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The Labyrinth of Eternal Whispers

by Reverend Dungeon Master

Adventure Level: 6-9 (BECMI Rules)

Premise:
The Labyrinth of Eternal Whispers, a sprawling, subterranean fever dream buried under the rotting carcass of a monastery that’s been losing a battle with gravity since the Crusades. Local legend swears it’s the hidey-hole of the Echoheart, a throbbing gem that’ll gift you eternity but drag you into madness with the shrieks of the long-dead. Lately, the villagers have been hitting peak panic: spectral wraiths hovering in their doorways, mists rolling in thick and choking like bad hangover breath. The mission? Dive headlong into the maze, grab the cursed rock, and put a nail in the coffin of this nightmare’s curse. Good luck keeping your soul intact.

Key Locations in the Labyrinth:

1. Entrance Hall
2. The Echoing Halls
3. Chamber of Shadows
4. The Abyssal Bridge
5. Sanctum of the Echoheart

Location 1: Entrance Hall

Narration:
Descending this spiral staircase feels like diving into the gaping maw of some ancient, malevolent beast. The air’s so thick you’d swear it’s plotting against your lungs, and every step rattles the bones of this forsaken place. You hit the bottom, and bam! A grand hall unfurls before you, all jagged stone and runes scratched by hands long dead. Damp earth and rot. The scent of bad decisions.

Encounters:

• 2 Shadows (lurking near the stairwell).

Shadows: AC 7, HD 2+2*, hp 14 each, MV 90' (30'), #AT 1, D 1d4 + special (Strength drain), Save F2, ML 12, TT Nil, AL C, THAC0 17.
Special: Non-magical weapons cannot harm them.

Treasure: None.

XP Awarded: 50 XP per Shadow (100 XP total).

Location 2: The Echoing Halls

Narration:
The Echoing Halls, a madhouse of whispers and dead ends. Every twist and turn is a taunt, every shadow’s a dare. You’re not walking here; you’re wading through a cacophony of gibberish, the kind that sets your teeth on edge. And just when you think you’ve adjusted, you catch a glimpse of that rusted door, a relic waiting for something stupid enough to knock.

Encounters:

• 1 Specter (guards a rusted iron door).

Specter: AC 2, HD 6**, hp 30, MV 150' (50'), #AT 1, D 1d8 + energy drain, Save F6, ML 11, TT E, AL C, THAC0 14.
Special: Drains one level on a successful hit.

Treasure:

• 300 gp in a small chest near the door.

XP Awarded: 1,250 XP.

Location 3: Chamber of Shadows

Narration:
You step into the Chamber of Shadows and it’s like the world’s swallowed the concept of light. Pools of black sludge glisten like liquid nightmares, and the walls hum with a sound so low you feel it more than hear it. Every sense screams, “Get out!” but you’re already in too deep. You’re here to tango with whatever lurks beneath that black surface.

Encounters:

• 3 Wights (emerge from the pools).

Wights: AC 5, HD 3**, hp 18 each, MV 90' (30'), #AT 1, D 1d6 + energy drain, Save F3, ML 12, TT B, AL C, THAC0 16.
Special: Drains one level on a successful hit.

Treasure:

• 500 gp scattered across the pools.
• Potion of Extra-Healing (hidden within one pool, requiring a successful Search roll).

XP Awarded: 175 XP per Wight (525 XP total).

Location 4: The Abyssal Bridge

Narration:
Welcome to the Abyssal Bridge, where sanity takes a long walk off a short span. Below, an ocean of shadows writhes and wriggles like it’s itching for a taste of your soul. A howling wind cuts through the cavern, cold enough to make your bones ache. And guarding the far side? A beast straight out of your worst fever dreams, eyes gleaming like twin embers of pure malice.

Encounters:

• 1 Displacer Beast (guardian of the bridge).

Displacer Beast: AC 4, HD 6**, hp 36, MV 150' (50'), #AT 2, D 2d4/2d4, Save F6, ML 8, TT D, AL N, THAC0 14.
Special: Displacement (attacks against it have a -2 penalty to hit).

