Level 4, Area A: Holding Cells
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| This map is released under terms of the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. |
Level 4 Features
Light: Most of the structure is either dark (holding areas) or lit by colored glass globes with bio-luminescent fungus inside (living and work areas.) A few rooms are illuminated by fire (torches, lamps, etc.) and will be noted in the room description.
Walls and Corridors: The outer stairs of the structure are a spiral tunnel with carved steps about 20’ wide and 20’ tall. Inside, corridors are 10’ wide and 10’ tall. Taller rooms are noted in their individual descriptions.
Doors: The outer doors, as well as secure entrances within (where noted) are made of stone. Other doors are made of a wood-like substance that is actually a type of hard, dense fungus. Locked door are noted in the room description.
Room 1: Entrance and Serpent-Hound’s Den
The circular gate in Level 3, Room 28 opens to reveal a large tunnel in the cavern; perhaps created by lava flow, or the burrowing of a gargantuan creature. The tunnel’s floor is carved into steps, and a second, mechanical panel opens and closes the gate from this side.
The tunnel spirals downward about a half circle to the right before emptying into maze-like tunnels. These tunnels are guarded by seven (7) fire-breathing serpent-hounds (treat as hell-hounds) – guardian creations of the snake-men. The serpent hounds have hairless, canine bodies with scaly patches, and prehensile snake heads and tails. The prehensile heads allow them to be surprised only on a 1-in-6, and they can bite and breathe fire at anyone attempting to flank them. 1d4 will appear on a 3-in-6 chance every 60’ feet. Once encountered, 1d4 will show up every round thereafter until all seven are present.
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| The snake-men's "guard dogs" (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
Incinerated corpses in the dead ends - scorched bones and ashes at this point, still have treasure:
a) 950 copper, 190 silver, and 59 gold coins scattered on the floor
b) Coins pouring out of a half-burnt backpack (387 silver, 50 copper, and 49 gold)
c) The corpse is wearing pristine, magical chain mail (+1) and there are 3250 copper, 400 silver, and 15 gold coins in a large, broken urn
d) The corpse is clutching a burnt chest with 250 copper, 82 gold, and 30 silver, as wells as a magic wand of (cause) fear with 13 uses left.
The main exit to the Training Arena (Room 2) is a set of massive, stone double doors that can only be opened by a mechanism inside, or a thief using their traps ability on a hidden, mechanical panel to the left of the doors near a pull rope used to sound a gong to open the gate. Tampering with the panel will also sound the gong and warn any snake-men inside.
A smaller sally port to the Venomous Vault (Room 3) is concealed into the cave wall (3-in-6 chance to find), and locked, but can be opened with the High Priest’s holy symbol.
Room 2: Training Arena
This courtyard functions as a testing and training arena for the snake-men’s creations. There is a portcullis on each wall except the main entrance, which connects to holding cells in the Stock Menagerie (Room 4) and Containment Vault (Room 6.) In between the humanoid cells and the arena, there are two armories with well-worn weapons and battered shields. All weapons deal 1d6 damage (short swords, hand axes, spears, maces, etc.)
An observation gallery 15 feet above has benches to sit in and a main control panel with levers to open each portcullis and specific monster cell(s). A snake-man Emissary on watch in the upper gallery will attempt to trap any intruders that enter the arena and open one or more of the portcullises (roll 1d10):
1. Cell 4a
2. Cell 4b
3. Cell 4c
4. Cell 4d
5. Cell 4e
6. Cell 4g
7. Cell 4h
8. Cell 4i
9. Roll on the Room 3 table
10. Roll twice!
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| The arena is where the snake-men test their creations (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
Room 3: Venomous Vault
This room has multiple, iron-and-glass containment structures with venomous creatures inside:
a) 1d8 pit vipers
b) 1d3 spitting cobras
c) 1d3 giant black widow spiders
d) 1d4 giant (crab) spiders
e) 1d4 giant rattlesnakes
f) 1d10 giant (killer) bees
The snake-men keep these to incorporate the creatures’ poisonous properties in their flesh-crafting. The enclosures have locked trap doors accessible from above. Snake-men Emissaries typically carry the hex-cylinder keys that open these.
Room 4: Stock Menagerie
This large, U-shaped room has two cell areas to the north and south, connected by a raised passage above. The southern cells contain stock for the snake-men’s flesh-vats, while the northern cells contain some of their “finished” creations, waiting for training, and release to the dungeon and world above:
a) 2d8 gobb-men, and 1d6 hobb-men
b) 8d8 kobb-men
c) 4d8 oor-men
d) 2d6 baern-men or gnolls (50% chance of either)
e) A minotaur or 1d6 oor-goliaths (50% chance of either)
f) Mammal pen: 1d2 cows, 1d3 pigs, 1d6 sheep
g) Humanoid cage: 4d4 normal humans, 1d4-1 dwarves, 1d4-1 elves, 1d4-1 halflings, and 1d4-1 Gnomes (approximately half fighting-age, half child-bearing.) 1-in-6 of these unfortunates has Stockholm syndrome, and will betray adventurers to the snake-men at the earliest opportunity for access to rewards and privileges (see Room 7.)
