The small town of Day’s End is hiding an ancient secret; under the Mayoral Seat is a set of large chambers, magically sealed since the time of the last elven king, Oeged Naaftet Oecheisev. However, the passing of centuries has weakened the magic around the door. Another entrance, hidden under a pond in the Day’s End Graveyard, and has not been touched in centuries.

The dungeon contains more than simple chambers, though. Oeged caused the entire kingdom to collapse by dabbling in dark magic - magic powered by the Eclipse. These practices led to increasingly corrupt decisions within the council, and the magic itself distorted many of the creatures in the forest, creating giant spiders and basilisks. In the end, the king transformed himself into a shadow dragon and claimed the main council chamber as his lair. The other members of the council became wraiths, and haunted the halls of the dungeon for centuries, seeking a way through the seals laid by their own people.

As time passed, the king and his wraiths became weaker and struggled less fiercely against their magical bonds. Now dormant, they await the time that the ground shatters around them and they can escape.

Entrance

At the south end of the town’s prison under the Mayoral Seat is a massive iron door, elaborately engraved with depictions of armies marching to war under a darkened sky. Close inspection reveals that the soldiers are elves. The door has no handle, but in the centre is a large keyhole. The key to this door is lost, but the lock can still be picked with lockpicks. The door itself is nigh indestructible.

Level 1 - Archives

This level of the catacombs served as the storage space for all of the legal and governmental archives of the elven kingdom. It contains tens of thousands of scrolls describing accounts of legal proceedings and bill amendments.

The presence of the shadow is weak this close to the surface, but it can still be easily detected by magic. The presence is a mix of fey and undead.

The walls on this level are smoothly layered stone bricks masterfully engraved with depictions of leaves and branches, making the chambers and passages feel like a forest bower. Unless otherwise specified, the ceilings are 10 feet high and all the rooms are in total darkness.

1.1 Entrance

The entrance area of the dungeon is a room 20 feet wide and 30 feet long. The back of the entrance door, filling the north wall when closed, is engraved with an image of an elf monarch seated upon a magnificent throne. The monarch wears a crown and holds a wooden staff. To either side of the throne is an elf warrior, wearing a full-face helmet and weilding a spear. An inscription at the top reads in Elvish: “Do not forget the past, lest ye be forgotten in turn”. On this side of the door there is a handle and a lever to lock the door.

In each of the east and west walls is an alcove containing a stone statue of an elf warrior. The statues are identical to those depicted on the door, although the statue in the east wall is partially eroded by a leak in the ceiling above it. These statues have been magically animated, and they will both awaken if either one is touched. When they animate, they will attack any creatures in the room. The statue in the east wall moves slowly and jerkily due to the damage caused by the leak above it, giving advantage to all attack rolls made against it. Use the Animated Armor stat block for the statues.

The south end of the room forms a T intersection with area 1.2.

1.2 Passage

The passageway is 10 feet wide and 100 feet long, extending 40 feet east and west from the edges of the entrance room. All along the passageway on both sides are doors leading into archive rooms (see area 2). There are eight such rooms, spread out evenly along the passageway. Each room has an unlocked stone door leading into it from the passage. These doors are engraved with simple images of trees and woodland creatures. The images on the doors are indicated in the diagram below.

        |    |            N
 _ __ __|    |__ __ _   W | E
| 1  2          3  4 |    S
|_5__6__________7__8_|
|-------100 ft-------|
  1. A wolf pack
  2. An ash tree
  3. A pair of grazing elk
  4. Songbirds
  5. Mushrooms
  6. A stream
  7. A basilisk
  8. A giant spider

A character with magical sensibilities can sense a stronger undead presence from the room with the Stream door. One of the king’s councillors made her lair here as a wraith before retreating to the lower chamber, leaving behind a shadowy reflection of herself. See area 1.3.

The room with the spider door contains a Black Pudding. See area 1.3.

At each end of the passage is a stairwell leading down. See area 1.4.

