77 rooms · levels 15–25
You stand before Blackmouth's mighty tower. Its base is at least 100 feet in diameter and its peak is lost in the clouds. There are several open windows along its spire and one is not more than 20 feet straight above you. The single door leading into the tower is before you to the north.
You stand in the entrance to an enormous circular chamber. The ceiling is lost in the blackness above you. In the center of the room is an evil looking pit. As you stare into its inky blackness you begin to sweat and shake. A sixth sense tells you to avoid it at all costs. There is a large stairwell circling the wall of the tower which begins to the west.
You have landed on a small ledge deep in the pit of despair. You feel quite certain that to fall forever in a bottomless pit would mean your death. Looking down you see no trace of any bottom to the pit. There are a few spikes driven into the wall by some resourceful adventurer before you. Maybe it is possible to climb out. And maybe it's possible to slip and fall....
You fall forever in a truly bottomless pit!
You are climbing the ebony stairs in Blackmouth's Tower. You see a landing above you where the stairs penetrate the ceiling of the entry chamber below.
You hover in air next to Blackmouth's tower. You see an open window to the west.
As the ebony stairs emerge onto this landing you see a medium sized room with a door to the east and south. Both are closed. The room is lit with a few smoky torches and you notice several footprints in the dust at your feet. Standing guard before the south door is the guardian.
This room is made of the same black material as the rest of the tower but feels less oppressive due to a large window in the east wall. The window is large enough to stand in if you wish.
You have just stepped onto an enormous spiral staircase. Each step is about ten feet wide. The stairs make one complete revolution before reaching the landing above.
The spiral stairs end here in a large room with several continual light spells placed about the ceiling. The walls are covered with several murals depicting Blackmouth invoking powerful magic to build cities and destroy dragons. To the east is a rather plain looking doorway. While to the west stands an impressive archway. Above the archway are the letters B.M.M.U.
A plain room, there are a couple of hard wooden benches if you must sit. An archway frames the north exit.
You stand in a great hall filled with study cubes, magic missile ranges, fireball containment areas, etc... This is where the students enrolled in the college come to practice their skills.
This is the cafeteria for the college of magic. Unseen servants are busy bussing tables and cleaning up after the levitated food fight.
This is the kitchen for the magic cafeteria. Animated knives and cleavers are busy chopping some unlucky animal into tonight's main course. Perhaps you'd better leave before they mistake you for an appetizer.
The Great Hall continues here. All about you are study areas, conjuring circles, fireball containment cubes, etc. To the east and west are student sleeping quarters, the Great Hall continues north and south.
This large room has been divided up into many small cubes with a wall of ice spell. The freshmen students are forced to sleep here, but none are here during waking hours. The upperclassmen feel that sleeping in the ice box for a year teaches the potential mages humility (and is also quite amusing to watch in the morning).
This large room has been divided up into many small cubes with a wall of thorns spell. The thorns help the students learn to respect the property of their neighbors...
The Great Hall continues here. Along the walls of the hall here several walls of force have been cast to partition off class rooms. This forces the students to learn to study and concentrate in a distracting environment. In order to save the instructor's voices a silence spell has been placed on the traffic areas. The Great Hall goes north and south. To the east are the senior students' sleeping quarters and to the west the juniors'.
This large room has been divided into several smaller cubes with a wall of iron spell. The junior students sleep and study here. The iron walls make wake up time as they make loud sounds when pounded on....
This large room has been divided into several smaller cubes with a wall of stone spell. The cubes are the sleeping/study cubes of the senior mage students here at Blackmouth's Magic University (BMMU).
The Great Hall continues here to the north and south. To the east and west are the instructor's quarters. The walls of the great hall here have displays of the magical creations of the school's staff. Take care not to annoy the larger creations....
This lavish suite is home to one of the instructors in the magic arts. You'd better not let him catch you messing with his grade book!
The senior instructor at BMMU resides here. In addition to his sparse sleeping quarters he keeps his office and lab here. If you'd like to take a seat he'd be happy to help you right after he conjures that demon for the CON652 class this afternoon....
The Great Hall ends here in a magical theatre. Set in the east wall is a large stage. Arranged in front of the stage are several rows of seats. This stage is used for large classes as well as evening entertainment. The illusionists gather backstage and conjure up magical scenes on the stage for the audience. To the north is the V.I.P. quarters and to the west is a formidable looking door.
This opulent suite is provided for visiting dignitaries. It has beautiful hardwood floors and paneling. The thick bed hangings and window draperies are embroidered with magical symbols. To the south a door leads out to the hall.
This was the home of the mages guildmaster from Old Daleville. His abode contains a modest bed, and few personal effects. He does have an impressive library and a well equipped alchemy lab.
These stairs lead to the laboratory and fresh material storage areas. You may consider turning back if you had trouble with the students.
You stand high above the Great Hall. Above you in the ceiling is a four foot diameter hole extending farther than you can see. Near the hole in the ceiling is written the following warning, "To wield my staff, brave Mage, face my avatar and know fear."
This is a large room with several large magic circles, pentagrams, and thaumaturgic triangles permanently inscribed on the floor. The students learn their conjuration skills here. Oh my, they seem to have forgotten to clean up after their last lab. It seems that one of the conjurations is still here!
This is a round room with a large pit about 10 feet deep in the center. You hear many hisses, and rattles coming from the pit. Those of you who are afraid of snakes are feeling rather sick.
