May: Week One

 Spring is in full bloom here and with it comes warnings of new danger! With the onset of May, we now enter level four of the Crucible of Oxyus. This level has many secrets to reveal, and many dangers too. In the rooms detailed below crafty adventurers will strive to explore chambers filled with arcane danger, disturbing secrets, resplendent natural beauty, and deadly obstacles galore. What rewards await those who dare to challenge the darkness? Read on to find out!   

Week One:

5/1: The Levitating Platform

This square chamber is 45’ long by 45’ wide with 50’ tall ceilings. There is a 15’ diameter shaft in the ceiling that extends 100 feet up to an identical chamber above. In the center of the room is a large metal disk made of concentric circles of iron, steel, bronze, and brass. The disk is slightly convex on the bottom, tilting the disk to one side. Next to the disk is a waist-high metal box with a number of gem-like protrusions, buttons, and switches. The side of the box not facing the disk has had a metal panel removed. There are two green glass tubes with metal prongs sticking out of one side that have been fixed inside the metal box by copper cradles. Although there are two tubes present, there is space enough for three more. The air here smells of metal and wet earth, and to the west a distinctly musical sound can be heard echoing in the distance.

• North: The door on this wall has been covered in a mosaic depicting a beautiful sunset…or is it a sunrise? Beyond the door a cut stone hallway heads further into the dungeon. 
• South: The door on the southern wall is made of rusted iron. Its hinges are rusty and require a successful Open Doors check to wrench open. This creates a good deal of noise. There is a 2-in-6 chance that this will trigger a random encounter as some curious creature wanders over to investigate. Above the door frame is a ceramic plaque of a bright flame.
• West: There is a metal-banded wooden door on the western wall. It looks like it had been hacked at by a weapon at some point. The occasional musical note, almost like drips or plucks, echo through the door.
• The Levitation Station: The disk is actually a levitating platform that allows easy access between the first four floors of the Crucible. The entire apparatus will remain offline until the three missing glass tubes can be located and placed back in their copper holders inside the control box. All three tubes are located on this level. Once the tubes have been replaced the disk will levitate slightly, waiting to be commanded to another floor. The panels on each level can be used to call the disk and send it to a desired level, it takes ten minutes for the disk to travel from one floor to another. Without any instructions the disk will remain at its last assigned floor.

5/2: The Pyramid of Flame

The 35’ by 25’ dressed marble room has 25’ tall ceilings held up by four gigantic, burned pillars shaped into crouching tiger-headed humanoids with backwards hands (their palms face out when they should face in). In the center of the chamber between the pillars is an invisible force-field shaped like a pyramid. Within the pyramidal force-field a bright fire rages. The fire roils and burns endlessly without creating smoke, and it seems that at any moment it could break free of its confines and erupt into the room. The silence here is deafening.

• North: The door to this room is constructed of carved ebony with an exquisite brass lock. The carvings on the door depict cat-headed people with backwards hands bringing captives of many nations before a large bonfire to burn as sacrifices. The bonfire is the largest carving on the door and is depicted with cat-like eyes and a mouth of sharp teeth. The door is locked with an elaborate lock.
• The Pyramid of Flame: Within the force-field, the soul of Shhragggaaash the Fire Elemental dwells. Millenia ago, Shhragggaaash was bound to this plane by the evil tiger-headed humanoids depicted on the pillars. Though they were worshipped and sacrificed to, once the tiger-headed people were gone Shhragggaaash was trapped here without sustenance or release. The ensuing eons have done nothing but drive the poor elemental mad. If freed, he will try to annihilate himself in a blaze of anger and wrath (taking out as many others as he can get his hands on).

5/3: A Dead End

This room is 25’ long by 20’ wide with 15’ tall ceilings. There are reservoirs for oil lamps set about a meter apart around the room. In one dark corner rests a small green glass tube identical to the ones in the machine in room 5/1. The doorway is blocked by a metal grate that has been installed across the entrance to the room beyond.

 5/4: The Curtained Gallery

Down a wide central corridor is a large room with a mildewed green velvet curtain hanging down, dividing the room in two. The corridor is 15’ wide with 25’ tall ceilings. The curtained room is roughly 35’ wide and extends over 60’, although the curtain only reveals the first 35’. Just past the curtain, the dressed stone of the room abruptly stops and the rest of the room continues as a natural cavern.

• North: On the northern side of the corridor are a set of unlocked double doors made of heavy brass. There is also a wooden door behind the curtain on the northern end of the chamber which is locked. (The pearl-handled key from level two can lock or unlock this door.)
• West: The end of the natural chamber narrows to a five-foot-wide passage with a 5’ tall ceiling before proceeding further into the mountain on the room’s western side. The scent of rancid lamp oil can be detected wafting from that direction.
• The Altar: Beyond the curtain to the southwest is a large, pulsating mass of living flesh being used as an altar. Atop it are a platinum circlet (worth 1,000 gp) and a ritual scourge, its myriad claws still burnished with ancient blood. Any caster who makes a small sacrifice upon the altar and uses the scourge (1d4 damage) will have their spells restored. Clerics and Paladins of a Lawful deity must save versus spells or lose all remaining spells for the day, having displeased their god for worshiping at an altar of Chaos. (This will only work once per day per character.)

