Dungeon23: Week 26

Level 5, Area B: Myrmidon Training

 

This map is released under terms of the  CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Room 8: Sentry Hall

This hallway ends in a room (“a”) with carved windows, larger than arrowslits, which look out on the City of the Snake-Men (Level 7.)  The city is a great deal more visible here than from the haze of the Observation Deck (Level 4, Room 25) above. There is one (1) minotaur guard (HP 33, spear and shield) here and another (HP 34, polearm) at the entrance (“b”) to the Gestation Chambers (Area A.)  Since this sentry has his back turned to those exiting from the area, he is surprised on a 3-in-6 chance.  However, the other minotaur in the sentry box may hear signs of a struggle and investigate.  He only has a 2-in-6 chance due to noise from the Armory in Room 3.

 

Room 9: Training Courtyard

Double doors open to a wide courtyard where the young snake-men of the Myrmidon caste train.  The chamber has a central, rough area surrounded by slightly-raised perimeter.  There are weapon racks full of blunted, training weapons (-2 to damage.) Four sets of sliding doors lead out of the courtyard to other rooms in this area.

 

Room 10: Forge and Armory

This chamber is dim except for the light of hot coals, and heating metal in a stone forge carved in the likeness of a coiled serpent.  There are five (5) ennan (deep fey) here (HP 10, 10, 11, 12, 8) working on various projects.  This group serves the snake-men, making and maintain their weapons, armor, and complex, mechanical devices in the True Temple.  The ennan are so focused on their work that they are indifferent to anyone entering, unless they disturb their labors or try to steal from the armory.  In this case, they become hostile and employ several ingenious and cruel weapons against intruders: serrated short swords and hand axes that cause horrific wounds (damage takes twice as long to heal naturally,) hooked spears that can trip opponents (save against paralysis to avoid,) and mechanical, self-feeding crossbows that can fire every round without reloading. 

Do not disturb the ennan (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.)

 

Behind a barred area with locked door are racks of metal weapons and armor.  The lock is of a bizarre combination type, and requires that a stuck panel be opened (strong, ennan hands can do this easily) to reveal an image of the Snake God embossed on metal tiles around a central eye button.  However, the snakes around the eye are out of alignment. To align them, the opener has to slide and turn the tiled sections around the eye.  A successful Intelligence check can reveal the next step of the combination.  Refer to the diagram and list for the solution:

1.       Slide “A” up two times.

2.       Slide “B” down twice.

3.       Slide “C” left

4.       Slide “D” right

5.       Turn “B” to the left

6.       Turn “A” to the right

Each time a tile is placed or turned in the correct position, it settles with an audible click.  After the last one is placed correctly, the central eye can be pressed to open the lock.  The ennan smiths with 12 and 11 HP (the master and his journeyman) know the combination.  A thief can try to disable the lock’s mechanism and open it with a roll at -20% due to the unusual construction.

Although all the arms and armor here are finely crafted, three pieces have special qualities: a well-balanced spear provides a +1 bonus to hit (melee and thrown,) a razor-sharp sickle-sword deals 1d8+1 damage, and a cuirass (plate mail) of a strange, crimson metal weighs half as much as other armor of its type (or counts as lighter armor for encumbrance purposes.)  In addition, a small coffer on the table has 130 gp and a gold necklace with a stylized hammer design in semi-precious gems worth 40 gp.

The forge shares an exhaust vent with the kitchen hearth, and is wide enough for small characters to access (see Room 12.)

 

Room 11: Proving Ground

This cavernous room is dim and hazy with the light of bioluminescent fungus.  It is similar to the Emissaries’ Meditation Garden in Level 4, Room 20, but it has been arranged as a dense, maze-like forest of underwild foliage.  This is a deadly obstacle course for training young Myrmidon snake-men.

The dense, myconic vegetation reduces characters’ move and visibility by half.  Furthermore, there are several dangers present to test a Myrmidon’s resilience and combat ability:

a.       A bulbous growth extends spear-like thorns in all directions when it detects heat within five feet.  Victims must save against paralysis to avoid 1d6+2 damage.

b.      A trip rope activates a swinging masses of dense, fungal “wood” that smash anything between them for 4d6 damage (save against breath to avoid.)

c.       An area covered with vine-like growths have razor-thin filaments that protrude from them.  Victims walking through suffer 2d6 damage (save against wands for half.)

d.      The area in front of a pond with a waterfall (fed from the stream in the Emissaries’ Meditation Garden) conceals a 10-foot pit trap with small spikes (save against breath to avoid.)  The spikes deal 1d4 damage in addition to the fall damage.

