Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXIII

Darkstone is shrouded in mystery.  He appeared in the small village, named Cave, about fifty years ago, bedraggled, beaten and close to death.  The only thing which saved him was the fact he carried a small fortune in gems and weapons with him.  The healer at the time didn't take all his things, (just a few choice gems), and healed him up.  He limps a bit on his left leg, but his swordsmanship is unsurpassed.  Most believe he is a Blademaster on the run, (and rightfully so), and don't like to test his abilities. 

It took him time to show his leadership abilities. For nearly a year he just worked at retrieving medicinal herbs for Shay, the healer, and watching the workings of the small village.  At the time it was disorganized.  Who ever was the biggest and boldest ruled and took what they wanted of everyone else's.  One day Darkstone went up to the last self made leader and challenged him to a duel.  At the time, no one had seen Darkstone fight, but many liked him for he helped them out, pointed them in the right direction for certain things or gave them sound advice.  The leader in charge was a bully and a thief and when Darkstone ran him through in the first stroke of the duel, those of Cave were ready to follow him.

Darkstone has arranged the patrols, the raids, and the mushroom farming.  He also arranged trade with those denizens who live farther into the caves.  He is protective of his small village and doesn't want to see anyone harmed.

Darkstone appears human, but he looks all of about twenty, so many believe he is a half-elf, if not a full elf, who, for some reason, does not have pointy ears.  He stands a little shorter then a normal human, male, and has a thick head of chestnut hair.  He dresses like a noble, but is not afraid to get himself dirty helping around his village.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXII

This small village in the middle of a cave system has an interesting history.  Originally, the village's cavern was used by rogue elves to come to the surface and hunt and gather for a few weeks then return to their haunts underground.  When the village of Small Creek came in, the camp fell into disuse because the rogue elves didn't want to deal with the humans.  When the Wizard came and made his stronghold, the rogue elves approached him and began trade.  But when the Wizard fell to House Merryweather, all sorts started using the camp again, though using other surface to cavern tunnels then the one used by the Wizard.  Now all sorts live and work here, mining in nearby caverns and tunnels, farming mushrooms for trade along with the ore.  The community is fairly well run and cohesive, though these people are still a bunch of rogues who just happen to have a common goal.  They are bound together by the leader of this small village named Darkstone.

Tomorrow: Darkstone

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XXI

This small town/village is fairly large for underground, (as is the cavern).  There are three large buildings and about two dozen smaller buildings.  The smaller building looks as if they are houses, maybe two rooms with a loft.  (It's hard to tell from the ledge).  One of the large buildings looks to be a shop, for people who seem to be leaving with goods when they hadn't any going in.  This building is close to one of the exits on the opposite side of the cavern from the ledge.  Another of the three large buildings is in the center of the town and perhaps is a meeting hall, for few seem to be going in or out of it at the moment.  And the last larger building looks to be a tavern, and is situated near the "meeting hall".

The ledge the party is on does lead down to the city, which is well lit with the magical crystals.  The town is bustling, as are the small mushroom fields on the edges of the cavern.

The longer the party sits and stares at the town the more likely they will be noticed.  (10% chance each "round", that they will be noticed.)

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XX

After taking out the Drow/rogue elves, the party can move on down the tunnel, which continues to slope downward.  There is still no natural lighting.  After about twenty or thirty minutes the tunnel does get subtly lighter until it's almost like sitting in a room with lamp light.  As they round a corner they will see a large cavern below them as they come out of the tunnel and are on a ledge.  The ledge continues down into the cavern, running downward to the right of where they come out of the tunnel.

The sight below is interesting.  There are dozens of buildings below, a small pond in the middle, the sounds of many echoing up from below.  There many tunnels out of the cavern, with terraced mushroom farms on the sides of the cavern.  There doesn't seem to be any patrols, but all the people that are seen below appeared to be obviously armed.  There is a mix of races below, with none really dominate, of humans, elves and dwarves.  Lighting seems to be produced my crystals in the ceiling of the very tall cavern.  The party can assume they are magical.

Tomorrow: A rough map of the cavern.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XIX

The tunnel that continues on winds downward for quite some time, with small rock falls, dripping water and moss, but no natural light.  After a small bit of time traversing the tunnel, (since the stables), the party will hear small noises, (if they make a perception check of 25), such as foot scuffling, pebbles tumbling, a cough, something along those lines.   Up ahead is a small patrol of drow/rogue elves.  Make the level appropriate to the party level and add as many in this patrol as you feel necessary.

Small things to remember:
1) No natural light, so who ever has the light source may be a great target.
2) The hallway, at best, is 10 feet across with the ceiling being only 10 to 12 feet high.   This will effect combat.
3)  At best, two people can be up front.

