The Depths of Lethria: First Level

I've decided to use AD&D DMG Appendix A to generate the dungeons beneath the shrine. I did the first level by the book and it unsurprisingly sprawled into a slightly chaotic mess. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but gaming time is at a premium for me, so I'll tweak the process slightly for subsequent levels. I cleaned up my graph paper version and sketched it up quickly in Dungeon Scrawl. Here's level 1 in all its glory:

Note that I randomly rolled starting area 5 (pg 169), but getting the triangular area to match within the Dungeon Scrawl app was too much of a PITA for me, so I turned it into a rectangle ("discretion must prevail", after all). When I finished the random generation, I thought about the layout for a little while and decided to replace some hallway openings and regular doors with secret doors to segment the areas and generate a backstory for the place. I also added some secret doors in the ceiling to throw a twist into it and add some 3D vertical motion. My plan is to run our previously generated PC group through the dungeon as a solo play exercise. Let's see if the fickle Dice Gods decide to reward or punish our feisty murder hobos.

The History of the Shrine of Lethria

The Shrine of Lethria has existed as long as Men have walked the Cold Wastes around the city of Valthrun. Some say the shrine was built at the same time as the city, others that it existed prior to the city's founding, but the truth is that its origins are lost to the mists of time. Even the name is in dispute. The most widely held belief is that Lethria was the name of the god of Law to whom the shrine is allegedly dedicated, others say it was the name of a former high priestess who grew the shrine to prominence countless centuries ago. Whatever its origins, the site of the shrine is dominated by the crumbling ruins that sit above at least one underground level. It is pure conjecture as to why the upper levels were allowed to fall into ruin but the lower levels remained intact and largely undisturbed for so long.

Over the decades, many intrepid souls have ventured to the shrine and explored its treacherous depths. Most disappeared without a trace but a very, very few returned with great wealth in the form of oddly proportioned baroque jewelry, hoards of strangely minted ancient gold coins from unknown and forgotten kingdoms. Most intriguingly, several bizarre esoteric magical devices were unearthed and very quickly bought by wealthy patrons for staggering sums of coin.

No maps of the shrine have ever surfaced (if they even exist), so nobody knows with any certainty what the interior of the shrine looks like nor how far beneath the surface it may stretch. The shrine stands on a wind blasted hill some mile or so outside of Valthrun, its obsidian ruins a perpetual beacon in the fevered dreams of the curious, greedy, or insane adventurers that seek to plunder its long-hidden ancient riches.

The Secret History

The shrine sits at a particularly potent intersection of magical, planar and temporal forces. It was discovered eons ago by the insane priestess Lethria, servant of the Outer Gods. Recognizing how powerful this nexus of energies truly was, Lethria built the shrine on the hill with the efforts of her slaves and disguised it as a sacred temple dedicated to the gods of Law. As she gradually attracted followers to her false faith, she slowly corrupted them and turned them to the path of the alien Outer Gods beyond space and time. Using her slaves and fanatical worshippers, she quietly expanded the shrine deep below the Cold Wastes and built warped structures beneath the tundra to further channel and amplify the eldritch energies that flow through the land.

As is the case with all insane cultists, her ultimate goal was, of course, to loose some nameless horror from the Outer Dark and bargain with it for power and control "when the stars were right". Her efforts failed and she is now damned to wander the twisted halls of the complex as an insane undead horror. Her power is still formidable and her damned soul acts as a magnet for all evil creatures who instinctively make their way to the subterranean terrors of the shrine's depths to seek her out.

Lethria is uniquely cursed by the Outer Gods with a hideous form of undeath. When first encountered on level 1, she will be a mindless zombie. If slain, she will reform on level 2 as an insane starving ghoul. If her ghoul form is slain, she will manifest on level 3 as a wight. If her wight form is slain, she will achieve apotheosis as a vampire on level 4.

