Malacholar's Pinnacle

* Artwork
* Map

Malacholar's Pinnacle is a rock stack in the jungle of Mkitos' Garden, named for the green dragon Malacholar.

## Description

Jutting proud of the surrounding lush canopy by just short of four hundred feet, Malacholar's Pinnacle serves as a natural vantage point, and so quickly attracted the attention and efforts of a group of Yuan-Ti that had since converted the natural cave systems into a temple and quarters to serve their purposes. Shortly afterwards, they would swear allegiance to the green dragon Malacholar, renaming the rock stack in their honour and acting as the dragon's fingers and eyes in this part of the jungle.

More recently though, the white dragon Lynfrizgestas, fleeing from the north, wrest control and command over the Yuan-Ti with use of a Rod of Rulership, while overpowering Malacholar with aid of a Periapt of Proof Against Poison to negate the power of the dragon's breath weapon and the toxins utilised by his servants. Under the more primally-focused white dragon, the Yuan-Ti raids stretched wider and wider, eventually coming into conflict with adventuring parties such as that in 133WD, Onteer-Greencrown. This adventuring party would slay the white dragon, freeing the surviving slaves and thralls from the dragon and yuan-ti both, but in doing so resulting in Malacholar's freedom once again.

## Layout

Taking the form of a naturally-formed tower, Malacholar's Pinnacle is split across six levels, climbable by means of internal stairways or wooden walkways winding up the windswept exterior.

### Approach and Ground Floor

The base of the tower is surrounded by a deep marsh that impedes the approach of an terrestrial creature, with the only sturdy ground easily fortifiable by means of stakes and guard patrols. Within, a central set of natural baths dominate this floor, although auxiliary corridors were used as a tannery for crocodile leathers, a holding cell for slaves (although this was largely unnecessary recently given Lynfrizgestas' possession of a *Rod of Rulership* to charm them into servitude), and a pit in which remains of near but anything would be disposed, having long since turned into a thick festering mulch at its base.

When the white dragon Lynfrizgestas was slain by Coel, its body fell the height of the pinnacle and quickly started to sink into the surrounding marshland.

### First Floor

Accessible by means of a spiralling internal staircase from near the baths, the first floor serves as a storage point - an arsenal trapped with a suspension of Burned Othur Fumes smouldering from the mouth of a stone serpent, an alchemical workstation and a storage room filled with mundane items collected from adventurers and explorers. The lattermost was the favourite haunt on the boggle Walnut, who befriended Rover Custard Augustine but was ultimately killed by Ashewan Norvegicus.

### Second Floor

The second floor is made up as a series of alcoves and stone-carved rooms serving as the bedchambers of the majority of the Yuan-Ti populace, tended to by their slaves. It was within this area that the Atral spellslinger Almelia Bettencourt was rescued, although the party failed to initially recognise her given the extent of her weight loss and general frailty. A heady incense used to help the Yuan-Ti slumber (and unbeknownst to them, make them more susceptible to the Rod of Rulership's charming magic) competed with strong winds that rushes through the straight corridors, meaning they would be constantly replenished by the thralls assigned here.

### Third Floor

After ascending an external staircase, the third floor was found to be devoid of the presence of Yuan-Ti, though nonetheless still occupied. In addition to an ornate statue of Ophidian, and a hatching room for the Yuan-Ti eggs (long since broken and eaten by a presumed spider creature due to the Yuan-Ti's lack of focus maintaining this area in favour of raiding parties at Lynfrizgestas' behest), the main contents were a large heavy-set cage that served as the prison for the green dragon Malacholar. Held within the cage by means of a Totem that seemed to repeated subject it to the effects of *Ray of Enfeeblement* and *Blindness/Deafness*, Malacholar has since started to turn himself routinely invisible to make it more difficult for the passing Yuan-Ti to hit him with pebbles as they tended to their new master's wants and desires.

After significant back and forth, the party ultimately decided against freeing the dragon, but in killing Lynfrizgestas would ultimately facilitate his escape, as orchestrated by the boggle Walnut.

### Fourth Floor

Heavily-trapped by means of poison darts, their triggers hidden amongst the vines creeping across the stone floor tiles, this floor served as the personal chambers of a Yuan-Ti Mind Whisperer, who utilised the vantage point and a pair of *Eyes of the Eagle* to spy on the surroundings for targets - particularly so those brought deliberately into the area by Kervin Donstall. From the outside cliff-face, a set of carved stairs ascended to the summit of the pinnacle.

### Summit

A muddled collection of broken pillars, a vine-infested ziggurat, verdant plant growth and the remains of those eaten by Malacholar and Lynfrizgestas alike, the summit provides far-reaching and stunning vistas of the surrounding forest, while proving treacherous to any individuals unexpecting of the high winds encircling it - seemingly exacerbated ever further by the presence of air elementals at the apex.