Monday, July 5, 2010

Pits and Chains


Sargent Yarrick was into some pretty weird stuff. But he kept the road warden watchtowers running and the garrisons in order, so his private life wasn't questioned... until it was. When they figured out what Yarrick was worshipping, they speedily tried him, exacted the penalty, and threw his body into a well.

That was over 100 years ago. Now caravans near the abandoned watchtowers report an unpleasant feeling of being watched. Wizards whisper of ill omens and evil stirrings. Some caravans have been ambushed and burned, their goods still loaded. Could all this have something to do with Yarrick's Curse?

The story of the curse is in every tavern in the Wildwoods. Every time the PCs hear about the curse and decide not to do anything about it, advance the curse track one step:
  1. Rumors abound, people are worried, but no one you talk to knows anyone affected by it personally.

  2. A large caravan is attacked, and signs are posted in the Inns advertising for adventurers to investigate the tower.

  3. The next time they travel the roads, the PCs find a small caravan, burned, with signs of undead attack. All wilderness random encounters in this area are now skeleton raiding parties.

  4. Trade slows to a crawl and the prices of all goods rise precipitously. The towns are crowded with scared peasants from the countryside.

  5. A small army of undead sallies forth from the the watchtowers, led by Yarrick, and undead wraith of great power. It besieges the nearest town, beginning its reign of terror across the country.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Stonehouse

A dungeon doesn't have to be complicated to be great. This dungeon is inspired by The Book of Ruins by Judge's Guild, a book which I reviewed a while back, so I won't say much more about it here, except that it contains a number of excellent, simple dungeons.

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Monday, February 22, 2010

The Casks

As of yesterday I've got a batch of homebrew beer bubbling away in my basement. So I thought I'd celebrate with a brewing-themed dungeon!

A crumbling ruin that provides harried travellers a respite from a vengeful storm

An imprisoned spirt desiring immediate release

A peice of forgotten lore, immensely valuable to some, but in the wrong hands, a terrible danger

A convival band of thieves under the sway of a charistmatic leader

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Manse by the Sea


Manse by the Sea
Originally uploaded by orkboi
Hey! Microdungeons.com was featured on the MAKE blog, thanks to John at MAKE! To celebrate, I'm posting tomorrow's dungeon early!

Sir Kond lies in state in the Town Hall and his house, Manse Kond, stands empty for the first time in a century. They say that alive, the Baron treated with monsters, that he poisoned his one true love, and that his wealth is buried in a hidden mine beneath Manse Hill. Then again, perhaps he was just the lonely, bitter man he always appeared. But if so, what was the fate of Lady Kond, and where is his fabulous treasure? The answers surely lie beneath the manse by the sea.

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