Ok the second of the Karameikan/Darokin Passes.
Please if you are a player and not a DM do not read the hidden text, you would spoil a lot of fun
Smuggler's Pass Trail Map
by Robin
The map is made by the Kingdom of Thieves(KoT). and can only be acquired from Thieves guilds hideouts/safe houses or their agents. However. The map has been found and copied from fallen users in the pass and can also be acquired by Iron Ring(IR), Darokinian Guild(DG) and Veiled Society(VS) Thieves Guild's safe Houses/hideouts or their agents.
The price depends often on your name/fame within the guild, the higher the cheaper, or there is a set price of 80% of the highest price.
KoT/DG; between 1000gp and 300gp, IR; Between enforced task(often a murder or theft), 1500gp and 500gp, VS; Between 2000gp and 800gp (they lost the most members in the pass)
This small valley passes from Reynald's Estate Karameikos to Utica Darokin and is still almost hidden, and not much used.
Reynald's Estate and Utica are canon; (see Dungeon 42 adventure;"Ransom": "The fief of Sir Reynald stands on the northern border near Threshold", hence "the small village of Utica, 10 miles north of the Duchy's border)
The passage is not well known, and rarely used by others than smugglers or adventurous heroes.
Due the active Beholders both not always fare well using this pass.
The pass was long thought not to exist, yet in older times higher water eroded the rocks on the west side of the valley, and the Beholders simply disintegrated the remaining sections, so their servants could reach them. The passage is however going up and down, is open to the water's side where the Beholders roam freely, and the water passes violently 5' to 25' lower. Entering this firgid water not only causes severe motion impact damage due the force of the water and the rocks, but gives the person inside instant cryothermia (CO-4 (thus affecting hp!!), DX -4, ST-3, IN/WI-2). Even if survived the person requires healing and warmth for 4 hours (in which the lost points per ability return at 1 per hour)
These tunnels are 6' to 8' tall and wide, enforcing single file passing, and dismounting (or suffer a 1 head damage/100 feet being mounted). Eventual others going the other direction enforces both to press against the edges to pass.
The Thieves Rule of Neutral Terrain applies to Utica. Here members of guild may mingle and trade. Threats and fights are not allowed and punished by own guild. Outside this are this rule does NOT apply.
Within Utica there are agents of any thieves guild (Even Thyatian, Ierendi) who have Darokinian business, not all are aware of the secret pass, and even if do not dare to go there without a map due the beholders.
South of the Reynald's Estate is a gnomish trail towards Eveskyr, towards Kelvin over Gnomes Ferry.
There is also a "hidden' path (actually rarely used) along the Zadreth Mountain towards the Gnomish Trail due some farms on that side of the Windrush River. Mostly however the path between Threshold and Reynail's Estate used is the pass between Rolent and Elthan's Spring towards Threshold. The highest location (through the Druid's Grove) is however rarely used due its difficulty.
Most people going towards Reynald's Estate go to Kelvin then north over the Gnomish Trail as this allows wagons to be used with Merchandise,
Reynald's Estate has some Iron and copper mines created by the Local Gnomes and Dwarves. who regularly use the Gnomish Trail
The only menace along the Gnomish Trail are the Kobolds of the original Night stalkers tribe which resided here since 310AC but were overtaken by goblins in 990AC. The remaining kobold tribe hence calls itself now Broken Shields, which reveals their love and affinity of making devious traps. Never underestimate a kobold, they might be small, and overall weak (most at least) they rely on really mean and devious traps sometimes strong enough to harm a dragon.
The valley is known to hold a Beholder (or more), mostly due findings of their droppings
The warning is if these are soft, steaming or warm....RUN!! RUN Back Hence you came!!
Mostly these are however petrified, and erode only after several heavy rainfalls.
Xantaqi Male Adult Beholder mage age 45. Has ring of Speed on Eye 8,sacrificed his slow eye to create wall's of blackstone . His Solitary lair is a vertical Dungeon (As "I Tyrant" page 58) with use of several areas of Sticky Ceiling (reversed Gravity) as traps or entrapments. His insanity revolves around possession, and he has some connecion to the nearby bandits/smuggles, and gets a 10% fee of all deeds done.However, he keeps all he captures, and does not like to share. the bandits/smuggles dislike this greatly and try to do their best to evade or trick this deadly monster with all trickery they know to enable them to keep what they have. Once a month however he visits the bandits lair and takes his share (based on what he can find). He thinks the bandits steall his take, and tries to capture them in the act of doing so, and those who fail become dinner or breakfast.
Perspireq Female Beholder Elder Orb mother of Xantaqi and Zasteqa, age 165 (father is the unnamed (Vasteq) Beholder west of the Talming Hills close the. Has several spells, and maniplulated the plants in the valley around the Lake of Eyes to grow Eyes. (magically copying vision to her lair by readjusted Clairaudience spells into her Beholder Sphere Mirrors).Her lair is a small horizontal Beholder city encompassing only the tubes 1, 3 and 6, conneted to achother in a vertical fashion. She could however never lure other beholders (even her offspring) to live there. She desires to become a Treu Beholder Mother, yet she has not become one yet, similar to the city she was originally born (Ill'th Khinax in Heldann). Her insanity recently spawned around the idea she is being tested, viewed upon continuously, hence the creation of the eye-bearing vegetation. All what these eyes see is transferred to her special enchanted Beholder Sphere Mirror, and visible to her when she is available in her lair (25% chance)
Zasteqa Female Beholder age 45. Has a ring of invisibility around eye 4. Most social and curious of these three Beholders, often secretly scouts the dominion of Sire Reynald, devouring an animal(or similar) a day. Becomes very agitated if hungry, yet dislikes the taste of Humans. Elves and gnomes on the other hand are very tasty. Her petrification Eye is magically warped due a combat with an elf, and now Teleports the Character into the area of nearby Former Deep Mountain Lake (failure chances as normal, yet if too low, always underwater), where she had lived a the last decade there(her older lair there still exists in the tunnels of the lake), yet she disliked the non-intelligent Humanoids there. She uses three female human children (ages 12, 15, 17) as her servants, and actually treats them reasonably well. Her insanity makes her feel (real) human (not on ther races) emotions as if it were her own. Her current lair is a horizontal cave with private areas set above these accessed through holes in the 30' high ceiling. Her servants have their own 20' high cave and equipment, and are reasonably free. Due their good treatment and young age, they are very loyal to her, yet they are not evil in alignment, thy simply think she defends herself and eats those fallen afterwards.
All these beholders are of the Oculithorax tyrannis Mystarea Darokinius breed
They mostly refrain from entering the valley of eyes due their corresponding conflicts, enabling passage through the valley if desired....and being careful. DM keep in mind Zasteqa is more curious than offensive, Perspireq is more afraid than inquisitive, and Xantaqi is more greedy and hungry than hunting and investigating. all these beholders have use of beholder sphere mirrors, mouthpicks, display shackles. Xantaqi has (unknown to him) in one of his confiscated chests a beholder armor, stolen by adventurers on Davania to be originally sent secretly to Glantri City to be investigated.
For all things unknown see "I Tyrant"
Some of the weird Eye-bearing vegetation of the Lake of Eyes
Hope you will enjoy this Karameikan Players map...with a twist