Overview
The count's caves under the north shoulder of Mount Ghakis: the keepers' post, their larder, the anchor of a great chain, a gallery of fire-cracked rock and, at the bottom, the dragon chained on her hoard (The Warm Snow, docs/story/side_quests.md).
A tunnel into the mountain, warm as a kitchen and getting warmer. The rock sweats. Every so often the whole floor trembles, very slightly, in and out, like a sleeper's chest.
Resting: no Every few minutes the floor shivers with her breathing, and the heat never lets up. Nobody sleeps in here.
Getting here
Ways in
- From The North Shoulder of Ghakis: Into the mountain
Ways out
| # | Exit | Leads to | Only when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Out to the gate |  The North Shoulder of Ghakis | |
| 2 | Out to the gate | The North Shoulder of Ghakis |
Map
Key: gold, people; red, containers; purple, hidden finds; teal, skill checks; white, exits; orange, traps. The numbers match the lists on this page.
Close up
the keepers' strongbox
the great drum
Carcasses on hooks
People
Who turns up at points in the story (1)
- Sarkhaza, The hoard (#3): when not sarkhaza slain
What to find
| # | Where | What | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | the keepers' strongbox | Potion of Resistance (Fire) ×2, 300 gp | lock DC 16 |
| 5 | the captain's rack | Dragon Slayer | open it |
The containers here also get random magic items and potions, rolled for a party of level 10 the first time you come (Random Treasure). Hidden finds need a Search (F) nearby; the party's best roll counts.
Fights
- The cracks in the floor flare white. Something climbs out of the biggest of them, shaped like a man made of a…, in Under Mount Ghakis: Fire Elemental, Flameskull.
- The collar falls off onto the gold. Sarkhaza rises, all of her, and the cavern is too small for her, and she…, in Under Mount Ghakis: Sarkhaza. Scales with your level. Part of The Warm Snow.
By party level (the first line your party fits is the fight you get)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and not ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when wyrm unchained and not wyrm salted and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when wyrm unchained and not wyrm salted and not ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and wyrm chain drawn and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; surprise: enemies)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and wyrm chain drawn and not ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair; surprise: enemies)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and not wyrm chain drawn and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and wyrm salted and not wyrm chain drawn and not ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and not wyrm salted and wyrm chain drawn and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; surprise: enemies)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and not wyrm salted and wyrm chain drawn and not ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair; surprise: enemies)
- Under Mount Ghakis, when not wyrm unchained and not wyrm salted and not wyrm chain drawn and ghakis sluice open: Sarkhaza (10000 XP)
- Under Mount Ghakis: Sarkhaza (10000 XP; lair)
Quests and lore
- The Warm Snow: Sergeant Valcu's log has forty years of smoke on the north shoulder of Mount Ghakis, snow that melts in midwinter, and the count's cart…