Tomorrow, the small village under the ground.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XVIII

The south eastern tunnel winds back and forth for quite sometime.  The width varies, but for the most part its between five and ten feet wide.  There are no traps.  Small caverns appear here and there, but none are bigger then a person height deep.  Eventually the tunnel splits, one into a large cavern and one just continues on.

The cavern is about as large as an inn and stables.  There is stone work around the opening and inside.  Noise of shuffling can be heard inside.  There is a light source inside, but it is a ways from the opening.

Inside there are riding lizards being taken care of by undead.  These undead are smarter then the regular zombie, more like a ghoul, but not needing to eat brains.  They will attack anyone who enters and doesn't give them the correct key phrase.  Level ghouls for the party.

There is writing carved into the stones around the doorway.  This was supposed to be a stables, eventually, for the wizard, (who claims to be the ruler of the world).  The stalls are set up more for horses then riding lizards, but clearly the wizard meant to have a large stable full of mounts.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XVII

After the spiders are taken care of, the party can move down the tunnel for another hundred feet or so before it branches in a north branch and a southeast branch.  Today we'll talk about the north branch.  This winds north for a good fifty feet and opens up into a cavern.  It looks as if, at one time, there was a small pond in the middle of the cavern, but has long since dried up.  There are stalactites and stalagmites through out the room, making it hard to see across the cavern from edge to edge.  The roof is about twenty feet in the air, and with regular light sources a person can not see all across the cavern.

A DC of 25 will allow a person to notice light at the far side of the cavern.  (+5 if they are not standing in their own light circle.)  On the far side of the cavern is an outpost of Drow, (or the equivalent in your campaign), who need to make perception checks to make sure they are not surprised by the party.  In my world I don't have Drow, so these would be rogue elves who do not adhere to rules of society, but I know a lot of people prefer Drow as bad guys.  Make the Drow party a challenge for your party.  I would give them levels and make sure their numbers are a good challenge.

There is the standard treasure, there is a map of the tunnels with cryptic marks on the map, (they mark where the "Drow" camps are), and a note that states they are to wait for reinforcements to attack the nearby House and capture one of the royal family.  There is also camp supplies that can be plundered.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XVI

The tunnel beyond is hand hewn for a good six hundred feet before returning to a natural tunnel of around ten feet wide, though it varies in width.  Where the worked stone ends there are picks, shovels and mortar buckets left in what looks like mid-use.  The wooden handles are dry and cracking, the mortar is solid, the wooden bucket falling apart around it.  There is no natural light and no light stones so torches or magic spells will have to be used to see anything.  Not too far into the natural tunnel spider webs start to become thick and eventually giant spiders appear in the tunnel.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XV

The door to the east side of the ballroom leads into a small hallway, with three doors.  One of the doors leads to the east, one to the north and one to the south.  The door to the north leads into a bath room, with a huge bath tub with brass feet, but cracked in several places.  There is a small bit of rubble in the north east corner of the room, but the stone room looks mostly intact.  There are rotten towels on a broken, wooden set of shelves on the south wall near the door, and there is a small fire place on the east wall.  It looks as if charcoal was used in the fire place and a small chimney reaches for the sky beyond the dungeon.

The door to the south leads to a small office.  The place is wrecked, the south wall seems to be smashed in.  The furniture is broken a part, not fallen apart from years of neglect.

There is nothing of value in these two rooms.

The door way on the east end of the small hallway takes a bit to open.  (Part of the wooden frame is in the door's way because the stone above it has broken away.)  After some time the door will open and beyond lays a natural tunnel.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XIV

The east wall rooms are completely carved out of the stone of the mountain side.  Neither have doors and inside are two obvious library rooms.  The bookcases, made of fine oak, are in pristine condition as our the books that line them.  A desk sits in the north room, which is also in pristine condition, along with chairs and a table.  In fact, even the ink upon on the desk is as fresh as if the vial was just set upon the desk.  This pair of rooms has a stasis spell upon them.  Everything is exactly how the wizard left his stronghold when he was fleeing the House Knights.

The surprise of this room are the skeletal knights which are summoned when someone walks through the door without the "key: tuned to this room.  Since the "key" to this room left with the wizard. There is another key for other locks in the house in the cloak wardrobe in a chest if the party looks. The skeletal knights should be appropriate level for the party, so you may have to tweak the three that are summoned.

The skeletons have no treasure, but there are a lot of books in these rooms that can be hauled off. There are three spellbooks scattered around the rooms on the shelves.  DC 30 to find each one.  Spells in these books are up to the GM, though at least 50% should be necromancy.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XIII

The second room on the south wall is sad.  Not only is it in sad shape, but the scene within is something to stop the heart.  The room is full of rotten blankets, tapestries and drapes. Rotten pillows litter the room and three light stones still illuminate the dreadful scene.  Amongst the ruin are thirteen humanoid skeletons, all chained by a long, thick chain to the wall.  The skeletons all appear to be women, but it is hard to tell for sure.  As the door is opened the party will see in the center of the room a translucent figure of a beautiful woman.  She will turn to the party and if the first person in is male she will attack.  If the first person in is a female, the translucent figure will ask why she is there.

