The Hidden Colony Of Layanaka - Dungeon

Backstory

The hidden colony was actually a colony of refugees from the nearby city prison of St.Barbara. The city was pillaged by pirates to free one of their leaders and the other prisoners managed to escape via small boats once the main walls were destroyed. This meant that around 200 prisoners, both men and women found themselves in perilous waters for 2 days before finally reaching the island of Layanaka. Knowing that they would be chased the prisoners started excavating a hidden town inside one of the mountains, hoping that one day their crimes and their faces would be forgotten. Sadly that never happened. After only a few months one of the women discovered a purple plant that had relaxing properties: people would be able to forget about their troubles and live a less stressful life in the colony. In less than a month everyone was consuming this plant on a daily basis. Then tragedy struck: little was known to them is that the plant had small parasites feasting on its leaves, parasites that got ingested during the meals and slowly started to grow until, one day, they started leaving the bodies of its inhabitants, dismembering them from the inside and taking ownership over the colony.

The Village Of Agador

On the island, 5 hours from the Colony trough the thick jungles, lies a small village. Agador is only reachable by boat from the nearby City Port of Victoria. There are 200 inhabitants, all human, with some dwarves sometimes passing by. There are no relevant landmarks except for the Lonely Shark tavern ran by Eralda: a dark skinned woman with curly hair that likes to curse. Players can buy provisions at the West Trading Post and there’s also a mage named Plin that resides in one of the houses. He’s tasked with helping the guards to cleanse parts of the jungle for a rapid colonization but he’ll agree to Identify Magic items for a reasonable price.

Reasons For Adventuring

Treasure: The players have heard legends of the lost Colony and of its downfall. The tales are murky and it’s not clear what happened but it’s been probably untouched for decades so all of the treasure is still there!

Explorations: Felios, a grumpy man and the mayor of Agador hired a force of mercenaries to go and explore some strange ruins that the explorers have found in the eastern part of the island. He will pay 1000gp for a map of the place and an assesment of its conditions.

Family Ties: The prisoners had families, and some familiars might want to learn of the fate of their loved ones. One (or more) of the PCs could have blood ties with some of the old inhabitants and would like to learn more about what happened to them.

Trade: Ertell, from the Ertell’s Trading Company has heard about a Tea with magical properties that the inhabitants of the colony knew how to brew (See “Phyne Tea” sidebar). He will pay 400gp for its recipe and 400gp more for a sample. The recipe can be found in Area 44 and the tea can be made in Area 4

General Description

The area is vibrant and deadly. Corridors hold dead corpses and blue blood and plants. The whole colony collapsed when the first worms started appearing and the panic took over the corridors. Barricades were erected to keep out the undead and they can be found even to this day in some of the passages. Even if not specified most of the rooms contain small plants growing from the cracks and blood on the floor. The doors are wooden with no distinctive features and all of them are open. There is no light anywhere, but the corridors hold spots for torches, that are empty.

Random Encounter Table

Atriel’s Influence

Whenever this result is rolled roll 1d6.
1 - The character start seeing blue for 1d6 turns
2 - Everyone sees small maggots crawling upon their skin. It turns out to be an illusion
3 - A vision of a blue trone appears in front of the PCs
4 - The characters feel like their throat is burning and bleeding and will have to scream. Check for encounters
5 - The illusion of a blue flower manifests in front of the players. It will keep getting closer and closer and disappear after 3 seconds.
6 - One random player will feel stronger and he will automatically hit his next attack

Phyne Tea

The players might learn about the tranquilizing effects of the Phyne Tea and might want to try to brew it themselves. If that happens Phyne flowers are present on the island and inside the dungeon. Drinking the Tea will make whoever consumes it immune to Fear and Paralysis for 1d6 hours. The effect can be acquired multiple times and doesn't have any drawbacks but, once the tea is drank whoever ingested it becomes infested with Parasites. The infection doesn't manifest for 2 weeks. After that the body will start itching and the venes will pulsate during the day. After 4 more days fever and vomit will begin and the player will have to be bedridden. 3 weeks after drinking it the PC will fall into a coma and the next day 1d4 Phyne Worms will come out of his dead body.

Area 1: 1-15 The Mortuary Of the Plague-Struck

1 - A big room with old cloaks and jackets hung on the eastern wall. The walls and the floor are covered in purple powder.

