Part 3. The Monkey Temple

Near the edge of the roaring waterfall carefully hidden behind some rocks is a stone path that takes you through a narrow tunnel. You emerge into a large cave. To your left you see the roaring waterfall. To your right is an ancient ivy-covered temple. Not far from the entrance of the temple is an old campsite. It is several days old.

The campsite contains a number of packs, some bedrolls, and cots. Several boxes of supplies have been opened and ransacked. What wasn’t eaten has been scattered on the ground. A successful Investigation check DC 15 will identify four different humanoid footprints around the campsite as well as the footprints of a small monkey. A simple search of the campsite will discover a birdcage that has been torn open. It is covered in dried blood and feathers. A successful Perception check DC 12 will find a sealed letter to Rejinald Vandertrap. If the players open the letter, they will read the following:

My Dear Rejinald,

After several days we have reached the source of the Thuggee River, a large waterfall. I have named it Rosalyn Falls after our dear sister. While documenting the falls, I have made the most amazing discovery. We found a new type of monkey. It resembles the golden monkey but the fur is reddish-brown and black and it has the most vibrant green eyes. I had Gelson attempt to capture it but the animal bit him and I think it may have been carrying some sort of disease because Gelson has taken ill. I intended to capture the animal so I sent Jean Claude to track it. He followed the creature to a hidden passage behind the falls. There’s a temple here. I do not know who built it or why but the monkey is here somewhere. I intend to fully explore the temple before we head back. There’s so much history here. I am positively giddy with excitement.

Sincerely,

Sir Kingston Vandertrap

There is one entrance to the Monkey Temple. A large open gateway that leads into darkness. See map for details. (Note: Regretfully, my map program is still inaccessible to me so I will have to add the map I made for this adventure later).

Entry Chamber – Climbing a short series of stairs you see a large awning like a huge mouth that marks the opening of the temple. As you step through the entryway, the roar of the waterfall abruptly is silenced even though you can still clearly see it. The entry chamber is large and mostly empty. There’s a large stone throne at the far end. In the center of the room is a small pedestal, on which sits a large stone tablet. In the corner of the room is a body with a blanket draped over it.

The body belongs to Norbert, one of the guides hired by Vandertrap. He has been speared multiple times. A successful Medicine check DC 12 will determine that the body has been dead for several days. There are bite marks on one arm as if something small has been chewing on him. A successful Medicine or Nature check DC 16 will determine that the teeth marks look like they came from a monkey or perhaps a small dog. On the far side of the room behind the alter is a doorway with an impression in it. The stone tablet is a perfect fit and once placed, will open the door to the next chamber. The pedestal is trapped. A successful perception check DC 15 will see that the stone floor around the pedestal are pressure plates. A Sleight of Hand check DC 16 can retrieve the stone tablet without triggering the trap. Mage Hand can also be used to retrieve the tablet. Stepping on the pressure plates to retrieve the tablet will cause a stone cage with sharp spears pointed inwards to drop from the ceiling. A player caught by the trap must make a Dexterity saving throw DC 15 or take 10d6 piercing damage. Half damage on a successful save.

The Hall of Lights – A hallway stretches out before you. Light beams criss-cross the hall bathing it in an eerie red light. You hear the sound of a monkey in the distance. It’s almost as if it is laughing at you.

The light beams are dangerous. Touching one deals 1d6 fire damage. In order to pass through the hallway safely, the players must make a successful Acrobatics check DC 14. On a success, they crawl through the room without taking harm. On a failure, the player takes 1d6 fire damage for each point under the DC that they failed. The beams can be reflected. At the far end of the room, the players will find two large mirrors with handle grips on the back leaning against the wall. Apparently, someone used them to cross the room safely.

The Hall of Faces – The hall of lights ends at a T-junction. To your left and right, you see a stone hallway with faces carved into the walls. At the end of the left hallway is an open archway. At the end of the right hallway, you see another pedestal. This one has a necklace of pearls glistening on a stone bust. 

The pearls and bust are an illusion. It requires a successful Perception check DC 18 to see that something is wrong with the way the pearls glint in the light. A successful perception check DC 15 will notice scorch marks along the walls. Anyone who attempts to touch the pearl activates the face trap. Each face breathes fire filling the corridor with flames. Anyone in the hallway must make a successful Dexterity saving throw or take 8d6 fire damage. Half damage on a successful save.

The Windy Room – This room is chill and you can feel a slight breeze. Looking up you can see small holes in the ceiling where the air seems to be coming from. In the center of the room lying face down is the corpse of a halfling. There’s another hallway to the north of the room.

