Minidungeon: The Spring of Saint Mamacona

The Spring of Saint Mamacona was once a source of Holy Water for the people of the Sentinels, the mountains above the Highlands. Then the flow of water to the villages below was cut off. Of the scouts who ascended Red Mountain to investigate the shrine only a few returned alive, telling stories of enormous shapes moving through the mist, giving off a great heat that melted the snow around them.

SAINT MAMACONA

Saint Mamacona was a shaman in an ancient time of severe demonic infestation, when people like her were frequent targets of assassination by bad spirits or their earthly servitors. She ritually sacrificed herself to create a Holy Water spring, ensuring the people would always have a place of refuge and a way to fight back against the forces of darkness. This was a common practice in the protohistoric era she lived in, and it's not clear who the originator was - although the Holy Water fountains found in the region would go on to inspire the anti-undead Order of the Starhelm in later ages.

It was also common for these Holy Water fonts to be taken over by religious authorities, local warlords, petty nobles, and more recently corporations looking to monopolize magic power. The Spring of Saint Mamacona never suffered this fate, aside from occasional habitation by bandit chiefs, due to its isolated location. Holy Water is valuable, but if there's no demand locally you've got to transport it a long way, which eats up your margins fast. Besides its use as a hermitage by religious eccentrics, the only visitors were local pilgrims.

Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala

RED MOUNTAIN

A well-used trail leads up the mountain to the Spring. A donkey could manage it in good weather, a cart could not. Currently it's buried under snow. The trail zig zags up the mountainside and crosses the path of the stream coming down from the spring. The water is normally warm enough that it doesn't freeze, but the streambed is dry and full of snow.

The Giants have set traps to catch animals, enormous steel bear traps buried in the snow. Since the traps are for animals the Giants mark them with nearby poles, driven hard into the earth to stop them from blowing over in the wind, festooned with bronze trinkets pointing at the trap. Rangers and other outdoor types can spot partially frozen piles of Hellhound shit in the snowdrifts.

There's a big heap of stone slag outside the cave, molten rock solidified into melty pillow shapes and stacked haphazardly. The cave entrance itself is sealed with a giant bronze door (the main entrance 1M) free of snow and ice, which steams gently.

A search of the surrounding area reveals tracks in the snow: enormous humanoid footprints and smaller (but still large) dog pawprints. It looks like the ice was melted and refroze. The tracks lead up a hundred feet to the EXHAUST HATCH. If the forge is active there's a whistling sound and a wisp of smoke from the hatch.

 

There aren't any tracks leading to it, but exploration of the surrounding area spots the side entrance 1L.

During the day there's a 25% chance of Garl the Fire Giant checking snares and all four of his Hellhounds running around.

THE CAVE

Rooms colored gray are natural stone caves. Rooms in bronze are carved out of rock and floored with metal plates by the Giants. Ceilings 20 to 40 feet high except in human sized areas which are 5 to 8 feet. Inhabited chambers lit by caged Fire Beetles, hoods thrown over cages to darken rooms. Forge heats the cave while active, Giants also use it to superheat thick copper rods and place them in individual rooms for warmth.

Sunup to sundown 75% chance Lucinda is working the Forge at 1B, 25% at night.

If forge is inactive dogs hear any unstealthy entry or movement, Giants subsequently alerted depending on what they're doing (sleeping eating etc). If forge is active the dogs can't hear over the clanging, but chance of dog detection by scent increases 10% every turn as sneaky adventurers sweat profusely in boiling hot cave.

 

LEVEL 1

 

1A: Still. Cave wheat mash (bought from the Deep Dwarves) and Holy Water combined to make Fire Giant Whiskey. Water supplied by a pump from pipe under door to 1B. Giants make sure the door is closed before they open the still as fumes are flammable. Explosion wouldn't hurt Giants but could collapse tunnels or turn unsecured objects into projectiles.