1.3 Archive Rooms

Each archive room is 20 feet wide and extends 50 feet from the door. Each room is filled with long shelves with thousands of scrolls upon each one. With three double-width 40-foot-long shelves spanning the length of the room, and five layers to each shelf, each room contains 1200 feet of shelf space. Each foot of shelf space can contain up to 10 scrolls (stacked), giving each room a maximum capacity of 12000 scrolls. However, most rooms are not filled; roll 2d20 + 60 to determine the percentage of 12000 scrolls the room contains.

A character who can read Elvish can read the content of the scrolls. They are written in a formal version of Elvish that was never broadly spoken and was mostly used for official documents. While none of the scrolls are individually interesting, someone reading them may learn things about the nature of the elven kingdom based on the amount of time they spend reading. After reading for a certain amount of time, the reader may learn the indicated information.

  • 1 minute: The name of the elven king who last ruled this region was Oeged Naaftet Oecheisev.
  • 10 minutes: The king ruled with a council of 19 other councillors.
  • 30 minutes: The kingdom spanned a large portion of the forest and also much of the lands east of the forest. The catacombs under Day’s End were once the underground portion of an elven palace.
  • 1 hour: About one third of the king’s council disagreed strongly with the king and the rest of the council on a matter of great importance. The elven kingdom collapsed abruptly at some point.
  • 2 hours: The king and two thirds of his council strongly supported using magic during the Eclipse, as it granted them additional power. The divergent third was against this practice, citing the dangers of this dark power and the harm it was causing. The king’s position proved more powerful, and the elves continued to practice magic under the Eclipse.
  • 4 hours: The magic performed by the elves spawned evil creatures that grew beyond the elves’ control and infested the forest. The king began to make increasingly corrupt demands, such as tithes of magical gifts to be given to him or death to be given to his detractors. Some of his demands were fulfilled, but not all.
  • 8 hours: The king destroyed the kingdom with a great spell. These scrolls are dated with the most recent date of them all, although the calendar is different from the modern calendar so it is not easy to know exactly when this occurred. The scrolls mention shadowy forces and vague monstrosities but do not give details about the spell or its effects.

Remnant of Ey-La

The room with the Stream door was once the lair of Ey-La, one of the king’s councillors. After she was transformed into a wraith and trapped underground, she made this room her domain for more than 200 years before finally retreating to the main council chamber. Despite her absence, the room still remembers her shadow and her presence, a mixture of fey and undead, may still be felt by a character with magical senses.

Inside the room, the floor is covered with thin wisps of shadow. This shadow is only visible in total darkness; in dim or bright light it becomes invisible. When a character moves more than ten feet into the room, the wisps of shadow coalesce into 2d4 Shadows. The Shadows, like the wisps, are only visible in total darkness.

Pudding Breach

The room with the spider door has been breached by a Black Pudding. The pudding has lived in this room for nearly a century, consuming the scrolls within and slowly clearing the shelves. This room is nearly emptied of scrolls. When the characters enter the room, the ooze will try to hide if they have a light source with them. If they don’t or they get within the reach of the ooze, it attacks. It will attack the smallest character, ignoring anyone else, and it will try to flee under the shelves if reduced to less than a quarter of its maximum hit points.

1.4 Stairwells

The walls of these spiral staircases are ornately decorated with imagery of elven monarchs engaged in acts of generosity and benevolence, such as offering blessings to warriors or tradesmasters, giving gifts to the poor, or using magic to heal wounds.

The steps of the stairwell are each 10 feet wide and descend by half a foot at each step, making the slope of the spiral quite shallow. The steps show a level of wear indicating long use. A character familiar with stonework or ancient sites can discern that these stairs have been walked for millenia.

Hidden in the reliefs are some gemstones. They are subtly used to accentuate certain features, such as eyes and stars. If a character carefully examines the reliefs, they find 8 gemstones in the walls of each stairwell. Each gemstone requires 10 minutes and the use of a crowbar or sturdy knife to remove. They are worth 50gp each, and are of a variety of gemstone types. If the check succeeds by 5 or more, they find 2 diamonds, larger than the rest and more well-hidden. The diamonds require 30 minutes each to remove and are worth 200gp each.

