Castle Mordha 10

10: Level 2 East

More stuff the players shouldn't see

This second of the dungeon levels, set above the first. It has three major ‘thematic’ areas: there is the Northeast Corner which contains the killer bee hive; the central area around the shrine to Duncan that has been contaminated by a wraith and is now defended by a small horde of zombies, and there’s the south third and west edge of the dungeon which is populated mostly by Goblins and some Hobgoblins.

Level 2 Northeast: Hive inset

The northeast corner of the second level is a hive containing 30+ killer bees. The red indicated sections on the map indicate the thick walls of the hive that have been constructed atop the stone walls of the dungeon. One square can be pushed through with a STR test, but failing by more than 6 points means you’re trapped in the goop and have to make another STR test to get out.

Each “room” can be mined for honey once a month assuming you can keep the bees out of the way. This produces 2 quarts of normal honey, or a gallon if you want to stop the room dry. The healing honey can only be found in certain rooms and is so noted. Each pint takes an hour to harvest. The normal honey has a value of 10 GP per pint as far as XP is concerned.

The bees will respon rationally to an attack but not necessarily to an incursion – if the PCs don’t touch any of the bees at first they can get survive for a little while but starting a fight in any open area will lead to a swarming as bees come in to help.

1) Hive Entrance: this room contains circular stairs down that allow entry to the hive from the floor below. The room will always contain 4 Killer Bees.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD ½ HP 3 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 9, but bees die if they successfully sting.

2) Thick Floor: This space is noteworthy primarily for being relatively open, save that the hive on the floor is deeper than normal, reducing movement to one half. The corridor to the north of this room requires a STR roll at +4 to pass through without getting ones legs stuck in the hive matter.

3) Narrow Exit: this five foot wide, three foot high hole is on eof the hives two exits to the outside world. It is harder to spot from the outside but marginally easier to reach (and escape from) via climbing, and tests to do so are at +4 once you know it exists. The area usually holds two killer bees.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD ½ HP 3 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 9, but bees die if they successfully sting.

4) T(ea) room: This oddly shaped room stands out because of what’s in it: people exploring the North wall will see through the hive material to a display case behind it. Inside that display case is 500 GP worth of delicate china tea set; unfortunately getting it out will take some clever ideas by the PCs and at least an hour’s worth of time for 100 GP.

5) Crossroads: This room is normally empty. The SE passage twists on itself and is unstable – if the PCs take the corner to the dead end it will collapse on them for 1d3 damage and require a STR check to extricate ones self.

6) Wide Exit: this room is the larger opening to the outside, and routinely holds 6 killer bees. The exit is part of a steep overhang and anyone looking out without bracing themselves must make a Dex test at +6 or slip and fall 30 feet for 3d6 damage.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD ½ HP 3 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 9, but bees die if they successfully sting.

7) Healing Room: This room is one of the spaces the bees use to hold their healing honey; it has 5 killer bees present it but the key fact is that every 2 pints of honey harvested here act as a Cure Light Wounds potion for 1d4 healing.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD ½ HP 3 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 9, but bees die if they successfully sting.

8) Entrances: This is the main entrance into the hive from the rest of the dungeon and therefore sees considerable traffic. But isn’t permanently manned. On the south wall there is a space where a door still exists to outside, but it has to be pushed through to make use of it.

9) Open space: another are that sees a lot of traffic but isn’t directly occupied.

10) Warrior Killer Bees: This space holds 6 of the queen’s retinue, and will attack anyone who enters the room

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD ½ HP 3 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 9, but bees die if they successfully sting.

11) Queen’s Room: This is the queen’s chamber, and it too contains the royal healing honey to be harvested. It also contains 4 Killer Bees with 1 HD each and the queen, who can sting without dying.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD 1 HP 7 each, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 12, but bees die if they successfully sting.

Killer Bees: AC 12, HD 2 HP 14, 1 att for 1-3 dam + poison + stinger does 1 pt per round until removed; Morale 12

Level 2 East – Zombieville

The Eastern section of Level 2 (rooms 12 through 24) is the domain of the undead being created by people unwittingly drinking from the pool in room 21. The wandering monster in this area are limited to bees (via the passage between rooms 9 and 12), undead of the skeletal and zombie variety and kobolds who are just dumb enough to poke their heads up. If the PCs

12) Zombieville a: This room holds 5 Goblin Zombies

Zombies: AC 12, HD 2 HP 8, 1 att for 1-6 dam; Morale 12

13) Barricaded Room: the door to this room (and the one in the corridor to the north) is barricaded on the other side as a precaution against Zombies. Opening them from this side requires a STR test at -2. They look like normal doors from this side, but prove resistant to normal entry. If opened they will not reset to this ‘hard to open’ state naturally.

