Yuan-Ti Assault: When the PCs arrive, the yuanti have just finished slaughtering the remains of Sela’s band. The PCs probably hear the battle well before they stumble into it.
If the PCs approach the scene, they see the corpses of three humanoids—a male dwarf, a female shifter, and a male human—as well as two dead yuan-ti. Three remaining yuan-ti chop the heads off the adventurers’ corpses while a fourth prepares to deliver a coup de grace against a woman lying prone on the ground. The woman, Sela (N female human expert 2/fighter 2) is currently at –7 hit points and has taken 6 points of Constitution damage from the yuan-ti’s poisoned weapon. If saved, she has a 10% chance of stabilizing each round and must succeed on a DC 11 Fortitude save in 6 rounds or take another 1d6 points of Constitution damage (she currently has a Constitution of 4 and a Fortitude save bonus of +0).
If she reaches –10 hit points or 0 Constitution, Sela opens her eyes and whispers, “The statue . . . it lies in the statue . . .” before dying. Anyone within 30 feet hears the cryptic whisper.
The yuan-ti attacked Sela and her party for trespassing on their territory, and they do the same to the PCs. If the party kills three of the yuan-ti, the fourth tries to flee.
Suggested Encounters: A yuan-ti scouting party (page 67) makes an appropriate challenge for mid-level PCs. For higher-level parties, use a yuan-ti cult (page 67).
The Statue Prison: Unseen by the party, the imprisoned tsucora’s partner hovers in the clearing, watching the battle with great interest. If Sela dies and the PCs do not return to the statue, the tsucora targets one of them with a dream spell each night. It appears as an angelic being who begs the character to return to the statue and set it free, promising great reward as it plays up its suffering. If the PCs bypass the combat entirely, the tsucora notices their presence and follows them, since its previous best hope just expired at the hands of the yuan-ti.
If Sela lives, she awakes alone in the wilds of Xen’drik without her trusted companions. She asks the party to escort her back to a statue she passed along the trail. Sela willingly teams up with the PCs for a share of the great treasure the dream spirit promised her. She reveals whatever information she thinks will benefit the party and upholds her end of any bargains she makes. However, she doesn’t hesitate to save herself at the expense of others if the situation demands it.
The statue is actually a dream prison (see the magic item description on page 152), built centuries ago by the giants. Trapped within the prison is the neutral tsucora quori. When Sela or the PCs arrive at the statue (area 2 of the Mountain Glacier map, or area 1 of the Forsaken City map), the free tsucora waits until they camp and fall asleep. At that time, it sends a dream to Sela or any PC it has been targeting. It continues to maintain the appearance of the angelic creature and explains what the PCs must do to free it (in reality, to free its partner). A willing character of the same neutral alignment as the trapped being must step into the stone statue’s embrace and be possessed by the imprisoned spirit, which will be in total control of the volunteer’s body. The angelic-looking tsucora swears to retain possession only long enough to step out of the statue’s grasp and then share what it knows about the giants’ treasure cache nearby.
If Sela is dead and there is no neutral character in the party, change the quori’s alignment to match that of one or more PCs. Because a volunteer must also have Charisma 17 for the tsucora quori to be able to leave the dream prison, the party might find a conveniently placed potion of eagle’s splendor near the ruins or among Sela’s belongings.
The tsucora knows that the chances of its partner being freed are slim should the PCs discover its true nature (especially if the party contains kalashtar), and so it goes to any lengths to deceive a character into willingly accepting possession. However, if desperate, it might tell the party the truth, pledging to return immediately to Dal Quor and offering future favors in addition to the promised treasure.
If the PCs are unable or unwilling to free the trapped quori, it lashes out with psionic attacks and its partner flies into a rage. The free tsucora follows the party for the next few days, sending characters nightmares in their sleep and interfering with them as best it can.
Suggested Encounters: A pair of tsucora quori (ECS 296) should make an adequate challenge for a mid-level party. If the PCs refuse to release the trapped quori and do not approach the statue, consider making the single free tsucora a pair of quori searching their lost compatriot.
Lost Lair of the Giants: The trapped tsucora explored the giants’ lair before becoming ensnared by the dream prison, but the DM should decide how much it knows about the giants’ hidden lair. The free tsucora doesn’t enter the lair, as it fears a second, undiscovered dream prison. It does not accompany the PCs, though it keeps its end of the bargain and imparts to the party all the knowledge its partner has. This knowledge might include the nature of any guardians left behind (see the suggested encounters section below) or the passwords for any traps. If the lair contains encounter traps (see page 88), the tsucora might have knowledge of central disarm locations.
Near the entrance to the lair, indigenous wildlife or humanoid tribes might threaten the PCs. Deeper within, deadly traps block the party’s access. The giants placed construct or undead beyond those traps to guard their treasures, and these guardians still wait to challenge any intruders.
Suggested Encounters: The yuan-ti from part 1 could have a presence in this area, in areas 1, 2, and 4 of the Forsaken City map. Alternatively, the Mountain Glacier site might hold a pair of frost salamanders (MM II 107) or a remorhaz (MM 214).
A trap should block access to the inner chambers of the giants’ lair. A giant alphabet trap (page 90) fits perfectly in area 8 of the Mountain Glacier map or area 9 of the Forsaken City map (in a corridor before the actual lab). The areas beyond the trap should contain undead or construct guardians, such as a trio of wraiths (MM 257), a stone golem (MM 137) designed to look like a frost or fire giant, a pair of boneclaws (MM III 17), or a pair of web golems (MM III 74).
Reclamation: DMs wishing to add another dimension to this adventure might decide that the giants who originally built this lair are attempting to reclaim it. The giants recognize the dream prison, and if they spot non giants near the trapped quori, they immediately try to drive the intruders off with lethal force. In this scenario, humanoid tribes in the area might either battle the giants or ally with them, perhaps serving as sentries