Undercroft: The Weald

 

Diefenbach

The Weald is a place where the natural world thrives in the lightless depths of the Undercity, defying physical laws that demand sun and rain for things to grow.

Rules for using the builder here. 

 

It occurs to me that these dungeon areas might be better if you deal out all 21 cards, since that ensures a mix of empty and exciting rooms. This is based on the generator from Esoteric Enterprises and in practice when I ran that game I put my finger on the scale to use all the fun rooms rather than leaving it all to chance. If you run out of room to fit the cards on your page, you can remove the cards and note the locations on the paper, then deal out the rest.

CONNECTIONS IN THE WEALD

Upright Odd to Upright Odd: Narrow earthen mole tunnel to crawl through.
Upright Odd to Upright Even: Green path of soft moss and lichen.
Upright Odd to Reversed Odd: Thick vines must be hacked away.
Upright Odd to Reversed Even: The inside of a rotted log.
Upright Even to Upright Even: Tube of tangled briars and thorns.
Upright Even to Reversed Odd: Ancient stone dolmen, open at both ends.
Upright Even to Reversed Even: Tube of spiderwebs, wet with dew.
Reversed Odd to Reversed Odd: Cloud of fireflies lights tunnel but obscures other end.
Reversed Odd to Reversed Even: Sucking mud that slows movement to a crawl.
Reversed Even to Reversed Even: Deep, narrow crevice strewn with branches, breaks legs.

ibid

SPECIAL RULES FOR CREATING THE WEALD

Once you’ve thrown down all your cards, draw a line through rooms with a value from I to VI. That’s an underground river. It enters from somewhere up above (either the City or another dungeon level) and exits into the depths below. If both rooms are the same orientation then that section of the river has enough air above it to keep your head above water while wading. If the rooms have different orientations the tunnel is completely submerged.

If you deal an XX, the rooms around that chamber are stalked by the Cù-sìth, who menaces dungeoneers in adjacent rooms and herds them around for sport.

If you deal an XXI, Dryads periodically spawn through the Meatgrinder to pester the Guild and lure them to that room.

ibid

ROOMS IN THE WEALD

I: Glen divided by flowing river. Mist hangs over trees and plants and enormous mushrooms, occludes the high ceiling of the cavern. Foliage slows movement but provides concealment. Paths through undergrowth marked by flat stones. Wooden planks have been laid across it to form an improvised bridge.

II: The water running through this room is naught but a shallow stream. Crossing it by hopping across the stones is easy.

III: Water flows into a pond in the center of the room, flowing out at the other end. One entrance to the room can only be reached by sloshing through the water.

IV: The water flows over a small waterfall, dropping about five meters into a pool below before exiting the room. Climbing up the slope is easy, but adventurers climbing down risk slipping and falling in the mud.

V: Fountain. Water flows through a hand carved fountain and out the other end of the room. Time-worn stone benches face the bubbling pool. The grass grows patchy between the flagstones. Small Change lost in the water.

VI: Marsh. Room is filled with plants growing in water, which ranges from ankle deep to waist deep, flowing in one end of the chamber and out the other. A hidden Kelpie guards a single Treasure that glitters beneath the surface.

VII: Purple Satyr Tavern. Spilled beer and wine, faint smell of urine. Tables and chairs, fairy lanterns that change color. Two Korreds tend bar. Drinks are free for consumption on-premise only, UNLESS guests replace what they take with another bottle. Lots of Small Change left by guests. If a random encounter occurs, that monster is looking for a drink. 

VIII: Fungus cave. Sheets of white mold on every surface. Nausicaa style giant mushrooms. Haze of glittering spores in the air. Dessicated bodies mostly covered by mold. Lone Fungoid tries to warn off intruders with its illusions so they don’t get killed, unwittingly makes the chamber more enticing by appearing to defend the single Treasure glittering in the rotwood.
 

Inhaling spores connects victim to fairy realm. Dreamer welcomed to world of splendor by vanished fairy creatures, beautiful and laughing. In real life they stand insensate as their mind wanders. Stay too long and suffocate on spores, body becoming part of the mold. Removing the victim from the spore cloud gradually ends the effect.

IX: Ancient forest. Enormous oaks stretch up into the darkness above. Thick undergrowth rustles with insects and vermin. Careless travelers Stressed by itchy but harmless spider bites.

X: Statue garden. Humans, demihumans, monsters and monster-people. Some have cartoon bites taken out of them. The statues wear a total of 250 GP in stone jewelry. A Cockatrice lurks motionless, pretending to be a statue.

XI: Glade of vines. Overgrown with dungeon ivy. The vines have grown so thickly and heavily over the arched entrances to the chamber that a good tug could collapse them, sealing the passage off and crushing anything beneath.

XII: Druid den. Room entrances strung with bones on strings of leather and vine. Globe shaped chamber covered with growing things, lit by shaft of light from above (goes up to obscure chimney in City). The Druid, a couple fistfuls of Small Change and a discarded Book (brought as a comfort object while fleeing civilization) amid the ferns.

XIII: Cactus Garden. A desert biome filled with towering saguarros and thick undergrowth of teddy bear cacti. Narrow paths permit movement. Sharp spines damage anyone who runs through or falls on the plants.

XIV: Tangled thicket of blackberries interwoven with roses. Movement through the maze is at half speed and inflicts a Wound. The blackberries fruit and the roses bloom when their enormous thorns draw blood. They shriek when chopped or burned

XV: Stone circle. A group of menhirs and a stone slab etched with blood grooves beneath towering, mighty pines. If a human or demihuman is killed on the slab, the murderer gains one point of Experience. The Druid takes victims at Death’s Door here to finish them off.