2 - This room has rotten table a cabinet that contains a diary that contains the story of a man that escaped from St.Barbara and saw his loved one die in the waters.

3 - This room is empty except for some barrels, now laying on the floor.

4 - A giant distillery is present in this room, its floor is now covered in a purple mush made of rotten plants. Rotten purple plants can be found also in barrels. The distillery was used to produce a drink from the Phymes. The machine can be repaired in 1d4 days if a character is knowledgeable enough. The plant can be found outside of the dungeon and the effects of ingesting the drink will be described in a later post.

5 - This place was once a small amphiteatre, now with ruined seats. If a player stands on the scene some Dancing Lights will appear encouraging the player to perform. If a PC performs and the exhibition is deemed appropriate then the PC will receive the Bless effect for 1d6turns. Otherwhise a zapping sound will be heard and the PC will be hit by a small lightning for 1d4 damage.

6 - 4 prisoners have risen as undeads, controlled by parasites in their corpses. Their skin is of a blue tint and small holes tatter their bodies. Blue Zombie, stat as Zombie (AC8/2HD/9,7,7,4/18THAC0/60’/1xClaw 1d8) but when dead there’s 1d6 chance that the Parasite (AC9/2HP(1/2HD)/19THAC0/120’/Bite save vs Poison or become infected after 1d8 hours unless cured) will escape the corpse to try and find another dead body to inhabit.

7 - This room got infested by plants as they rose trough the cracks in the stones. Now this room is a vibrant forest of colors ranging from green to red. A hive of 9 Killer Bees (AC7/2HP(1/2HD)/19THAC0/150’/Sting 1d3*) and 1 Bee Queen (same stats but with 2HD) hides behind the secret door. Thanks to cracks in the ceiling 1d4 bees are always present in the room while the rest dwell in the hide. The corpse of a woman can be found between the plants with 73gp on it. If the players destroy the hive they can find 3 pieces of Crystalized Honey (150g ea.)

8 - This area is also filled with plants and hides a deadly trap. A corpse can be seen from the entrance but when the players get close enough to it thick vines will come from the floor blocking the only entrance. At the same time from the vines will come out a thick yellow gas. (Save vs Poison or get blinded for 1d4 hours + after 10 rounds Save vs Poison again or die). The corpse contains a Scroll of Protection From Magic and 88gp.

9 - This room contains 9 dead corpses, all with small pores on their skin and with their stomachs torn apart. They were all hosts to the Phyne Worms dwelling in Area 9.

10 - A small Bone Dagger (55gp) is hidden under a woodden plank. A secret compartment in the east wall contains a pouch with 35ep and two gold teeth (10gp ea.)

11 - The smell in this room is revolting as one body is almost completely melted on the floor. An Insect Swarm (7AC/2HD/14/18THAC0/60’/1xSwarm 2hp) hovers around the body

12 - Small crypts dot the corridor in what looks like the cemetary part of the Colony. -A Carrion Crawler (AC7/3HD+1/13/19THAC0/60’/8xTentacles* or 1xBite) dwells in the alcoves -B - The area in this alcove is murky. If a character enters to search it Save vs Magic or lose 1d4 Intelligence for 1d4 hours. -C/D - Empty -E - A broken compass (22gp) can be found lying on the ground behind some rocks -F - 5 Phyne Worms are feasting on a Crawler’s corpse. Stat as Giant Centipede (AC9/2HP(1/2HD)/19THAC0/60’/1xBite Save vs Poison or take 1 damage/round (cumulative))

13 - This giant crypt has 30 sarchopagi. One character can search 3 of them in 1 turn. Inside there are 233g, 177s an Onyx Ring(77g) and (only if all are searched) a Girdle of Giant Strength.

14 - A Grey Ooze (AC8/3HD/13/17THAC0/10’/1xTouch 2d8) guards a Tiger Eye (Translucent, rich brown with golden center under-hue) worth 65gp

15 - A lever is present next to the door to the south. It stands in the middle. If moved downwards once it opens the door and returns to the middle, if moved upwards it closes the door and opens the door to Area 16 (while also returning to the middle). To open them both at the same time the lever must be pulled down twice. If it’s pushed upwards twice it opens a spike trap under the PC. (1d6 damage + 1d6 spikes damage)

Area 2: 16-32 The Blue Quarters

Those are supposed to be some sorts of living quarters for the prisoners. As usual the ideas are not final and will probably undergo some revisions. The factions are, once again, lacking, but I will probably add all of them in the end.

