she has been already disturbed they will immediately attack any who enter the room. All others have a 50% chance of sneaking past each one and leaving them undisturbed. To disturb them is to invite the chance of death.

2. Survivor’s Camp
At the center of this room sits a recently abandoned campsite near the river. The coals of the fire are still warm to the touch and refuge lies strewn about indicating the previous residents left in a hurry.

3. Massive Sarcophagi
The river runs through this room making an island of a massive sarcophagus carved with murals reflecting ancient conquests. Cities are razed and slaves are sacrificed to the God on its every surface. Within the structure lies the Last Warlord, who will strike down any who awaken her by disturbing her sleep in search of treasure.

4. Mortuary Mural
This long room is decorated with brightly colored murals depicting the apocalypse that never happened with tile mosaics. Near the end of the room a puddle of foul smelling ichor pools a few feet from the body of a woman. Her fingers are stained with alchemical compounds and her backpack is ripped open. The backpack is empty save a broken lock that clearly once kept a book closed.

5. Cairn of Sacrifice
The round room clogs the flow of the river with a massive cairn made of the bodies of those sacrificed to the God. Four Servants of the God work carefully placing bodies in the cairn from a massive cart filled with more victims.

6. The Torture Chamber
At the center of this strange room a person is chained to a thick stone pillar, flayed on nearly every inch of their body by the two torturers at work. Only a small bit of skin remains over the victim’s heart, which is covered in glowing, arcane symbols. The red river continues through this room along channels that hug the walls until reaching barred grates on the other side.

7. The Narrows
A long narrow low hanging tunnel stretches into the darkness following the oily red water. The water ranges from one to three feet in depth. Near the half way point of the room the legs and feet of someone break the surface. A rusted iron chain fixed to a shattered stone column nearby held the body of the poor victim just below the surface.

8. The Lake
The pitch black room is filled with a calm, ankle deep lake of the oily red water. Small ripples can be seen in the surface of the water by what you hope are small fish. At the center of this room is the only patch of dry ground on which sleeps the Son of God. Next to him lies chests filled with 12,000 copper pieces, 4,900 silver pieces, 40,000 gold pieces, 10 gems worth 500 gp, 40 gems worth 100 gp, 30 gems worth 50gp, and 20 gems worth 1,000 gp each.

9. The Hall of Winds
A vast room filled with ornately carved pillars depicting orgiastic activities of servants of the God during the apocalypse. The stretch up into the vast darkness that seems to have no end. The oily red river winds through them, traveling past the corpse of a man in ancient, ornate plate armor. A cluster of hollow metal tubes jut out of his temple and his delicate features are trapped in a moment of shock and terror. On the ground next to him he has written the words, “the pool” in his own, now dried, blood.

10. The Star Chamber
A great waterfall crashes into a pool of jagged rocks in this large cave. An outlet of the oily red water gurgles on the other side of the cascade. The ceiling flickers like starlight with thousands of glowing, snake-like eyes, slowly blinking.

At the bottom of the pool a chest is hidden in the 20 foot deep water containing 7,700 silver pieces, 7,700 gold pieces, a scroll containing the spells Witch Lock, Rock to Mud, and Anti-Magic Shield, and the magical sword known as the Cleaver. The Cleaver is a +1, +3 vs servants of the God. It communicates via empathy, can detect meals, gems, and secret doors.

11. The Statue
A small statue of an armored follower of the God rises up from the oily red water in the center of the room. His right hand rests on a sheathed sword and his shield protects his face, nearly covering the glitter of the blue gem stones that are inset for eyes. They are worth 100 gold pieces each.

Deep in the darkness of the room waits the Seven Handed who guards a chest filled with 2,000 copper pieces and 1,000 gold pieces.

12. The Silent Gallery
A vaulted ceiling hall awash in black light from two chandeliers. The candles give off the faint scent of burning hair. The entrance you come in by is 10 feet above the ground with stairs descending into the shallow, oily red river. Dangling from a rope in the center of the room appears to be a body that ran afoul a crude trap and starved to death. On close look the skin has been peeled off in one inch strips.

Monsters

Trapped Fighter
Possibly mad, certainly afraid (-1 Morale) and thirsty, this adventurer will not hesitate to cleave you in two with his sword. They are clad in rusty mail and carries a shield whose device has long since faded.
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 7
Move: 9 Inches

Trapped Magic User
Things were not supposed to end this way for this adventurer. Now they are terrified (-1 Morale) and desperate, willing to use their spells and staff to ensure their survival.
Spells by Level: 4/3/2/1
Armor Class: 9
Hit Dice: 5
Move: 9 Inches

Trapped Cleric
They are not sure if their god is testing them or has forsaken them. They will do what they must to find out armed with their mace, shield, and well-kept mail.
Spells by Level: 3/3/2
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 5+1
Move: 9 Inches

Torturers
Acolytes of the Grand Inquisitor, they hunt the Hall of Scales for sacrifices to the God. They carry his blessing (regenerate 1HP per round), a fanatical belief in their righteousness (+1 Morale), and specialized training (cast Magic Missile as 1st level).
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 3
Move: 9 Inches

The Grand Inquisitor
There are few as good as the Grand Inquisitor at discovery who is friend and who is foe (Charm Person once per day). Their resolute devotion (+1 Morale) and specialized training (cast Magic Missile as 5th level, cause darkness at will in a 1” radius, and become invisible at will) is only matched by the blessing they have received from God (deals 1D6+2 damage and regenerates 1 HP per round).
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 9
Move: 15 Inches

The Servant’s of God
There are some torturers who’s blessing evolves beyond the ken of mortal men. These Servants of God grow armored scales and constricting tails (2D6 damage) to augment their impressive skill with their spears. They are both feared and envied by the far more mortal devotees that wander the Hall of Scales.
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 7+3
Move: 9 Inches

The Seven Handed
A thousand, thousand years in the past a Hierophant begged the God to allow them to serve well beyond their time of death. The God blessed them with great size, shimmering scales, and seven great hands to wield seven great swords. Each of those seven hands represents one hit die and can all attack at once. When they suffer 6 points of damage, one of those hands is cut off and can no longer attack with that hand.
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 7
Move: 12 Inches

The Honor Guard
In the days of glory when the surface world felt the Eye of God upon it, the Last Warlord ruled with an iron fist and a cohort of fearless warriors. Blessed by the God with great size and strength (1D6+2) they followed their lord into death where they guard her still (turn as Wight).
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 4+1
Move: 9 Inches

The Last Warlord
Once the surface world was ruled by the God and his chosen vessel, the Last Warlord. Blessed by him with horrifying size (12 feet tall) she wielded a massive maul to crush the God’s enemies (2D6 damage). When she was near death’s door, he blessed her again with endless unlife and the power that came with it (turn as Mummy, only magical weapons can damage her). Now if she gets close enough to touch with his hand, he delivers a rotting disease that take ten times the usual time for healing. A Cleric can reduce this to twice as long using the Cure Disease spell if administered within an hour of contact.
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 8
Move: 12 Inches

The Son of God
In the days of old, God lay with many women and from this labor had many children. One such child makes their home in the Hall of Scales, a horrific combination of serpent and man. Dozen of feet long and thousands of pounds in weight, his bulk is now trapped in one room where he broods and plots. Even if his plots may harm the intentions of his father, he is still blessed with power over lightening (3 times per day, 10 x 1/2” line for 4D6 damage), massive jaws, and shimmering, nye invulnerable scales.
Armor Class: 2
Hit Dice: 8
Move: 24 Inches