Tunnels of Carown Part VIII

After the room with the mosaics and sconces the tunnels branch off into three directions.  The one straight ahead dead ends soon after, a rock slide blocking the way.  There are a few damaged mosaics on the walls, but nothing else.  The tunnel to the left goes for a good three hundred feet and opens up into a room that looks like a barracks roughly hewn from the stone walls.  In places it looks more like a tomb, because the "bunks" are cut into the stone walls.  And on a few "bunks" lay men in armor, some appear to be sleeping peacefully, but others look as if they died painfully.  There are remnants of tables and chairs, rusty armor and swords, but no source of light and nothing living.  There are, however, walking dead. 

When the party enters the room six of the eight dead stand up from their "bunks" and attack the party.  Level them appropriately, but most have a sword and a shield.  One has a pole arm.

The third tunnel from the mosaic room continues on to the right.

Tunnels of Carown Part VII

The tunnel continues on until if opens up into a small room that has been carved out of the tunnel.  Three more tunnels branch off from this small room of about thirty by thirty feet, all of the tunnels go down, the one straight across the steepest.  The room has old mosaics of monsters and knights with sconces that are empty on the walls.  The floor is smooth, but nothing else seems to be in this room.

There is a falling ceiling trap if the center tile is stepped on, but other then that, the room is empty.  The mosaics are of monsters usually found underground and were put there by an order of Knights who fought to keep the monsters of the depths at bay.

Tunnels of Carown Part VI

After the bat cavern, is a long stretch of winding tunnel. The walls in this area are smooth in spots and rough in others.  The height varies from further then a person can reach up and touch to a low height that some humans would have to stoop.  There are some bats in here, but not many.  It winds back and forth, always going downward.  Water flows here and there, moss growing randomly along the walls and floor. The only tricky part is a few pit traps that may or may not actually work.  (25% fail rate of the traps.)  These are 30 foot pits and of the three only one has spikes at the bottom.  The DC on these should be moderate for the first, easy for the second two.

Tunnels of Carown Part V

The center tunnel winds for a good quarter of a mile, the width varying from one person to three people across.  The first wide area is a cavern filled with stalactites and stalagmites, water dripping somewhere in the background.  There is no natural light in this room and the east side of the room continues on down the tunnel.  There is a lot of feces on the ground, though it's so dark it's hard to tell if it's dirt or feces, along with small bones.  Bats fly in and out of this room, their small screeches filling the air if disturbed.  The surprise in this room is a flock of giant bats.

 You should be able to scale these to fit what ever level characters you have.  Either pump up hit points, numbers, or both.  For lower levels keep the numbers low.  There is no treasure in this room, unless they find the dead adventurer in the far corner, who is covered in moss and feces.  Most of his stuff is ruined, but there is a half decomposed map of part of the cavern.  You can throw any treasure in here, if you wish.

Tunnels of Carown Part IV

The center tunnel goes into the mountain for quite a ways, winding it's way deeper and deeper into the earth and rock.  There are many caverns, waterways and small tunnels that shoot off from this main tunnel, along with many death traps and creatures to bar the way.  This tunnel goes from the main opening almost all the way to the base of the mountain.  This tunnel system could take years to explore and could cause a person all sorts of harm.  Over the next few days I'll hit the highlights of this tunnel and the creatures and perils that can be found within.

Tunnels of Carown Part III

The right tunnel, which slopes upward, does not go that deep into the mountain.  It goes about a hundred feet before turning sharply to the left, then spirals upward until it reaches a large cave about a hundred feed across.  In the cave are giant crystals that reflect the light from a small opening in the mountain.  It sparkles brightly, lighting the tunnel beyond for a good twenty feet, even though the tunnel curves.  A dark druid lives here with his bats and giant spiders.  He was corrupted by a demon when he tried to save the creatures of the surrounding forest.  Though he killed the demon he was tainted by its dark magic and now seeks to destroy everything besides his forest creatures.  The bones of past adventurers and explorers litter the grounds, so there may be some good treasure.  Also, the crystals would be good components for magical items.  The players just have to defeat the dark druid.

I would suggest what ever level is comparable to your characters, but one higher.  Treasure is up to the GM.  Since it's so close to the surface, the adventurers may just find adventure gear and very little "treasure".

Tunnels of Carown Part II

The Tunnels of Carown are extensive, thus why no one has ever come back out alive if they have gone in even a little bit.  It branches about ten feet in, continuing on straight ahead, slightly to the left and slightly to the right, each of the three sloping away from each other, the left and center going down, the right going up at slight angles.  There is no natural lighting, and there are crude hieroglyphics on the walls as soon as a person gets away from the mouth of the tunnel.  The sounds of bats, dripping water, and the patter of little rocks falling from the roof can be heard.  The walls are jagged and undeveloped.  The roof is tall in some places and makes people crawl in others.

Tomorrow: The right tunnel.

Tunnels of Carown

The Tunnels of Carown, east of Merryweather, have always been a source of thousands of brave tales, but little real knowledge.  Some say it is the home of a witch.  Others say ghosts of failed heroes haunt the tunnels.  What ever the case, no one has ever come back to tell a tale to clear up the mystery.  Blunder Carown, (his real name was lost to history), found the tunnels and tried to explore them for further use, but never came back out alive, nor did anyone in his party.  So many people have gone in and never come back out there is probably a lot of treasure lying in the tunnels tucked deep into the mountain side.

