30 Minute Dungeon Delve 8: This one is a bit silly

Idea: Basement beneath a crumbling old tower, once used to hide treasure during a war decades ago, long abandoned and now inhabited by monsters.

Hook: Some hidden documents have been discovered in the archives telling of a secret basement beneath an old tower. Evidently, during some conflict long ago, treasure of a (now dead) noble was stashed away beneath the tower for nobody else to find. The location of this treasure is only a day’s march away.



Key:

1. The room is littered with cobwebs and animal bones. The corpse of a dog-sized spider is in the corner, with a knife plunged into its abdomen. (The corpse is desiccated, evidently very old, and the knife is rusted.)

2. There is a giant nest made from bones, twigs, and scraps of cloth. A group of giant rats lives within. There is a faint gleam of gold in the nest. (The rats will attack if the next is approached. The rats have incorporated an expensive gold scepter and a crown into their nest.)

3. Some pig faced beast-folk roast a small deer on a spit over a fire, grunting unintelligibly. They wear mismatched armor and wield a mixture of stolen and cobbled together weaponry. (They are complaining about the lack of good food. One beast-person has a leather bag on its belt with some jewels and coins within it.)

4. There are some smashed barrels, as well as residue suggesting spilled wine. (The barrels have some writing on them, which, if analyzed, turns out to spell out the name of the local pub.)

5. The room has a geometric tile pattern on the floor. It almost hurts one’s eyes to look at, as if one is straining their vision. (One part of the floor breaks the pattern. If this part is stepped on, a pressure plate in the floor causes the room to flood with red poisonous gas if stepped on.)

6. There is a large snail shell in the corner, with words like “BVY!” and “GRAET DEELS!” written on it hastily. (If approached, a large hermit crab will pop out, proclaiming itself to be Mr. Snips in a high pitched voice. Mr. Snips has a number of things in his shell he is willing to trade for meat, most of which is worthless junk, but there is a magical sword that glows in the dark and allows the wielder to read all languages while holding it. He has a special fondness of fish, and will be likely to give a better “deal” if given fish.) [Shoutout to my datemate for helping me come up with this idea!]

Random table of Mr. Snips junk (roll 1d6):

1. An egg carved from wood.
2. Some human hair in a leather bag.
3. A rock with a smiley face drawn on.
4. A roast chicken carved from stone.
5. A diary with all the pages ripped out.
6. A beetle named Charlie.

7. Encased in an ornately decorated gold and brass case is an egg the size of a soccer ball. The egg seems to glow somewhat, and emanates a faint heat. (The case is an anti-incubator, and prevents the dragon egg within from maturing. If removed from the case, the egg will hatch into a newborn dragon in 1d6 weeks.)

8. The room appears empty, aside from some unpainted stone statues. Most are human or semi-human, but one appears to depict a giant mantis. (The statue is actually just a gray colored giant mantis that is standing very still, and will attack once people get close enough.)

9. Some weapon racks, mostly ransacked but there are a couple rusty swords and shields left behind. (The shields have the symbol of a rooster on them, which was part of the family crest of the noble whose treasure was buried here.)

10. There is a chest lying against the wall, with nothing else in the room. It has a piece of parchment on it that reads “DO NOT OPEN!!”. (If opened, the entire dungeon begins to collapse, requiring a hasty escape. Contained within the chest is a pile of coins as well as some deeds to property in a nearby town.)