The halfling is Burgo. He was a mercenary for hire who worked for Vandertrap. He has a +1 battle ax, a crossbow and 20 bolts, 25 gold pieces, and a suit of chainmail. His face is purple and bloated. A successful Medicine check DC 14 will determine that he died of poison. A successful Investigation check DC 14 will reveal that he was running away from the hallway to the north when he collapsed and died. He was bitten by several of the snakes in the Pit Room as he tried to flee the temple.

The Hall of Murals – As you walk down this hall, you see ancient murals painted on the walls. Someone has wiped away the grime so that you can view them clearly. The images depict a group of people bowing down and worshiping a golden monkey with bright green eyes. The monkey is shown granting the blessing of rain to faithful followers and striking down others with lightning. As you study the images, you hear the faint patter of footsteps farther ahead.

The Pit Room – This room is split down the middle by a 10 foot wide pit. The remains of a rope bridge dangle from the far side. From the pit you hear a hissing sound. There is a pole sticking in the pit and resting against the edge on your side. There’s an archway and hallway on the other side of the pit.

The pit is dark and 20 feet deep. Torchlight will not penetrate the gloom but darkvision will see a mass of snakes writhing at the bottom. While the players investigate, they will see movement and a poisonous snake (see Monster Manual) will crawl out of the pit using the pole. Begin combat. Begin with three snakes. A new snake will join the battle climbing from the pole each round until the players remove the pole or knock it down into the pit. 

The pit can be jumped with a successful Strength (Athletics) check DC 10 to clear the pit. Falling into the pit causes 2d6 bludgeoning damage and 20d4 poison damage as the victim will be swarmed by snakes.

The Alter Room – Large columns hold up an enormous ceiling and a enormous statue dominates the far end of this cavernous hall. It is vaguely human but so weatherworn as to obscure any real features. The drip of water echoes loudly in the room. Along the walls are sentries of stone figures holding stone hammers. In the center of the room is a pedestal upon which sits a golden monkey statue. A fetid smell assaults your nostrils and your eye drifts down to a reddish lump that spreads out on the ground in front of the pedestal. You hear a cough and looking up you can see several iron cages hanging from the ceiling. Looking down on you from one of the cages is a well-dressed man with walrus-like mustache and wearing a monocle. “I say dear chaps, could you lend a fellow a hand? I would be very grateful if you would let me down,” he says.

The man is Sir Kingston Vandertrap. The sorry bloody mess on the ground was his guide Jean Claude. There are three other cage traps in the room. Sir Kingston will warn the party about them. He can also tell the party what happened. His team followed the monkey to this room. They quickly found all of the cage traps but neglected to see the trap on the monkey statue. It seems that if you remove it, the stone sentinels on the wall come to life and attack. When Jean Claude removed it, they killed him. Burgo ran for help. Sir Kingston triggered one of the cage traps in order to escape. Once they bludgeoned Jean Claude beyond recognition, the golems put the statue back and then returned to their stations.

Iron Cage Trap – Perception DC 12 to spot (It’s low because Sir Kingston points them out). A successful Dexterity check DC 18 can disable them. The traps are triggered by a pressure plate. Any creature that moves beneath the cage must make a Dexterity save DC 14 or be caught within the iron cage and lifted twenty feet above the ground. On a successful save, move the creature to an adjacent spot and they are not caught. To free a trapped victim, the players must make a successful Investigation check DC 14 to find the release lever on the wall.

Part 4. That Mad Monkey

Once Sir Kingston is freed, the party may leave the room. If they take the Golden Monkey Statue then four stone golems (see Dungeon Master) spring to life and attack. The statue must be picked up physically and is too heavy for Mage Hand. If the players do not take the statue then at the most inconvenient moment, they will hear a chittering sound. Looking over their shoulders they will see the wangdou monkey sitting on the pedestal. It will bare sharp glistening teeth at the group and then snatch the statue up and flee. The statues come to life and attack. If the players take the statue, the golems spring to life and in the chaos, the wangdou monkey will snatch the statue and run. 

If the players leave the room or destroy at least two of the stone golems (there are eight total), the remaining golems will take their hammers to the columns and begin smashing them. Cracks will appear in the ceiling and water will begin pouring down. The only way to stop this is to put the golden monkey back but the Wangdou monkey will flee into a small hole in the wall as soon as it can. The temple is about to become flooded and the players will need to flee to escape a watery death. 