Diamonds

The diamonds are closely bound to the spirits of Oeged and his councillors, and prying them from the wall will stir them. If any of the diamonds are removed from the wall, two of Oeged’s councillors reawaken as wraiths. They begin moving toward the diamond that was removed, and travel silently in the dark.

It will take ten minutes for the wraiths to rise. When they do, and assuming the characters haven’t moved from the stairwell, they will try to trap the characters in the stairwell. One of them will approach the stairwell from the bottom while the other takes the opposite stairwell to come around behind them. Both wraiths are originating from the council chamber, so the wraith approaching from behind will reach the top of stairwell about 20 seconds after the other reaches the bottom.

If the wraiths are trapped and not slain, and the characters communicate with them, the characters may learn that the names of these wraiths are Eptelabu and Yasubi. They were both close allies to King Oeged Naaftet Oecheisev and supported his views of magic, up to the bitter end. They will tell that they were transformed into wraiths by the king’s magic and will hint that the king himself is a creature of shadow as well.

The top of each staircase connects to one of the ends of the entrance passageway (see area 1.2). At the bottom, the east stair connects to the eastern wall of area 2.1, and the west stair connects to the western wall of area 2.2.

Level 2 - Preparation Rooms

The second level of the dungeon contains practical rooms dedicated to the writing and maintaining of records, publications, and additional documents. There are also rooms dedicated to the storage and preparation of formal clothing, especially for the ruling monarch.

In rooms here the fey/undead presence is stronger than it is above. Not only can characters with special sensibilities detect it, but so can any characters that know any spells.

The walls of the rooms on this level are engraved with root-like shapes, as though descending from the trees of the halls above. They are almost disturbingly realistic in their rendition. The ceilings of these rooms are 10 feet high.

2.1 Star Room

This 20 foot square room was once a point of passage between the council chamber, the archive rooms, and the documents room. The floor is tiled with a star-shaped pattern of blue, green, and gold tiles.

The north wall is unadorned, but closer inspection reveals that there are pins in the wall making the corners of a large rectangle. Around one of the pins is a small piece of torn fabric, perhaps indicating that this wall once bore a tapestry of some sort. Indeed it did; it bore an image of King Oeged Naaftet Oecheisev in his most noble days. When he transformed himself into a shadow dragon and became trapped in his own council chamber, he ordered it destroyed.

In the east wall is an open doorway to a spiral stairwell going up (see area 1.4). A stone door in the west wall leads to the Writing Room (area 2.3). In the south wall is an open doorway to a corridor, gently curving westward, lined with alcoves filled with statues of elven monarchs (see area 2.6).

2.2 Mirror Room

Similar to the Star Room this 20 foot square room was once a point of passage between the council chamber, the archive rooms, and the royal wardrobe. The floor is tiled with a pattern of concentric circles in red, black, and gold tiles.

On the north wall is an enourmous 15 foot wide floor-to-ceiling mirror. It is attached by strong metal bolts in many places, and it would be almost impossible to remove it without destroying it. The mirror itself is a Mirror of the Elvensoul. A Mirror of the Elvensoul will not show the reflections of any living creatures that are not elves, and it also will not show anything they are wearing or carrying. Other inanimate objects that are being worn or carried by elves or are not being worn or carried at all are shown, as are elves themselves. The mirror does not consider half-elves to be elves.

In the west wall is an open doorway to a spiral stairwell going up (see area 1.4). A stone door in the east wall leads to the Royal Wardrobe (area 2.5). In the south wall is an open doorway to a corridor, gently curving eastward, lined with alcoves filled with statues of elven monarchs (see area 2.6).

2.3 Writing Room

This room contains racks of unmarked sheets of paper, as well as three writing desks and chairs. The paper on the racks was used for writing the records of the council meetings. It does not burn or absord liquid, and the ink on it does not fade with exposure. Writing implements, including pens and inks, can still be found here on the desks.