 

1B: Spring converted into Fire Giant forge. Dogs won't enter this room. Holy water falls from font in wall above (2A) into basin, slowly drains into narrow drain dug in floor of pool rather than flowing out bronze floodgate. Giant furnace, anvil, mold, etc. If there are SLAVES they're chained here. Coal and smokeless alchemical fuel. Ingots of bronze, brass, copper, steel. Single gold bar worth 1,500 SP in pile for detailing/decoration. Pipe west goes under close fitted bronze door to 1A. Door to 1C often left open. Ventilation shaft goes up from Forge through 2A to EXHAUST HATCH. Lucinda here when forge is active, making weapons and tossing them into 1C. While inactive 25% chance of Garl using furnace to cook naan from cave wheat. If fought here they toss hot anvil into water to produce lethal steam plume (harmless to Fire Giants).

 

1C: Forge products room. Racks of giant +1 Holy Greatswords, 5D6+1 damage and double vs Undead/Demons/Devils/Lycanthropes but only giant sized creatures can wield. Also two his/hers suits of Giant Sized +1 Holy plate armor, unholy creatures must Save vs Spells to attack wearer in melee. Rack on east wall holds two 400 SP gold chains and adamantine spade used for digging tunnels. Giants superheat it in furnace until it can melt rock, tailings scooped into high temperature steel pail and dumped outside. Behind rack is tunnel 1K. Trapped with metal rod under tension with sufficient force to decapitate victim, smeared with Holy Water to stop dogs going near it. Shut but not locked door south leads to dogs at 1G.

 

1D: Bottle storage. Racks of Giant Whiskey, 16 oversized bottles worth 100 SP each. Flammable but not explosive. Counts as Holy Water. Giants accidentally breached wall to south leading into human sized hermitage.

 

1E: Old hermitage, individual cells with wooden doors. Too small for Giants, dogs won't break down doors unless ordered by Giants. Nothing of value here but single 150 SP silver candle holder in one of the cells.

 

1F: Dry stream channel. D6-2 Hellhounds laze or chase each other. Sign over human sized door west in Lawful alignment language reads SILENCE, PLEASE. West door leads to hermitage 1E. Giant sized east passage to 1G allows remaining dogs quick access. Dogs won't enter 1B to the north, shying away from steam if forge is active (clanging sound).

 

1G: Kennel. Hellhounds not in 1F are here. Bronze crates rarely used since dogs are security for cave. Ramp up 40 feet to 2D. Cage dangling from ceiling above dog-reach holds spare Fire Beetles to light rooms.

 

1H: Small prayer room. Adjacent passages are too small for giants. Door south has latch but no lock. 291 SP in assorted coin stored here by hermits for rare purchases.

 

1I: Burial room. Too small for Giants, bones scattered by dogs. Latched but unlocked wooden door to 1H. Silver earring worth 50 SP amid parts. Wall east broken but blocked by crates in 1J.

1J: Cloak room and landing. Giant sized stairs up to 2E. Lucinda's bronze spear and Garl's chained club on racks, boots, heavy furs for outdoor wear. Garl's robe has a belt buckle worth 400 SP, Lucinda's cloak fastens with a pin worth 600. Bronze crates hide melted passage to human size room 1I. Crates are heavy, filled with coal, bear traps and metal parts, metal mirror-lanterns, copper "torches". Climbing over them triggers springloaded bronze sawblade left by giants (too high for dogs).

1K: Tunnel formerly used by pilgrims to reach shrine without disturbing hermits. Too small for Giants. Connects 1C and 1L.

1L: Square bronze plate the size of a person attached to rock face. Warm and ice free, indicating heat source on other side. Plate is functionally unbreakable, stone is the weak point. Chisel or pick can break it off where it's bolted. Passage behind is large enough for a human to walk through. (Giants blocked passage to stop human infiltration. Breaking plate off alerts Hellhounds if forge is inactive).

 

1M: Sturdy door of bronze that swings inward, set into mouth of cave. Smaller door at the base, square and shorter than a human. Big door isn't locked but requires the efforts of multiple characters to open and makes a grinding sound. Small door is locked with simple deadbolt on interior side, thief or engineer with tools could open from outside. It's a Dog Door, the latch is there to contain Hellhounds.