Three possible things can occur.  1) If the first person in is male, and the party is sufficient level, a banshee attacks.  2) If the first person is male, and the party is low level, a ghost attacks.  3) If the first person in is female the ghost/banshee will ask to be set free so she and her sisters can finally be free of the hell they are trapped in.  She will ask the party to unshackle all the skeletons and then disappear from view.

There is no treasure in this room. (If the ghost/banshee has "treasure" make sure to place it else where in the dungeon.)

Tomorrow: the east wall rooms.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XII

The rooms on the south wall are large and palatial. Each are the same width as the other rooms but run back twice as far.  They are in perfect condition, compared to the other rooms in the "dungeon", and look as if this was where the wizard tried to sleep at night.  Both rooms are locked and trapped.  The DC on unlocking the doors is 25. The DC for finding the shock trap is 30 and 30 to disarm.  There is a key that will by pass the traps in the rooms on the east wall in a small chest hidden in a wardrobe, but the party would have had to find this first.

The first room is filled with a broken bed frame, (the mattress and blankets are, for the most part, deteriorated and bug eaten), huge brass tub, wardrobes, sculptures and a golem.  One of the sculptures is actually a golem that will activate if the door is unlocked without the key.  Make the golem appropriate for the level of the characters in your party.

There are lots of moth eaten clothes in the wardrobe, some jewels on such clothes salvageable and only worth a little bit.  In the mess of the bed frame is a small chest with some old coins worth roughly 500 gp.

Tomorrow, the second room.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part XI

The two rooms on the west wall upstairs are both bereft doors and about half their depth.  The stone walls in the back (west wall) are collapsed and rubble fills the back half of each room.  There are pebbles and broken beams in the front half of each room, along with broken desks.  Rats scurry in and out of the rubble and their bright red eyes glow in the darkness.  The room on the right has a glow stone which still works and lights up the disaster that use to be two work rooms of some sort.

If a search of these two rooms is done there are no traps, (unless the party is stupid enough to try and move the big boulders then there is a chance to be smashed beneath them), and little of value.  There is one tapestry along the east wall of the left room which is in good condition and worth about 500 gold and showing a scene of valleys and mountains.  There is also a small coffer in one of the smashed desk, with some gold and gems in it.  (The GM should decide how much he or she wants to put in.)

There are also ledgers with purchases, expenses and income, showing that the wizard was selling timber, food and gems which his undead servants were growing or harvesting.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part X

The second room on the wall with the top of the stairs has a shut, wooden door.  If a thief checks the door it is neither locked nor trapped.  There is a small chance that the party may hear noise from inside.  If the battle with the mimic went on for more then about 6 rounds then the ghouls in this room will know something is up and will not have a chance to be surprised.

This room is just as big as the first, with a semi-intact bed and wardrobe.  There is a small stash in this room, so put what you think is appropriate for this room for a treasure.  There are some books in this room and one appears to be a diary.  DC 30 search to find and actually want to take the diary.  The diary is of the wizard who took over the village and had the stronghold built.  You can stick in what ever you would like, but make sure to have the following things.  1) He is obviously sane at the beginning, but slowly goes crazy.  2) He thinks someone is out to get him.  (This does not include the Houses that want to take him out.)  And 3) He goes on about how the world owes him for forcing him to become a wizard when all he wanted to be a Knight.

This room smells horribly and there are pieces of dead everywhere.  If a character is squeamish this would be a good time to point out things like that.

These ghouls will not disappear when they are killed and act just like normal ghouls.  Treasure is appropriate for 1d6 ghouls.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part IX

The first room right next to the top of the stairs has a broken wooden door.  If a thief notices or checks there was a strong lock on the door, but it is busted as well.  The inside of the room is 15' x 20' and is piled with wood debris from broken furniture such as a bed, wardrobe and book shelves.  In one corner is a chest, one would store blankets in, and in the other is the remains of a wardrobe.

In the wardrobe there is rotten clothes.  If a search is done there is a small coffer inside with some necklaces and gems of various values, (up to the GM on values).

The chest is actually a mimic.  Mimics have a +20 to disguise checks, so the Players need to roll against such DCs.

There are no secret doors or other ways out.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part VIII

The stairs up from the ball room on the north room are wooden and rotting.  They are stable in some places but going up the stairs is tricky business.  A DC check against acrobatics or climbing of 20 for each step will keep any steps from breaking under a person or having the person note that the stair is too rotten to step on.  Fall damage is normal, no additional damage for any falls.  The highest spot, (the top of the stairs), is only 20 feet high.