A stone door in the east wall leads to the Star Room (area 2.1). An open doorway in the west wall leads to the Documents Room (area 2.4).

2.4 Documents Room

This room is similar in appearance to the Archive Rooms, and contains documents that clerks would reference while writing records. These documents include copies of elven law and lists of commonly-used precedents.

The Dead

Hidden in this room, out of sight from the doorway, are three ancient corpses. These are the bodies of elven clerks who were trapped in the catacombs of the palace when Oeged completed his transformation and their kin sealed the doors. They were discovered and killed by Oeged’s councillors and left in this room. On each of their foreheads is a black mark in the shape of a crown, which appears to have been burned into their skin. If the symbol is touched, the corpse rises as Mummies and attacks any living things in the room, pursuing them as far as the Star Room (area 2.1).

If the charcters have a way of speaking with the corpses (such as with the spell Speak with Dead) they will answer any questions truthfully and fully. Their names are Geshei, Esrel, and Nehna. They were all friends from childhood and worked most of their lives for the Council Records Office, although they died young. They were also all present when Oeged cast his final spell and will tell how it happened if asked. Nearly a hundred years after they first met Oeged, his magical greed came to an apex and he began a spell during a council hearing to transform himself into a creature of shadow. The hall was filled at the time, and people began to flee to the surface. Geshei, Esrel, and Nehna helped direct the crowds of people to the exits and allowed everyone to escape before Oeged’s spell completed. Just before they could escape, Oeged stretched out a shadowy hand to block their way. They ran to the other exit only to find it magically sealed. Finally, trapped in the documents room, they were killed by Ey-La.

Characters who can read Elvish can read the documents in this room to learn about elven law. Most of the laws of this elven kingdom were common with the laws of Day’s End, with a few differences.

  • The use of magic under the Eclipse is legal (Eclipse magic is prohibited in Day’s End)
  • Unauthorized or unsupervised foresting is illegal, punishable by a fine and imprisonment
  • Protests against the government are legal, although characters who read the archives above for an hour or more will note that protests were often met with hosility regardless

An open doorway in the east wall leads to the Writing Room (area 2.3).

2.5 King’s Wardrobe

Centuries ago, this room was used to store all of the traditional clothing of the monarch to wear at council meetings and public events. The finest garments were destroyed during Oeged’s transformation, but there are still many remaining.

Hanging on the wall are three full suits (pants, shoes, shirt, jacket, cape, and hat), one cloak, one extra set of shoes, and one scarf. The suit is of a style not seen any longer in the world; the pant legs stretch backward behind the ankles, the jacket has three layers of varying lengths from mid-torso to knee-length, the cape is trimmed as an inverted V, and the hat is made of a stiff fabric and fits tightly around the wearer’s ears. The cloak is irridescent and smooth like silk, and by minor magic it can never become dirty. The shoes appear normal (though distinctly royal), but their bottoms are made of metal and the click loudly at each step. It is impossible to walk silently, even over soft surfaces, while wearing these shoes. The scarf is red and green, and seems to rest particularly well when simply draped over the shoulders.

A stone door in the west wall of this room leads to the Mirror Room (area 2.2).

2.6 Corridor of Crowns

This corridor curves as a semi-circle between the Star Room (area 2.1) and the Mirror Room (area 2.2). Along the outside wall of the curve are 20 tall alcoves, spaced approximately 10 feet apart. The hall is 5 feet wide and has a total length of about 200 feet.

At the east end of the corridor, the eight alcoves nearest the Star Room (area 2.1) and the seven alcoves nearest the Mirror Room (area 2.2) each contain a stone statue depicting a past elven monarch. The other alcoves are empty. The statues show the royalty dressed in their finest clothing and bearing a signature item in their hands: a sword, a bow, a sceptre, or wisps of magic. Choose or roll a d4 to determine the item held by a particular statue. The name of the monarch is given at the foot of each statue, as well as a poem describing the monarch’s notable characteristics. The poems are too beautiful to print here.