 

LEVEL 2

 

2A: Open space above 1B. Holy Water dribbles from cracked wall into pool below. Bronze screen south leads to 2C, open during breakfast/dinner. Shaft above forge leads up to EXHAUST HATCH.

 

2B: Giant bedroom. Big brass bed covered with furs. Embossed metal plate on wall with image of happy family: Husband, wife, five children. Happy couple are here at night if Lucinda is not working forge and Garl is not drunk. Dogs don't pursue intruders here after harsh punishment for interrupting Giants during sex. Curtained closet on west wall holds giant clothing with rubies and gold embroidery worth 1,500 SP. Giant cashbox not locked but trapped with flammable beetle secretions, shoots jet of flame when opened. 2,712 SP in gold and silver ingots which giants shave pieces off for transactions. Back wall of closet can be smashed by Giants cornered in bedroom to jump down to 1B. 

 

2C: Giant kitchen. Center island with stove and range, tables and chairs. Moveable airtight bronze screen grants view of forge/pool below at 2A. Battered bronze and iron cookware made by Garl, below fire giant standards but functional and tough. Sacks of flour, dried meat, spices, pickled vegetables. Bismuth and gold beadwork curtain on west wall depicts volcanic worms frolicking in lava, 1,000 SP (extremely heavy) or 500 if only gold beads are taken. Giant size couch with 145 SP lost in cushions.

At sunup and sundown Lucinda and Garl eat here with dogs, Giant bronze door to 2D opened to let them in. Garl cleans and cooks bear, goat or llama steaks blue rare and serves w naan bread. Dogs get bones, offal, and any humans/demihumans caught by the Giants. Polokonzerva THE DUERGAR joins them for meals if present. At night 50% chance Garl is on the couch, though not if Lucinda is working the forge (then he's in bed).

2D: Access corridor. Dog ramp to kennel 1G. Giant size door to bedroom 2B kept closed. Heavy bronze door to 2C left open during meals so dogs can eat under table.

2E: Landing. Big stairs down to 1J, heavy bronze door (never locked) to 2C.

2F: Giant-sized guest room has wooden door and both Giant and human scale furniture of bronze. Vents of bronze to mountain exterior cool room, opened or closed at user's preference. Polokonzerva sleeps here while visiting. Ceiling has mosaic of red and yellow gems depicting Fire Giant victory over Fire Newts, 900 SP in precious stones.

EXHAUST HATCH

Metal hatch atop the mountain above the cave. While the forge is active it glows a dull red and whistles as air lifts it just enough to escape. Opening releases a plume of smoke that deals 2D6 damage within arm's reach. Descending the shaft while the forge is active deals D6 damage. Weighing the hatch with rocks draws out Garl and D4 Hounds to investigate and clear obstruction.

While forge inactive, hatch is frozen and covered with snow. Opening requires chipping ice off and great strength. Shaft is cool enough to descend safely 100 feet to 1C.

OCCUPANTS

GIANTS

The Fire Giants are a pair of empty-nesters, all their children gone off to fight as mercenaries in human lands or take Clerical vows at the Godsfeast Abbey. They picked the Spring of Mamacona to spend the winter because Lucinda wanted to experiment with Holy Water quenching. They view surface worlders as dangerous brutes who make ugly trash. They respect craftsmanship, especially forgework, and may offer hospitality/trade to "mice" (their term for normal sized people) who demonstrate special skills. All others are treated as intruders to be enslaved or fed to the dogs.

Garl takes care of the dogs and does work around the house. His forgework is poor by Fire Giant standards but he's good with animals and handicrafts. His wife loves his cooking and his whiskey but wishes he wouldn't drink so much. It makes him sluggish in bed and snore terribly after, frequently earning him exile on the couch at 2C. He'll sacrifice his dogs in battle but will pursue petty revenge against anyone who kills them. He'll sacrifice himself to save his wife. He wields a huge studded club and wears 1,000 SP in red gemstones (rubies, carnelians, garnets).

