The Gorgon Queen of the Sunken Court
A courtyard with a colonnade round all four sides, and the whole floor of it under a foot of black water so still it doubles everything. Statues stand in it at intervals — guards, in the old harness, some of them with their shields still up. The water has been at their knees long enough to leave a line.
Nine bronze mirrors on tripods stand in a loose ring near the middle, tarnished green, all of them facing outward. A woman sits on the rim of the dry fountain in the middle of the ring with her back to you, combing something that is not hair, and the sound of it is small and busy and wrong.
"Don't come round," she says, without turning. "I would rather not. Say what you want from where you are."
DM summary. A medusa who has arranged an entire courtyard so that she never has to look at anybody, and nine mirrors that are pointing the wrong way. She will talk with her back turned for as long as the party lets her. The way to beat her is the same trick the room is already built out of.
The Boon
The Polished AspisOptional item
A clean mirror the party carries, and a face they can look at her through
What it is. A hoplite's round shield with a bronze face that somebody kept polished for years — greased against the verdigris, wrapped in oiled cloth, sharpened at the rim from use. The Polished Aspis is a mirror that a person can carry on one arm, which is a thing the Sunken Court is built to not contain.
Where it comes from. Plant it early, in the first three rooms, so the party has had time to stop thinking of it as loot: a dead soldier still holding it, a shrine where it was hung as a votive, or the second item on any loot roll in a room with armour in it. If they are already past that, plant it late — the petrified guard in the colonnade of this very court includes one soldier whose shield is still up and still bright under the water, and a party that notices it in round one has found the boon in the room it pays off in. Never hand it over with an explanation. A polished shield explains itself in front of a medusa.
What it does here. It is one of the two clean mirrors the puzzle needs, in hand, from the doorway — so step 2 asks for one mirror of the nine instead of two, and the party can carry their half of the trick behind cover instead of standing over a tripod while she shoots them for it. It also lets its bearer watch her in the bronze: once per short rest, one creature holding the Aspis can look at her through the reflection for a round without averting and without the disadvantage that averting costs. If she survives the trick and starts breaking mirrors, she cannot break this one — it is on somebody's arm — so she names it aloud and shoots whoever is holding it, which is the encounter getting harder in the most interesting way it can. Count the cost of a failed attempt honestly while you are at it: she breaks the two mirrors that did it, and when one of the two was the Aspis she can only reach the tripod, so a failure costs one mirror instead of two. The nine will stretch to eight or nine attempts rather than four. That is the largest single thing this boon does, and it is worth knowing before the first attempt rather than after the third.
What it doesn't do. It is not light. The sun-well still has to be cranked open, and a bright shield in a dim court reflects nothing she is afraid of. It is not the whole trick either: she averts from any single reflection she expects, so the second surface has to come off a tripod. And it does not make her easier to kill; it buys attempts, which is not the same currency. It even costs the party something on the way: mirrors go one at a time instead of two, so she keeps her back turned longer, and Counts the Nine takes twice as long to reach three. A party who never finds it has all nine mirrors, four attempts, and the same fight.
Card and numbers or jump to the card ↓
Arena
Battle map: The Grey Flags — pages 1 & 2, 110 × 75 ft
The blank full spread carries the sunken court at 90 × 75 ft: draw the colonnade ring 10 ft in from the edges, shade the foot of water across the open court, circle the fountain basin at centre, and dot the nine tripod mirrors facing outward. Mark the sun-well at the north-west corner.
- Dimensions. 90 ft × 75 ft overall, ceiling 35 ft where it survives: an open court of 70 ft × 55 ft with a 10-ft colonnade walk round all four sides of it. The party enters down four broad steps at the south, so the walk stands 4 ft above the water and they are looking down on it. The roof covers the room where it survives, and the sun-well is the only daylight that gets in — which is why the trick has to be set up out in the court, where the light lands.
- Light. Dim. Green lamp-shells burn in the colonnade at intervals. There is no bright light in this room until somebody makes some, and that is the whole puzzle.
- The water. One foot deep across the court, two in the fountain basin. Difficult terrain for anything that Dashes. Still water is a mirror: while no creature has moved through the water since the end of the Queen's last turn, the surface doubles the room and she can see out of it. Churn it and she is half blind — and so is the puzzle.
- The nine mirrors. Bronze discs on tripods, waist high, all tarnished to green and all facing out of the ring. Polishing one is an action and a rag or a flask of oil. Turning one on its tripod is an action. Toppling one is free and breaks it, and she counts every break aloud.
- The sun-well. A bronze-lined shaft in the north-west corner of the colonnade roof, cut by somebody who knew what they were doing, with a shutter plate over it and a crank chain hanging down the pillar. Opening it takes two full rounds of cranking and floods the court with real daylight. This is not optional for the puzzle path; a tarnished mirror in dim light reflects nothing she is afraid of.
- The guard. Eleven petrified soldiers standing in the water, some of them still in a line. Three-quarters cover. They are her old court and she walks between them rather than through them.