16 - This room is full of broken statues. Lots of them. Passing trough is difficult and will trigger a random encounter check if enough noise is made.

17 - A malformed slime is in this room, its blue and shifting. He has teeth and sometimes he takes the form of someone that you love. Blue Slime (AC6/2HD/8/18THAC0/40’/1xBite x 2d4 + Save vs Poison or get Chatmed). When he dies he dissolves, leaving on the ground a medallion with a photo of a woman worth 477gp.

18 - This room was an alchemy lab, now it’s full of broken glass vials and tables.

19 - A sleeping room, it has six beds, rotten and gray. On the northern wall a writing in blood that spells “Goodbye”

20 - A smaller sleeping quarter with only four beds. A Zombie with no head stands in the middle of the room turned towards the northern wall.

21 - 3 Phyne Worms (AC9/2HP(1/2HD)/19THAC0/60’/1xBite Save vs Poison or take 1 damage/round (cumulative)) are hanging from the ceiling. If the PCs are not careful they will try and fall on them, attaching themselves to the host and biting into his skin. A small clay figurine (45gp) can be found under one of the materasses.

22 - 5 Dead Carillons (AC4/2HD/18THAC0/50’/1xBite 1d6, upon death a small insect will run out from their bodies producing some music) are present in this room. They are undead that produce a slow and sad carillon sound whenever they move. They won’t attack the PCs on sight and will react only if they make noise in their presence (they find it very irritating). In the middle of a room stands a cube made of glass, too heavy to lift. Inside of the cube is a Longsword +1.

23 - The door to this room is locked and trapped with a swinging ball (2d6 points of damage). Dexterity check for half. Inside the rooms looks like an old armory with armor stands and old rusted weapons. No weapon is salvageable but it one of the cabinets is a black key (opens Area 37)

24 - Someone repurposed this room as a camp. Then, the occupant decided to end his life. In the middle of a room is a man wearing a leather armor, with a sword trough his stomach. Blue maggots are now crawling under his skin. The body holds nothing of value but if the PCs spend more than one turn in this room they’ll start hearing whispers in their heads suggesting them to end their lives.

25 - A Screaming Hummingbird (AC9/1HD/19THAC0/120’/1xBite 1d4) has a nest in this room that is connected to the surface trough a small shaft. If the characters get too close to his nest he will first make a small screeching noise (Roll for random encounters) and if the party doesn’t get back then he’ll unleash a hellish scream (Roll for random encounters, 3-in-6 chances. Everyone hearing the scream will be deafened for 1d6 hours and 20% chance of remaining deaf for life). The nest contains 246sp, 37gp and a small hearth shaped bone.

26 - 3 more Blue Zombies can be found here (see Area 4). One of them holds a pouch that contains two opals (20g ea.)

27 - This is the hiding place of Rudus, a small human thief that came here to retrieve the amulet in Area 38. He came to the Colony four days ago and found this secret room that he now uses to rest. He haven’t found a way to open the door to Area 37. He is very opportunistic and vile. If he hears the PCs fighting in Area 26 he’ll come out and propose them an alliance. He will do anything to avoid combat and to convince the party that, whatever their goal is, the path to it lies trough Area 37. If the PCs successefully recover the Amulet he’ll try to run away with it as soon as possible.

28 - A Talking Statue (AC3/3HD/17THAC0/20’/1xSword 1d6) is in the northern corner of the room. It will ask philosophical questions to everyone in the room. If the PCs ignore it or don’t answer for more than 30 seconds while in the room the statue will close the door and animate, attacking the PCs while screaming “Why do we fight for?”, “Our existence is based on assumptions” and similar phrases.

29 - A giant plant is present in this room. It’s 10’ tall and with purple and blue leaves. Its roots extend deep into the floor and PCs inside the room can hear moans and whispers coming from the cracks as if hell itself is speaking to them. This room is an eternal struggle between Parasites (AC9/2HP(1/2HD)/19THAC0/120’/Bite save vs Poison or become infected after 1d8 hours unless cured) and the plant. Every turn from the cracks in the floor rises a cloud of gas that kills the parasites, but at the same time more vermin crawl inside trough the walls and the ceiling. A corpse lies between the worms and the plant’s roots. It has a Hammer of Energy Drain and 55pp on him but recovering it would mean avoiding both the gas (2d8 damage, Save vs Poison halves) and the Parasites

30 - A covered mirror hangs in this room. If the cover is removed whoever watches inside will be teleported into a Violet World and will be forced to fight a copy of himself. Defeating the copy is the only way of escaping.

