# **Xorthal’s Vault: Lair of the Paranoid Eye** ### **The Setup** The adventurers have located **Xorthal’s Vault**, a forbidden chamber rumoured to hold an artefact of immense power. Little do they know, the vault is the lair of **Xorthal the Paranoid Eye**, an ancient and cunning _Beholder_ obsessed with maintaining dominance over its secrets. --- ## **Atmosphere and Arrival** The air grows thick and heavy as the adventurers descend. The walls are sculpted into grotesque **watching eyes** that seem to follow them as they pass. Cracks in the ceiling release a soft, rhythmic drip, while the sound of slow, heavy breathing rolls through the vault, rattling the adventurers’ nerves. At the centre lies a colossal, circular chamber. --- ## **The Lair Chamber** - **Size**: 100-ft.-diameter chamber with a 40-ft.-tall domed ceiling. - **Central Dais**: Xorthal hovers 15 feet above a circular stone platform, pulsing with _arcane sigils_. This is where its **anti-magic cone** originates, spreading 150 feet in a triangular beam. - **Eye Statues**: 8 massive stone statues carved like grotesque eyes line the outer edges. Cracks flicker with violet energy. - **Walls and Cover**: Sections of wall provide partial cover but pulse with lingering energy. Hidden hazards await. --- ## **The Moment They Enter** As the adventurers step into the lair, describe the overwhelming **sensation of being watched**. Suddenly, Xorthal's booming voice echoes from the shadows: --- **Xorthal**: _"Fools! You dare intrude upon my domain? Your fragile minds shall crumble, your secrets torn free, and your **very essence** laid bare!"_ _Xorthal descends from the darkness above, its many stalks unfurling. One enormous, lidless eye opens at its centre, bathing the party in a pale beam of energy. Battle begins!_ --- ## **Xorthal the Beholder (CR 13)** Tactics: 1. **Anti-Magic Cone**: Xorthal disables magic-heavy characters early. The cone sweeps across targets strategically. 2. **Eye Rays**: Xorthal fires 3 **random Eye Rays** each turn (Fear, Enervation, Telekinesis, etc.) 3. **Lair Actions (Init. 20)**: - _Eye Statue Fire_: One of the massive wall-mounted eyes opens and fires a random _Eye Ray_. - _Madness Pulse_: All creatures must succeed a DC 16 Wisdom save or take 2d6 psychic damage and be frightened. - _Falling Debris_: Chunks of stone fall from above. (Dex Save DC 14 or take 4d6 bludgeoning damage.) --- ## **The Hidden Threat — Mimic Ambush** - After **Round 2**, two sections of the wall morph into **Giant Mimics**: - “The walls ripple grotesquely as fanged mouths burst forth! Jagged limbs lash at you, hungering for flesh!” - Their **grapple attacks** keep ranged attackers pinned. --- ## **Shifting Battlefield** At regular intervals (DM’s discretion), describe hazards: - **Cracks expanding** in the chamber walls. - **Magic flares** destabilizing parts of the dais or damaging players in the air. The environment reinforces the oppressive theme of paranoia and entrapment. --- ## **Ending the Encounter** When Xorthal reaches **0 HP**: - _“Xorthal’s form writhes as violent energy erupts from its shattered eye stalks. Purple cracks race across its central eye before—_BOOM!_—a final, deafening pulse shakes the entire chamber! The vault begins to collapse!”_ --- ## **Skill Challenge — Escape the Vault** As the lair destabilizes, the adventurers must flee before they’re buried alive. - **3 Successes** required to escape (Skill examples include Acrobatics, Athletics, Perception, or Arcana). - On failure: Falling debris deals **4d6 bludgeoning damage** or traps players. --- ## **Treasure — The Eye of Xorthal** ### **The Eye of Xorthal** _Wondrous Item, Artefact (requires Attunement)_ _This dark, crystalline sphere floats like an ioun stone. Faint veins pulse within, as though a presence still lingers._ --- ### **Properties** **1. Paranoid Sight (Passive):** - You gain **blindsight** out to 30 feet. - You can’t be **surprised** while attuned. **2. Eye Ray (Active, Recharge 5–6):** As an action, unleash one of the following Eye Rays (save DC 16): - **Fear Ray**: Target is frightened for 1 minute (Wis Save, repeat at end of turns). - **Enervation Ray**: Deals 4d8 necrotic damage (Con Save for half). - **Telekinetic Ray**: Move one creature or object 30 feet (Str Save negates). **3. The Eye’s Watch (Lair-Like Effect, 1/Day):** - As a bonus action, activate **Detect Magic** or **True Seeing** for 10 minutes (no concentration). **4. Tainted Awareness:** You may reroll any **Perception** or **Investigation** check with advantage. - Each time you do, succeed a **DC 15 Wisdom save** or gain disadvantage on your next roll (as paranoia overwhelms you). --- ### **Curse: Lingering Paranoia** At dawn, roll a **DC 15 Charisma save**. On a failure: - You cannot benefit from the **Help action** for 24 hours. - During combat, the artifact demands your focus. You must attack the “most dangerous” enemy each turn (DM’s discretion). --- **Destruction**: To destroy the Eye of Xorthal, it must be bathed in the tears of a god who possesses perfect, untainted sight, and then shattered under the final blow of a hero willing to embrace total blindness forever. --- ## **Conclusion** The **Beholder encounter** combined with its oppressive lair, Mimic ambush, environmental hazards, and collapsing escape creates a dynamic and climactic battle. The inclusion of the **Eye of Xorthal** rewards the players with a thematic artefact—but one that challenges their sanity as much as it empowers them. This encounter will leave your players exhilarated and wary of eyes, even long after they leave the vault behind. Let me know if you need tweaks or refinements!