Dungeon ‘23 - Week 10

With Week 10 under wraps I’m about a third of the way through Zone B - The Furnace. It was really tough coming up with themes for this particular level beyond “the big demon who powers the castle lives here,” but after talking to my friend NondairyGiant I was able to get things moving in a good direction. The toughest nut to crack was the fact that, originally, the workers in the Furnace were all going to be Haborym’s immortal imp servants. Since demons don’t need to eat or drink or sleep I didn’t have the normal types of rooms to fall back on. So I changed some of my initial plans and decided that the imps weren’t always the laborers on this level and at one point Haborym directed mortal servants and prisoners who, over time, kicked it.

That opened up some design space and got me two rooms with challenges that I’m pretty stoked about. It will also make plotting out Week 11’s delve into the mines a lot easier as well, so stay tuned!

B6 - The Mess Hall

• Doors are barricaded from the outside with a crude warning (“Don’t open, Cookie inside.”) burned into the wood.

• A nervous-looking imp guards the northern door. Warns PCs to stay out, but won’t stop them.

• Mentions they left the magic cauldron inside and that a Forge Knight went in to retrieve it but hasn’t returned.  Doesn’t remember how long the knight has been inside - maybe a few hours, maybe a few centuries.

• The mess hall is large, with a vaulted ceiling.

• Mini kitchen with an oven, counters, and a massive wrought iron cauldron take up the northwest corner while a bar and four massive kegs take up the northeast corner.

• A door to the pantry is near the kitchenette. The frightened forge knight (clad in lunch trays) is hiding inside.

• Door on the east wall leads to B7 - The Bunkhall.

• A terrible monster named “Cookie” calls this room its lair and will attack without provocation.

• “Cookie” is actually a former mortal cook who angered Haborym and was cursed into this frenzied shape as punishment. Haborym has no memory of this event, but will admit that it “sounds like him” if it’s brought up in his presence.

• If the curse is broken, “Cookie” will revert to his mortal form as an old human cook. Will offer his services to the PCs free of charge for one year as thanks (but also because he has no money), serving as a free retainer.

• The curse can be broken with a sufficiently powerful spell, by convincing Haborym to break it (will require a favor in return), or by killing “Cookie.”

“Cookie” - STR 14, DEX 12, WIL 6 - HP 6

Kitchen Implements x4 (4d4, take highest), Hairy Hide (1)

- An enraged, four-armed frenzied beast that attacks the nearest creature with abandon. Still wears its old hairnet and stained apron.

- Constantly howling and screaming at a deafening level. Any attempts to cast spells in its presence require a WIL save or fizzle.

- Seemingly immune to pain, makes STR saves to stay conscious with advantage.

Cookie’s Cauldron - 1 Charge - Heavy

From the outside this appears to be a simple cast-iron cauldron with a bit of rust. However, the interior is lined with ancient, barely legible runes that enchant whatever meals are prepared within. Eight servings of a soup or stew can be cooked up in this cauldron. When consumed, they provide the feaster with 10 temporary HP and advantage on saves against fear, poison, disease, and petrification for 8 hours. To recharge, another soup or stew with ingredients costing at least 50 gp must be prepared and then cooked for 24 hours straight.

B7 - Abandoned Bunk Hall

• Doors barricaded. Crude signs warning about “the boogeyman” nailed to each door (except the door in B6 - The Mess Hall where no such warning or barricade exists).

• Dozens of bunks, couches, and chests are strewn about.

• Searching the room reveals a journal, in which the pass phrase “A dying light” is written and instructions to speak this password to the imp Ember as a show of faith to their rebellious cause.

• A mountain of mattresses, blankets, and pillows sits in the center of the room.

• This pile is actually “the Boogeyman,” a collection of vengeful souls of the furnace’s former employees.

“The Boogeyman” - STR 14, DEX 14, WIL 4 - HP 4

Pillows, Mattresses, and Bedposts (d4, reach), No Armor (0)

- The assorted bedding takes on an amorphous form that lashes out with pseudopods.

- Random bits of broken furniture orbit around it like a whirlwind. Creatures within 10 ft. of “the Boogeyman” must make a DEX save or take d6 damage on their turns.

- Whenever it deals damage to a creature it automatically grapples and attempts to smother in pillows and blankets. A creature suffocates if it can’t free itself after a number of minutes equal to its STR.

B8 - The Forge Knights’ Hall

• A long hall with a massive furnace on the north wall that allows Haborym to keep an eye on his subjects and issue orders.

• Weapon and armor racks abound, although they are mostly filled with miscellaneous items that the knights incorporate into their “bodies.”

• Knights gather at tables to drink a foamy brew and play games of chance.

• The drink stinks of battery acid - it’s highly sulfuric and will kill mortals who consume it.

• The knights welcome outsiders to their games. Instead of coin, they bet years of servitude to one another and expect the PCs to do the same. Will try to weasel their way out of actually serving if they lose.

• Some knights relax on overstuffed chairs, playing games of strategy, such as chess and petteia.

• A dueling circle formed of ash was built before the furnace. Any questions of honor or courage are answered in the ring.

B9 -The Descent, First Stage

• Octagonal room with a brazier for Haborym.

• Well-cut stairs descend to the next level, 20 ft. down.

• If friendly to the PCs, Haborym will warn them that the caves are filled with a flammable, toxic gas. Not explosive, per say, but torches will burn twice as bright and half as long.

B10 - The Descent, Second Stage

• Octagonal room with a brazier for Haborym.

• Well-cut stairs descend to the next level, 30 ft. down.

• Sign above the southern arch warns workers to carry proper equipment and wear a helmet.

• A perceptive PC may notice a stone slightly out of place. A note behind this stone mentions a secret passage in the northernmost chamber of the caves.

B11 - The Descent, Third Stage

• Octagonal room with a brazier for Haborym.

• A pair of Forge Knights guards the door. Won’t allow passage to anyone without Haborym’s permission.

• Door to the mines is locked, but each knight possesses a key.

B12 - Mine Entrance

• A large, cavernous chamber with rough stone walls. Rusted veins of iron can be seen threading the rock. Corridors lead north and west further into the mines.

• An imp with bright blue flames named Blaze oversees the entrance, sending workers off to their stations.

• If the PCs are friendly with Haborym, Blaze gives them free passage of the mines and warns them about the toxic fumes building up in chambers B17, B19, and B20.

• If not, Blaze assumes the PCs are workers and ships them off to B16 and tells them the quota for the day is 16 pounds of iron.  “So go get to work!”

• Knights don’t allow passages without Blaze’s permission.