The Colossus of Uruk
On top of the plateau, overlooking Ereshkigal and the deadly Horn of Sahu,
stands the Colossus of Uruk, easily visible from the coast. This gargantuan,
150’-tall granite statue was erected by the first of the Necromancer Kings and
originally served as a lighthouse to protect incoming ships from the reefs. The
Colossus has been completely overgrown by plants and birds’ nests. The statue’s
stone body is entirely hollow, like an odd tower, and contains numerous chambers,
including a small library and a magical lantern room in its hollow head. The
eyes of the statue once contained specially enchanted lenses that magically
magnified any light source in the room so it would be visible for miles at sea.
Now the huge eye lenses of the Colossus are shattered, but two of the broken
fragments might still serve as makeshift eyes of minute seeing. The walls of the lantern chamber were lined with fire-proofed gold to
augment the internal reflection, a source of fabulous wealth for the lucky adventurer
who recovers it. However, the primary light source for the chamber is still a
huge, imprisoned, and very angry fire elemental (16 HD, maximum hit points) who
will attack any who enter the room and attempt to steal its valuable
furnishings. Without the enchanted lenses of the Colossus, the elemental’s glow can no
longer be perceived from outside, except nearby and at night.
The first time the party visits the Colossus, the entrance at the base of the
statue will be wizard locked (cast at 20th level), and the beautiful philosopher Kazerabet will be
perusing some of the volumes in the library (see her separate NPC sheet at the end of
this chapter). Luckily for the PCs, she will have already deactivated the most
deadly of magical wards in the Colossus. She will not attack the party unless
they assault her first, and will warily introduce herself as Zaribel, since her
formal name might be too easily recognized by any experienced student of magic.
Note that this powerful archmage could easily obliterate even an experienced
party, so try to drop veiled hints about the kind of person the party is dealing
with. Comments like “I’m glad you didn’t come here earlier, before I disarmed
the old symbol on the door” should work nicely.
Although she will not reveal anything about her past history or future plans,
Kazerabet does not mind hinting that she is interested in the history of the
Necromancer Kings and had always wanted to visit the Colossus. Most scholars like
to flaunt their knowledge, and Kazerabet is no exception. The PCs might pump
her for information about the ancient history of the island, learning all of the
lore presented in the chapter introduction. Before she teleports mysteriously away, she warns the party not to take any of the books in the
library, since she might want to return and peruse them later. Although the books
are not warded in any way, Kazerabet will come looking for them eventually if
the party takes any. The party is free to peruse the books in the library
itself, however. Its shelves may contain copies of various histories of the
Necromancer kings, including a copy of the Nycoptic Manuscripts and On Coming Forth by Day. This is a good opportunity for the DM to introduce the party to some of the
necromantic lore or spells presented throughout this book.
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