Dungeon ‘23 - Week 20
Hard to believe it’s been 20 weeks already! With another week done I have another batch of rooms, these focusing primarily on the southeast tower - one of the castle’s guard barracks. I had quickly realized this week that I was lacking in treasure for this level and so the chapel wound up being one of the main “vault rooms” for Zone E - The Keep, 1st Floor. I've got an idea involving the Western Gardens, so I’ll probably go back and update that post later this month.
Next week will wrap up the merry month of May and with it Zone E (there are technically more rooms than days left this month, so I’ll do a little extra work next week). Then it’s June, Zone F - The Keep, 2nd Floor, and the half-way point of Dungeon ‘23. I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous about the post-June zones. I had a pretty clear idea what I wanted out of the first several levels, but it’s a bit fuzzier for the rest of them and I’m sure I’ll be scrambling for room ideas. But that’s half the fun of the project I suppose!
Last thing - I started a playtest with some friends, dropping them off in Zone A - The Caverns and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! The players are having a lot of fun going through the weird dungeon and I’m enjoying running it. Once more of the Castle is complete I hope to start up a second group, specifically players less used to OSR gaming, and see how it runs for them.
E15 - Castle Chapel
From the outside the chapel rises above the surrounding walls.
Ornate interior with stained glass windows depicting Ossifrage and his family.
The windows are magically reinforced to be hard as steel.
Holy water fountains flank the doors, allowing the faithful to fill vials or waterskins.
A pair of stairs lead up to the chapel’s loft and second floor.
A rich, red carpet leads from the ironbound double doors to the raised dais in the southern chancel, flanked by eight stone pews and sixteen columns.
Beastfolk guards, knights, and servants can be found in the chapel at nearly any time seemingly praying.
Chancel contains an altar with a statue of the Sorcerer Ossifrage, a loft for a choir, and a pulpit.
The altar has a golden statue of Ossifrage with emeralds as eyes (5,000 gp).
A secret switch can be found in the pulpit, which opens a hidden floor panel beneath the choir loft. The panel hides a locked floor safe, in which can be found various relics:
Platinum holy symbol (2,000 gp), Gold holy symbol (1,000 gp), Silver holy symbol (500 gp), Copper holy symbol (250 gp). All seem to depict a stylized version of Ossifrage’s face.
A sealed, gilded amphora covered in runes long lost to time (5,000 gp). Breaking the seal releases a djinn who will grant a single wish (attempting to pervert it however it can) before disappearing.
A gem-encrusted belt. Had a dozen gems, each worth 500 gp. (6,000 gp total)
A sealed, silver reliquary that sloshes quietly when moved (2,000 gp). If unsealed and opened revealed the bright green Eye of Sagramor, one of Ossifrage’s sons. It is still moist and warm to the touch and reacts to light.
A spellbook (random).
Brother Trakr, a sheepdog-headed beastfolk monk, tends to the chapel and leads services.
If asked Br. Trakr states that Ossifrage didn’t deify himself, but rather was resistant to the idea of his beastfolk “children” worshiping him. The sorcerer lost that particular battle with his people.
The monk is worried over the recent theft of a relic - The Fingerbone of Syr Roland Greatsnout. Br. Trakr claims the fingerbone can be used to heal even the most grievous of wounds in mere hours. Unfortunately it went missing (presumed stolen) a few days ago.
Br. Trakr will happily reward the PCs if they can recover said relic. The chapel was gifted a gemstone encrusted belt that he’d offer up in return for the fingerbone.
The Eye of Sagramor - 1 Charge
The vibrant green eye of one of Ossifrage’s sons. When held up to one’s own eye and “peered through” like a spyglass it lets the user see through any material up to 15 feet thick or when focused on an object or creature allows them to determine if the subject is enchanted or cursed and the general effects of said alteration. The effects of this sight last for 10 minutes. To recharge, one must moisten the eye in their mouth while replacing the holy water in the reliquary with a fresh supply that was acquired from a font no more than three days prior.
E16 - Guard Assembly
Part of the guard barracks in the SE Keep Tower, the assembly provides access to the gardens and keep, allowing off-duty guards to quickly respond to threats.
Stairs lead to Zone F - The Keep, Second Floor. A door on the south wall leads to the Armory while a door on the north wall connects to the Gated Corridor.
A lever by the northern door can raise or lower the portcullises in the Gated Corridor.
Two Beastfolk Guards sit at the table playing some kind of card game involving tarot cards taken from multiple decks. They each have three piles of guards in front of them. The rules seem overly complex and obtuse.
Shelves containing books and games line the walls, allowing the off-duty guards to occupy themselves.
E17 - Guard Armory
Training dummies along the western wall, weapon racks along the northern wall, and crates and barrels full of supplies, bolts, and arrows in the southeast corner.
Doors connect to the Assembly, Barracks, and Mess.
A Beastfolk Guard is training on one of the dummies. Their form is terrible.
E18 - Guard Mess
Cramped room packed with tables. Guards take their meals here.
Servants from the kitchen come and go throughout the day to keep the guards’ bellies full.
Doors connect to the barracks and armory.
Four Beastfolk Guard sit around a table swapping tales between bites of an incredibly fragrant stew.
E19 - Guard Barracks
A spacious room filled with beds. Men-at-arms sleep here, while knights and officers have a room on the second floor of the tower.
Each bed has a foot locker (locked) that contains 4d10 gp and various personal effects (clothes, journals, trinkets, etc.).
The lockers by the two northernmost beds each have 500 gp in coins and a small jug of distilled spirits - no doubt bribes from Taragon.
Four beds along the south wall are filled with sleeping guards while a beastfolk guard reads a book in the bed next to the western door.
E20 - Gated Corridor
A seemingly normal and empty corridor that contains four pressure plates, each of which will drop a pair of portcullises to trap thieves or invaders.
Reset via a lever in the Guard Assembly.
Captured PCs are taken to C3 - Empty Cell in the Castle Dungeons.
E21 - Servant’s Corridor, East
A corridor flanking the Antechamber and Great Hall that allows servants to move about unseen by important guests in the Keep.
11 portraits of various knights, soldiers, and valued servants throughout the castle’s history line the walls, each with a placard depicting their name, station, and dates of birth and death.
They chat amongst themselves, usually bragging or quarreling. Won’t pay much mind to interlopers that aren’t incredibly suspicious.
Self-important and dismissive if addressed directly, assign random inane tasks to get people to go away.
Sound a warning and call for guards if they can actually be bothered to notice what’s going on around them.
A portrait is missing, the placard engraved with the name Syr Jakke Whitefoot.
