The fifth level of the citadel is a domed cupola that sits squarely atop the palace’s central dome. It is comprised entirely of the personal quarters of the reigning prince of Bayt al-Bazan—it was here that Jhavhul once lived, and it is here that the Impossible Eye is hidden.
Part of the cupola’s brass dome is cut away to form grand balconies. The southwest balcony (area F1a) provides a breathtaking vista of the City of Brass spreading out below, almost like a detailed map in miniature. The northeast balcony (area F1b) looks out over the Sea of Fire, an endless burning ocean that leads out into the wilds of the Plane of Fire.
Area F1c is an abandoned guard chamber, once the home of Jhavhul’s favored bodyguard but now empty.
Area F1d is a smoking lounge. The floor of this chamber is covered in coals kept magically hot (3d6 fire per round of contact). Jhavhul would retire here to relax and meditate in luxuriously comfortable surroundings.
This chamber is centered between a set of elegantly etched brass doors and shimmering curtains of gold, platinum, and copper thread woven with patterns that ripple like waterfalls of liquid metal. The walls, floor, and ceiling are of brilliantly polished brass. A single ornate chair sits in each corner of the room, while at the room’s center a patch of air shimmers and wavers as if radiating intense heat.
Here, personal visitors could await the prince’s attention. The doors both bear arcane locks (CL 20th), but the curtains are not warded.
The wavering patch of air in the center of the room is the manifestation of a warp in reality, a stretching of planar boundaries that hides an extradimensional space that functions much like that created by a rope trick. This once served as a safe room into which Jhavhul could retreat, or hide his valuables—and more recently as the bolt hole for Ezer Hazzebaim. Ezer was hiding here when the Vizier’s Curse came down, and his proximity to the extradimensional space with the Impossible Eye imprisoned him within.
The key to opening this extradimensional space is the proximity of a sample of “pure flame” harvested from the heart of the Plane of Fire. Only two such pure flames exist in Bayt al-Bazan now, and one of them is inside with Ezer. The other is Ymeri’s Orb, found in a secret chamber below her pyramid in area E7b. A third option exists as well—if the PCs purchased the curious fire globe called “High Noon Fire Monsoon” from the Katapesh marketplace in “The Jackal’s Price,” the fire within this object is also pure flame, and its proximity can also trigger the opening of the extradimensional space.
When either orb is brought into this chamber, it immediately grows quite hot (though not hot enough to burn flesh or any object it resides in). The PC carrying the orb can automatically feel the heat radiating from the orb (unless, of course, the orb is being carried in its own extradimensional space, like a bag of holding). By passing the orb through the shimmering patch in the air, the extradimensional bolt hole suddenly ripples and opens, creating a 10-foot-diameter vertical hole in reality and revealing a spherical chamber with walls of polished brass; this chamber is 30 feet in diameter, and its only occupant is the Impossible Eye.
Creature: As soon as anyone picks up the Impossible Eye or looks into it, Ezer Hazzebaim appears in the reflection and gives his final clue as explained in the “Through a Glass Darkly” section on page 10. If the PCs have not completed all the necessary tasks to free him, they may need to head back down into the citadel and return when they have done so—only now, they can use the Impossible Eye’s potent divination powers to aid them.
To release Ezer from his trap, the Impossible Eye must first be anointed with holy water. Once this is done, one of the PCs must place both palms against the glass and command the imprisoned being to come forth. Ezer assumes that doing so will draw the PCs into the mirror to replace him, but the days of the PCs being trapped in another’s prison are at an end—instead, all this ritual does is release Ezer Hazzebaim from imprisonment. Showing his true colors, he immediately demands the PCs hand him the Impossible Eye—if they hesitate, he attacks them at once to force the issue. Yet unknown to Ezer, his release from the mirror is noticed, and only 1d4 rounds after he is released (or as soon as the PCs seem certain of victory in combat against him), a powerful agent of the grand vizier makes his move, as detailed in “Wrath of Aberzjerax” on page 51.
Ezer Hazzebaim CR 15
Male nephilim
hp 217 (see page 88)
A bed composed of hundreds of overstuffed cushions and richly woven comforters occupies the far wall of this opulent chamber, positioned beneath great bay windows that overlook the city below. A golden censer hangs from the ceiling, giving off a heady scent. An elaborate tea service and hookah rest on a short parquetry table at the foot of the bed. Wardrobes hold exotic noble outfits sized for an elemental giant. Two magnificent tapestries of prodigious size adorn the walls. One depicts an elegant sky citadel in an endless cerulean expanse, falling in flames to a horde of efreet and their fiery minions. The other depicts a powerful efreeti noble leading an army of undead horrors across a barren desert landscape.
This was the hujurat (personal apartment) of Jhavhul. The tapestries depict the first prince of the House of al- Bazan to be named a pasha by the grand sultan after he led a successful raid into the Plane of Air and destroyed a prominent djinni citadel, putting all of its inhabitants to the sword. The other tapestry depicts the last pasha of the house as he made a bid to conquer a portion of a Material Plane world before falling at the hands of a mortal wizard and having his title as pasha stripped from his house by an irate grand sultan. Behind it is a secret door to area F1b that can be discovered with a DC 35 Search check.
There is very little of interest here apart from the remaining items of value that Jhavhul abandoned in the chamber so long ago.