14) Rain Room: The ceiling to this room isn’t has highly vaulted as the others on this floor; there’s a drop ceiling in place that if the PCs prod it too vigorously will collapse, spilling out a horde of zombified rats that will fall on them like rain. This is 40 rats that attack as 4 groups of 10, but are tougher than normal due to their undead status and also have a 12 Morale.

Zombie Rats: AC 11, HD 1/4 HP 2, groups of 10 attack as single creature for 1d6 damage + disease; Morale 12

15) Man-Flesh!: That reads wrong. Anyway, this room holds 6 human zombies, the remnants of another adventuring party that made it fairly far before succumbing to the water. Scattered amongst them are 40 SP, 11 PP, some modest weapons and a potion of Invisibility.

Zombies: AC 13, HD 2 HP 14, 1 att for 1-6 dam; Morale 12

16) Debris Room: This open, otherwise empty space has wood shards all around the floor from the shattered furniture. Zombies will sometimes arm themselves from this.

17) Prayer Room: This room has small benches set in the floor and icons to Duncan on the walls; there isn’t anything here of resale value but it does perpetuate a sense of serenity and calm. It also holds 8 Kobold zombies who are hiding under the benches and will lash out at anyone who sits down. The door to the north, which ooks like it might provide escape, is barricaded in the same way as those in room 13

Zombies: AC 13, HD 2 HP 7, 1 att for 1-6 dam; Morale 12

18) Stairs: his room holds stairs to the lower floor, and is also wreathed in mist that’s coming up from the circular stairwell. This mist hides nothing at this level but it is creepy.

19) Preparation Room: This room is where one would perform ablutions, strip off weapons and otherwise prepare one’s self for entering the prayer room. In the southeast corner there is a space holding a half dozen broadswords that someone had left there. They’re functional but not of real value.

20) Entry foyer: this room has mosaiacs to Duncan around it, with the small gems similar to those found elsewhere. If the PCs choose to deface it they can find 50 10 GP gems here. The room also holds the remains of three goblin zombies shattered by previous adventurers.

21) Pool: This room is a shrine to Duncan, which again has mosaics around the wall; The gems here are more valuable (100 stones of 25 gp each) if they want to deface the place. The pool itself is deep (the darker blue part is 15 feet deep) and is supposed to drain out into the level below and be magically filled. The deeper part has a tangle that is actually the body and armor of a huge warrior pinning a still-active Wraith. If the Wraith is removed the pools healing properties will return (2pt per day per drink) but right now it has a foul effect of one level drain per drink (save vs. spells to negate).

Wight: AC 15, HD 3 HP 18, 1 att for 1 level drain; Morale 12, hit only by silver or magic weapons.

21) Hidden Room: this room used to be the hidden armory of a weapon master who acted as a free agent for the Mordhas. As such it contains several items of note, including +1 Chain Mail armor and a +1 Broadsword, along with 5 other finely crafted (double normal cost) swords. The room has never been located.

22) Bugbear Zombies: There are two huge bugbear zombies in this room that will chase the PCs if they leave. The passage to the west ends with a pile of rubble that blocks the way through save for a crawlspace that centaurs can’t pass and smaller creatures require a Dex test at +2 to get through, and even that requires a round or two of clearing rubble. The west wall is covered with a carving of warriors in various poses that a trained fighter will see are training techniques for specific styles. Only one of the figures is bare handed, and if that hand is depressed the secret door pops open.

Zombies: AC 12, HD 2 HP 16, 1 att for 1-8 dam; Morale 12

23) Empty Room: This space is empty, and the passage to the south ends in another of the double barred doors. This was part of the suite owned by the weapons master, but nothing of value remains.

24) Skeletons: This room, once the bed chamber of the weapons master, is now home to 12 skeletons all croweded around somewhat lost and confused. Like the bugbears these too will give chase if they spot the PCs, which is atypical. Something in these rooms seems to animate them to greater hostility, but there is no immediate answer to that.

Skeletons: AC12, HD 1 HP 4 each, 1 att for 1-6 dam; Morale *