 

Lucinda works the forge, fabricating anything the pair needs and manufacturing weapons for sale abroad. She loves working with her hands, often eschewing tools to shape molten metal with her fingers. Heat is moisturizing for Fire Giants. Her skin and hair have a lovely glow, especially when she's frustrated which is often. Her armor is lopsided and crudely made for Fire Giant work, but her husband made it for her. She's undersized for a Fire Giant, hit dice as Hill Giant but attacks and damage as Fire Giant when using her oversized spear. She wears 1,000 SP in red gemstones and gold rivets.

Giants hate the cold. Their chance-to-hit and chance of spotting threats are halved outside the cave. They fear cold-based weapons and magic (cone of cold, magic swords with ice powers, etc). The pair are wary of pursuing mice into tight spaces or outdoors, especially at night. That's what the dogs are for. If they have to go out at night they carry polished metal cages with fire beetles inside, which reflect the light like a lantern.

HELLHOUNDS

The Giants keep four Hellhounds as pets and guard animals, Bjern, Wanda, Sevgi and Kram. The Hounds have a dog's sense of smell and hearing, quickly to detect infiltrators in the cave. Their senses are much less acute outside in the snow. They can't detect threats by sound while the Forge is active. They don't use their breath attack unless commanded by one of their owners, nor will they destroy doors (which they can't open) without permission. The Giant use them to flush out threats in tight spaces.

THE DUERGAR

The Level 4 Duergar Polokonzerva periodically visits to trade with the Giants. He uses a Bag of Holding to carry heavy items and trade goods. He buys giant weapons/armor and sells staple crops, raw materials and luxury items. He wants Lucinda to make mechanical components on commission. Precision forged metal parts immune to demonic influence could be used for evil megaprojects in the Barricades of Loathing (Polokonzerva's parent underground civilization). So far she has resisted because she likes expressing herself through metalwork, not working to exact instructions.

  

The Duergar carries a +1 Staff of Growing, a +1 Dagger, an Amulet of Paranoia (halves the chance of being surprised) and a Pick of Mighty Digging (no STR requirement). His Bag of Holding is attuned to him and if he dies the encryption will have to be broken before its contents can be accessed (Remove Curse or Dispel Magic will do it). It holds trade goods and money with a total value of Type E.

Despite his racism and greed Polokonzerva is scrupulously honest in dealings with surface barbarians, and any other time the reputation of his clan is at stake. He fights alongside the Giants if assaulted in their home, but if caught alone or badly beaten will use invisibility/shrink himself to get away until he can dig a tiny escape tunnel with his Pick.

 

SLAVES

The Fire Giants aren't interested in raiding for slaves, but enslave mice opportunistically. Lucinda keeps them chained in the forge area, where they polish and grind things her giant fingers can't reach. They're dehydrated from heat, partially deaf and always smell like ammonia and burnt rubber. Lucinda periodically unchains them one at a time to scrub them in the holy water pond - ignoring how much this reminds her of her own children. The Giants toss them food scraps from 2C after meals.

The current crop of slaves is made of people who investigated the Holy Water being cut off. Roll D8-2 for how many are present.

1. Walter, llama herder. Prideful, considers himself the foreman of the group.
2. Richard, woodworker. Frantic, eager to please the giants. The biggest risk to the others.
3. Susanna, charcoal burner. Passive, considers this job similar to her old one.
4. Laira Averstom, Fighter. Hates the Giants for melting down her helm and ax. 
5. Jim Mosscloak, Druid. Near-suicidal after the Giants incinerated his plant friends.
6. James Hapsin, leatherworker. Quiet, clever. Cooperates skillfully with any escape plan.

THE MAKING OF

I made this adventure because I wanted something I could run in person with some of the Reapers I painted. This was originally going to be a DCC funnel but I couldn't think of a clever way for the players to beat the giants without fighting. They could steal the treasure and leave, but then the adventure would be a reboot of Manor of the Giant Arminius.

I was going to draw this in Dungeon Scrawl to draw this but it crashed the browser tab halfway through the first floor and I lost everything. There's no desktop version.

The slaves were populated by rolling random Peasants and Adventurers from the Monster Overhaul.