The Ashen Vow Vault
This sealed vault door guards the still-beating heart of a colossal demon buried beneath the ruins. The heart could not be destroyed, so the monks imprisoned it and kept it passive with powerful magical narcotics. The door is both a physical barrier and a divine trial. It punishes trespassers, protects the hydraulic sedation system, and prevents cultists or desperate treasure hunters from reaching the heart.
The Ashen Vow Vault
Defenses
Detection
“A massive circular vault door of black steel and pale stone, twelve feet across and nearly four feet thick. Seven concentric iron bands reinforce its surface, each engraved with the names of forgotten saints. Brass tubes emerge from the surrounding walls and vanish into the door, carrying cloudy blue narcotic fluid toward the buried chamber beyond. A stone relief of a kneeling monk holds both hands over the central seal, while a faint crimson pulse travels through the runes whenever the heart beats.”
Standard Engagement
The hazard triggers when a creature touches the central seal, attempts to force or damage the door, removes a narcotic tube, or crosses the threshold while the door is opening without completing the monks' litany.
On initiative count 20, if the door has been triggered or damaged within the last minute, it emits a pulse of divine force. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) radiant damage on a failure, or half as much damage on a success. A creature currently bearing the Guilty Mark has disadvantage on this saving throw. The routine ends if the door is disabled or if it has not been disturbed for 1 minute.
Judgment of the Sealed Gate resets immediately after triggering. Heartbeat Reprisal can trigger once every 10 minutes while the door remains active. If the narcotic system is not repaired, the heartbeat occurs automatically after 1 hour.
When the door is touched without the correct litany, each creature within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or take 18 (4d8) radiant damage and become blinded until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half damage and is not blinded.
A creature that fails the saving throw against Judgment of the Sealed Gate by 5 or more is marked by a glowing red sigil for 1 minute. While marked, it has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and the door's next effect targets it if it remains within 30 feet.
If the door is forced, damaged, or opened without the monks' litany, the heart beats once. Each creature in the ruin within 60 feet must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 22 (4d10) thunder damage and is knocked prone. On a success, it takes half damage and is not knocked prone. The heartbeat also causes loose stone and dust to fall from the ceiling, lightly obscuring the area until the end of the next round.
The vault door is a creature-sized object with the statistics listed in this entry. It cannot be opened from the outside by ordinary locks or keys. The correct litany, a successful countermeasure, or brute force can open it.
Three narcotic conduits are mounted in the surrounding walls. Each conduit has AC 15, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying a conduit causes a 10-foot-radius cloud of blue vapor to appear for 1 round. Creatures in the cloud must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of their next turn.
The door's magic recognizes intent as well as action. A character who openly states an intention to free, awaken, consume, or sell the heart has disadvantage on the next saving throw made against the door within 1 minute.
If the door's hit points are reduced to 0, it does not break apart. Instead, the stone splits along its central seam and the heart becomes accessible. The Heartbeat Reprisal triggers immediately, and the demon heart is no longer suppressed by the door.
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