Level 1 Encounter Key

If the party investigates the above ground ruins of the shrine, they will see that the remnants of the building are made of the same deep obsidian-like stone that is used in the city of Valthrun. Some great cataclysm or war has destroyed the upper buildings, but it is possible to pick through the rubble and find a 20ft wide set of broken stairs that lead down to level 1 of the dungeon. There are likely other entrances and egresses, but they are doubtlessly hidden elsewhere in these crumbling ruins.

The first dungeon level is segregated by secret doors into roughly four sections:

Rooms 1-7: public face of shrine and fake Temple of Law

Rooms 8-14: worship areas for the acolytes of the Outer Gods

Rooms 15-18: acolyte ritual chambers, guardrooms and pens for the sacrifices to the horrors beyond time 

Rooms 19-20: preparatory ritual chambers for those moving to the deeper mysteries

Room 1: False Temple of Law

This room is dominated by an altar to the Gods of Law (as can be surmised by the familiar representations carved into it), but everything else of interest was plundered long ago. This room (along with areas 5 and 6) were the only areas shown to the uninitiated public. All other areas are secured by secret doors, originally only known to those acolytes who were sufficiently devoted to their pursuit of the Great Old Ones (i.e. insane cultists).

Room 2: Hall of the Acolytes

Statues representing the less loathsome aspects of the Great Old Ones as well as some of their greatest champions line the walls of this chamber. The indoctrination and further degeneration of the acolytes occurred here at the hands of Lethria (her statue is the most prominent one and is located in the center of the eastern wall). All other statues seem "off", with minute unsettling runes covering every inch of their bodies, misproportioned body parts, poses that shouldn't be possible for humans with the standard number of joints and so in. The evil radiations of the shrine have attracted 18 kobolds who have some here to worship the idol of one of their new gods (a Great Old One that resembles a leprous toad with six horns and all-too-human delicate feminine hands). The statue in the southeast corner covers a trap door that opens onto a spiral stairway leading to Level 4. The kobolds know about the stairs (and were, in fact, about to descend before the PCs arrived). If any kobold can be interrogated, it will gladly reveal the info in exchange for its life (and freedom).

18 kobolds: AC: 7; 1/2 HD; HP: 1,3,3,4,4,2,1,4,1,2,1,3,3,4,4,1,4,4; #AT: 1 short sword (1-6dmg). The kobolds have a total of 238cp between them.

Room 3: Plundered Treasury

Thick, solid shelves made of carved stone are expertly cantilevered into the walls of this room. It was originally the treasury for the shrine and is only accessible via the secret tunnel from the EHP's suite. Lethria would also use the secret ceiling door in the southern tunnel as well to enter and leave the complex unseen by her lowly followers. Through sheer dumb luck, a group of orcs discovered the secret trap door and the subsequent secret door on the south wall that led into this room. Orcs being orcs, they're too dumb to find the hidden trap door in the floor. They don't know anything else about the complex.

11 orcs: AC:6; 1 HD; HP: 4,3,1,7,7,8,5,6,2,3,1; #AT: 1 Battle Axe (1-8) or Shortbow (1-6) There is a total of 92ep sitting in an old sack on one of the shelves. The orcs have no treasure themselves.

Room 4: EHP Private Chambers

The once lush trappings of this room were plundered long ago. The only indication of the function of this once grand room are some scraps of faded fabric and broken remnants of furniture. The room is otherwise empty.

Room 5: Visitor Reception Area

The remaining furniture in this room (rotten tables and benches) indicate that this is a reception area. Lurking in the detritus are two very hungry fire beetles.

2 fire beetles: AC: 4; 1+2 HD; 10hp, 7hp; #AT: 1 (2-8dmg); red glow from glands light 10ft radius; lasts for 1-6 days

Room 6: Guard Room

This was the barracks of the personal bodyguard of the EHP Lethria. Some bits of broken weapons and other unidentifiable junk is the only indication of the rooms former purpose.

