The Dungeon, Level 3

Level Three

The third floor is larger and more complex again. This is where King Mag kept the demons and other future-beings that he imprisoned over the years. 

When exploring the third level, you must roll on the following random encounter table every half hour spent in the dungeon, or whenever you make a loud noise. Remember that the Dungeon does not repopulate.

• 1 - 4: Echoing silence. 
• 5 - 8: Something horrible moving in the blackness ahead. Further rolls on this table are at +2. 
• 9 - 14: d6 Dimensional Vermin.
• 15 - 16: d3 Prisoners.
• 17 - 19: a Chaos Eater!
• 20: d3 Zombie Pilgrims (you will only encounter the pilgrims once. Further rolls of 20 indicate 2 Chaos Eaters attacking at once). 

As with level two, all cells have been opened and show signs of recent habitation. Unless otherwise noted in the room descriptions, cells can be searched in the same way (using the same table) as those on level two. 

Doors are wooden, cell doors are iron, unless stated otherwise in the room description.

Snashi's thieves know not to come down here. They strip prisoners and kick them down the stairs into room 1. 

You can hear the screams of the demon Misery at every point of this level, except room 17. You cannot take any of the normal benefits of rest or lunch while the screams are audible. 

 

• 1: Entrance hall. Three naked corpses, showing signs of recent violence. They are stacked at the Northern wall, and the room stinks of their blood. 

• 2: Demon Cells. Every surface in this room is mirrored - the walls, floor, and ceiling. A single torch can easily light the space brightly. The effect is disorienting, anything who relies on vision will be at -1 while inside. The glassy floor is smeared and stained. Entities will not enter this room under any circumstances. The three cells on the Eastern wall are clean by the standards of the dungeon, and each contains an inanimate cloth manikin chained to the wall. 

• 3: Antichamber. Empty and cold. Smells of mould.  

• 4: Cages. Stacked with five large, iron cages, with fine mesh grills spread between the bars. Each is large enough to hold a horse, and all have been ripped open. In the south wall there is a secret door, crudely hidden behind another large mirror installed in front of it here. The door is locked. Snashi's key used to belong to King Mag, and it will open all locked doors on this level. 

• 5: Workroom. Two wide tables. One is scattered with various tools for puppet-making; large needles and strong thread, rags, rolls of fabric. The other is a butchery table, heavily stained. Both are fitted with restraints. Searching the room will reveal a Murder Pin; an exceptionally large iron needle that can be used as a weapon. Also a set of butcher's knives and cleavers, 4 jars of embalming fluid worth 20s each (fragile), and a hand mirror. 

• 6: Puppet Antichamber. There are three manikins in this room, two wooden and one cloth. There are animate but non-hostile, and have 5hp each. The cloth manikin holds a long, threaded sewing needle, and the wooden ones hold bone shears and a cleaver. If they are brought into 5 Workroom, they will repeatedly and calmly motion you to lie down on the butcher's table. If you oblige them, they will skilfully dismember you replace most of your body with puppetry. Needless to say, this will kill you. 

• 7: Storeroom. Many smashed crates and barrels, and the continuation of the garbage chute, which leads up into the kitchens above, and down forever into the earth. The floor is thick with rats and other vermin. 

• 8: SECRET Safe Room. The door is iron, with heavy bolts on the inside. There is a +1 Arbalest hanging on the wall, 10 imperishable rations in a waterproof oilskin, and a small hardwood box with 30 platinum coins inside.

• 9: THE MIMIC HELL. Has its own more detailed map, forthcoming. Contains both the demon Misery, and the endless stair that leads down into the Underworld. The endless screaming that echoes through the level is obviously coming from here. 

• 10: The Vermin Den. Weirdly clean by the standards of the dungeon. Lit harshly by an incandescent white globe fixed into the ceiling with worked wrought iron. The whole room hums audibly, and the light is unsettling in the extreme. Anything invisible that enters this room will be rendered visible. If the PCs spend more than one minute here they will start to feel nauseous.

• 11: Vault. This is a false cell. A single corpse sits inside, slumped against the wall, hands over its face as though weeping. A door is cunningly concealed in the stonework of the wall; searching will reveal a small hole that you can stick your finger inside, to hold the catch open before pushing to open it. There are two other similar holes in the door, both concealing needles that used to be poisoned. Now they do 1 damage to anyone trying the wrong hole. The door has been scratched with graffiti that reads FUCKING TRAPPED. Inside the vault are 1300 silver coins, 20 platinum coins, jewellery (pearl earrings, several pearl chokers, rings, pearl brooches) worth 1500s, 15 doses of stimulants, 10 narcotics, and 3 Rare Hallucinogens. There is also some rare bound erotica (80s to most booksellers, 950s to people who know its worth), a pair of daggers carved with eye-in-pyramid motifs, and a mirrored buckler. 

• 12: Mixed Prison. Ten cages identical to those in room 4 are stacked against the walls. All but one have been torn open. The intact cage contains the body of a Chaos Eater, hacked to pieces in captivity. Its black blood fouls the floor and smells of burned plastic. Empty. 

• 13: Gallery. Another strange white lamp in the ceiling, with identical properties to the one in 9. The entire room hums unpleasantly. The walls are hung with large (2m x 4m) paintings on board. They look abstract, but you can see snatches of landscapes, oceans, and storms if you spend time looking. They are delicate and unwieldy, but each would be worth 500-600s to a collector. Taking them down would make a lot of noise.