Treasure:

• Necklace of Adaptation* (around the beast’s neck).
• 400 gp in a satchel at the end of the bridge.

XP Awarded: 875 XP.

Location 5: Sanctum of the Echoheart

Narration:
The Sanctum of the Echoheart, a chamber dripping with menace and bathed in hellish red light. At the center, the Echoheart throbs like some diseased organ, its glow pulsing in time with the voices that claw at your sanity. Each whisper’s a dagger, each breath a gamble. You’ve reached the heart of the beast, but the price of entry? Your nerves, your soul, and probably your life.

Encounters:

• 1 Medusa (guardian of the Echoheart, Isolde transformed).

Medusa: AC 5, HD 4**, hp 24, MV 90' (30'), #AT 1, D 1d6, Save F4, ML 8, TT F, AL C, THAC0 15.
Special: Gaze attack (save vs. Turn to Stone).

Treasure:

• The Echoheart* (artifact, value 5,000 gp).
• 1,000 gp in assorted coins and gems within a hidden compartment in the pedestal.
• Scroll of Protection from Undead.

XP Awarded: 500 XP for Medusa, 1,000 XP for recovering the Echoheart.

Total Treasure and XP

• Treasure: 8,200 gp total value (including the Echoheart, coins, gems, and magic items).
• XP: 5,500 XP total for combat and treasures.

Necklace of Adaptation

Type: Magical Item

• Treasure Type: D
• Description:
  The Necklace of Adaptation, a slick little trinket that flips a middle finger to Mother Nature and her most sadistic death traps. Strap this beauty around your neck, and suddenly you’re breathing easy anywhere: drowning in the briny depths? No problem. Choking on dragon smog? Laughable. Strolling through a vacuum like some space-age demigod? Child’s play. Forget poison gas or foul sorcery; this necklace shrugs off inhaled death like a bad joke. It’s survival distilled into pure audacity, a talisman for those who refuse to let the environment call the shots.
• Effects:
• Allows normal breathing in any environment.
• Grants immunity to inhaled toxins, gases, and harmful vapors.
• Value: 6,000 gp

Echoheart

Type: Artifact (Cursed Gem)

Description:
The Echoheart: a blood-red rock beating like it’s got a pulse, roughly the size of a fist but packed with enough dread to fill a graveyard. Its faint glow draws you in, a sick beacon synced to your own heartbeat, daring you to touch it. Locals swear it’s the key to eternal life, but here’s the rub: immortality comes with a chorus of screams. Every soul that ever kicked the bucket in that damned labyrinth joins the symphony in your head. At first, it’s a faint murmur, the kind of noise you could maybe shrug off, but give it time, those whispers swell to a cacophony, shredding sanity like paper in a storm. Madness isn’t just a risk; it’s the price of admission.

Powers:

1. Immortality:
   The bearer does not age and cannot die from natural causes or aging. They also gain +2 to saving throws versus Death effects.
2. Enhanced Vitality:
   The Echoheart grants the bearer +2 to Constitution and an additional 10 hit points.
3. Sense the Dead:
   The bearer can detect undead within a 120' radius, as if using a permanent Detect Undead spell.

Curses:

1. Haunting Whispers:
   The bearer constantly hears the voices of the dead, which grow louder and more persistent over time. This imposes a -2 penalty on all Intelligence and Wisdom checks, including saves versus spells that require concentration or clear thought.
2. Paranoia:
   After one week of possession, the bearer becomes increasingly paranoid, causing them to distrust allies. This effect can only be removed if the Echoheart is relinquished.
3. Compulsion to Stay:
   The bearer feels a growing compulsion to remain within the labyrinth. Each day, they must make a saving throw versus Spells; failure results in the inability to leave the labyrinth for 24 hours.

Value:

5,000 gp (value to collectors or those unaware of the curse).

XP Value for Recovery:

1,000 XP (if successfully removed from the labyrinth without succumbing to its curse).