- The dry fountain. A stone rim 3 ft high in the centre, big enough to stand on and see over everything. She sits on it and she does not stand up for a while.
Roster & Budget
Her, alone, until she turns round.
| Count | Creature | XP each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Gorgon Queen of the Sunken Court | 8,400 |
| 2 | Creeper of the Petrified Garden | 700 |
Phase one is 8,400 XP, ×1, a single body — well under the APL 9 Deadly budget of 14,400, and correctly so. What makes phase one dangerous is that she is holding her worst attack in reserve and everybody knows it.
Phase two, with the creepers out of the colonnade: base 9,800, ×2 for three bodies = 19,600 adjusted, thirty-six per cent over budget. That is the price of making her turn round, and the puzzle exists so the party never has to pay it. If your table gets there anyway and is in trouble, the creepers are 700 XP each and fold to one good hit; kill one and the fight is immediately survivable again.
Phases / Clock
Phase one — Facing Away. She keeps her back to the party for as long as they keep out of the ring of mirrors. Her gaze does not function. She shoots, she sets her hair on whoever closes, and she talks the entire time: about the statues, who they were, and what she would like (a message carried out, a name cleared, a particular man told she is still here). She is not lying and she is not stalling.
Phase two — She Turns. Triggered by dropping to 97 hit points, by anyone stepping inside the ring of mirrors, or by a mirror being broken. She stands on the fountain rim and turns around, and the read-aloud for it is three words: "You made me." Her gaze goes live. Two creepers come out of the flooded colonnade behind the party. The lamp-shells go out one per round from here, so the court is getting darker while the party is trying to make it brighter.
The count. She names the number of mirrors left every time one breaks. At three or fewer she stops negotiating entirely and stops taking the fountain as cover; she wades. Track it — it is the clearest clock this book has, and it is one the players control.
Combat Resolution
Five to eight rounds, and the party's real enemy is the geometry.
- Round 1. She shoots twice from the fountain rim, without turning, aiming at whoever is furthest from the steps — she is trying to keep the exit open behind them, because she wants them to use it.
- Tactics. She fights from the statues, never destroys one, and will not petrify anyone she is still talking to. In phase two she goes for whoever is handling a mirror, every round, without exception. She will not leave the court; the sun-well and the surface are the only two things she is afraid of and both are in here.
- Averting eyes works exactly as it does for any gaze: a character can look away at the start of its turn, cannot see her until its next turn, and has disadvantage on attacks against her. Half a party fighting blind is what phase two actually feels like.
- Petrified allies are recoverable. Every creeper weeps a dose of the pale sap that frees a creature petrified within the last minute (Medicine DC 13 to harvest from its cut stems). There is also a jar of it on the fountain rim, three doses, because she keeps it for her own accidents. Never end this room with a permanently stoned PC; the sap is right there and the party can be told so.
- Killing her by damage is legitimate and takes about eight rounds and probably two characters' worth of Constitution saves. If the party has committed to it and the clock is tight, drop her Legendary Resistances rather than her hit points — the fight ends faster and stays scary.
- When she dies, every mirror in the ring shows it, nine times over, and the water holds the picture until somebody steps in it.
Alternate Resolution
Puzzle — make her look at herself. Three steps, in this order, and each of them is a thing the party can see from the doorway.
| Step | What it takes | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Light | Crank the sun-well shutter open | Two full rounds of a character's action, or one round with two characters. Athletics DC 13 the first round; the chain is seized with verdigris. Failure costs the round, not the attempt |
| 2. Polish | Clean at least two mirrors of nine | One action each, plus a rag, oil, sand, or any cantrip that cleans. Sleight of Hand DC 12 to do it without her noticing which two |
| 3. Angle | Turn two clean mirrors so that one faces her and the other faces the first | One action per mirror, and an Intelligence (Investigation) DC 15 or a player who describes the angle correctly, in which case no roll. A single mirror is not enough: she knows what a mirror is and averts. Two mirrors put her own face where she is not expecting it |
If the party carries the Polished Aspis, step 2 asks for one clean mirror of the nine instead of two — the shield is the other — and the angling in step 3 can be done from behind a statue, which is the difference between attempting this puzzle and standing in the open to attempt it.
Firing it. With daylight in the court, two clean mirrors angled, and the water still — no creature has moved through it since the end of her last turn — the Queen makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw at the start of her turn, with no option to avert. On a failure she is restrained as she begins to petrify and repeats the save at the end of her next turn; a second failure and the Sunken Court has a twelfth statue.
Keeping the water still is the interesting part. It means the party has to stop moving, in a fight, on purpose, for one round. Say that out loud when they work out the angles: "Nobody move."
If she saves, she smashes the two mirrors that did it — one action, and she names the number left — and the party needs two more. There are nine. The puzzle is designed to be attempted four times.
If she is petrified, she is not dead. Content spec §9 permits killing her and the party may do so at their leisure with a hammer. It also permits leaving her standing in the water with her guard, which is what the room would prefer, and what a party who listened to her in phase one will probably choose.
