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Rat traps: Roll 3d6 to place three rat traps randomly in the first 8 rooms. SR vs. DEX: 1d6-3 dmg (minimum 1), -1 SPD for remainder of day.
1 This is the entry to the maze of rat tunnels that run beneath the Baron's castle. The passages are low enough to make travel uncomfortable; luckily, a sort of phosphorescent moss growing in patches along the walls provides just enough light to see by. As you crawl along, you hear the occasional "scritch, scritch" of movement just outside your field of vision. You are not alone down here. Exits lead north, east, and south.
2 Lying in the dust is a small vial containing a red liquid. Healing potion (+10 CON).
3 Pack Rat nest. Search for goodies: 20 gp, shiny silver ring with red stone (magical focus, p. 138)
4 Dead End. Nothing to see here, just some dirt and leaves and sticks. When players turn to leave, they find a diseased rat blocking their path. Any player taking damage from this rat must make SR vs. LK or become infected (subtract 1d6 from both STR and DEX for remainder of day).
5 Goblin corpse. Lying face-down near the entrance to this room is the corpse of a goblin. The body looks fresh. Bite-marks can be seen. Grolsch, if present, looks sad. "Poor Rock. Rock never smart or fast. Rats catch. Goodbye, Rock." Nothing of value can be found on Rock's body.
6 Rats scurry in from all 4 exits from this chamber.
7 The passage widens out into a 20-foot-wide space before turning more-or-less at a right angle (west-north). A slight breeze from the north, over time, has blown a large amount of loose leaves into this corner. As players pass through, suddenly something leaps up from underneath one of the piles of leaves. Everyone make SR vs. SPD. Player with lowest roll loses one loose article from their inventory (not armor) to a marauding and rather aggressive pack rat, who runs off at full speed into the darkness. Players may find lost articles at the Pack Rat's Nest.
8 This is a long, narrow cavern, about 20 feet across from entrance to exit, and about 60 feet wide. There is a curious stealthy sound (like slow scraping and quiet breathing) coming from the far end of the room, but the distance and the gloom make it impossible to see what the source of the sound might be. If the players decide to investigate the far side of the room, they will find a rat's nest containing the key to the courtyard in the Baron's Castle -- and also a large snake currently devouring the previous tenants of said nest. Poison bite: if the snake hits, his bite will do 1 dmg. per turn for the next 3 turns. The effect is cumulative. After defeating the snake, players may harvest this venom for use on their weapons if they wish.
9 Central Nest. This room, roughly 30 feet circular, is clearly the center of the rat's nest, as evidenced by the multiple tunnels leading in all directions. The floor is littered with bits of sticks, torn cloth, and tufts of fur. In the center of this is the nest itself, currently squirming with a number of rats' bodies. You barely have time to take this in before you hear a screech of rage. "Grolsch, what you do here? You no stay! Go! You not chief now!" From the far side of the chamber emerges a humanoid figure. It stands about 4 feet tall, with wiry limbs, matted black hair, and pale gray-green skin. He is a goblin, clothed in skins (rat-skins, you wonder?) and has a number of pouches and charms dangling from his belt, neck, and wrists. You figure that he is a shaman of some sort, a guess which proves pretty accurate when he begins to wave his hands over the nest and chant in a shrill croak. The rats in the nest react as if electrified, their limbs stiff, their mouths opening to show their long sharp teeth. Then something starts to happen; their bodies all rise up in the air together and begin to melt and blend together, horribly, until their disparate bodies become a single mass of rats, all joined by the tail. The shaman ceases his chanting, and this nauseating ball of teeth and claws drops abruptly to the ground. Then, with a disturbing scrabbling-rolling motion, it comes right at you. Rat King: Loathsome. SR vs. CON or halve combat adds that round. Dispelled if tails severed (fight as 8 normal rats). Goblin Shaman: Can cast a low-powered TTYF (5 dmg) twice before running out of WIZ.
10 / 11 Goblin Camp. As you enter this room, you can see an immediate difference in the appearance of the caverns. The ground is smoother; the ceilings taller; and the walls are noticeably more squared-off and regular. There is also a decidedly larger goblin population in these parts. There are 4 or 5 in this room, not surprising since you seem to have wandered into their sleeping quarters. They look at you in dumb surprise for a long moment. (If players have Grolsch with them, the goblins erupt in cheers and welcome their lost chief, and his saviors, with open arms. Players are able to safely take a night's rest in the goblin camp if they want to. Otherwise, they will either attack or listen to what the players have to say.
12 Grolsch's Room. This is pretty much what you would expect to see from the throne room of the chieftain of a small goblin tribe. A broken tall-backed wooden chair, obviously pilfered from the Baron's trash heap, sits propped up against the far wall. A torn tapestry depicting a rearing horse hangs behind it. Grolsch, if present, will reward the players with 100 gp and 100 ap. Otherwise, players may find Grolsh's treasure chest hidden behind the tapestry (trapped with a poison needle trap. SR vs. DEX to disarm, or take 1d6-3 for 3 turns).
13 Exit to Summershore