5/5: The Display Room

This rectangular room is 30’ long by 20’ wide with 15’ tall ceilings. The room is constructed out of a green and red marble with small reservoirs carved into the walls every meter. These small shell-shaped reservoirs are linked by a channel containing old lamp oil that runs along the wall. This feature allows lit wicks to be placed in the reservoirs to continuously keep the chamber lit. On the northern wall are three glass display cases filled with all number of small figurines, jewelry, and other bric-a-brac.

• South: Two large double doors made of heavy brass allow entrance into this room from the large corridor to the south. The doors are each carved with scenes of ancient tiger-headed humanoids with backwards hands wielding scimitars and spitting fireballs. Both doors depicts similar scenes of slaughter against elves, dwarves, and what look like mantis-people too.
• East: On the eastern wall is a rather corroded metal door. It is pitted and scratched, and the reservoir next to it is loose. There is also a small, dark glass plate above the lintel. (This door is trapped. To open safely, the shell reservoir next to the door must be pushed down. If instead the regular latch is used to open it, the glass plate above the door will slide open and a corrosive acid will spill out. (1d8 damage and the acid has a 3-in-6 chance of destroying a character’s clothes and armor by eating away at the leather straps and closures.)
• The Cases: There are many different objects in the case. After at least ten minutes of searching characters will discover seven porcelain figurines of ancient elven warriors (each worth 50 gp), 500 gp worth of various small gold rings and necklaces, a gold and silver amulet with the evil eye set into it in lapis lazuli (grants the wearer +1 to Spell Saves), three different holy symbols for gods who are no longer worshipped, a copper athame (dagger +1 against spellcasters), a seashell etched with magic runes (a scroll of Fireball), and a Resting Stone (a special quartz crystal that grants anybody who sleeps within 10’ of it wonderful dreams of contentment and joy).

5/6: The Cave of Music

This limestone chamber is roughly 90’ long and varies from five to 30 feet in width. The ceiling is studded with stalactites. Two are so long that they reach the floor, creating a set of natural pillars. The limestone in the chamber is carpeted with small crystals that reflect torchlight like a thousand stars. From the northwestern end comes the musical plonk of water droplets as they drip from the ceiling into a set of rock pools before they eventually spill over, allowing the collected water to carry on further down the tunnels. The water makes a soothing symphony of sounds that echo throughout the chamber. In the center of the room are the scattered, dark, green-tinted bones of humanoids. Along the edge of the chamber a mining pick, its haft broken in twain, can also be found.

• East: There are two natural tunnelways that enter the cavern from the east. The northeastern passage leads to the metal-banded wooden door to room 5/1. The southeastern corridor curves south, leading to the door to room 5/5. In the southeastern corridor, a secret door is also hidden. This door is made to appear as a natural part of the cave wall. Careful inspections of the cave floor will reveal tracks in the dirt coming from out of the wall where the secret door is hidden. There is a loose stone in the wall at floor level just next to the door. When this stone is depressed, the door will open and reveal a secret staircase that leads all the way up to level two and down another level to level five.
• West: There are two natural tunnels that allow access to the chamber from the west. The northwestern tunnel contains a small stream from the rock pools that runs along the side of it as it turns north and continues into the earth. The southwest end of the room is separated from room 5/7 by one of the natural pillars. Characters will have to squeeze past to enter chamber 5/7 from this direction.

5/7: The Locust Nest

This natural limestone cavern is roughly 35’ by 20’ feet with low 10’ tall ceilings. There is a noxious odor that becomes immediately evident to anyone who enters this chamber. It smells of animal musk and putrid air. Besides the smell, explorers will also quickly become aware of the buzzing sound of many insects. The cavern walls here are studded with foot and a half wide holes. Within many of these holes are Cave Locusts.

• East: The eastern end of the cavern narrows into a tunnel roughly 5’ wide and 8’ tall that bifurcates after about ten feet. One tunnel leads south to the locked door to room 5/4. The other tunnel continues east until it leads to the partially blocked passage to room 5/6.
• West: The room narrows back down to a tunnel on this end. It reduces to only 5’ wide and 5’ tall, making combat within the confines of the tunnel tricky.
• The Locusts: The Cave Locusts are resting when first approached. If characters within the room refrain from loud noises or overly bothersome poking and prodding of the locusts, then the creatures will continue to slumber. If such cautions are not taken, the Locusts will awaken and begin to attack any whom they find in their nesting chamber. There are 2d8 locusts resting here.  A search of the cavern will reveal a skeleton key (works on any door on this floor that doesn’t require a special key) and an amber amulet carved in the repeating geometric style of the dwarves (worth 100 gp).

*A quick housekeeping note. I have gone back and updated my previous Dungeon 23 posts so that they are all searchable by month, not just week number.