Tomorrow: a small lay out of the tunnels.

Hex the Stable Boy

Hex, who really isn't a boy anymore, has been a stable "boy" for almost two decades.  He started when he was ten and tried to steal a bit of oats because he was so hungry.  The stable master took pity on him and offered him shelter and a job instead of a hand chopped off.  Since that moment, Hex has been a loyal servant.  He cleans the stables, cares for the horses and chops the wood for the stove for the men who watch the stables.  He has a small cubicle he shares with two other stable boys in the Dark Dragon inn, a major inn in the city of Cole.  He also helps his master, who is aging and going blind, train horses.  Many people from all around come to have his master train their horses and so Hex enjoys seeing so many types of horses.

Hex is average height, a little underweight, but very strong.  He's a bright lad, his master teaching him to read and do his figures so he could help with the business.  He is so happy with what his master did for him so long ago, he has yet to realize his master means for him to take over the horse training business.  He just enjoys helping his master every day.

Hex hears lots of rumors and knows who has what type of horse.  And he loves to talk to anyone he thinks is friendly.

Wand of Finding

This wand was made by an apprentice for his master mage.  The mage was so forgetful and misplaced so many things, that once the apprentice became a master mage of his own he created this Wand of Finding.  Though simply a finding spell in a wand, it can be very helpful.  The wand must be attuned to the person who is using it for at least a week and then when a person asks, "where is such and such", the wand will point in the direction the item is.  It will glow brighter the closer it gets to the item and will keep tracking that item until the person finds it.  A wand can only find a dozen items a day that belong to the user before it has to rest for a day.  The apprentice made a good two dozen for his master, since he was so bad about losing things.

Women's Apartments of Manor Bloodhelm

The women's apartments in the Bloodhelm manor are spacious.  There are four bedrooms, a greeting room, a sewing room, and a private bath.  The lady of the house has a single bedroom to herself, while the ladies in waiting share one and the remaining two rooms are designated for any adult daughters of Bloodhelm.  The greeting room is full of chairs, small tables and beautiful rugs and tapestries.  There are small shelves with books, though few of are of any consequence.  The sewing room has several spinning wheels, a large loom, and shelves and shelves of embroidery materials, needles and fine fabrics.  Many of the instruments in this room, such as scissors and hoops are worth more then a peasant makes in a year.  The private bath has a large, brass tub with dragon clawed feet, a private fire place to warm water and an elevator to haul water up with more easily.  Only the ladies of the House are allowed here, though male visitors have been known to appear now and again.

April, Lady in Waiting

April is one of the Ladies in Waiting for the Lady of House Bloodhelm.  She is the oldest of the ladies, almost forty, and has been with the Lady of House Bloodhelm since her marriage to the Lord of Bloodhelm.  She is happy with her life, not upset that she never married, and her father is happy for the connection without having to pay a dowry.  April knows all the Lady's secrets, but keeps them all to herself.  She knows talking about them could get her killed, but at the same time it gives her security.  She is very handy with needle work and has a voice of an angel, despite her age.  She goes with her lady where ever she goes, unlike the other ladies in waiting.  Only the Lord's chamber is barred to her.

April is greying around the edges, but her dark brown hair is still vibrant. She a little set with age, but still pretty lithe.  Her features are plain, but nice to look upon.  She wears almost as fancy clothes as her lady, and always gets first choice amongst the ladies in waiting.

Ring of Invisibility

Though no one knows for sure how many of these rings were made, the original maker, one Carl Swift, was a man who needed to get to places he shouldn't be.  He wasn't a thief, but a mage on a mission, trying to sneak into noble women's bedrooms.  He researched the ability to be unseen and had to look long and hard for the right ingredients to make it possible.  After he got too old to pursue his "hobby" he began to sell the rings discretely.  And when he was on his death bed he gave the ring recipe to his favorite apprentice.  Now these rings are everywhere, but still guarded and very expensive.  The ring allows a person to be unseen, but not unheard, for a period of ten minutes per day.  After twenty four hours the ability returns.  Foot prints are still left, voices can still be heard, and things touched by the person still move, so a person wearing the ring can be "seen" if not careful.

The Sidestep Inn

Situated between Landshire and Karoon in the village of Dust, this small and simple inn is just what a weary traveler needs on the long trek between Landshire and Karoon.  The building is two stories with five inn rooms upstairs, a warm, cozy dinning room and a large bath room to soak in.  The stables are large enough for a dozen horses and one wagon.  The people are friendly, the food fresh during the summer and at least good to eat during the winter, and the place inviting after a long day on the road.  Prices are reasonable for this adobe built building, but still a little more expensive then a normal inn, (add about 5% more then a normal inn).  General gear can be purchased here, but the selection is a little limited.  Maps of the area are also available either for purchase or to pay to copy.

Though simple looking, this inn also harbors a secret.  The Black Wizards of Shaniko have a spy here, since it so heavily traveled.  Though your players may think they are safe to talk about certain things out in the open since it's such a friendly inn, one of the staff, a tavern wench named Wendy, reports to a nearby Wizard for money.  Beware what is said in ear shot of the staff.