You have entered a large hall with several magical arches to either side. These arches have a shimmering force field which prevents the creatures on the other side from escaping. The hall continues south while you see pens to the north and west.
This pen is magically enchanted to prevent the material from escaping.
The hall continues south and north with pens to the east and west.
Another magical monster prison...
This pen looks a lot like the others around here.
The hall continues north and south. There is a pen to the west.
This pen looks just like all the others in the hall.
The hall turns from north to east here. There are pens to the west and south.
A magical monster prison.
A magical monster prison.
The hall continues east and west. To the east is the dragon holding cells. To the north and south two magical prisons have been created for creatures capable of planar travel.
The cell has been especially enchanted with several non-traveling spells. The only way in or out is through the archway you just entered.
This cell is enchanted to prevent any magical entry or exits other than the magical archway to the north.
The hall way ends here. To the north, west, and south are three very large archways like the others you saw before. Beyond them you can see glowing eyes staring at you with pure hate.
This large but bare room has been enchanted to withstand the efforts of a dragon trying to escape.
This room has been enchanted to withstand a dragon trying to escape.
This is a small closet where the Master's visitors hang their cloaks.
This room has been magically enchanted to prevent nonhumans/demihumans from leaving.
You stand at the bottom of the snake pit. Unless BMMU is currently out of stock you should be attacked by several angry snakes about now.
This cell has been enchanted to withstand the efforts of a dragon trying to escape.
The Maze
The Maze
The first of the two treasures of The Maze is (or was) displayed here.
The Maze
The Maze
The second of the treasures of the maze was left here by Blackmouth. Are you the first to claim the prize?
This is the top room of Blackmouth's tower. Windows scattered around the one circular wall look out over all the known world. Looking down from one of these you can see the base of the tower emerge from a cloud about 100 ft below this level.
You stand before a 30' wide hole gaping in the side of the mountain. The bottom lies 40' down in what appears to be a cavern much larger than the hole. You hear pebbles fall as your party shuffles about the edge.
You stand on a barren mountain side. It appears that all life has been blasted from this area as if by a great fire. Charred remains of plant and animal life suggest that this was once a pine wood. To the north you see a great hole in the side of the mountain. A strange smell seems to come from there. It is the smell of fear.
You stand at the Base of the Barren Mountain. The pine wood is heavily singed but not devastated as on the mountain above. The Barren Mountain rises to the north and the destroyed village smolders to the south.
You stand on the northern edge of what was once Pinewood village. The air is much clearer here than in the village, the stench of death seems to be not so overwhelming. To the north you see the Barren Mountain. South is the village proper.
You are between two houses in Pinewood village. Both are simple log cabins which have been reduced to smoldering rubble. At one time you could have entered one from the north the other from the south. Now you can go north to the edge of the village or south to the village circle.
You stand in what was the village circle of Pinewood. Smoking ruins that were once log cabins surround you. The stench of death and ash is overwhelming. The rubble is clear enough to get through to the north and to the south where the village trail once ran.
You stand on the edge of what was once a small village in a pine forest. Now it is a collection of smoking ruins in the midst of an army of charred pine tree stumps. There seems to have been a path leading into the village to the north as the smoking ruins are far enough apart to allow passage there. The docks used to be to the south.
The river widens and deepens here making a small lake. To the northeast a small water fall falls 30 feet from a steep incline marking the beginnings of the barren mountain to the north. On the northern edge of the lake you see the remains of a small dock. Charred driftwood pollutes the lake. Making an oily film on the water. No sounds can be heard but for a rhythmic banging as the waves push a log into the remains of the dock to the north.
The walls here have been worked to buttress the ceiling. The construction looks well weathered and at least several decades old. The chamber is 70' feet across and nearly 40' high at its highest point, where it opens to the mountain slope you came from. A 30'-wide passage heads due west. The floor has a polished, black, mirror-like surface that magnifies sounds and makes the slightest noise echo.
This chamber is about 50' wide and over 200' long. The ceiling is a good 30' above your head. The place stinks with an overpowering reptilian odor. A layer of carbon coats the walls, floor and ceiling and there are bones, bits of flesh, and pieces of clothing and armor scattered about. No exits are apparent except the one to the east which you entered.
You are standing in a short hallway hewn from stone. To the north is a stout set of double doors. To the west you see what looks like a storeroom. To the south you can see through the illusionary wall into Storm's Lair.
Crates of supplies raided from nearby villages have been stacked against the walls here. All along the walls there are shackles bolted to the stone for keeping the dragon food from wandering off.
These austere quarters are divided into two living areas, each containing a small wooden platform, a crude cot, and a chest.
This barracks is very austere. Containing meditation platform, cot, and chest for about 25 githyanki.
This guard post has two arrow slits looking into the Chimney Entrance to the west and the stairwell to the north. Both doors have large steel bolts to secure the outpost from the inside.
Each of the three living areas in this room contains a meditation platform, a cot, a chest.
This hallway has the same strange, alien construction as the rest of the complex.
This is the dining and meeting hall for the lair. There is a large table with two dozen chairs and large pot with some organic material in it.
This large single occupancy room has scarcely more trappings than the common soldier's quarters. There is the now familiar meditation platform, cot, and chest, but little else.
This chamber is surprisingly ornate compared to the austere and featureless quarters throughout the rest of this complex. The floor ceiling, and walls of the room have been completely covered with strange runes. Although the runework is impressive, your attention is immediately drawn to what appears to be a large silvery orb that partially protrudes from the wall opposite the door. The spherical surface is nearly 7' across.