A Detect Magic spell reveals that the swords, bows, and sceptres held by the statues are magical items that have been turned to stone. Reading the poem at the base of a statue and speaking it aloud in Elvish, while kneeling before the statue, releases the magic item petrified within. A character that releases a magical item this way cannot do so again for another 1000 years.

If any of the statues are damaged or if any of the magic items are released, Oeged and his councillors quickly awaken. See Oeged’s Awakening under area 3.1.

In the middle of the corridor is a circular chamber 20 feet in diameter with a 20 foot high domed ceiling. The chamber is open to the east and west to the corridor, and to the south onto a set of enourmous steps descending into the darkness (see area 3.1).

Embedded in the north wall is a 3 foot square tile, made of glass. This is the activation tile for the lighting system in the conference chamber: casting a light-producing spell on it duplicates the effect of the spell on all other similar tiles in the floor, ceiling, and walls of the Conference Chamber (area 3.1). This also has the effect of triggering Oeged’s Awakening (area 3.1).

Level 3 - Council Halls

This is the lowest level of the elven palace’s underground. Oeged lies dormant here, and his presence can be keenly felt even by those who are least sensitive to magical presences. It invokes feelings of fear, as though a creature is stalking you that you cannot see.

3.1 Conference Chamber

This room was the most important part of the catacombs beneath the elven palace. The Conference Chamber is where the monarch and their council met, before the eyes and ears of thousands, to discuss laws, practices, politics, and justice. The archives on the first floor are records of these meetings.

The room has a half-dome shape with a radius of 50 feet, including up to the 50 foot high vaulted ceiling. The stairs leading into the room are equally grand; at the top (where they exit the round room in area 2.6) they are 10 feet wide. They widen to 100 feet over a horizontal distance of 100 feet to the floor of the council chamber. The total height difference from the top to the bottom is 30 feet.

In the centre of the room, 25 feet from the bottom of the stairs, is the conference table. The table is circular and has 20 chairs around it. The monarch’s chair, facing away from the stairs, is clearly marked by its high back and gleaming silver plating.

Along the walls of the chamber are six gently sloping passages that follow the curve of the walls to the back of the room, where they meet to become one large tunnel which makes its way to the surface. At the floor level, there are two on each of the left and right sides of the room that slope upwards away from the stairs. A third on each side passes above them and ends 20 feet above the ground. The passages all meet at a balcony 20 feet high and 15 feet wide, from which a trickle of water runs down the wall and splashes onto the floor.

The floor, walls, and ceiling are tiled with ceramic shapes of many colors. The floor is patterned in concentric circles of pink, blue, green, orange, and white; the ceiling is made to look like the night sky; and the walls gently blend between the two. Many of the tiles are made of glass, and these are magically connected to the large glass tile in the round room above (see area 2.6). When a light-producing spell is cast on the large tile, the effects of the spell are replicated on each of the smaller glass tiles in the room. The glass tiles are spaced 10 feet from each other, so even a minor spell is sufficient to brightly illuminate the entire chamber.

Oeged’s Presence

This room has been the home and lair of King Oeged Naaftet Oecheisev for nearly a thousand years, and it has truly become his own. Though he no longer remains in the form of dragon, his shadowy being continues to permeate the air of the council chamber. The floor is covered by what appears to be a thick black smoke, curling fiercely around the legs of trespassers. Writhing tendrils can also be seen on the walls, reaching up to the ceiling which is also covered in thick smoke.

Faint whispers can be heard by anyone in contact with the shadow-smoke. Though no words can be discerned, they seem to whisper of doubt and regret to any character that can understand a language. Should trespassers reconsider their confidence in invading this place? Or was a mistake made by another long ago? The message is not clear.

Unlike the shadowy influence of Ey-La, these shadows do not shy away from light. In fact, they seem to grow twitchy and become denser when exposed to bright or dim light. The closer the light is to the central conference table, the more pronounced this effect becomes. Once the light source reaches the council table at the center of the room, the light can no longer go unnoticed and Oeged awakens. See Oeged’s Awakening below.