31 - This room was started but never finished. It was supposed to be a hall but its construction got interrupted because of an underground lake. A small Hydra (5HD) took the lake as his lair (there is an underwater passage that connects the small lake with a bigger one). Inside the lake there’s a wooden chest that can be seen from outside. The hydra has only a 10% of being present in the room but will come after 3 rounds whenever someone enters the lake to retrieve the chest (taking it outside requires at least 5 minutes). The container holds 1433gp, 3661sp and 4293cp as well as 2 diamonds (500gp ea.)

32 - This room is empty and partially collapsed. A body lies smashed by the rocks but holds nothing of value.

Area Three: 33-38: The Ways Of Knowledge

33 - The tree different areas have shafts extending out to the surface. Red and purple vines crawl down the walls, the sun not visible probably covered by foliage. Every area has a giant statue, 10ft high. Every statue has a mask, big as a man, that, when removed, reveals an open area behind it. Taking off each mask is hard but can be done by climbing on the statue’s back and removing the big iron locks.

A - Hideous face with no mouth or nose and with 20 eyes. Behind is an a group of 28 **Gorbels** *(AC3(10\*)/2HD/19THAC0/120'/1xExplosion 1d6 or 1xClaw 1d4)* they will fall into the room as soon as the mask is removed and escape into other rooms of the dungeon. Replace the bat encounter in the Random Encounters table with 1d6 Gorbels.

B - A feline mask with real tiger teeth. A giant **Gas Spore** lingers in the area. Every PC that enters the head will mistake it for a Beholder.

C - A completely black mask. The insides of the head are filled to the brim by mouths that will start screaming as soon as the mask is removed. Inbetween the mouths are precious gems that can be removed (3 gems worth 100gp e.a. every 10 minutes but roll two extra Random Encounter Checks. A total of 15 gems).

34 - This room is completely red. Art pieces are hanging on the wall, some of them are destroyed others still preserved. They’re protected by a magical field that permeates the room so taking them outside will prove almost impossible. There is a set of stairs that leads nowhere, a painting of an empty 10ft. white room that can actually can be entered and an image of a blue and white circle cold to the touch. In the middle of the room stands a Metal Warrior (AC4/3HD/17THAC0/50’/2xSword 1d6), a small humanoid made out of metal that served both as a critic and a guardian for the gallery. As soon as the PCs enter he will activated and, in a broken state, will start asking opinions about the art pieces. If the party leaves without giving a satisfactory answer he will attack.

35 - This a library, but most books are completely white. Some of them are actually stuck to the bookshelves and can’t be removed. A thorough exploration (3 Turns) reveals a book containing a brief description of the mechanism of Area 37 and a book containing a brief description of the colony.

36 - A dead body sits on a chair, face deep in a book he was writing, his stomach torn apart. The host has long escaped and the book is too permeated in blood to be read. A Banshee haunts this place (AC3/7HD/13THAC0/1xClaw 1d8 or 1xDeath Wail*). The Banshee will not pursue the players outside of the room. The body holds a Potion Of Healing and a Golden Knife (322g). The secret room can be accessed both from this area and area 35 by examinging a bookcase. The room contains the bones of a dead woman that, if removed from this place, will put the banshee to rest. There is also a Wand Of Fear with 6 charges.

37 - This door is made of metal and it’s closed and the key can be found in Area 23. The door can’t be forced or destroyed by normal means (a knock spell will work). This area is dedly. The middle of the room has a pressure plate that is likely to activate when the party enters to investigate. Pressing it will close the door behind them and turn on 6 Statues (AC-2/3HD/14THAC0/90’) (3 for each end of the room) that will simply take the PCs with force and throw them into Area 38. Each statue has a switch on the neck that turns it off. If Rudus is with the party he’ll stay outside of the room with an excuse. He knows that the area is trapped and doesn’t want to risk it.