XVI: Peat bog. Anoxic, acidic water with submerged paths. Bobbing wooden floats indicate the position of bodies preserved in the muck, weighted with stones poured down their throat. The chemical composition of the water inhibits the decomposition of the dead and stops them becoming zombies. A handful were dropped in at Death’s Door and could be revived.

XVII: Field of beautiful azaleas, hibiscuses, rhododendrons, chrysanthemums, daisies, dandelions et al. Two Dryads frolick here. They try to lure adventurers into a deep, leg breaking pit concealed by the clustered blossoms. A Hamadryad sapling lurks under heaped hyacinths, too young to fight in turn based battles but root network already drawing nourishment from all who die here.

XVIII: Rookery. Vertical chamber shaped like bird cage, floor covered with bones and birdshit. Ledges and poles extend from walls. Glowing moths flap around providing lighting and food for Wereraven (here on even minor arcana discard). Ropes and netting with bells dangle from perches apparently offering handholds for climbing. Several are trapped, pulling dumps trash on climbers dealing Wounds and risking nasty fall to the floor. Bells draw Wereraven. Small Change scattered around.

XIX: Room completely filled with dirt. Must be excavated to pass through.

XX: Temple. Rough stone columns stretching up into the darkness. A vast root system penetrates the chamber from fissures in the walls and ceiling. The roots form a mini-forest of their own, limiting movement and line of sight in the chamber. A Cù-sìth lounges in a pile of Treasure. The chamber is full of deadfall and pit traps set by the beast, green branches disguising the hazards.

XXI: Heart tree garden. A glowing glade full of plant life and frolicking Dryads. Grass and flowers grow out of skulls amid the mulch. The chamber is full of dangerous plants that look harmless to the untrained eye. At the center, the Hamadryad pretends to be a harmless cycad. Treasures garland its branches.

MEATGRINDER OF THE WEALD

If your dungeon includes room XXI, Dryads spawn in addition to curiosities on results VI to X, luring adventurers to the room.

I: Torches gutter
II: Torches gutter
III: Torches gutter
IV: Torches gutter
V: Torches gutter
VI: Swarm of dungeon moths with beautiful dark patterns. [A Dryad arrives to harass the adventurers]
VII: Small animals with no fear of adventurers approach curiously. [A Dryad arrives to harass the adventurers]
VIII: Gentle misting of rain. [A Dryad arrives to harass the adventurers]
IX: Bird calls up ahead, a species not found in the City [A Dryad arrives to harass the adventurers]
X: Wind hums through the tunnels and shakes the plant life, a sound the Guild had almost forgotten. [A Dryad arrives to harass the adventurers]
XI: Tasty fruit grows here, appropriate to whatever plants are in the room. No downside, it’s a free ration.
XII: Sudden rainstorm from ceiling. Anyone who doesn’t get under cover is soaked. Anyone soaked who doesn’t dry off takes piercing damage from hypothermia every watch.
XIII: A random item has fallen out of someone’s pack. They can go back to look for it on the trail or give it up as lost.
XIV: Slippery leaves. Any time anyone tests Fate here, it’s also a test of Pentacles. If they fail they fall down.
XV: Flowers bloom on all plants, crawling with bees. Touching plants causes them to swarm and sting. Draw minor arcana. On a Fool the adventurer is incapacitated by anaphylaxis.
XVI: Griffon, equally interested in hunting and play, both violently.
XVII: The Druid, hunting and gathering.
XVIII: Lion. Check Minor Arcana Discard for sex. On an odd card it’s a single male, surly and territorial. If even it’s a pride of [Adventurer] females, who only attack easy prey.
XIX: Wereraven. Check Minor Arcana Discard. Odd human form even Raven form.
XX: [Minor Arcana Discard] Wargs at the very edge of the firelight.
XI: Quest rumor.

THE DRUID

Not quite wizards, not quite wargs, Druids are people who in traditional society would have just wandered off into the wild to be hermits or die of exposure. It’s different in the City. Driven mad by the death of nature they retreat into the earth to a place where the Weald still holds sway. They resent intrusions into their solitude.

Druid (Man Brute)
Attributes: Swords 3, Pentacles 1, Cups 1, Wands 0
Health/Defense: 4/2 (Muscle, fat, hides, bark and hair)
Likes: Moss (feels good), Nymphs (when they use their mouths for stuff besides talking), Offerings (feed her and the beasts)
Hates: Iron (offensive), Language (if she wanted to hear that she’d go upstairs), the Cù-sìth (he’s not actually funny)

• Notes
• Pact with nature. Per the Gramarye talent, the Druid makes pacts to cast her spells. Wear a mask. No fire. No iron. No lies. While in the Weald she doesn’t need reagents to cast.
• False retreat. The Druid runs away from fights to lure adventurers into rooms with more monsters.
• Lesser Dooms
• Knapped blade. The Druid’s flint dagger breaks if it hits armor, but inflicts two Wounds if it strikes an unarmored target or deals piercing damage. If she can't Roughhouse armored foes she uses her claws instead.
• Spells of the Weald. The Druid can cast each of the following spells once per combat with a Speak Incantations action. She knows the whole Weald list but these are the ones she has loaded into pacts. 
• Flare
• Gust of Wind
• Thunderclap
• Wall of Elements
• Greater Dooms
• Expeditious retreat. Discard a greater doom card to automatically disengage from all adventurers. This action does not count towards the one card per turn limit.
  
• Summon animals. Once per fight, the Druid can discard a Greater Doom to summon animals from the Meatgrinder table.