Welcome to month two of my personal Dungeon 23 project! February signifies the start of the dungeon proper. After making your way through the Fortress of Ytrigall and past the Wargate you find yourself in a totally new environment, The Crucible of Oxyus. I'm trying some different formatting for this month's dungeon write-ups, I'm hoping to reduce information overload while still giving you lots of cool content to use at your table. let me know what you think in the comments.
1/29: The Central Shaft
A 75’ long bridge with
railings leads to a giant carved Medusa’s face. A passage runs through her
mouth into the mountain. The grand hallway beyond is 15’ by 25’ and carved to
look like wood construction. The passageway opens into a large room with a diamond
pattern chiseled into the stone walls. It is 45’ square with 200’ tall ceilings.
A hole 10’ in diameter in the center of the floor opens onto a yawning abyss.
· North: Back
across the bridge to the fortress.
· South:
There is a 3’ long metal table mounted on the edge of the hole in the
middle of the large chamber. Its top is angled away from the hole and is
studded with lots of colored glass bubbles and big brass switches. There is a simple-looking wooden door on the
south wall of the large chamber.
· West:
There is a stone door on the western side of the entrance hallway. Locked.
The western wall of the large chamber has two doors, both stone. The northernmost
door is recessed from the wall with two small fonts carved on either side of
the doorway. This door is hydraulically sealed and the northern most
font must be pulled up on to drain the hallway beyond and unseal the door. The
southern door is less elaborate, having just a handle to open or close it.
· East:
There is a wooden door on the eastern side of the large chamber.
·
Up: In
the northwestern corner of the large chamber, a balcony can be spied
about 100’ up the wall. A large cut glass sphere of purplish hue pulses
a dark light from out of a window next to the balcony. As soon as they
enter the hallway and every hour after that, PCs must succeed at a Death
Save or lose 1hp.
1/30: The Scriptorium
A 20’ by 40’ wide dressed-stone
room with 10’ tall ceilings.
· General
Contents: Multiple tables and chairs. Bookshelf (see
table below). There is also a drying rack with incomplete parchment
sheets from the books on the shelf. Two magic scrolls have been
hidden as well, Darkness and Purify Food and Drink.
· North: A
10’ wide hallway leads to room 1/31. Halfway down the 20’ hallway, a
large pool of water bars the way. The floors here were carved into
descending then ascending steps 10’ deep, creating an area for water to
collect. Just before this are wall sconces on either side of the passage with carved
amphora which are hot to the touch.
· East: The
door that leads to the hallway between this room and room 1/29.
· South: A secret
door on this wall leads to the Week Two dungeon.
Books on the shelf:
Title: |
Contents: |
Ocinder’s Geography
(75gp) |
An
old and outdated account of the geography of the Western Continent. |
Tales of the Far
Planes (100 gp) |
A
travelogue by the legendary traveler Dirsmon Longenstreed detailing his time amongst
the outer planes. |
The Crypto-Auspex (125
gp) |
A
magical system for reaching out with the senses using magical lenses and
mirrors. |
The Journeys of
Gigrod Bluflint (85 gp) |
A
travel journal by a famed dwarven trader, used for centuries as a survival
manual in the deep caverns of the world. |
Gosminder’s
Subterranean Flora of the Western Continent (50 gp) |
A
more recent field guide to the flora and fauna of the local mountain range. |
The Black Art (300
gp to the right person) |
A
treatise on Necromancy and the beauty of death. |
The Red Book of
Pandemonium (100 gp) |
A
combination of a bestiary and encyclopedia on Demonkind. |
Celedriath’s Mortal
Human Anatomy (65 gp) |
The
legendary elven sage’s extensive treatise on the workings of the human body.
Invaluable to healers and torturers alike. |
The Art of Death
(275 gp) |
Another
Necromantic text including extensive notes on the undead and the magic behind
them. |
The Mechanisms of
War (150 gp) |
An
engineering manual of the late Akrakogi army detailing extensive hydraulic-powered
devices for war. |
1/31: The Inverted Ziggurat
This dressed stone room is a
40’ square with 15’ ceilings. The floor descends stepwise in a spiral, like an inverted
ziggurat. The center is full of water. Three Giant Cave Crabs
reside here. There is a two in six chance that one of them is submerged
in the watery pool between this room and room 1/30.
· North:
Secret door in the northwestern corner opens to a
10’ wide corridor that leads to room 2/2.
· South:
Brass grate (5’ by 3’) east of the hallway on the south
wall. It leads to a natural crawlspace that exits through another grate into
room 2/1.
· Central
Pool: At the bottom of the pool: Assorted
humanoid bones, 1d20 copper pieces, 2d20 gold pieces, and two amulets of orange
tigers-eye jade carved in a diamond lozenge shape. Whosoever wears an amulet
will be immune from the necrotic effect of the purple light (see
room 1/29).
2/1: The Crystal Room
This 25’ square room is
lined with a paved cobble floor. In the center of the room are four shallow
equidistant pools filled with blood. Gigantic purple human-sized crystals are
growing from each pool.
· North:
The northern wall is carved in a frieze showing
the scores of captive slaves and war booty collected after a long-forgotten
war. In the center of the frieze an amphora full of swords blade down
with their hilts pointed upwards can be seen. Anyone who grabs a hilt
cuts themselves on a hidden barb, losing 1 hp. The blood from this wound
will magically trigger the concealed door in this wall to
open.
· South:
There is a brass grate (5’ by 3’) on the south wall. It leads to a natural
crawlspace that exits through another grate into room 1/31.
· West:
There is a secret door to a hidden closet. Inside can be found a set of ritual
copper hand tools, their striking edges and blades dipped in gold (15 gp)
and a ceramic jar full of blood with a polished obsidian sphere inside
it.