Scaling — APL 6 / 12 / 15
| APL | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 6 | 146 hit points, gaze DC 14, no creepers, and five mirrors of which two are already clean. Sun-well opens in one round. DCs −2 |
| 9 | As written |
| 12 | 244 hit points, gaze DC 17, four creepers, and she breaks a mirror as a legendary action for 1. DCs +1 |
| 15 | 293 hit points, gaze DC 19, four creepers and one Garden Basilisk in the colonnade; add a lair action on initiative 20 — the water rises 6 inches a round, and at 3 ft the reflection is no longer flat enough to use. DCs +3 |
Exit to the Resolution
Boon Card
The Polished Aspis
Wondrous item, uncommon · a hoplite's shield, bronze face rubbed to a true mirror · optional, and never on the loot table
AC +2 as a shield, for anyone trained with one | Weight 12 lb | Attunement none
Appearance: a 3-ft bronze disc, rim nicked, face bright enough to shave in, wrapped in oiled cloth that somebody replaced recently
A Mirror On Your Arm. The Aspis counts as one clean, angled mirror for any puzzle or trick that needs a reflecting surface, and it moves when its bearer does. In the Sunken Court it satisfies half of step 3 from anywhere in the room, including from behind a statue.
Look Through the Bronze. Once per short rest, as part of its bearer's turn, one creature holding the Aspis may watch a gaze-creature in the reflection for one round: it can see and target the creature normally, has no disadvantage for averting, and is not subject to that creature's gaze until the start of its next turn.
Cannot Be Taken From an Arm. A creature that would break, topple, or snatch the Aspis must first hit its bearer with an attack or win a contested Athletics check. The Gorgon Queen cannot include it in the mirrors she smashes, and she will say so.
What It Is Not. It sheds no light and creates none. It reflects whatever the room already has, which in a dim court is nothing worth reflecting.
Angle the Face. The bearer aims the reflection at a point it can see within 60 ft. If the room has bright light and a second clean reflecting surface set against it, the trick is live this round.
Creature Cards
The Queen is this finale's only inline card. The creepers belong to the Gorgon Brood (W04) and their numbers live in the bestiary; the colonnade is this room's.
Shared across rooms, so the full cards live in the bestiary: Creeper of the Petrified Garden. Every mention above opens the numbers here on this page.
The Gorgon Queen of the Sunken Court
Medium monstrosity, lawful evil · CR 12 (8,400 XP)
AC 17 (serpent scale, bronze gorget) | HP 195 (26d8 + 78) | Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Saves Dex +9, Wis +8, Cha +8 · Details Deception +8, Insight +8, Perception +12, Stealth +9 · Immune to petrified, poisoned · Darkvision 60 ft. · Passive Perception 22
Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If she fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Legendary Actions (3/Round). She spends 3 legendary actions each round, one at a time at the end of another creature's turn, and regains them at the start of her own.
Will Not Look At You Yet. While she is in her first phase she keeps her back turned. Her Petrifying Gaze does not function, she cannot be forced to use it, and she does not suffer for fighting this way: her snakes see for her and she has no penalty for being unable to see her attackers. She is doing this on purpose and she will say so if asked.
Petrifying Gaze. In her second phase, a creature that starts its turn within 30 ft of her and can see her makes a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failure it is restrained as it petrifies, repeats the save at the end of its next turn, and is petrified on a second failure. A creature can avert its eyes at the start of its turn: it cannot see her until its next turn and has disadvantage on attacks against her.
Her Own Reflection. She knows exactly what a mirror is and averts from any reflection she is expecting, which is all of them. If she is caught in bright light by a reflection arriving off a second reflecting surface, she makes the same DC 16 Constitution saving throw against her own gaze with no option to avert, at the start of her turn.
Still Water. While no creature has moved through the standing water within 30 ft of her since the end of her last turn, she has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks and can see any creature the surface reflects, including one behind cover. Churned water blinds her to everything outside 30 ft.
Counts the Nine. She names aloud the number of unbroken mirrors left every time one goes. At three or fewer she loses Will Not Look At You Yet permanently, whatever phase she is in, and stops using the fountain for cover.
Multiattack. Two shots with the horn bow, or one bow shot and one snake-hair attack.
Snake Hair. Melee, +9 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) poison damage.
Horn Bow. Ranged, +9 to hit, range 150/600 ft, one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Look At Me (recharge 5–6). She says a creature's own description of itself back to it. One creature within 60 ft that can hear her makes a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw; on a failure it must look directly at her before the end of its next turn and cannot avert its eyes during that time.
Between the Statues. She moves up to 20 ft through the standing water without provoking opportunity attacks, so long as the movement begins and ends within 5 ft of a statue.
Not That One. When a creature within 60 ft would destroy or topple a petrified guard, she makes one horn bow attack against it with advantage.
Shot (costs 1). She makes one horn bow attack.
Turn (costs 1). In her second phase only, she rotates on the fountain rim. Each creature of her choice within 30 ft that can see her immediately makes a saving throw against Petrifying Gaze.
Comb the Snakes (costs 2). She makes one snake-hair attack and regains 15 hit points if the attack hits.