30 Minute Dungeon Delve 20: The Last One!!

Note: This is the last of my 30 minute dungeons. I won't be posting for a while because of my visit to Texas, and also because I'm going to be compiling and editing all 20 of these dungeons into pdf format with monster stats, reworked treasure, and maps, which will sell for 5 dollars on RPGnow and/or DrivethruRPG when finished. 

Idea: The upper level of a classic fantasy dungeon in the vein of Castle Greyhawk, built by an evil wizard long ago but now abandoned. The lower levels are blocked off by rubble.

Hook: Centuries ago, the evil wizard Zarkash constructed a series of underground passages beneath his tower to house his vile experiments, hoards of treasure, and pet monsters. One day, however, a spell went wrong, obliterating the tower and Zarkash, but the tunnels still remain beneath the crumbling ruins. If the legends are true, gold and other treasures galore lie beneath the scattered stones of the cruel mage’s tower...

Key:

1. Holding up the grand vaulted ceiling of this room are a dozen statues, depicting human beings in tattered clothing being crushed beneath the ceiling’s weight. Graffiti covers many of the walls, mostly saying things like “Arthur was here” or, “Zarkash smells”. (Some of the statues, if examined, resemble kings and lords from centuries ago who opposed Zarkash.)

2. A group of smelly, hunched over humanoids with dog-like faces giggle evilly, each one holding a torch and a curved short sword. (The hyena-folk are waiting for prey, as animals and adventurers occasionally come into Zarkash’s dungeons. They will attack on sight, but may be reasoned with if offered food or a human sacrifice.)

3. The room is completely empty and bare, though there is an odd draft in the room. (The draft of air is due to the fact that the floor of the room is not real, except around the edges, and anyone who steps into the middle of the room will fall several meters onto spikes. Air vents below the false floor causes a slight gust of wind from below.)

4. A large wooden chest sits at the far side of the room, with a sword stuck in it. Blood stains can be seen on the floor. (If opened, the chest has a rotting, fleshy inside. The chest was some sort of creature that mimicked chests in order to lure unwary adventurers, but is now long dead. Within the beast’s stomach is a pile of coins.)

5. A marble fountain dominates the room, but instead of pumping water, from its spout flow deadly venomous snakes of all shapes and sizes! (The fountain is a portal to an extradimensional realm full of venomous snakes, and will never run out, though there is a hidden lever in the wall that can stop the flow of serpents.)

6. A small group of brutish, 3 meter tall ogres sit around a roaring fire, roasting the carcass of a bear. They are conversing loudly about how they haven’t been able to eat any humans recently. (One of the ogres has a pouch on his belt, containing several large gems.)

7. The room is empty, save for a green stone doorway carved into the shape of a grinning devil’s face. The doorway leads to utter and complete blackness. (Anyone who steps into the doorway is vaporized, killing them instantly, leaving no remains.)

8. The shattered pieces of statues of various deities litter the floor, all broken save for one in the corner of the room. The intact statue depicts Athena, the Olympian goddess of wisdom. The statue’s head is animated, and is talking to herself. (The statue believes she is Athena, though she does not have any real supernatural wisdom. She wants to be worshiped, and will offer to answer any questions in exchange for a burnt offering of food. Her answers to questions are not necessarily true.)

9. The room used to be an indoor swimming pool, but has long since dried up. Bones and pieces of rusted metal can be seen at the bottom of the pool. There is also what appears to have been a stairway leading down, but it is blocked off by rubble. (There is a thin layer of residue on the bottom of the pool, remnants of acid, indicating that the pool was used as a trap or execution device. If the stairway is cleared, it could lead to additional level’s of Zarkash’s dungeon… or not, its up to the game master.)

10. Curled up on a pile of gold and jewels is a dragon, about the size of a large horse. Its scales are red, and it has large yellowish wings. The dragon is asleep, puffs of smoke drifting from its nostrils. (The dragon will instantly awaken if even a single coin is taken from its hoard, and will attack, shouting that the adventurers are thieves. In the pile of treasure there is a beautiful silver sword, its hilt inlaid with jewels. This sword is enchanted to be particularly deadly to dragons.)