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This is the under dungeon located on the basement of an old abandoned mage tower in Netheril. The tower is now in de desert of Anauroch in one oasis · Medium · Medium

The Oasis Descent

Beneath the oasis, buried magic fails one silver ward at a time.
Rooms
7
Foes
9, CR 1/4 to 5
Traps
4
Treasure
1,315 gp
1234567Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Cracked Descent

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The deepest chamber holds the Echo of Vael Turog, a fragment of a Netherese archmage fused with the damaged water engine.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    1d4× Ward-Eating ScavengerCR 1/2

    When: A loud collapse, a broken sigil, or ten minutes spent in one corridor without moving the water away.A pale, many-legged scavenger covered in wet sand and tiny silver fragments. It feeds on crystal relays and flees from bright flame.
  2. 2

    Rogue Maintenance ShellCR 1

    When: A control pillar is activated incorrectly or a bronze door sigil is touched.A damaged stone construct carrying a rusted maintenance hook. It mistakes explorers for repair crews until they approach a sealed mechanism.
  3. 3

    1 swarm× Silverglass Beetle SwarmCR 1/4

    When: Disturbing packed sand, opening a hidden niche, or causing a minor ceiling tremor.A swarm of translucent desert beetles that glitters with stray Netherese energy. Their bites numb flesh and make silver jewelry vibrate.
  4. 4

    Sandbound Water WispCR 2

    When: The entrance wards lose power or the water level rises above ankle height in two rooms.A half-formed water elemental with black sand suspended in its body. It cannot remain far from the dungeon's channels and attacks anything carrying active magic.

Rooms

7
1

Cracked Descent

1 foetreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A cracked stairwell descends from the abandoned tower cellar into a square antechamber. Rainwater and oasis runoff have stained the black stone, while a broken relief of a robed Netherese engineer watches the entrance with one silver eye still intact.

Features

  • The stairwell is unstable but passable, with a 30-foot drop to the cellar above if the upper steps collapse.
  • A tarnished silver inlay forms a geometric compass around the room's center.
  • A narrow drainage channel leads east toward and carries a steady trickle of warm water.

What the GM knows

Monsters

Mineral JackalCR 1/2

A gaunt desert jackal with patches of translucent stone-like hide, drawn into the tower by the warm water.Tactics. It hides behind the broken relief, snaps at the first creature descending, then retreats toward to lure intruders into the flooded corridor.

Treasure

Surveyor's Tube75 gp to a scholar, 10 gp as scrap

A weatherproof Netherese survey tube containing a faded map of the entrance section. The map marks the bronze door as a quarantine seal.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The jackal is frightened of loud magical effects and will flee if reduced below half its hit points. Characters who inspect the relief notice that the eye has been deliberately removed, leaving a socket shaped like a small crystal.

2 doors: N (normal), S (locked)

The place

What it is

Beneath an abandoned Netherese mage tower, a cracked stairwell descends into an old maintenance entrance built from black stone and silver inlays.

Atmosphere

The air is cool, wet, and mineral-rich beneath the desert heat.

The threat

The deepest chamber holds the Echo of Vael Turog, a fragment of a Netherese archmage fused with the damaged water engine.

History

The under-dungeon was built by Netherese surveyors beneath a mage tower that monitored the oasis and controlled a buried reservoir of enchanted water.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The oasis water has begun bubbling at night, and violet lights shine beneath the abandoned tower.
  2. 2Old travelers say the tower's cellar contains a bronze door that no blade can scratch.
  3. 3A scholar claims Netherese mages built machines beneath the oasis to make desert water flow uphill.
  4. 4People who sleep near the tower hear a voice counting backward from seven beneath the sand.
  5. 5A caravan guard swears that stone soldiers patrol the cellar whenever the spring floods.

Plot hooks

4
InvestigationThe Bitter SpringA caravan route depends on the oasis, but its water has turned bitter and warm. The characters are asked to investigate the abandoned tower before the settlement loses its only reliable source.From: Nalia Voss, the oasis settlement's practical water keeperReward: A selection of desert supplies, 150 gp, and permanent access to the oasis's hidden cistern
Artifact HuntThe Last SurveyA scholar believes the tower contains a surviving Netherese control sigil. Recovering it could prove that a legendary mage's final experiment was not entirely lost.From: Archivist Meredin Thule of a distant arcanist collegeReward: A rare spell scroll, 250 gp, and formal scholarly patronage
ContainmentLights Under the SandStrange violet lights have appeared beneath the tower, followed by tremors and brief floods in the oasis. The characters must reach the bronze door and determine what is trying to get out.From: Seref, a scarred caravan scout who saw the lights during a night watchReward: A Netherese ward token that grants advantage on one save against magical traps, plus 200 gp
RescueThe Bronze SealA rival expedition entered the cellar and never returned. Their leader's journal, found in the oasis, mentions a sealed door and a voice speaking through the water.From: Ilyra Dane, the expedition's anxious sponsorReward: The expedition's recovered equipment, 300 gp, and one uncommon magic item from the lost group

Corridors

4

  • Between and

    Shallow floodwater runs through narrow silver-lined channels cut into the floor. The water is warm near active sigils and cold near collapsed passages.

  • The walls of

    Faded Netherese warning glyphs repeat along the walls, showing a tower struck by falling stars and a lower chamber sealed beneath it.

  • Between and

    Several ceiling stones have shifted, exposing packed sand and roots from the oasis above. Loud impacts or thunderous magic may trigger a minor collapse.

  • The eastern wall of

    A narrow observation slit overlooks the approach to the bronze door. The slit provides cover and a clear line of sight from into .

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