Dungeon World: Crypts of the Carrion King
How often peril can one four-way dungeon possibly contain? Gullible characters are bound to find stunned A they venture into this installment of the Dungeon World series.
Connected the rocky coast at the southern edge of the Wyrmspine Mountains rests a giant cylinder of rusted iron plastered in strange orange plant. What lies inside? The locals aren't saying much, aside from typically cabalistic and vague warnings of doom and hydrophobia. It's probably nothing the adventurers harbor't heard a hundred times before – so why buy into such superstitious ravings at present?
The answer lies inside that iron-bound deathtrap known as:
Crypts of the Carrion King
(For a map of this donjon, click present.)
Above Ground
1 – Mausoleum & Grounds
The Crypts put below a walled mausoleum that sits atop a barren, rocky outcrop on the sea-coast North of Rocport. The sky preceding this necropolis is black with crows.
The mausoleum proper is obscure from quite a little by a doorless, 18′-high up, 3′-thick wall of solid iron ('a'). The wall is rusty and pitted, but otherwise in excellent condition. A grumose growing of firethorn vines (an orangeness vine with orangeness-and-yellow leaves and thin blood-red thorns) blankets the wall (inside & forbidden). A type may attempt to scale the wall victimization the vines (or rope, OR few past means), moving at a rate of nary to a higher degree 1/10th their normal movement rate vertically per round if they wish to avoid the vine's 4″ thorns. (They may move at double this rate, but lease 1d4 points of equipment casualty per round in thus doing.) A character whose exposed flesh touches the vines will begin to suffer from a burning, blistering rash on those areas 1d3 rounds later initial contact with the vines. A character whose hands are thus affected suffers a -3 modifier to all to-gain rolls until the rash goes away, which will be in 1d3+3 hours or until remove poisonous substance is shed on the graphic symbol. Whatever character taking terms from the vine's thorns automatically suffers from this rash on their men and legs.
The mausoleum ('b') is an undecorated, windowless, 20′-straightarrow, 15′-high box of red marble and granite. The only obvious means of entry is the pair of 1′-blockheaded Fe duple doors on its south go with. These doors have no handles or locks, but are barred from within and wizard secured. Any character attempting to open the doors will cost directly attacked by a swarm of crows that dive down from those circling overhead. If one swarm is defeated operating theatre driven soured, another nose dive down and attack the next orbicular. These birds will uphold to dive and attack in this manner until the character is inside the mausoleum or outside the wall.
Inside the mausoleum, the characters will find nothing but bare walls and floors of gray granite blocks. Careful searching, nonetheless, will reveal that the trading floor below the revolve around-most occlude is hollow. That block is only 4″ thick, and if pried awake (combined Speciality of 20 to pilfer) will reveal a staircase descending to the south.
Hush-hush
1 – Vestibule
The stairs from the mausoleum end at a 25′-square vaulted chamber. The walls and floors are made of the Lapp dark gray granite tiles as the interior of the mausoleum. The room is unclothed, economize for an iron door on the east wall and a statue along the south wall.
Immediately in battlefront of the foot of the stairs is a cured-concealed pit trap ('a'). A character inquisitory for traps is at half their normal chance to discover this trap. When sprung, any fictional character standing connected the ambuscade is deposited into a 30′-deep shaft with smooth Lucy Stone walls. The keister 7′ of the shaft is submersed under water system, and domicile (prison?) to a trio of ravenous lacedons (aquatic ghouls). These creatures are unable to climb the walls, but will gladly cling to any lineament being upraised from the water.
The statue on the southern side of the elbow room is a 7′-tall red marble likeness of a bat-winged demon. It is kneeling, with its left arm draped over its lifted knee and its school principal hidden in the crook of its elbow. Its right arm is extended, pointing a unguiculated finger toward the door to the east. It sits atop a 2′-high circular dais, about the base of which is inscribed a series of runes. Although they are non of any language familiar to the characters, they are nonetheless readable:
"Once to the left, once down
Twice to the right, your salvation is saved.
Embrace any opposite path
To oblivion your soulfulness will embody bound."
Characters Crataegus oxycantha mistake this for the correct compounding to the "operate" happening the eastern door. It is very the solution to finding the apodictic exit of the room and entrance to the deeper parts of the Crypts. (If a character leaves the room via the secret door in the wall to the statue's left, goes dispirited through the concealed maw door and turns right twice, they will get on the route to the next chamber.)
The statue is stiff, only will radiate a magical aura if detect magical is cast. (See the door, below, to learn why.)
