Lost Galmagia Week 2: Under the Acolytes Ward

These rooms hinge on two things: an Ogre who stumbled past the room 1.6 Curse Ward and now at half strength lurking in the hallway, and a Bishop of the Matriarchy who is barking mad and excavating all the Acolytes Quarter basements.  

1.9: Ogre Storage
Not too long ago an Ogre blundered through the arch from 1.6 and the curse ward cut his Prime Requisite (Strength, natch!). With burning snake venom in his veins, he’s just smart enough to know the arch cursed him and just dumb enough to think it will hit him on the exit. He’s hunkered into the storage space and ambushes any Galmagian Nobles passing through here: even at half strength he’s fearsome. (He attacks at +2 for 6 damage). If the dice indicate the party is surprised it’s because the Ogre is preparing an ambush from behind the crates. He is too large for the excavated tunnel, so he stays within the storage area or roams up and down the passage (he’s a potential wandering monster under the Cathedral, and if he’s killed there he won’t be here). His pouch holds 500 GP and the trade goods here will, if brought back to town, net another 500 GP.

1.10: Unstable Ceiling
Most distant of the excavated basements, it isn’t stable. Dwarves can detect this, but otherwise each person passing through the entrance has standard chance to trigger a cave in in a few seconds. All in the room must save vs Petrification or take 1d10 damage (an Open Doors check to dig out if still alive). On the plus side, once the cave in occurs, this room becomes another entrance to the surface, albeit a narrow, hard to navigate one.

1.11 Shallow Graves
This excavated basement exudes an aura of holiness detectable by any cleric or human aligned with the Matriarch. The floor holds 4 shallow graves which, if exhumed, reveal the bodies of large men laid to rights (including crude wood Caduceus for each that radiate good and magic; these have no intrinsic value, but if removed will kill a Pledged Dead).

1.12: A Block of Flats Graveyard
This large room encompasses the basements of 4 interconnected houses. Each is somewhat separated by 10’ arches and 2” risers, some of which still have the paper ‘walls’ between them that are warded to be as strong as oak (can be brought down with axes). Each segment holds a shallow grave identical to the ones in 1.11, and the Secret Door is another warded paper screen covered with mud that can be shifted.

1.13: The Bishop’s Project
There’s sounds of excavation coming from this room; inside are 9 figures: a wiry woman leading a work crew of 8 men in chain armor, digging away at the wall. The men reveal themselves to be Pledged Dead when they turn to acknowledge the PCs. The woman is Lily HazelsDottor, a Cleric 8 who used to lead knights on voyages to the west and back. She’s the one responsible for the pledged dead, who were her knights in life. When the Giant’s Shadow fell, she survived a building collapse and then due to her Ring of Sustenance (which means she needs no food, water or air), she had time to dig her way to another basement, and has spent the last quarter century digging. Now in her 60’s she’s obsessed with finding and survivors in the quarter; whenever she’s found the bodies of her knights she’ held them to their pledges in life. Any other bodies are moved to 1.15. Lily won’t leave her quest or this area, but if the PCs get on her good side by accepting a quest she will cast spells to aid them and these rooms count as a Place of Safety for recovering HP & Spells. What quest? She will either send them down the shaft in 1.14 to and the 3^rd level recover a powerful magic sword (which they could keep) or into the 2^nd level Cathedral basements for an earth moving artifact that she would keep.

1.14: HazelDottor’s Rooms
This room is divided into 4 quadrants by warded paper screens, each with small gaps in them. HazelsDottor uses this as her minimalist living quarters as she still needs to sleep. Her bed and what personal items she has are in (A) while (C) contains a shaft down to the 2^nd and 3^rd level.

1.15: Laid to Rest

This chamber holds all other bodies the dead HazelsDottor has found here, laid in graceful repose.