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Above the spire of Backbone in a skull-shaped cave entrace. On the night nearest the new moon every month, these caves light up and appear as an eery glaring face. During this night (and this night only), a gate is open to the castle of an evil lich known only as the queen.

1) This cave is the left eye of the skull and normally ends about 15' in. However, this night it goes all the way in. The light appears here as a blinding light obscuring vision. When the party passes the light, they will have a 5/6 chance to be surprised by the Bugbears in (2).

2) There are 2 Bugbears (hp 22, 19) here. They fight with Halberds.

3) 6 Bugbears (hp 14, 17, 6, 14, 14, 7) are here sitting at a table. If more than 2 are killed, the remainder will flee to area (4) to get help. These 6 fight with morning stars.

4) 8 Bugbears (hp 14, 9, 21, 11, 19, 12, 19, 13) are in here sitting, resting, or sleeping. There is no furniture or treasure. A complex illusion has been cast here so that when the room is crossed, the party will turn around and go back the way they came (without knowing it). If successfully disbelieved, the door beyond can clearly be seen.

5) This room is where the Bugbears gain there sustenance. In the center is a bubbling cauldron with a viscous green liquid and a large metal ladel. One drink functions as a potion of Vitality, a second drink will cause an onset of a change to a Bugbear. (A dispel magic vs. 18th level will remove this). The change will be in form only, but after four drinks, alignment will likewise change.

1) This maze has three places where teleporting walls conceal the true direction. Plus, there are two secret doors. At every dot on the map, roll for a random encounter (1/6):

2) At this location, the hallway ends and continuins is only possible by descending into a pool of water where an Eye of the Deep (HD 11, hp 36) lives. It has no treasure. To lure its “victims” toward it, it will cast an illusion of a dry area underwater and cover itself with the illusion of a large chest. When a person approaches, it will drop the illusion and attack (first doing its hold person).

1) 5 Displacer Beasts (hp 30, 27, 21, 27, 31) and 20 ordinary Cats lounge around here. There is a path across the room, but off the paths are piles of bedding as well as a few bones, etc.

2) 4 Mummies (hp 24, 30, 25, 30) with no treasure lie here.

3) A Ghost (hp 43) waits here as a guard. It will magic jar the most impressive-looking fighter-type and if this fails, it will attack to age. By this time, the queen in (4) will know of the party (from the combat noise, etc.) and will be watching through her clairvoyance ball.

4) The Queen (Lich/18, AL:LE, HD 11+7, hp 53, Spells: 7/7/6/5/5/3/3/2/1; AC -2 due to dexterity (16)), her Hellcat (hp 37), 2 Sabre-Toothed Tigers (hp 36, 33), 16 Zombies, and her right-hand man: False-Life Zombie (AC 0, MV 9“, 7th level Fighter, #AT2, D d10+10 (+6 to hit), hp 50).

The Queen has a Contingency-Teleport spell on so that when she speaks the phrase “Get me out of here” in Reshan, she will be teleported to area (10). She will only do this if the battle is going strongly against her.

The False-Life Zombie is turned as a Ghost.

5) This is a comfortable study lounge with couches, rugs, tables, and several continual light lanterns. There are approximately 20 cats louging around here. In one corner is a vitality fluid similar to that in area (5) of the entrance except that it will turn the drinker into a cat.

6) Here is where the queen's guest: A Mind Flayer (hp 43) with a psionic strength of 138/138 lives. In a sturdy metal chest (made of drow adamantite) there are 7 potions, 2 scrolls, and 100pp. The scrolls are Protection from Magic and Explosive Runes. The potions are: Healing, Fire Resistance, Invulnerability, Clairvoyance, Flying, Gaseous Form, and a special cursed black potion which absorbs spells cast to help to help the character, or spells cast by that character: For every 4 levels of such spells, the color changes as follows: black (originally), red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, white, and explosion. The explosion will cause damage as a Wand of Fireballs to all within a 10' radius. Along with all of this is a note which says (in the language of the Mind Flayers):

       Ilath'lii:
          Your gracious gift was most appreciated by my henchman. I believe
       the sum most adequate for your requests, in fact: I am returning 100pp
       for I have little need for it.  Your requested items I have
       manufactured and placed here.  Your messenger was most kind and should
       be duly rewarded.
                                        -The Queen

7) This room has 2 Monodrones (HD 1+1, hp 8, 3) who will only let people past with a verbal command from the Queen.

8) In here are 19 Zombies and 8 bubbling cauldrons. 6 of these 19 are programmed to attack, 8 stand stirring the liquid in the cauldrons with long metal rods, and 5 scurry about making sure the fires are going properly. The air here is very stuffy and will cause a -2 to hit and damage to all within. In addition, there will be a loss of 1 hp per turn. In the 8 cauldrons are various colored liquids which if drunk have the following effects:

9) When the eastern door is opened here, a small bolt of lightning will issue forth and strike the nearest person. It will then branch in two and strike the next two people, etc. Each person will take damage as a Wand of Lightning (save for 1/2 etc.)

10) This is the Lich's room. Unless she was killed in (4), she will be here. With her here are 25 Larva. She can restore her lost hit points from the larva by consuming their energy at the conversion of 1 Larva = 1 hit point. There is a large spell book stand here, but no spell book. Hidden behind a loose brick (as a secret door) is a Leomund's Secret Chest figure. The real chest contains the Lich's spell book, 6000 gp, and 20 gems valued at 100 gp ea. In another chest in this room (with a Leomund's Trap) is 6000 sp. The spell book has explosive runes written on the innermost pages plus a seperate magical trap which prevents opening by anybody but the queen. This can only get past by a limited wish or better. Also, the explosive runes cannot be dispelled unless by a limited wish or better (One limited wish will not do both).

Plus, the next clue is here in the chest.

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