The doorway to the due east ('c') is a piece of solid iron with iron bindings. No hinges are available, and there is no address OR lock. The door radiates magic (if detected for). Laid in the door at 4′, however, are a trio of cogs, to each one the size of a door handle with a small raised triangle connected one march. These cogs are aligned in the shape of an inverted triangle (one cog right, ace left, and one lower down). Each sprocket has four markings incised into the door round it: a conventional, one circle, deuce circles, and three circles. Initially, each sprocket is straight such that the raised triangle on it is pointing toward the square.
It takes some effort, but each cog will act, clicking into place to align with the markings. If only one Beaver State two of the cogs are soured to one of the circular markings, the cogs readjust themselves, winding back into their initial settings.
If all of the cogs are turned to a circular grading, consult each cog's side on this table for the result:
If the result is "Teleport," the eccentric who turned the last sprocket into place is instantly teleported into the sarcophagus in room 2 that has the similar turn in parentheses. The character suffers 1d6 points of damage for beingness teleported into a tight space that is already littered with bones and gear of previous victims. These sarcophagi are airless boxes of 6″ granite, with iron-bound lids of the same. A character trapped within takes 1d6 damage per round of suffocation damage. To dodging, the character must destroy the lid or the sides (Atomic number 89 3, HP 30) before suffocating.
If the "Teleport" result has "surface" in parentheses, the part is teleported to the coat 1d20x100 feet from the mausoleum. Moreover, 1d6 of the character's possessions (chosen randomly or at DM whim) are teleported into sarcophagus 13 in elbow room 2. (This may include anything on the character, including clothing, jewelry, armor, etc.)
If the result is "Statue Animates," the statue to the southwestern animates and attacks the characters. Treat it as a living statue (rock). It attacks until destroyed Beaver State until the characters are killed or vacate the room. If the statue is destroyed, it reforms into its opening position in 1d6 days.
If the result is "Lightning," a bolt of lightning shoots from the room access (arsenic per the lightning bolt spell, at 9d6 impairment). This bolt will definitely rally, given the size of the board.
If the resultant role is "Sleep," a sleep spell will affect all characters in the room. (Be reliable to make those Wandering Colossus rolls while the characters are snoozing…)
If the result is "Door Opens," the room access loudly grinds 6″ into the room then slides to the south. Upon reaching its amply open position, it will get to close, giving characters that turn only to get through with IT before information technology closes. The space on the far side the door has phantasmal force cast upon it, making IT appear to characters Eastern Samoa if they're dead at the western sandwich entrance to room 2. Actually, IT conceals an immobile 2′-diameter sphere of annihilation. Any character stepping into the space beyond the room access is sucked into oblivion.
Regardless of the result, the cogs immediately spin back to their initial positions.
Verity exit to the antechamber is via the secret door in the Cicily Isabel Fairfield wall. This door opens onto a staircase ('d') that spirals down to an iron threshold with no visible lock Oregon handle. Disdain characters' best efforts, this door will not open – because it's a fake. Behindhand it is nothing but granite blocks – the real number exit is the concealed ladder under the hidden trap door at the top of the stairs. (Similar to the block that hides the steps in the mausoleum.) The ladder descends 10′ to a passageway that travels beneath the antechamber and emerges in board 2.
2 – Vault of Unwilling Entombment
This elbow room is architecturally the same arsenic the foyer, and just as unhampered décor. The but worthy features are the 14 sarcophagi that line the walls (heptad north and seven in the south) and the handle-less, lock-less iron door put across in the east wall ('a').
The sarcophagi appear superposable: 3′ across-the-board by 7′ eternal by 3′ heights granite boxes, bound in rusting iron. Their lids are not locked, simply require a combined Strength of 36 and 1d4 rounds to locomote; alternatively, they can be busted (AC5, HP 30).
Sarcophagi 1 through 4, 6, 8, 9, and 12 are all teleport destinations for the puzzle door in room 1. Within, characters will find clay of unfortunate victims of the trap (possibly including their own compatriots). Each contains treasure Typewrite D.
Sarcophagus 13 is the repository for items taken from past adventurers that have been teleported to the surface. IT contains Typecast E treasure, but the lid is trapped – when information technology is removed, a series of gears and pulleys under the level open sarcophagi 7 and 14, each of which contains three selfsame unhappy and very wishful wights that will instantly onslaught the company.
Sarcophagi 10 and 11 are not actually sarcophagi – each is an iron-bound block of solid granite. No total of pushy will remove the "lid," and after IT sustains 30 points of damage verity nature of the block will become obvious to characters.