• 14: War Room. Liquor cabinet (empty and smashed), plush furniture, bookshelves, several tables covered with soiled notes. There are strange maps covering the walls, which inspection will reveal to be timelines with various points highlighted or marked out. The notes are interviews (or interrogations) and probability sets. The books in this room will teach you d6 facts (rolled in secret) about the Hating Engines and the Material Hell - ask and the DM will respond truthfully. Each will require d3 hours of study to unearth. 

• 15: Armoury. This room is oddly untouched, and almost smells clean. On a low stone shelf lie 4 Satchel Charges. A single prisoner sits, staring at you, wearing a looted suit of Mirrored Half-Plate, and holding a Heated Zweihander. She if not proficient with either. Roll for her disposition. 

• 16: Bedroom. Lush furnishings, decorative tapestries, and a soiled silk couch. Three decapitated Starlings sit on the couch; the heads are nowhere to be seen. The secret entrance a low crawl space (you have to wriggle on your belly), concealed behind the couch. There is a locked iron grate over the entrance that Snashi's key will not open. The only key to this room is on the puppet corpse of King Magda in his tower on the surface. 

• 17: Shrine. Long, low, room, strewn with prayer mats and smelling of incense. This is the only place on this level where you cannot hear Misery's screaming, and the silence is thick and close. At the far end is a large and hideous dark wood statue. It is vaguely human, but has hundreds of arms, eyes, faces, and tongues, all of which stretch obscenely forwards. At its feet is laid the terrible sword Whitehard. If you try to sleep in this room while the statue is intact you suffer feverish and impossible dreams, and take d3 damage on waking. If you destroy the statue, you will be cursed such that you can never sleep again.

Bestiary

Prisoners

Stats as commoners. Roll for their disposition - most of them will simply want to be taken to the surface, but they might be scared that you are demon-possessed or with the thieves, and trust will be hard to find in this horrible place. Hostile prisoners have been driven insane with fear, and will fight to the death with whatever they have found in the dungeon (scavenged swords and knives, table legs, rocks).

Dimensional Vermin

Stats as commoners, but permanently invisible and with a natural attack (d4). Horrible things from the future, usually under the command of demons. 

If you encounter them you probably won't notice. Prefer to stalk their prey until they are otherwise engaged, then attack whoever seems weakest. Observant characters may spot footprint in pools of blood etc. If you can see them, they look like weird rabid humanoids with bright, slickly shining red skin, and enlarged eyes and teeth. 

They will always attack frenziedly if they lose their invisibility for any reason. 

Chaos Eater

Chaos Eaters are giant (maybe 9 feet long) centipede-like vermin. Some are actually centipedes, some look like fluke worms, flat worms, millipedes, etc. They all have horrible circular mouths ringed with grinding teeth.

They have HD4, attack for d10, armour as chain, speed as a horse, disposition of ambush predators. If they hit you with their attack they will get a free grapple attempt with their long, sinuous body. If they crit you while you are grappled, they deal triple damage instead of double, as their grinding teeth attach to a limb or head and get to work. 

Chaos Eaters are beings of Law, grown in their squirming billions in the future and then seeded back through the timeline to prune it of its complexities. When they attack you, you are cursed for the remainder of the combat - any hit and damage rolls above the dice average count as -1, which stacks each time you are cursed. You don't get a corresponding +1 for low rolls; this is a curse, and Law can be evenly distributed once the cosmic battle is won. 

Zombie Pilgrims

Zombie pilgrims are non-aggressive, and will be hiding in the dungeon, trying to avoid its many threats. They want to head deeper into the earth, but the way is blocked by the Mimic Hell. If questioned they will tell the player that there is a holy site deep below, and that King Mag often allowed undead pilgrims to pass through his dungeon to see it. They have timed their visit poorly.

HD2, unarmed, unarmoured, slow shuffle, disposition: pilgrims. They will not attack you, even to defend themselves. Like all zombies, you cannot actually kill them, but a determined person could grind them into functionless units if they wanted to. 

If you clear the Mimic Hell they will thank and bless you (without mechanical effect, they're not priests), and descend into the depths. 

Magic and Special Items

Murder Pin: A horrible weapon associated with demons, to whom it is considered ceremonial. As a short sword, but rolls triple instead of double on crits. 

Rare Hallucinogens: These drugs can be smoked during a rest, which will render the character unconscious for the duration. You travel across landscapes of insanity and dream. Something in you recognises these places. Choose one of your mental attributes and roll a d3:

1. a permanent -1
2. a permanent +1 
3. a permanent +2, with -1 in both other mental stats. 

Satchel Charge: High explosives. If detonated with fire from any source, explodes as fireball, with double damage against structures. Rendered permanently inert if it ever gets wet. 

Whitehard: Sentient greatsword +1. Its blade looks like a perfectly white hole cut from the universe. It is clearly visible in pitch blackness, but sheds no light. The hilt, guard, and pommel are worked and decorative black iron. Those wounded by it are cursed; their skin blackens and shrivels and their blood becomes poisonous. They lose 1 CON per week until they die, or are blessed by a saint. Each sentient being killed by the sword, either in combat or by its curse, gives its wielder 1 max HP, to a maximum of +20. Whitehard hates priests, angels, demons, and all beings of Law; it counts as +3 against them. If its wielder encounters a being like this they will take d6 damage per turn that they are not actively trying to kill them, as Whitehard wracks their body with pain. Whitehard cannot speak, but it can laugh - a loud, unhinged, and oddly aggressive noise. It laughs as it kills things, but it also has a robust and surprisingly human sense of humour and will also laugh at jokes, clownishness, or stupid mistakes. It laughs loudest of all when you run from combat.