Dungeon23: Week 11

Level 3 – Area C

 

This map is created under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Area notes: while this area connects the hobb-men lair above with the baern-men areas, the Temple’s denizens tend to avoid these caverns due to the bizarre creatures that dwell within.

Room 15 – 17: Lair of the Serpent Apes

These chambers are the hunting/breeding grounds of saerpithecans (see below.)  Any random encounter in these chambers and connecting passages will be with one these creatures.  Once three (3) are destroyed or driven away, encounters will occur as normal for the level.

The saerpithecans are large, semi-intelligent abominations with serpentine legs and the torsos of albino, hairless apes.  Two viper-like appendages protrude from their muscled shoulders.

The creatures enjoy hanging from stalactites using their powerful, serpentine lower portion, which enables them to surprise prey with a 3-in-6 chance.  In combat, the saerpithecans bash with their fists, tending to favor the highest threats (powerful-looking opponents or those dealing the most damage.)  If both attacks hit, a viper appendage will attempt to bite the victim for one (1) point of damage.  On a hit, the victim must save against poison or die.  Those killed by the bite are impregnated with an egg that causes a new saerpithecan to gestate and burst forth from the corpse in 2d10+5 days.  The saerpithecans feed on the head and limbs of the victim, leaving the torso to rot for this process.  A saerpithecan egg can be destroyed via magic that cures diseases.

Saerpithecans: AC 7 [12]; ATK 2; DMG 1d4+1/1d4+1 + SPECIAL, HD 5 (HP 23, 22, 23); MV 8; SAVE 12 (or as warrior); SPECIAL surprise, poison/reproduction; AL N; XP 800 (or HD + specials.)

Each of the three chambers has the skeletal remnants of previous victims, which include broken, mundane items as well as treasure.  Roll 2d6 once for each chamber searched and reroll any repeated results:

2 - 4: A metal urn filled with coins (60 platinum, 54 gold,) jewels (ruby worth 470 gold, fire opal worth 85 gold,) and a golden prosthetic hand with gems for knuckles worth 165 gold.

5 - 7: Coins (371 gold, 9700 copper, 1891 silver,) an oblong pearl worth 67 gold, a piece of quartz worth six (6) gold, and a shell necklace worth three (3) gold are spilled on the floor among the remains of a smashed chest.

8 - 10: Coins (450 gold, 1282 silver,) an aquamarine worth 72 gold, a garnet worth 33 gold, and a rough-cut sapphire worth 113 gold in a small coffer.

11 - 12: Coins (800 gold, 65 silver,) an emerald worth 170 worth, a gem-studded, gold pendant worth 730 gold in a sack, and a quiver with 20 magic arrows (+3 to hit and damage bonus.)

Room 18

The entrance to this room is a carved, stone door and wall carved with a worn relief similar to, but not exactly like the symbol of the Cult.  The serpents surrounding the Snake God’s central Eye face toward the entrée above the door.  The Eye is recessed, with a hexagonal slot inside.

Opening the door without first placing the High Priest’s holy symbol in the central Eye activates a trap: the snakes shoot gouts of flame for 1d4+3 damage, reaching anyone within five (5) feet of the door (save against breath for half.)

The room inside has alcoves carved into the walls, each with four (4) dusty, ceramic amphorae (12 in total.)  Roll 1d6 for the contents of each amphora if searched: 1-4 desiccated viscera; 5 - 200 silver coins; 6 - 100 gold coins.

Room 19: The Coven

This chamber is a base of operations for a coven of 11 hedge witches (1st-level magic users,) who are aligned with Chaos and have been drawn to this place by the Snake God’s fever-dream sendings.  There is a cook fire with a cauldron, bedrolls, and a magic circle drawn on the floor between two stalagmites covered in candles.

1d4 hedge witches are present at any time, while the others wander the Temple in search of the Snake God’s secrets (see Level 2 wandering monster table.)   The elderly head of the coven, Atrea (3rd-level magic user, HP 8,) is present half the time (3-in-6 chance.)  The coven has dealings with the harpies in Room 21, and may lure characters to that chamber as “tribute”.  The harpies have promised them eldritch secrets, but in reality want the coven to undergo transformation in the True Temple below to become like them.  In the meantime, they have gifted the witches with the ability to see through the grotesque eyes in the “statue” in Level 1 Room 5 by means of their cauldron.  They are to report anything they see to the harpies.

There is little of value in the chamber save for meager provisions, personal belongings, and some coppers (1d100) in the coven’s collective fund.  Atrea keeps the coven’s grimoire (spellbook) with her at all times – access to it is how she keeps control of the coven.  The grimoire has four spells of first level, and two (2) of second level, and one (1) of the third level (the specific spells may be determined or rolled randomly by the GM.  The hedge witches tend to favor spells of sleeping, charms, and illusions.)

Room 20

This chamber before the harpy’s lair (Room 21) forms a natural defense for them.  A crevice 30 feet long and 20 foot deep is filled with sharp stalagmites (5d6 damage total in the event of a fall,) and does not seem to have a way across.  This is not a problem for the harpies, who merely fly past the crevice.

Room 21: The Three Goddesses

A miasma of rotting flesh permeates this large cavern.  Three (3) columnar rock formations, approximately 30 feet tall each, dominate the chamber.  Each of the formations is the nest of a harpy (HP 16, 14, 16.)  The creatures have indulged on the worship and regular offerings of gobb-men who have been seduced by the echoes of the harpies’ songs coming through natural vents in the cavern ceiling (see Level 1, Room 17.)  As a result, any characters approaching the harpies in an obsequious manner have a +1 bonus to reactions.

The harpies’ foremost desire, however, is meat…and they like playing with their food.  They are happy charming any dangerous-looking individuals with their songs and watching them slaughter each other.  Only in the event of a formidable threat do they fly out from their perches to do battle with sharp talons and teeth-studded clubs.

Their nests on top of the formations are bedazzled with electrum coins (2,000 total,) and gems: a well-cut zircon and a flawed ruby (each worth 100 gold coins,) plus a flawless amethyst worth 1,000 gold.  One of the harpies wears a silver tiara with snakes with tiny gems for eyes worth 130 gold, and another wears a golden necklace with hanging strings of small pearls worth 90 gold.