[b-dog]

The secret temple:

There is a secret door in an unused hallway of the dungeon. To detect it is -8 to Per. The wall will open into an alcove and vestibule. Along the wall are old iron hooks rusted with age and black robes are on each hook. There is an old chest made of a strange silver alloy which has been tarnished blackish grey. To open the chest requires a Lock pick of -5. Inside the chest are 40 gold pieces and $500 worth of small gems ranging from rubies to emeralds to sapphires.

Also in the chest are 9 black candles. Any holy warriors or holy clerics will feel unease around the candles and if they are picked up by a holy PC the PC will become nauseous for 1d6 minutes. All others touching the candles will be fine.

If the candles are lit they will produce flame normally but they will cast very disturbing shadows.

There is a curtain at the end of the vestibule which is black with a silver symbol of three triangles intertwined to make a nine pointed star. Behind the curtain is a natural staircase which leads deep down almost 300 feet. The staircase spirals as it descends. Carved into the walls are niches with leering skulls placed into them. They are of humans and humanoid races. Some have almost terrified looks while other seem completely confused.

The stairway ends in a natural cavern with a polished obsidian floor. There is an inlay or silver and platinum which forms a nine pointed star made from three triangles similar to the one on the curtain.

There are chains that seems to be used to bind a human or humanoid sacrifice onto the floor. This is made of an unknown black metal.

At each point of the star is a place for a candle, nine total. If the candles from the vestibule are place into the hole and lit then a strange thing happens. Nothing is unusual until all the candles are lit. But when they are then the candles grow in light and will make it impossible to see for 9 seconds then the candles will dim until the flame turns black. The roof and wall of the cave will appear to be an open night sky filled with stars. The star light will cast a blueish light.

Then from the stars descend 9 huge black tentacles. These tentacles are very strong ST 40 each with 40 hitpoints and they regenerate 9 points per second. They wrestle and grapple with a 25 skill. They will try to pick a person up that is chained to the floor first but if nobody is chained then they will try to grapple any one in the area. If the candles are extinguished then the sky will vanish and the tentacles will disappear and it will revert back to the cave.

Once a person is grappled then they are pulled up into the sky and then the candles go out and the cave turns to normal. The bones of the person taken will fall a while later onto the floor and the skull will have a very strange expression and almost seem mad. A platinum disk will also fall to the floor with the name Aesaron inscribed on it.