Up above, the floor circling the ball room is in fairly good condition.  If you feel obnoxious have the players roll a perception check ever thirty feet or so to see if the spot any weak spots, but don't over do it, since the second floor is in pretty good condition and supported by stone supports.

There are eight rooms up on the second floor, two on each side.

Tomorrow: Room 1

Dungeon at Small Creek Part VII

The east doorway leads to a large, two story room, probably used as a ball and or feast room.  The tapestries and curtains around the room are torn, molding, moth eaten and falling from their rods.  The small niches for statues harbor some statues, but most are broken.  (A perception check of DC 25 reveals that the human shaped statues are all of one man.)  The floor is a hard wood overlay, broken in many places, as if something huge walked across the surface and left huge foot prints.  Tables and chairs are strewn about the room and when anyone enters magical light stones spring to life, lighting the room adequately, but there are still shadows.  There is a door to the east side of the room and stairs on the northern wall that leads to the balconies above as well as the room above.

When the party enters the room, a large shadow comes to life in the north west corner and unfolds into a large skeleton holding a two handed sword, bits of armor and clothing still attached.  This is a skeletal champion.  The CR is 2 normally, but scale this to fit your party. It should be at least 1 level higher then the party, if not 2 or 3.  On the skeleton is a magical 2-handed sword, a necklace of protection, (appropriate level for your campaign and make sure to add that into the skeleton's armor), and a small pouch of gems.

On top of being Skeletal Champion, if your party is fairly high level, have it able to summon a swarm of smaller skeletons.  Adjust accordingly.

There are no more creatures in this room.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part VI

The southern door leads into a small coat room.  There is a door in the far end of the coat room that leads into the kitchens.  There are broken metal hooks, broken chests and old velvet curtains that have become moth eaten and torn.  There are some old coats and cloaks, but all in a disrepair and covered in dust.  A detect magic will find a single blue cloak with simple embroidery with the aura of abjuration (protection) magic.  The cloak is a Cloak of Protection +3, (or an equivalent).  There is also a secret door that leads into a secret prison in the corner of the cloak room.  The DC to find the secret door is 30. It is not locked by difficult to find.

There are no monsters in this room, except for very large dust bunnies.

Dungeon at Small Creek V

The door to the north leads to what once was the way to the stables.  The hall is straight and goes through two sets of double doors.  The hall is plain, with just small niches for light stones or lamps.  The trap lays between the two sets of double doors.  The DC to find the trap is 25 and the disable it is also DC 25.  When someone steps on the pressure plate in the middle between the two sets of doors the doors lock and then sand begins to poor in and until it fills to almost the ceiling.  After the "fill" line is reached after 20 minutes the sand drains away, the trap resets and the doors unlock.

Past the second set of doors is what use to be the stables.  There enough room for 20 mounts and hay and grain for a good month for them.  There is a stone trough at one end that still holds drinkable water and if a detect magic is cast will show it has a conjuration spell laid upon it. Moss and mushrooms grow on around the trough.  There are skeletons of horses in some of the stalls and one human skeleton with a spear through the rib cage pinned in one of the stalls.

The party will also find a single ghost in here as well.  Two things can happen.  Either the party attacks and take care of the ghost that way, or they can talk to the ghost.  The ghost is the ghost of the stable hand pinned in the stall.  He tells a sad tale of trying to save his horses from the House war party and tried to explain he wasn't trying to help the wizard, but no one would listen to him and killed him.  The raiding party also just left the horse sealed in since they saw the horses as tainted.  This is what saddens the ghost the most, not his death.  The ghost will not attack the party first, but will wait to see what they do.

Dungeon at Small Creek Part IV

After walking into the keep/dungeon the first room was obviously meant to be a reception hall.  It is large, with three ways out on the north, west and east walls.  There are broken remains of benches, the cloth rotting.  Banners, tapestries, and paintings hang askew on the walls, while the floor looks as if there were pictures of tiles at one time. The pictures are hard to discern on the floor and the paintings and tapestries are covered in mold and dust.  Statues of wizards sit in niches, though the features are worn away.  (A perception check of about 40 would allow players to notice they are all of the same wizard in different poses.)

There are three trap pressure plates in this room.  Two, on the sides of the room trigger a patrol of zombies each (1d6+1 each trap).  These zombies have no treasure and disappear when "killed". The middle pressure plate results in a pit trap.  (Sixty feet with spikes.)  The wizard was able to turn this off and on, depending on who he was bringing in to his home and if he wanted them to die horribly.

The DC to find the trap is 20, and the DC to disarm the trap is 25.