· The
Crystals: These crystals glow with a faint magical
radiance. The crystals radiate a malevolent energy that enhances the
necrotic effect already at work in the dungeon (room 1/29). Players who
stay in this for more than a turn must succeed at a Death Save
every turn or lose 1 hp.
2/2: The Training Room
This is a natural cavern.
The main chamber is 20’ long by 30’ wide with a 25’ long L-bend. The ceiling
varies from 10’ to 20’ high due to stalactites. Two fighting dummies are fixed
to the floor and a rusted weapons rack holds a few poor-quality swords and
spears.
·
Western Bend: There
is a spiral stone staircase leading up here and a large wooden door that separates
the training room from a hallway to room 1/31.
·
South: The other side of the
concealed door in room 2/1 opens into this room. In the southeastern corner, water drips from
above into a small puddle.
2/3: The Apparatus Room
The spiral staircase climbs
100’ until it enters a 40’ long hallway with three green-painted archways. The
eastern side bends south, ending at an iron-banded wooden door. The door is barred
on the other side. Room 2/3 is a rectangle of well-hewn stone 50’ long
by 40’ wide. The southeastern corner of the room is open to room 1/29
below. A balcony with wrought iron railings juts out into the open air of room
1/29. The balcony is surrounded by stone pillars that rise 30’ to the ceiling. The
Hierophant and five Melted Cultists can be found here most times,
working on the machinery. North: In the northwest corner, a magic circle
has been consecrated. It faces a small slab altar, and behind that sits
a human-sized quartz statue of the snake-god of chaos and darkness, Aboses. A
blood-covered stone table sits east of that. A large metal rail has been
fixed to the floor and wound with copper wire on the northeastern side of the
room. It radiates a magical field that slows anyone’s
movement in the northern half of the room (cutting all movement in half).
·
South: An observation
balcony thrusts out into room 1/29 here, ringed by supporting basalt
pillars. There is a collection of large mechanical and chemical apparati on
this side of the room.
·
West: A smaller quartz
statue of Aboses can be found between the odd equipment.
·
The Apparatus: The
majority of the mechanisms in this room are connected together to power the Necrotic
Radiator that is hanging out of the window into room 1/29. The
Radiator is being powered by a combination of necrotic magic and hydraulic
power. If the mechanism are properly disrupted, it will shut off
the damaging magic that pervades this level of the dungeon. A large
control panel with three large switches can be used to shut down both the
Necrotic Radiator and the device-slowing movement.
Garaxeses, Hierophant of the Temple of the
Malevolent Eye
AC 8 [11], HD 6** (27hp), Att 1 x
dagger (1d4) or 1 x Chill Touch (1d4 and lose 1 STR)
THAC0 14 [+5], MV 120’ (40’),
SV D8 W9 P10 B10 S12 (7),
ML 9, AL Chaos, XP 500, NA
1 (0), TT T
·
Spells Prepared: Cause Fear x 2, Hold
Person x 2, Curse, Cure Serious Wounds
·
Ring of Feather Fall: Once a day the wearer of the ring may invoke its
magic. The ring slows the wearer’s fall for 1d6 rounds, allowing them to
safely float down from of heights of 10’ or more without taking damage. The
wearer falls at half their Encounter Speed for the duration of the effect.
·
Bracelet of Chill Touch: Once
per level (or monster HD) per day, after a successful attack, the wearer deals
1d4 damage and drains 1 STR from their target (-1 to attack per point of STR
lost).
·
Garaxeses is the hierophant of an Aboses cult.
He has dedicated himself to Aboses, the snake god of death and darkness. Garaxeses
desires to fully restore the Necrotic Radiator and use its power to siphon the
life energy of the entire dungeon into a crystal chamber on level 4. He believes
he can use the devices left over after Oxyus’s fall to bring his god to this
plane of existence. His cult remains ignorant of this larger goal. They believe
that the Radiator and its negative long-term effects are blessings of Aboses
granted to them by the Hierophant. The necrotic energies have warped their
flesh and deranged their minds. They are now his zealous servants.
Melted Cultists
AC 8 [11], HD 1 (5hp), Att 1 x sacrificial
dagger (1d4), or special attack,
THAC0 19 [0], MV 50’ (25’),
SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S15 (1),
ML 8, AL Chaotic, XP 15, NA
2d6 (1d6), TT R
·
Special Attack: Each
Cultist has a randomly assigned mutation (roll1d4). 1) Spit acid in a straight
line 10’ long (1d6). 2) Horrible, melted calluses cover their body (+2 to AC).
3) Extra fingers and a third arm allow the cultist to grapple a foe on a
successful attack. 4) A wretched smell (unable to cast or concentrate on spells
within 10’ of this Cultist).
· The
Cultists appear melted and warped by some unknown magics. On closer inspection,
the cultist’s skin is almost reptilian in its appearance. Each carries a carved jade amulet in the
shape of a blazing goat’s eye (30gp) and wields a sacrificial copper dagger.
2/4 The Reservoir Cave
A 105’ long cave, no more
than 25’ across at its widest point with a 25’ tall stalactite-covered ceiling.
There are piles of waste throughout the cave-- mostly feces, food waste, and
broken pottery. Patches of Yellow Mold can also be spotted on the cave
wall.
· North: 10’
high heaps of garbage and human waste pushed against the walls.
· South: The
end of the cave is a natural reservoir for rainwater. Three recently-built stone
pillars support the cave roof.
· Under
the Water: There is a tunnel under the waterline in the
eastern wall that leads to a large vertical water-filled chamber. The chamber
is 125’ deep. At the bottom, a chest filled with 1,000 gold coins can be
found.