Room 7: Acolyte Dormitory

The acolytes of the unholy shrine made their home here. This is where the PCs will first encounter Lethria where she will appear as a zombie clad in fraying and decayed finery, accompanied by her most devoted acolytes. The zombies cannot be turned due to the curse of the shrine and will fight until destroyed. This is, of course, what Lethria wants so that she may begin her path to apotheosis.

3 zombies: AC: 8; 2 HD; 3hp, 7hp, 8hp; #AT: 1 (1-8dmg)

Rooms 8 through 12: Ritual Chambers

These rooms were a series of ritual chambers that the cultists would pass through as they entered increased states of insanity before ultimately attempting communion with the Great Old Ones in the Forbidden Temple of the Acolytes (room 14). A group of giant rats have found their way into the shrine via the chimney in the far north of the complex. They're hungry...

9 giant rats:  AC: 7; 1/2 HD; HP: 3,3,3,1,4,1,4,1,2; #AT: 1 (1-3dmg); 5% chance of disease per wound; save vs poison

Room 13: EHP Throneroom

At the peak of her power, Lethria would receive delegate, supplicants and would-be allies here, as she was seated on the great stone throne that dominates the northern wall. The pillars and the walls are completely covered with disturbing carvings and obscene runes that hurt the eyes of any examiner. The very room radiates a deep set "wrongness" that will make normal people nauseous and anxious while within. Should any fool spend more than 30 minutes (3 turns) trying to decipher the abominable writings, they must make a save vs. death magic or suffer the effects of a random insanity for 1d8 hours. 

Room 14: The Forbidden Temple of the Acolytes

Lethria would lead the acolytes of her cult in dark services to the insane Great Old Ones in this terrible place. Much like the throneroom (room 13), the walls, altar and columns are covered with the same type of unholy runes, frescoes and bas-relief carvings. The effects in this room are the same as above.

Room 15: Guard Room

This was the guard room for the sacrificial victims that were kept in the pens (room 16). It is currently occupied by a rival party of adventurers looking to make their fortunes (and angry over the fact that they've found nothing). If conversations don't go to their liking, they will take out their frustrations on the party.

NPC Party:

• L1 (N) druid; 6hp; leather armor, wooden shield, spear; L1: Detect Snares And Pits; backpack, iron rations, 5 torches, water skin, large sack
• L1 (NE) fighter; 9hp; scale mail, shield, broadsword; backpack, iron rations, 5 torches, water skin, large sack
• L1 (NE) fighter; [S:18/82 +2/+4]; 2hp; chain mail, shield, battle axe; backpack, iron rations, 5 torches, water skin, large sack
• 6 men-at-arms: 3hp (x4), 4hp, 5hp; scale mail, morning star, light crossbow; backpack, iron rations, 5 torches, water skin, large sack

Room 16: Sacrificial Victim Pens

This was where the sacrificial victims lived out their final moments before being dragged to the altar in the Temple of the Acolytes. Though abandoned for centuries, the place still reeks of blood and filth with an oppressive air of hopelessness leaving little doubt as to the purpose of the place. The cages of the victims are set below the floor level of the center part of the room so the guards could easily keep watch on the damned souls below.

Room 17: Empty Room

Its purpose is lost to the ages.

Room 18: Adept Ritual Preparation Room

This northern wall of this chamber is open to room 16 and allows the occupants to stare down upon the wretches that ended their lives in the Temple of the Acolytes. This was an unsubtle reminder of the fate that awaits the unworthy servants of the Great Old Ones. The walls are covered with the same obscenities as the Temple of the Acolytes and instill the same effects upon the overtly curious.

Room 19: Sentinels of the Adepts

Guards in this place once kept watch on the corridor to the north to ensure that only the adepts descended to the lower levels. The punishment for all others was, of course, death on the altar of the acolytes.

Room 20: Adept Ritual Room

Adepts would ritually purify themselves here before descending to the lower levels. Its walls are covered by the now familiar eldritch horrors and will affect the party as described previously. There is a spear trap in the corridor leading to the stairs (1-3 spears for 1d6 damage; 1 in 20 chance of poison). I mean, you are checking for traps with a 10ft pole...right??