Castle Blackstone, Level One Southern Halls

28 Feb, 2025

To whomever is reading this, before use you must swear the Oath. To Serve the People, you will take this Dungeon Map and Key. You will print it out, download it, transfer it to another Word Processing Program or whatever way you decide to make it Yours. Alter it all, Re-key it or Expand it to suit your needs. Ensure that your players, and you as well, receive maximum enjoyment from your gaming.

This Dungeon is intended to be ran with monsters and animals that behave intelligently (Relatively speaking at times), meaning many will choose to socialize and parley over fighting. A Hack-N-Slash approach to this Dungeon will end with multiple factions becoming privy to immoral shenanigans.

(1 Square = 10 ft.)

The key will follow this order: General Dungeon-Wide Features, Factions of the Dungeon, Encounters Table and Behaviours Table, then the Room Descriptions.

Dungeon Features

The Main Hallway is made up of Hexagonal Flagstones, with emphasis on symmetry. The Wall art (Feature IV, Landing Level) has completely faded past room 1. The floor is glossy and clean, lit Stone Braziers line the walls every 8 ft. The ceiling is vaulted, 20 ft. high.
The other hallways are of lesser quality and suffer similar disrepair to the landing level. All doors on this level are Iron Grates on a Swivel (25% stuck, 10% rusted shut), making Sound and Light travel far when delving.

A running River has sliced through sections of this level, the direction of flowing water is marked on the map. The air on this level is cold and moist, pushing out from the River route. A suffocating sweet garlic stench emanates from the river (Save v.s Poison within 15 ft, vomit violently for 2 DMG).

Dungeon Factions

The Dwarves of Blackstone: A small community of Dwarves whose ancestor's never left the Dungeon, now maintain and utilize portions of Castle Blackstone's ruins. Their attitude towards outsiders is largely xenophobic, and they keep records of anyone who they come across.
Despite this, they will only become aggressive if disrespected or they witness Unlawful behaviour. Otherwise, they tend to ignore anyone and become incredibly annoyed if they are talked to in any language other than Dwarvish (Even then, they get somewhat flustered).

Berserkers: A band of Humanoids who have gone insane from Dungeon Delver's Disease, one of the only explicitly hostile groups. They treat others with suspicion, and better equipped adventurers with downright violence.

Kobold Scavengers: Small groups of Kobolds, typically spending a few days at a time delving through the depths of Castle Blackstone. They hunt for food, harvest fruits/veggies/fruiting bodies from natural fauna and agricultural outposts alongside gathering generic bric-a-brac/treasure to bring back to their community. 25% of them being from the more aggressive group.

Encounters Table

Room Keys and Special Features

1a. Treasure? - Unlit, extremely dusty still air.
This room contains a large sack of non-venomous snake skeletons, resting atop a Symbol of Pain at the center of the room. The walls have Snakes painted on them, a red one signifying the Secret Door (Pushing the Snake slides the wall open)

1b. Treasure. - Unlit, heavy metallic smell.
550 Gold Coins sit in a strewn about manner all over the floor. Fire-Chalk Graffiti (emits low light in 5 ft Radius) on the front wall reads in Common "Marvelous. 23000 Gold Coins, 12000 Silver Coins and the Eye of Gaxx! I would leave it for historical preservation, but my studies must be funded. I leave 550 Gold Coins, to whomever stumbles upon here. - Fox, The Sly"

2. Behold! - Lit by candles, Soft Beeswax scent and light breeze.
   A statue of Pelor, Hawk on his shoulder and Afterglow Blade in Hand. The Staircase to the Southeast is heavily worn down, sporting grooves where foot traffic commonly falls. Utilizing it has a chance of slipping all the way down, (Save vs. Paralysis, 1D10 DMG).
   

3. Feasting - Unlit. Strong breeze circulating fresh, cold and moist air.
   The river has cut through this chamber. Hollow Stalactites, Kobold and Humanoid Skeletons litter the floor. 2D8 Piercers wait for unsuspecting prey on the roof.
   