In addition to the hazards, there are five (5) eunshiel (deep fey) assassins (HP 8, 5, 5, 2, 2) lurking about.  The assassins serve the snake-men, and this area serves for their training as well, with failure usually resulting in death.  They will stalk intruders (hide in shadows 20%, move silently 20%, and backstab as thieves) and will attack at a time of their choosing, such as when the characters encounter a trap, hazard, or are otherwise distracted.  They prefer hit-and-run attacks, attempting to melt back into the foliage the round after attacking.

This "garden" is more deadly than relaxing (adapted from AI images courtesy of NightCafe.)

 

The exit hall has stairs that lead to the bottom area of the Warmaster’s Pit (Room 13,) and a secret door on the eastern wall leads to Area D (Room # TBD.)

 

Room 12: Gathering Hall

This hall features low tables where the Myrmidons in training take their meals. An area in the rear is a kitchen where 1d4 normal human servants butcher and prepare the snake-men’s food – a constant reminder of their own possible fate if they displease their masters.  The servants will cower before any player characters (PCs), but there is a 1-in-6 chance one will have enough courage to assist them.

The hearth shares an exhaust vent with the forge in the Armory (Room 10.)  It is roughly three feet in diameter and small characters can crawl through to gain access to the adjacent room.  However, if one or both fires are active, the smoke inside the vent is a suffocation danger for anyone inside.

 

Room 13: Warmaster’s Pit

This chamber has an upper gallery, with an entrance to the north, and a combat pit 10 feet below, which can be entered from the south (past Room 11.) The chamber is lit by torches and braziers.

There are two (2) snake-men Myrmidons (HP 16, extendable hood and thick scales; 21 advanced venomous blood; swords and shields) fighting in the pit, under the stern gaze of Tsun-Tep, the Myrmidon’s Warmaster, above.  Tsun-Tep (HP 31, ophidian lower limbs, distendable jaws and fangs) is an advanced combatant and fights with long, and short sickle swords (1d8 and 1d6 damage) in lieu of a shield.  He can make twin attacks with these.  If both hit against a single opponent, he locks their weapon and gets an additional bite attack.  He can also forego all attacks and trip an opponent with a lower limb attack on a successful hit (save against paralysis to avoid.)

Tsun-Tep and Thet-Zuh (see Level 4, Room 15) are clutch-brothers and have a lifelong rivalry (with Thet-Zuh typically the loser.)  In fact, if the PCs are in the Overseer's employ, he would surely delight in seeing his rival brought low.

Tsun-Tep is the Myrmidon's implacable Warmaster, and Thet-Zuh's bitter rival. (AI image courtesy of NightCafe.)

 

Room 14: Barracks

This hall-like room has ten (10) silk bedrolls placed neatly along the sides, each below a glowing fungus globe with a small foot locker near.  This is where young Myrmidons-in-training sleep.  At the end of the hall is a sliding door that separates the Warmaster’s room from the others.

The lockers have small, personal effects, some which may be valuable, such as simple jewelry.  Such items are worth 3d6 gp each (one per locker.)

The Warmaster’s room is spartan, with a bedroll to the side, a low table with papyrus-like fungus sheets, ink, pen, and a glowing fungus globe, as well as a large chest with his personal effects. 

On the wall above the chest is a torso mannequin wearing a suit of lacquered scale armor.  The arms hold a two-handed sickle sword in the ready position.  Anyone opening the chest activates a mechanized trap that causes the sword to slice up, down, and diagonally repeatedly and with great speed for 2d10 damage (save against breath to avoid.)  The mechanism stops if the chest is closed.  A hidden switch on the mannequin (under the armor) deactivates the trap.

Inside the chest is a bag with 950 sp and a +2 shield of protection from energy (resist cold.)  There is also a collection of scrolls, written in Chaotic, which discuss snake-men battle tactics, fighting techniques, and even poetry with religious ("To the Snake God's gaze riven, the back is never given.  Obeisance clears the way.",) grotesque, and snake-supremacist themes.  One scroll has magic spells: knock, protection from evil (10’ radius), polymorph (others,) minor illusion (ventriloquism,) and reversed knock (wizard lock.)

 

 

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.