There are several options here. You can make this a simple group Dexterity check with a DC 15, an automatic success, make them traverse each room giving them six rounds to escape, or turn the escape into a skill challenge. Here’s some ideas for a skill challenge. You can have one player make the check in each room or have all of the players make the check or make a group check and average the scores.

1. The Pit Room – Water from the throne room rushes past your feet making it difficult to complete a running jump to cross the pit. You slip and slide your way across the rough stone floor to the edge of the pit. Looking down you can see water filling the crevice and of course the snakes below can swim. “Will this help,” asks Sir Kingston. He hands you a grappling hook and rope from his pack. You look up and see a large vine. Swinging it carefully, you hook the vine. Now you just have to swing across. Make an Acrobatics or Dexterity Save DC 12

Success – You swing across the ropes. As the last of you get across, the snakes have just about reached the lip of the crevice. They snap at your heels.

Failure – The vine breaks free. The water has now reached the top of the lip and the snakes pour out in all directions. You are able to swim across but everyone takes 5d4 piercing damage and 5d4 poison damage.

2. The Hall of Murals – The walls have cracked open and steam issues from them. You can barely see through all of the fog. Make an Intelligence or Investigation check DC 14.

Success – You quickly wrap a cloth around your head and using your memory of the hallway you successfully navigate your way through.

Failure – The steam stings your eyes. You stumble wildly through the hallway and are momentarily blinded. While you wipe the moisture from your face and your eyes recover their sight, you are pummeled with falling debris. Take 10d6 bludgeoning damage.

3. The Windy Room – A boom echoes from somewhere behind you and the entire temple lurches. Chunks of stone are falling around you. The floor below your feet begins to give way. You’ll have to jump to avoid falling to your death. Make a Strength or Athletics check DC 14.

Success – You jump as the floor beneath shudders and lurches. Leaping across the room, you just barely make it before the last of the floor tumbles into darkness below.

Failure – The floor collapses beneath you and you tumble into darkness. You are buried beneath a thousand tons of stone, earth, and water. You are dead. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Roll a new character.

4. The Hall of Faces – The pedestal at the end of the hall has fallen over and jets of fire erupt towards you from the far wall as the trap there has broken. “There’s a pattern to it,” yells Kingston. Make a Wisdom or Perception check DC 14.

Success – You see it. There are two bursts of flame followed by a lull then another burst. You just have to time it right. You dive across the hall and duck around the corner to safety just as a blast of flame roars behind you.

Failure – You think you see it. One burst of flame then two then one then a lull. Oops that’s not quite right you realize as you run headfirst into a line of fire. Take 8d8 fire damage. There is no save.

5. The Hall of Lights – There are no longer light beams in this room. You can hear the rush of water behind you. As you race down the corridor, you look back and see a wall of water right on your heels.

6. The Entryway – The doors to the temple are wide open but a metal portcullis is slowly dropping down to block your escape. You hear loud screeching from your right. There, at a window, is that wretched monkey. It’s clutching the golden monkey statue in its arms and you don’t need to speak monkey to know that it is hurling obscenities at you. There’s not enough time to shoot at it but just maybe you can get in one last word towards the horrible creature. Make a Charisma or Persuasion check DC 16.

Success – You stick out your tongue and waggle your fingers as you hurtle past. The monkey screams in anger and flings the golden monkey statue at you. You deftly catch the treasure and smile as you dive under the closing portcullis to freedom.

Failure – You hurl out some colorful insults as you run past it but the beast is unfazed. As you dive under the closing portcullis to freedom, you get a glimpse of the monkey making a rude gesture at you.

Resolution – As you race away from the temple, water explodes from its door. You glance back and get an odd impression of a monkey head spitting water. You quickly flee through the secret passage behind the waterfall to safety as the room caves in. Sir Kingston mops his forehead and says blithely, “Well that was an adventure. Pity about the temple though. Such a loss of historic significance. Not to mention my more poor comrades who gave their lives. However, I will preserve their memories and their bravery in my next book. You must be in it too my friends.” He thanks you all for his timely rescue.  

The golden monkey idol is worth 12,000 gp. Sir Kingston’s brother will pay the group 100 gp for returning him safely. As the group takes Thuggee Riiver back towards Fort Beluarain, Sir Kingston will grill them for details about their adventure and what they remember of the temple. Just before the sun sets, have the players make a perception check. Whoever scores highest will get a glimpse of evil green eyes and a simian body but for only a moment before the apparition disappears into the jungle.

Thus ends the Temple of the Mad Monkey adventure.