4a. Walkway - Unlit, breeze funnels into a strong gust.
A roughly dug tunnel, blood and hair leads towards 4b.

4b. Lair - Unlit, Strong Earthy Manure Stench. Calm, cold breeze,
1D6+3 Berserkers have set up a semi-permanent camp in this room. A boiling stew pot and piles of soft refuse decorate the area. A pile of Piercer Shells and Half-Eaten Humanoids hides 1,100 GP and 3 Large Black Pearls (50 GP each) underneath.

Feature I. - A Hemp Rope bridge sits 2 ft. above the running water, 25% of a plank breaking when used.

5. Secretus - Unlit Limestone Brazier, Cold air settling.
   Empty. On the ceiling, Fire Chalk Graffiti reads in Common, "Knock thrice on the left hand path to reap many rewards."
   The concealed door opens when knocked up thrice, lifting up into the ceiling.
   

Feature II. - This room is an elevator, activated by a lever by the portcullis (Rusted and Creaky). Once pulled, a rune circle in the middle of the room appears and begins to glow a soft purple hue. The Portcullis slams shut (60% of becoming Stuck) and the floor begins to descend 1D4 levels.

6. Tricksy - Dimly lit by Turquoise Orb, Fresh air funnels in.
   A marble pedestal holds a glowing orb, labelled by an angled Plaque on the floor in Old Dwarven, "Power Stone!". Touching it gives a non-lethal shock and emits loud hysterical cackling.
   

Feature III. - Fear Gas continuously spews from holes in the ceiling as a thin blue mist. 55% of being broken, instead humming loudly and dripping Anti-Freeze like liquid.

7. Bruh - Unlit, clean. The room lies empty. The entrance is an enchanted archway that changes the height of those passing underneath (-1D4 ft.) for 4D10 Turns. The archway is carved to resemble hands pushing down.
   

8. Room - Dimly lit by candles, Body Odour Stench.
   Decrepit barrels, shelves full of medicine (12% of usable materials). Cunrrently occupied by 2 Native Yax'Lan Adventurers, one is heavily wounded.
   Balam - Priest of Chaac (Cleric 3) - Light, Protections from Evil, Bolt - 12 HP - Jade Spear
   Tlaloc - Hunter (Fighter 2) - 19 HP - Macahuitl - Cloth Armor
   

Feature IV. - 85% of Boat being present, tied to a wooden pole.

9. Cavurn - Unlit, fresh warm air circulates around. Earthy, Herbal scent.
   A typical cavern, corpses lie around in piles. In the larger area, a slumbering Adult Bronze Dragon lies surrounded by numerous treasure piles. 58000 SP, 20000 GP, 32 Fine Gems, A Sling of The Halfling, Gem of Seeing and an ¹Orb of Lore.
   

10. Pedestal - Unlit Jade Braziers, Honey and Cacao incense filling the room.
    Empty, except for a central Limestone Pedestal. An orb shaped indent lies empty on the pedestal, a brass plaque reads in Old Dwarvish, "Orb of Lore - Ask it anything!" Concealed Door is nigh indiscernible from the wall except for a small key-hole.
    

11. Supplies - Unlit Corner Braziers, offal gassy odour.
    Crates with faded labels lie haphazardly, various rags and dirty jars on hooks/shelves lining the all.
    1 Stun Jelly waits on the roof for prey.
    

12. Nada - Unlit central Jade Brazier, Cold air and Incense spilling in from Room 10.
    Empty.
    

13. Entrada - Same as Room 12.
    

Feature V. - An Archway carved to resemble Dwarves (Insectoid Beetle-Men) crossing a chisel and hammer. In Old Dwarven script is written, "Upper Armories of the Third Deep"

14a. - Unlit, Violent gust. Intense Garlic stench. This cavern sports washed up corpses, broken and rusted machinery. 45% of 1D6 Aluxes will be rummaging around for anything useable.

14b. - A large Steel ring, engraved with odd Runic Script floats above a cluster of crystals. It is held up by chains. If Aluxes are present, the portal to Xibalba is active.