Most of the walls of the labyrinth have been smashed leaving this area almost empty of places to find shelter.
Parts of broken walls and shallow pits dot the area.
The door to the the ground floor is missing, the floor itself is filled with rubble: broken wood, stone debris and cracked tiles. A staircase leads to the remains of half a first floor.
On this floor the key hangs against the wall from a rope. Taking it will result in the floor collapsing, drawing the full attention of the Elder Neh-Thalggu.
-> race back to the tunnels or die, finding shelter behind the sparse broken stone walls.
This section breaks too much with the flavor of the setting and feels rushed.
A few 100 feet away, stands an large black column, almost as high as the Creature you hear wandering about.
Cracks cover it's surface and you can only guess what lies at its top.
A few smooth black steps are visible at the bottom of the tower.
There's a pair of footsteps leading from the corridor along the wall to the left going in both directions.
after a few minutes of hugging the wall the adventurers find an empty cache in the wall, once hidden in a bas-relief of a woman holding a flame in her hands.
Dc20 perception to find an amulet (Dark Shard Amulet) lying behind some rocks that must have fallen to the ground when this cache was opened.
The adventurers will need to sneak closer.
As they ascend 3 foot in front of a climbing person new steps appear, 3 foot behind the adventurers they disappear, and they do not reappear.
At the top of the tower there's a staircase leading down inside it.
Multiple circular rooms below each other, 20ft diameter.
Filled with unusually smart undead.
The Top Floor
This room is filled with rubble and parts of the ceiling have caved in.
There's a small group of undead, a Boneclaw, a Ogre Zomby and a Ghoul playing a chess game in the back, the ghoul is watching the others play.
They look up thas the adventurers descend. The Boneclaw is winning by a lot.
The Boneclaw's name is Valygar. He tells the adventurers this used to be his personal tower but he was been kicked out long time ago by his subordinates to this landing.
Ony a few loyal companions followed him into exile.
Different ideas on the master servant relation and whtat things still matter after death.
He asks them to mediate for them with the group downstairs to let him back in.
It's mind numbingly boring up here.
In return he offers to share some arcane knowledge that has long been forgotten.
Three scrolls he can offer, ancient and brittle, but any mage should be able to transcribe them.
A scroll of Exterminate, a scroll of choke, a scroll of Living Link and a scroll of Throbbing Bones.
The Second Floor
This floor looks more comfortable.
Sheets of cloth cover the walls, there's a big round leather carpet lying on the floor.
2 Ogre Zombies keep guard, watching the adventurers with interest.
A small pedestal can be seen in the middle of the room, partially broken and ancient looking in contrast with the rest of the room. A large bottle sitting on top of it chipped in many places and filled with a deadly poison.
White Death (Ingested): A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or become Poisoned for 4d6 hours. If the creature failed its saving throw and drinks a full 75cl it immediately dies only to wake up again; undead, but with it's full original mental capabilities and memories. While drinking there are clear signs to onlookers that the person is in heavy pain.
A faint oriental melody can be heard from downstairs.
The stairs down to the next floor are closed off by a dented and blackened hatch.
A face has been carved on the hatch its mouth wide open around a hole.
Anyone who touches the bottle is compelled to drink from it DC 18 Wisdom to save.
Pouring poison in the open mouth opens the hatch.
The Third Floor
The room is filled with benches and tables, placed in a circle; in a corner a zombie is playing a lute.
Two dozen zombies and skeletons have taken seat.
A skeleton is propped up against the wall missing both legs, an arm and half it's rib-cage.
The adventurers hear a indecipherable whispered conversation, like paper rubbing over paper.
A handful other skeletons, zombies and a wight are having a discussion on what to do with the three ghouls in the group.
They ambushed a skeleton and ate almost half their bones.
Riddling Skeleton is watching.
Up and down they go and travel, but never do they move an inch.
Answer: Stairs
When one does not know what it is, then it is something. When one knows what it is, then it is nothing.
The undead tell the adventurers they have have kicked Valygar out because they want to live in this tower as equals and not as subordinates of a despot.
They have formed a commune, the dead collective, and discuss things before deciding on actions.
The adventurers are welcome to stay.
The Fourth Floor
You hear a loud undecipherable conversation going on.
The room is almost empty, dusty outlines visible where once stood tables and benches.
Stale Mary backed up by an Ogre Zomby and a Blaspheme is trying to calm the ghouls down.
She's understandable and can teach a character the Stories-Bones-Tell skill that allows them to speak with the other undead.
When the Ghouls see the adventurers they tense up. Mary tries to calm them.
She'll ask the adventurers if they can think up a solution for this problem.
The ghouls yearn for bones and marrow because it's their nature. But they're also part of the dead collective.
The Fifth Floor
Puzzled Skeleton sitting against the wall is frustrated that he can't solve a riddle given to him by the Riddling Skeleton .
"Think of words which end in '-GRY'. Angry and hungry are two of them.
There are but three words in the Common Tongue... what is the third word?
The word is something that one uses everyday. If thou hast listened carefully, I have already told thee what it is."
Answer: Tongue
A big metal fence blocks the exit from this room. It's rusted shut.
The Sixth Floor
A long row equally-spaced hooks lines the walls. From eight of them dangles a faded hooded dark grey robe, a wolf like mask resting on top (Lupine Mask) of it.
All covered in a thick layer of sticky dust.
In the middle of the room stands a basalt stone altar. Deep rust colored grooves line it's surface.
An orange key partially embedded in it's surface.
The Seventh Floor
A statue of a man in mage's clothes sitting on a throne made of bones, his right arm outstretched, hand in a fist and index finger pointing down.
The other hand holds a tablet with runes translating to: 'Be humble ... your destination is beneath you, follow my lead.'
In the middle of the room sits a shallow water well lined with grey stones.
About two feet under water level a gauntlet floats in the water fingers outstretched towards the statue.
The door mechanism is activated by placing a hand in the gauntlet.
Once a hand is placed into the gauntlet, and any motion is made with the hand or fingers, it rotates freely in 360 degrees, but clasps the wrist of the wearer, unable to remove their hand.
The floor of the well starts dropping and filling with water, pulling the gauntlet and the wearer with it.
The wearer must solve the door puzzle before drowning.
Solution:
The wearer must mimic the hand gesture of the statue, pointing down.
The hand gesture activates the door, which stops the flow of water, reverses bottom of the well, releases the hand of the wearer, and then starts to drop the floor of the entire room, well included, into a corridor below.
The entire room acts as the point of entry. The corridor leads to a hidden exit.