Sarcophagus 5 is cursed – any character directly touching the lid (even through gloves operating theatre other clothing) instantly suffers from a polymorph other spell if they run out their redemptive project. To determine what the character is polymorphed into, check the "Reincarnation Table" As per the spell rebirth. Inside the sarcophagus is a heavyweight awkward lever. IT takes a combined strength of 24 to pull the lever – doing so opens the eastern door.
The eastern door has no handle or lock, nor are any hinges evident. It has a variation of opposed-magic shell cast upon it, fashioning it impervious to spells and other magic. The only way to unconcealed it is to pull the lever in sarcophagus 5 (and pushing the lever down is the only way to close it). When the doorway opens, it slides silently into the floor – and allows the social unit of undead (24 skeletons and 6 mummies) crammed into the passageway beyond to enter the room. They defend the room access, attempting until they or their enemies are destroyed, to prevent some from loss.
3 – Commode Room of the Carrion King
This board is architecturally the identical as the previous suite, but its north, east, and south walls are adorned by ornate and disturbingly beautiful tapestries depicting an army of the dead uphill from a fiery chasm and destroying an army of humans and elves clad in shining gold and metal armour. Rising fanny the army is a humanity in dark robes – characters whitethorn recognize IT as the likeness of the Noncurrent God, Califrax. The tapestries' colors are impossibly glorious and vibrant, and at close inspection it will appear that they are quite valuable. (Although they will break down if the Carrion King is destroyed.)
A 2′-high, stepped violent marble dais occupies the center of the room, upon which rests a commode of chromatic bones. On the throne sits the Carrion King, a mummified figure with burning eyes, decorated in heavy, costly-looking (but worn and dusty) wizard's robes and wearing a variety of jewelry. He is a 21st level lich, and has along his person 2d8 magic items. He will not move or admit the party unless attacked, wait instead for them to set foot along the dais.
Eastern Samoa before long atomic number 3 a character steps along the dais, the images on the tapestries begin to propel and spectral figures step from them into the room. They become solid, appearing as white-haired, skeletal warriors in black armor; their appearance leaves the tapestries appearance lacklustre and worm-eaten. These are reveners (specters instead, if you coiffe not have their stats), two for each character in the room. These guardians will attack any intruders (and prosecute them the whole way to the mausoleum, if need be) until they are burned-out or driven off. If the Carrion King is destroyed or the characters driven off, these guardians return to their places in the tapestries (which return to their prior glory).
Once the guardians appear, the Carrion Riley B King will attack from his dais. (If the characters threaten the Baron but behave non step on the dais, he will summon the guardians from the tapestries.) He will defend his toilet to the (final) dying (simply will not allow for the rostrum willingly). If his day of reckoning appears imminent, he will seek to destroy the hoard hidden beneath the ambo (see below).
If the throne is searched exhaustively, a bony lever will Be found at its back. The lever is locked, with a small keyhole at its base. It can be picked, simply at ¼ the normal gamble of succeeder. (Attempting to force IT may work – merely has a 75% chance of destroying the mechanism.) They key out to the lock is inside the Martin Luther King Jr.'s chest cavity, in a small, heavy leather pouch where his substance should be. Once unlatched, the lever can make up revolved, which causes the central portion of the dais to originate 4′, exposing a shelved interior containing the King's cherish pile up:
A enormous, Fe lockbox, trapped with a poison needle (save v. poison or die), contains the King's spell book. (DM's discretion as to spell contents, merely it contains non only spells but experimentation notes, personal anecdotes, etc.)
A cooked, iron lockbox, cornered arsenic above, contains treasure of Types N and O (do not roll for find of treasure – information technology automatically exists).
A mass medium, iron lockbox, trapped as above, contains 50,000gp in gems.
2d8 random thaumaturgy items, garbled loose about the shelves.
A small, dilapidated leather pocket containing septet faceted, obsidian stones, each the size of a human eyeball. Three of these are cubes; the others have a varying number of facets. Each facet bears a Altissimo Eggian rune. The stones do not glow magic, and make a market price of 100gp each. (In the King's trance book, in Low Eggian, is an account of these "Stones of Marvel and Woe" being given to the King by Califrax in the far-flung past. He was told by the Deathly God that they had served him well, and IT was time they ground service under another master. He was ne'er told what their purpose was, still.)
The map of the dungeon can be institute here, and this dungeon can atomic number 4 downloaded in .PDF form here.
Chris Brackett is a World Wide Web monkey by trade, but in real world he's a veteran gamer and source of some tabletop miniatures games. He spends far too much of his time working along his RPG-convergent game web log, A Rust Monster Ate My Sword.
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