If the characters have no light with them, Oeged does not awaken immediately when they reach the conference table. Instead, first only one of the councillors will rise. It will not speak or approach, only staring at the characters from a distance of about 15 feet. It fights only in self-defense, and Oeged awakens quickly (see below) if a fight begins. Otherwise, after a few moments another councillor will rise from the darkness. Then a third, and a fourth. This goes on until all 19 councillors have reformed from the shadows, or as many as remain if any were destroyed in a stairwell earlier.

Finally, once all the councillors have manifested, Oeged silently takes the shape of a shadow dragon and descends from the ceiling to land in front of the characters. Skip to Interacting with Oeged.

Oeged’s Awakening

If a disturbance is wrought upon the underground chambers, including damaging or taking a magic item from a statue in area 2.6, activating the light tiles, or committing any significant destructive action, Oeged manifests into his shadow dragon form.

When Oeged awakens, a wind begins to howl through the halls of the catacombs, gathering shadows as it blows towards the conference chamber. Across the floor, walls, and ceiling, shadows twist and curl along with the winds to gather from all areas of the dungeon at the central council table. As the shadows reach the conference chamber, they begin to coalesce into the form of a shadow dragon with huge wings, a long neck, and sharp claws. When he moves, he is difficult to see properly; the edges of his form become blurry and his features disappear. When he stops moving again, however, he becomes clear and sharp.

Unless the process is somehow interrupted, after 30 seconds the winds slowly fade until the air is once again still. Then Oeged, fully materialized, calls out in a deep Elvish voice that can be heard from every corner of the catacombs.

Is the day come at last that I am released from my cruel imprisonment? Who awakens me now, at this time? Show yourselves!

Interacting with Oeged

Oeged has been imprisoned for nearly a millenia and dormant for more than half of that time, and this should be reflected in any interaction with him. Since the end of his reign, much has changed in the world above that he is completely unaware of. Oeged believes that the elven kingdom is still strong on the surface and that he was deposed by an unknown usurper. Having been dormant, he also does not know how long he has been imprisoned; he will initially assume that he has been underground for no more than 300 years and that his usurper is still alive.

When Oeged speaks, he changes his size to reflect his emotion. He is smallest when he is feeling amiable or is trying to persuade the characters to do his will. In this state he is only slightly larger than the average human. When he is acting imperious and grand, he becomes around three times the size and holds his posture upright. He is largest when he is angry or aggressive; he becomes like smoke, expanding to fill whatever space he is currently in. He thins out through the air and along the walls, reaching over and around the characters while his voice becomes increasingly disembodied. He will not remain this way for long, reverting to his normal size within a few seconds.

Oeged understands most languages but speaks only Elvish. If he notices that any of the characters do not speak or understand Elvish (which he might be able to discern from their expressions) he will cast the Tongues spell on himself, allowing any intelligent creature to understand him.

Initially Oeged will assume that the characters are envoys from the elven kingdom and that the magical seals on his exits are still strong. With this in mind, he will begin by asking the characters who they are and what their purpose is in awaking him. When he does he will inquire why the characters do not speak the language of his land if any of them do not speak Elvish. Among his inquiries he will try to learn who supplanted him, how many years he has been sealed away, and what has happened to his people in his absence.

If the characters correct Oeged on anything, they will find him doubtful and stubborn but not impossible to convince. He will become greatly distressed if he learns that most of his people are no longer living, and annoyed if he is told that there was no usurper and that his own kin, united, condemned him to his fate.

Oeged does not recognize or understand that transforming himself into a shadow dragon and his councillors into wraiths could possibly be the cause of his imprisonment. If the characters try to point this out to him, or otherwise mention Eclipse magic, he becomes angry. He will talk about the great benefits of using Eclipse magic and the power that can be gained from it, as well as pre-emptively refute arguments against it, as though the characters were his councillors in disagreement. This is an argument he held many times in his life towards the end of his reign, and he knows the script by heart.