h) Feline cage: (Roll 1d6) 1-3 – 2d4 mountain lions, 4 – a panther, 5 – a lion, 6 – a tiger.
i) Canine cage: 2d6 wolves
Each cell has both a locked cage door in the front, and a small closed portcullis the Training Area (Room 2) on the opposite side, which opens mechanically in the Training Room. The raised passage has various tools and implements, such as manacles, for the snake-men to control their stock
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| The snake-men keep many species as raw material for flesh-crafting (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
Room 5: Mutation Pens
This chamber is separated from the Stock Menagerie (Room 4) and Vat Chamber (Room 8) by airlocks with metal inner doors with small, glass windows. One can hear painful screaming, pitiful moaning, and other suffering vocalizations in the area beyond.
Inside, the inner hallway has a series of iron-and-glass cells where there are creatures in various stages of mutation. Most of these are humans, demihumans, or animals transforming into monsters which may be familiar to adventurers by now. A few are failed experiments – horrid amalgamations that seem to beg for the release of death.
There is a 1-in-6 chance every time a character crosses mid-way through the hall that a magical alarm alerts the snake-men in Room 8. They will activate the chamber’s emergency purging mechanism. It locks the steel doors and floods the room with poisonous, caustic gas. The gas causes 4d6 damage the first round, then one less die of damage for three (3) rounds thereafter until it dissipates (save against breath for half damage each round.)
The gas is especially concentrated in the cells, and any creatures within will perish with choked-off screams. A hidden panel in the southern wall has an emergency shut-off valve.
Room 6: Containment Vault
This chamber contains five (5), heavily-fortified enclosures made of steel bars and thick, reinforced glass. These hold the snake-men’s more powerful creations, or dangerous stock for flesh-crafting:
1. 1d8 trolls
2. An albino hydra with five (5) heads that can breathe cold as a white dragon for eight (8) damage
3. 1d4 basilisks
4. 1d2 cave bears
5. 1d2 giant (tuatara) lizards
The western wall contains goads (treat as spear,) manacles, chains, and other tools for controlling the creatures, as well as a locked chest with items and treasure taken from prisoners. Attempting to open the chest activates a magic alarm that will warn the snake-men in the Vat Chamber (Room 8.) They will open a random cell to deal with the intruders(1d6; roll twice on a 6 result!)
The chest contains various, non-magical items, bags of coins (8000 silver, 4000 gold,) a 3-piece set of silver earrings, necklace, and bracelets set with black opals and pearls worth 1,300 gold each, and a gold choker engraved with intricate, lapis lazuli serpents worth 1,200 gold.
A hall with mechanical portcullises leads to the Training Arena (Room 2) and stone double doors lead to the Vat Chamber (Room 8.)
Room 7: Breeding Ground
The door to this room is locked (snake-men Emissaries have keys.) The inside is warm and luxurious in stark contrast with the rest of the dungeon area. A banquet table in the middle is surrounded by lit braziers, and soft pillows. A faint smell of food mixed with cloying lotus smoke permeates the air. There is a small serving kitchen in the south, and two semi-private rooms lit with glowing fungus globes, where favored human and demihuman vat stock are rewarded, and sometimes encouraged (i.e. made to) breed.
This room is part of the snake-men’s reward-punishment
system. When first captured, their vat-stock
is held in the deplorable conditions of the Stock Menagerie (Room 4.) Those with favorable, genetic features
desirable for the snake-men’s reproduction, as well as an obedient nature (especially if
they report any escape attempts,) are allowed to serve the snake-men as slaves and
dwell in this room. However, any
deviation or disobedience results in the offenders being placed in the Oubliette
next door, and then returned to the communal cell of room 4. The presence of the (locked) door to the
Oubliette is deliberate, as the slaves can faintly hear those inside as a
constant reminder of the price for disloyalty.
Regardless, slave turnover is frequent.
Pregnant stock is taken to Level 5 below for gestation, and any “bulls”
are sent to the vats for mutation once they are no longer useful.
There is a 3-in-6 chance of 1d4 normal humans being present, with a 1-in-6 chance each of being demihuman. The slaves here are very loyal and will betray any would-be rescuers at the earliest opportunity. Indeed, they may invite any adventurers to enjoy feasting and lotus-smoking, to lull them into a sense of safety and drugged stupor before any snake-men or guards arrive (treat the lotus smoke as a spell of confusion, with a saving throw needed every round of smoking; hostile results are inappropriately familiar and sensual behavior instead.) There is only a 1-in-6 chance of a slave being honestly helpful to their rescuers.
The table settings, plates, and cups are all silver and worth a total of 1,000 gold (total weight as 6,000 coins.) A set of musical instruments in a corner includes a finely-crafted elven harp worth 500 gold. One of the lotus-smoking devices is carved in the shape of a golden dragon, and worth 100 gold.
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| Only the finest and most obedient stock enjoy the snake-men's favor and generosity (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.) |
