Emporium of Marvelous Rarities
Background
The Emporium of Marvelous Rarities (Onadbyr location 14.) is a one-of-a-kind magic shop with a wide range of stock unparalleled anywhere in Aglarion or even in the neighboring kingdoms. The shop also functions as a private school for a selected few humble and servile pupils, of which there are always six in attendance. As Master Bertio Ranberd calls them, the arcane sentinels, receive extensive training in the arcane arts, with a major focus on abjuration magic, in return for their services to the shop. The current pupils of the master are Drinnur Baelguard, a confident human with a bad temper, Thegorin Civereus, a rather shy gnome with a bushy eyebrow, Egeor Azin, a skeptical human who has lost his left arm, Dunphius the White, a calculating elf with no sense of humor, Enixea Swiftwings, an introverted human who has a large scar across her face, and Aphaen Larixus, a brusque tiefling with a third eye tattooed on his forehead.
The arcane sentinels all live in the building. They can leave it only under the permission of Master Bertio Ranberd, which is rarely given, especially after the curse descends on Aglarion. Their daily tasks include training, magical cleaning, security maintenance, creating minor magic items such as potions and scrolls for sale, and guard duties. The master keeps a very close eye on his subordinates. He keeps security tight, for example ordering regular shipments of food and resource materials to the shop from a few selected trustworthy sources, which are regularly examined and screened for security reasons.
There are usually more people staring at the windows and the shelves inside the store than actually buying its goods. The wizards don’t mind the gawking crowd, which creates a premium reputation and draws more serious and well-to-do shoppers to the establishment. However, after the coronation of Queen Aphinah and the outbreak of the Midnight Curse, the shop has lost almost all of its previous buzz. The staring crowd is gone, but the front desk sees a few more serious clients who are desperate to equip themselves with magic against the harmful effects that have befallen the kingdom. As a result, the shop’s stocks are almost entirely depleted as the demand is high and resources are fewer in these unpredictable, dangerous times.
Environment
Large animated glowing letters hover above the high display windows and the shop’s main entrance, advertising its name and the current discounts available for selected items. Several curious items are displayed in the window at different heights, their names, functions, and prices displayed with the same glowing and continuously shifting magical letters. The rest of the house’s windows are usually closed and covered with heavy curtains from the inside. The two large statues of wizards that illuminate the windows and the main entrance function only when the shop is open for business. Numerous magical lights of various intensities illuminate the rooms and corridors of the building, including the dungeon vault level. All rooms have a height of 10 feet except for area 20.
Doors. Doors (including the main double door) open inwards and are made of thick, sturdy wood fitted with iron hinges and handles. They feature masterfully crafted locks secured with arcane lock spells, which can be picked with thieves’ tools on a successful DC 25 Dexterity check or forced open with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) skill check. In addition, the main double door has an extra invisible iron grate on the inside that has AC 19, 30 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, it has damage resistance against slashing damage, and damage immunity against piercing, poison, and psychic damage.
Windows. Windows open inwards and have wooden frames and a single layer of thick glass. The wings are held together by iron latches and secured with arcane lock spells, which can be picked with thieves’ tools on a successful DC 25 Dexterity check or forced open with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) skill check. In addition, invisible iron bars are embedded in the wooden frames in front of the glass panels on the inside, forming a fixed barrier that has AC 19, 30 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, it has damage resistance against slashing damage, and damage immunity against piercing, poison, and psychic damage.
Private Sanctum. The Emporium of Marvelous Rarities is under the permanent effect of a private sanctum spell, blocking planar travel, teleportation, and divination spells, and prevents creatures from peeping or listening through its windows. Attempts to dispel this effect are made with disadvantage due to Master Bertio Ranberd’s Tenacious Abjurations class feature.
Guards and Wards (DC 16). The Emporium of Marvelous Rarities is under the permanent effect of a guards and wards spell whose effects are spread throughout specific areas. Attempts to dispel this effect are made with disadvantage due to Master Bertio Ranberd’s Tenacious Abjurations class feature.
Alarms. A special alarm spell, made permanent by Master Bertio Ranberd, is active at all times on every window, on the main entrance of the shop when the store is closed, on the door to the corridor behind the desk in area 1, all of the doors in area 14, and the outer vault door in area 17. The audible alarm sounds like a pulsating shriek that does not stop until switched off by the caster of the spell. The alarm also sends a mental signal to the arcane sentinels and Master Bertio Ranberd. The arcane sentinels and Master Bertio Ranberd are all designated not to set off the alarm spells. The arcane sentinels and Master Bertio Ranberd come to assess the situation if an alarm goes off. The audible part of the alarm also attracts the Red Cloaks, who arrive within 2d4+2 minutes. The detect magic spell reveals the alarm spell on an item or area.
Corridors and Stairs. As part of the guards and wards spell placed on the entire building, all corridors and stairs connecting rooms or levels, except for the corridor between areas 2 and 3, are filled with a magic fog. The arcane sentinels and Master Bertio Ranberd see through the fog and are unaffected by its effects. Any other creature moving in the fog must make a d20 roll. On a roll of 1-10, the creature goes in the opposite direction it originally intended to, without knowing that they move in the wrong direction. Webs also fill all the stairs are from top to bottom. The webs function as the web spell. These strands regrow in 10 minutes if they are burned or torn away.
Vault Lock Mechanism. The complex lock mechanism on the two vault doors is controlled by four switches spread around the building. The inner and the outer vault doors can be opened using a separate unique key for each door only after all four switches are activated within ten minutes. These switches are of various forms throughout the building and don’t signal their active status if activated. Each switch counts as a lock for the purposes of the knock spell. The switches can be found in the following areas.
- A mosaic tile on the wall next to the lavatory must be pressed in area 3.
- An otherwise seemingly non-functional valve must be rotated counterclockwise in area 11.
- The arms of the clock on a painting must be set to noon exactly in area 13.
- A sconce on the back wall must be rotated in area 16.
The Emporium of Marvelous Rarities is a D&D 5e compatible original dungeon from Crown of the Oathbreaker.
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