Into the Tomb Lands, Encounters 20 through 23 (Patreon)

Encounters 20, 21, 22, & 23 of my "Into the Tomb Lands" #Dungeon23 project are up. It's still free for all to see at the original post at https://www.patreon.com/posts/76655396, but I decided to start posting a few new rooms at a time by themselves for Patreons, so people can just read the new content without having to scroll through everything that's already on the main page with the map.

20. Tomb-Marked: The first time a Tomb-Marked character gets this close to the runes on the Rune Wall while on the stairs, they become extremely dizzy. A moderate saving throw or skill check is required to not lose their balance and fall down onto Area 17. The landing zone is 20 feet down, but it wet, soft earth that cuts the falling damage in half.

The Second Landing is 5 feet x 5 feet, and slightly slanted so any fluid or round object dropped here ends up dumped into the Mushroom Garden (Area 17).

21. The Third Landing is 5 feet x 5 feet, and has a series of bronze rings bolted onto the edge that leads to the Rune Wall (Area 19). This makes is an easy skill check for a character with ropes to lower themselves down in front of the Rune Wall, and record all the various writing on it. This takes 8 hours of work, though a skill check can make this 1 hour faster for every successful plan and check the players come up with (for example a Moderate skill check to lower 2 people over reduces time by 1 hour, an easy Scrivener check to use charcoal rubbings rather than sketch out the runes saves 1 hour, and so on).

It's 30 feet from the Third Landing down to the Mushroom Garden (Area 17).

22. The Crossway at the top of the stairs has two stone doors (one to the right from the stairway, and one straight ahead), and a corridor off to the left. No light from anywhere further than the Third Landing (Area 21) can reach into this space, and nothing beyond it is lit.

The stone door to the right has no handle or apparent hinges, and is sealed with lead around the edges making it airtight and watertight... almost. A Difficult perception check (or an Easy one if someone specifically investigates the lead seal, or tries to open the door) has a tiny crack in it. If observed for a long period of time, a tiny wisp of black vapor can be seen leaking out of it. This is a bit of the Guardian's essence, and is magical and necromantic (see Area 23).

The door is Very Difficult to open with skill or subtly, and Difficult to open with brute force (which still takes time and makes a lot of noise). A Tomb-Marked character senses an active tomb beyond it.

The stone door straight ahead has no apparent hinges. Four small stone blocks are worked into niches in the door and the doorframe. If they are removed, the door swings easily and silently open on a concealed counterweight pivot. This is an easy task for a trained thief or engineer, and Moderate for anyone else.

Down the corridor to the left come the sounds of running water, and the strong smell of mint.

Once the PCs reach here, the GM should read Area 23 before going on, whether the PCs try to get into it or not.

23. The Tomb of the Guardian, the Guardian of the Tomb.

Tomb-Marked: This is an active tomb.

The door into this area is described in Area 22, the Crossway.

This is the Tomb of the Guardian who is, well, the Guardian of the Tomb. Specifically, he is the Guardian of this entrance to the Tomb Lands, and sworn to protect it from any invasion by the living, with the exception of those here to give their respects to the dead, mourn, carry out burials, and prepare or repair tombs. If the PCs have entered The Crossway at any point, and they don't breach The Guardian's Tomb, he eventually seeks them out (3% cumulative chance each hour until it happens) and attacks them in anger for them not facing him.

Treasure

The Guardian has one moderate low-level treasure appropriate for each PC. These are pretty basic (most minor magic weapon, shield, armor, tools, wand, or staff, or similar utilitarian items), but they also increase in power as the PCs gain levels (so they always function as an appropriate low-level treasure based on the PCs' level). In his Tomb are one major low-level treasure appropriate for each PC. These are more flavorful and odd. Possible examples include a small statue that becomes a companion animal or familiar for 1 hour per day; an eyepatch you can move to the other eye, allowing your first eye to see illusions for 5 minutes, recharging after being over an eye for an hour; a hat that is actually a living creature that normally eats peoples heads but has gone vegetarian, and if you feed it and wear it, the hat warns you of backstabs and people sneaking up on you even when you sleep; a weapon sheath that gives you a big boost to your defenses in combat as long as all your weapons are sheathed and you make no attacks (resetting after 4 hours of making no attacks); a horseshoe that can summon an angelic (or demonic, based on the PC) steed that you can put away when not in steed-friendly areas; a tiara that allows you to completely change costumes and armor (among clothing and armor you have on you) as easily as you can draw a weapon; gloves that can crawl off your hands and duplicate you finger movements allowing you to attempt to pick pockets, open locks, or disarm traps from about 30 feet away; a war-horn you can use 1/day to encourage allies or demoralize foes; a magic cloak that flutters in its own breeze and both protects you like a shield and keeps you rom being knocked prone; a set of bronze spider legs hooked to a harness that let you climb like a spider and make dagger attacks as if wielding 2 daggers without you needing to hold daggers; a spellbook that gives you access to one randomly-determined extra spell each day; a floating stein you can pour a potion into, then have it feed them to you in combat without taking an action; armbands that can project long claws allowing you to climb better and make claw attacks; boots with spring heels allowing you once an hour to leap a great distance or kick someone or something as if you were a giant; a very comfortable chair that floats just off the ground, can carry you your gear and that much weight over again and when you sit in it can go anywhere you could go if you were up and active; a sarcastic "devil's advocate" imp that is under contract to give you scholarly and legal advice, including translating written materials (but not peaking around a corner and telling you wants there).

The Guardian

The Guardian was, 2,000 years ago when the Tomb Lands were last sealed off, a powerful undead able to defeat the most powerful invades. However, he entered torpor when the Tomb Lands were sealed off, with a lead-sealed tomb that was supposed to keep all his undead essence sealed in his room.

It has a leak.

Now, he is a minor undead only powerful enough to be a major encounter for the PCs when they first encounter him. If defeated, he waves his hand expansively at the treasure in the room and declares it is their rightful spoils of war. (If encountered not in this room, he waves towards the area and says the same about "the spoils within his tomb." Then he turns into vapor, and seeps through cracks in the stone and, yeah, the PCs will see him again.