Although the Vizier’s Curse prevents the PCs from escaping Bayt al-Bazan until the curse is lifted (as detailed in “Concluding the Adventure”), the PCs can climb around on the palace’s roofs and outer walls, and can travel short distances from the structure before being pulled back to where they first attempted to escape. Yet still, the grand vizier has posted a dangerous guard here—an adult red dragon named Aberzjerax.
The sight of the huge dragon flying in lazy circles above the palace or perching atop one of its rooftops is something the denizens of the City of Brass are used to, but to the PCs, their first sight of the dragon should be a shock. Aberzjerax is protected by the Vizier’s Curse—he alone can come and go from Bayt al-Bazan as he wills, so long as he does not enter any of the interior locations—and can move about on the rooftops and open courtyards with ease (such as in areas D2, E2, E7, and F1). His purpose is to keep an eye on the place, and once he notices that either Jhavhul has returned or Ezer Hazzebaim is back, he moves swiftly to investigate.
You can have the PCs catch sight of Aberzjerax perched on a rooftop or flying by at any time they move out of an enclosed area in the palace or look out a window—the dragon may even look back at them, but he certainly won’t attack them unless the PCs attack first. Neither will he deign to speak to the PCs. Use the dragon to present the PCs with an ominous threat from afar whenever they’re outside or attempt to physically leave the palace—only when the PCs release Ezer Hazzebaim does the dragon take action.
Only 1d4 rounds after Ezer is released from the Impossible Eye (likely during a battle between him and the PCs), Aberzjerax swoops down to land as close to the battle site as possible—if the battle’s taking place in area F2, he lands on F1a. With a roar, the dragon calls out Ezer by name, demanding the nephilim surrender to the grand vizier’s justice and return what was stolen.
Ezer, of course, does no such thing, and the dragon attacks him at once, not bothering to worry if the PCs are caught in his breath weapon area, nor focusing any of his attacks on them. If the PCs aid Aberzjerax in capturing or killing Ezer, the dragon regards them curiously. As long as the PCs don’t attack the dragon and (if they still have possession of the artifact) hand over the Impossible Eye when he asks for it, they can avoid a fight with this dangerous foe.
Male adult red dragon (MM 75)
CE Huge dragon (fire)
Init +4; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., keen senses; Listen +29, Spot +29
Aura frightful presence (180 ft., DC 24)
Defense
AC 33, touch 8, flat-footed 33 (+4 armor, +21 natural, –2 size)
hp 253 (22d12+110)
Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +17
DR 10/magic; Immune fire, sleep, paralysis; Resist cold 20; SR 21
Weakness vulnerability to cold
Offense
Spd 40 ft., fly 150 ft. (poor)
Melee bite +31 (2d8+11) and 2 claws +29 (2d6+5) and 2 wings +29 (1d8+5) and tail slap +29 (2d6+16)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks breath weapon (50-ft. cone; 12d10 fire; Reflex DC 26), crush (DC 26; 2d8+16)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th)
6/day—locate object
1/day—divination (CL 20th)
Spells Known (CL 7th; +16 ranged touch)
3rd (5/day)—clairaudience/clairvoyance, tongues
2nd (7/day)—detect thoughts (DC 15), see invisibility, whispering wind
1st (7/day)— comprehend languages, mage armor, magic missile, identify, ray of enfeeblement
0 (6/day)—arcane mark, detect poison, detect magic, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, read magic
Tactics
Before Combat Aberzjerax always casts mage armor before entering combat.
During Combat If the PCs attack, Aberzjerax swoops down to either breathe fire at the PCs through open windows or to engage them in melee if they are outside—the dragon won’t pursue foes into the palace interior, but will use his breath weapons and spells against foes who try to take shelter inside and still press the attack.
Morale Aberzjerax flees to recover from his wounds if brought below 40 hit points, returning once he is healed (this usually takes 3d6 minutes, as he can demand healing from a number of places in the City of Brass) to seek out the PCs to rejoin the attack.
Statistics
Str 33, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 16, Wis 19, Cha 16
Base Atk +18; Grp +31
Feats Cleave, Combat Expertise, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Wingover Skills Concentration +30, Diplomacy +28, Knowledge (local) +28, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +28, Knowledge (the planes) +28, Listen +29, Search +28, Sense Motive +29, Spot +29
Languages Draconic, Ignan, Infernal
Gear ring of major cold resistance, ring of invisibility, periapt of wound closure, bejeweled platinum necklace worth 5,000 gp, 3 ruby rings worth 500 gp each
Special Abilities
Spells As one of the grand vizier’s advisors and spies, Aberzjerax has the ability to use divination as a spell-like ability once per day.
Aura overwhelming divination; CL 21st
Slot —; Price —; Weight 3 lbs.
Description
The Impossible Eye grants a number of potent powers of divination. In order to activate any of these powers, the user must look into the mirror and make a DC 20 Will save; failure indicates that the user becomes fascinated by his reflection until an outside force breaks his gaze.
Left alone, a fascinated viewer doesn’t eat, drink, move, or sleep, and eventually dies of thirst. If the Will save is successful, the viewer can activate any of the mirror’s powers as a standard action.
5/day: vision
3/day: greater prying eyes, greater scrying
1/day: contact other plane, discern location, foresight
The Impossible Eye can also be used to read any nonmagical language—any written message reflected in the mirror appears in unmirrored text written in the holder’s native tongue. The mirror can be used to safely peruse the text of the Codex of Infinite Planes in this manner.
Destruction
The Impossible Eye was crafted in a secret foundry somewhere in the Plane of Fire—it may only be destroyed by returning it to this foundry and smashing it against the oven in which its glass was created.