38 - Lots of corpses are laid on the floor, all dead and with no eyeballs in the sockets. If the party is thrown into the room the door will immediately close and the oxygen will start to be sucked out of the room, this will not be noticeable at first but by examining the corpses it can be inferred that everyone died by asphyxia. After 1 turn in the room everyone will die and after 2 turns the door will open again. Purposefully no solution to this room is provided as to not influence the DM. One of the corpses holds the Amulet of Shenarh: Seven large ovals of onyx set in forged gold adorn this Amulet. When worn the user gets +2 to all of their stats, but forges a pact with the demon contained within. This ultimately dooms the wearer of the amulet that, unless decursed, will die in 1d6 weeks by violent means even if the amulet is removed. This is the item that Rudus is looking for.

Area Four: 39-48: The Thorn Halls

39 - This room is pitch black and no light can pass trough.

40 - A table with a hundred black skulls laid on it. If even one of the skulls is touched the PC that touched will hear a maniacal laughter in their head.

41 - A Blue Serpent (AC7/2HD/18THAC0/80’/1xBite 1d6 Save Vs Poison or become sick after 1d4 hours. Anyone sick will vomit blue blood for 3 days) dwells in the ruins. It’s blue, almost ethereal. He will not attack any creature infested with parasites. If dead he’ll become mist and dissolve. Replace the Whirling Mists with him in the Random Encounters table. The secret room contains a Scroll of Stone To Flesh and a crystal pitcher (3000g, 50% chance of breaking every time the owner takes damage)

42 - This room contains a scene similar to area 40, except this time the table is full of red bones. If one of the bones is touched they will all vibrate and slowly fall to the floor one by one.

43 - 3 Blue Zombies can be found here (see Area 4). Purple flowers grow out of their skin. Whenever those zombies are hit there’s a 30% chance that the flowers will release a cloud of spores incapacitating everyone next to the zombie for 1 round.

44 - This room is empty and holds ruined gardening supplies and rotten seeds as well as a book with the recipe for making Phyne Tea.

45 - This is a Hydrophonic Greenhouse where different flowers grow.

A - Orifax Blooms - Red flowers that smeel of blood and feel wet to the touch

B - Phyne Flowers - Can be distilled into a tranquilizing but deadly drink. If inspected closely some miniscule blue worms can be seen

C - Soer Vines - Hideous fleshy vines, they smell horribly and sting if touched

D - Blachids - The smell of this flower is deadly. Anyone getting close must Save vs Poison or take 1d6 damage and vomit for 1 turn. If a second save is failed then the character dies. Inside the bulb of the flowers small gems grow that are worth 500gp e.a. (4 total)

46 - The ceiling of this room is an endless night. Red orchids grow on the floor, reaching almost 1 feet of height.

47 - The ceiling of this room is an endless sun. Blue orchids grow on the floor, similarly to room 45. A Tiger Beetle (10AC/2+1HD/16THAC0/1xBite 2d4). The Parasites made it more fragile but with each hit it has a 10% of transmitting the infection) infested with Parasites hides in the flowers

48 - This room is massive and it’s completely covered in blue vines and flowers. Water drips from the ceiling and mist hovers 2 inches above the floor. Atriel Vox (3AC/4HD/16THAC0/60’/2xCurved Blade 1d6) wanders the room, unable to find peace. He’s 10ft. tall, his veins are visible from afar, his eyes are clouded with mist. He’s not immediately hostile to the party, and he will ask them to end his misery. If the party refuses then he will attack them, but he will take a “Later” as an answer. If a fight ensues every other round a Whirling Mist (8AC/1HD/19THAC0/120’/1x1d6 Save Vs Paralysis or lose 1 round) will appear: a humanoid figure made of mist, to difficult to concentrate upon. Whenever it passes trough someone it makes him remember his worst mistakes in life. Atriel won’t give up without a fight even if it’s his desire to die. If attacked he will proceed to take out two blades from his mouth, spilling purple blood everywhere, and use them to attack the players. The throne in the middle of the room is magical. If used when Atriel is dead it will grant the user control over the mist allowing him to spawn one Whirling Mist under his control while inside the room or inside a misty area.

49 - This room is filled with invisible gas that filters from the cracks in the floor. Whenever someone enters this room make them Save Vs Paralysis. If they succed end exit immediately nothing happens, otherwhise they get paralyzed for 1 turn (Roll for Random Encounters). The cupboards hold some pouches with 30gp 41pp and 433sp.

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