Listen to me! You have witnessed the power of my magic, and yet you still do not believe? The Eclipse is a gift, granting great power to those who are willing to take it. The druids know this! They harness this true raw power for their own purposes. Why should we not, when our own purposes are far nobler than theirs? My people suffer! They scrape by with very little, living day to day, and you withhold yourselves from the tools you need to save them. You are weak-minded if you cannot see your own stupidity, and weaker still if you would allow this magic to corrupt you like you say would happen. Power is power! We have seen it and used it before, with no ill effects. You must open yourselves to the magic of the Eclipse, or suffer the pain of your own regret! Do you understand?

If Oeged discovers that the characters are not in fact envoys from the elven kingdom, or that there is no longer any elven kingdom, he will begin to suspect that the time of his imprisonment is at an end. Ultimately, freedom is what he desires. He will ask questions to the characters about how they found their way into the underground chambers and how they plan on getting out. If possible, he will try to trick the characters into allowing him to escape, thinking that he would be more likely to escape any magic seals if he were intentionally released. His persuasion tactics will progress through four stages: asking nicely, demanding aggressively, offering wealth and wishes, and threatening harm. He will not actually harm the characters, however, unless they challenge him on his threats or attack him. When they do he will try to kill them all as quickly as possible with his most potent spells.

If he sees that this sort of persuasion will not work, he will instead try to persuade the characters to leave, imagining that he will follow them and escape as well. If the characters wish to explore further areas of the catacombs, Oeged will assure them that there is nothing of interest left for them to find. When the characters do eventually leave Oeged will slip back into his form of pure shadow and follow, trying to remain unseen.

3.2 Exit Passages

Cut out of the walls of the concil chamber are three passages on each side, sloping gently upwards away from the large staircase. Each passage is 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall. At the far side of the room, all six passages merge and turn away from the chamber, forming a tunnel 15 feet wide leading directly away from the cavern. The passages merge at a balcony 20 feet high and 15 feet wide, overlooking the council chamber. The passages and the balcony are bordered by a thin metal railing engraved with twisting, vine-like patterns.

The tunnel at the back of the room slopes gently upward for 50 feet until it reaches two large metal doors. On the inside of the door is engraved a scene of many people standing with their arms raised under a starry sky. An observant character notices that the scene does not depict a night sky, however, but an eclipsed one. Close inspection reveals that some of the stars are actually small pixie-like creatures. At the top are engraved the words of the Dancing Lights cantrip, which would be recognized by any character who knows Elvish and knows the cantrip. An intelligent character or one knows any magic will recognize the words as the verbal components of a spell, whether or not they know the cantrip or can read Elvish.

The spell can be learned by reading the words and practicing casting the spell. The sounds can be translated into another language by an intelligent character who knows both Elvish and the language they are translating to. A character who studies the words and practices the magical incantations for a total of 24 hours over a period of no more than 12 days can learn the cantrip. Practicing the cantrip is a light activity and can be done during a short or long rest as long as the character is not sleeping or engaged in another light activity.

This door, like the door at the other entrance, has been magically sealed to prevent any passage. However, the magic is weakening and water is trickling through from the pond on the other side in a light flow. The water flows down the center of the tunnel until it falls off the edge of the balcony into the council hall. The magic holds more strongly here than at the other entrance, so the door still cannot be opened by force alone, and it is resilient to magic. A Knock spell can break the seal and allow the door to be opened with great effort; the water on the other side still holds it closed against all but the strongest characters.

If the door is opened, water surges into the tunnel. Any untethered characters or objects are immediately pushed backwards, and any characters who are attempting to hold on to something must succeed on a check or be pushed back by the water. Additionally, any characters and objects that aren’t being worn or carried take damage as though they had fallen 30 feet. The water carries all characters and objects down the tunnel until they hit the balcony railing, tearing it out of the stone and falling 20 feet to the floor of the chamber. The water empties from the pond in 12 seconds. If Oeged has not yet awoken, the water pouring into the council hall will immediately awaken him. See Oeged’s Awakening. He will also notice the opening and will quickly escape into the wider world.

The pond beyond the door lies at the center of the Day’s End Graveyard.