The Pool Chamber – Temple of Elemental Evil Area of the Week 04/25/03

This page is a part (Dungeons of Elemental Evil #216) of a playthrough that spanned the year of 2003. All the information was taken from TSR’s original AD&D adventure, the Temple of Elemental Evil.

For the DM: If any cleric or servant of the Water Temple has been questioned, the characters know that this is the Water Temple. Since this faction is now the strongest of the four, it is also known as the Lesser Temple.

Note that fire spells of any sort do not function herein as long as the pool is alive (see below). Furthermore, no magic, evil, traps, et al. can be detected here; applicable spells seem to work, but detect nothing. The only exception is detect lie (see below).

For the players: This large room is fashioned of great blocks of polished serpentine, save the domed ceiling of polished crystal — made to reflect everything in the room in a distorted way, concentrating light upon the center of the large oval pool of water in the center of the chamber. The whole place seems to be lit with a bluegreen light from this pool, and at the same time the pool seems to absorb light, capturing it in its heart. Pale green flames come from eight bronze cressets, four on the east wall and four west; the flames shed light but not heat. Tapestries of vilest sort cover the east and west sections of the north wall. The south wall shows a mosaic of some great ten-armed octopoid monster, holding a sacrificial victim in each tentacle. The monster is fashioned from dark purple tiles, with reddish highlights and green orbs.

The pool is an oval, 20 ‘ across and 30 ‘ long, set in a basin of small lapis lazuli tiles. The crystal-clear water allows vision to the very bottom of the basin. The edge depth appears to be about four feet. The floor slopes steeply to the middle, to 12 foot depth, where some sort of humanoid is chained. You suddenly receive a telepathic message! The triton is pleading to be released, so that it can prevent your deaths when the kraken, shown on the wall, materializes and attacks. It will appear at any moment — so, as many as can, jump into the pool and help the triton break its chains! Soon it will be too late!

For the DM: If a detect lie is used while the thing is speaking, it reveals both the lie and the EVIL of this thing. The pool itself is an intelligent evil creature from the Elemental Plane of Water. Its powerful, alien dweomer masks its alignment and intent. It speaks telepathically, lies most glibly, and is highly persuasive. The enchained figure is an illusion, produced by the creature (though disbelief has no effect).

This creature’s body is the clear silvery substance in the pool; though it seems to be water, it is actually a highly corrosive acid. A splash inflicts one point of damage, a dowsing 1-4 points, and immersion causes 5-20 points per round. If the thing cannot convince the whole party to jump in, it uses a suggestion (as the spell) each round on individual victims. (Once per week the creature can employ a limited wish to fulfill another creature’s desire.)

If a magic item enters the pool, it must be saved for (vs. acid) or be destroyed; a new saving throw must be made for each turn or fraction thereof. The monster feeds on energy (both of life and magic), and when it destroys a magic item, it gains any spell or spell-like powers of the item! It can produce these effects only during the four rounds immediately after such an item’s destruction, but can do so in addition to its normal suggestion attacks.

The thing has 100 hp, but cannot be damaged by blows or most spells. Only the following things can affect it:

cone of cold: Paralysis 2-5 rounds
holy water (1 vial): Damage, 1-4 points
ice storm: Paralysis 1-4 rounds
lower water: Damage, 4-32 points
otiluke’s freezing sphere: Paralysis 5-8 rounds
part water: Damage, 3-18 points
purify food & drink: Damage, 5-40 points
purify water: Damage, 10-60 points
water, 1 gallon: Damage, 1 point

If the pool creature is slain (XP 8950), the crystal dome shatters, inflicting 1-12 points of damage to each creature in the room (no saving throw). The lapis lazuli basin shatters at the same time. If more than four turns are spent searching through the remains of the shattered basin, 1-8 pieces of value are found each turn thereafter, to a maximum of four turns (i. e. 4-32 pieces in all; base value 1, 000 gp each, maximum 5, 000 gp each. Count each piece found as 100 gp weight, 500 gp volume.

If the crystals from the dome are examined, a coral scrollcase (worth 50 gp, previously hidden behind the dome) is found. It contains a parchment with the following message:

On three, in six, lies nine — but none shall ever see

Vile Good cloaked by Fair Evil for eternity.

Will you answer, Answerer? Where is ���, your power, pray?

With the whelp of Mitrik and there until doomsday.