Dungeon 24: Gnome refuge

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes (7 with room descriptions)

I’ve been neglecting the dungeon in the last few weeks, and it’s already April. By now there should be around 90 finished rooms. The schedule seems quite unrealistic, so I will just post these whenever I finish a batch. I’m slowly changing the style, as I’m trying out a more detailed approach. Either way these drawings are only wips, I will be redrawing everything at the end of the year or so.

We entered the southern prison block last time and from the few corner cells described not much could be guessed about it. The next few rooms should clarify things.

This prison block is occupied by a small group of swamp gnomes. Their leader is Čitlo [chit-loh], a sorcerer of some skill. The others are mostly simple fisherfolk and craftspeople. They prefer to be left alone, having sought the solitude of the abandoned halls of the complex. The swamp gnomes visit the surface to fish and forage, and once in a while descend to lower levels as well. They keep away from dangerous areas. When asked about the other block, they remain mostly silent or try to change the subject.

Balok the dwarf sometimes trades with them, but their relationship is not that of equals – he sees them as someone who is tolerated and potentially exploited, when possible.

Rooms

41. Twin cells remade into a single room by removing the central partition and covering the bars.
    • the room is inhabited by a single swamp gnome
    • contains a seaweed pallet, some coil baskets of various sizes; in one corner a series of shelves is fashioned ou of an old fishing net, still with floats and sinkers
42. Former kitchen; it is divided by bars with 1 dispensing window on the N side – now reinforced by additional bars bound by locked chain
    • The “outer” part is empty, only 1 rickety chair stands in NE corner
    • The “inner” part serves as a sty for 5 eggslugs, that are using what originally served as a cooking fireplace as an egglaying nest; there are remains of foodstuff and organic refuse all over the room
43. Former larder, now used for storing fodder for slugs – seaweed, food remains, etc.
    • T: when searched thoroughly (DC 30) a brazen button similar to the one from I/25 is found
44. Another room fashioned from two cells, the central barred partition is removed untidily, with remains of bars still visible; outside bars covered with blankets
    • home to two swamp gnomes, brother and sister
    • two crude seaweed pallets in S part of the room; small table with chairs, few seaweed baskets, a beaten keg made into a chest
    • on the table there is a figurine similar to those in I/4
45. storeroom turned into living quarters
    • home to a single swamp gnome, an old stone carver
    • N part of the room taken by a crude seaweed pallet, in SW corner a small seaweed rug on the floor, little chips of stone in every corner and nook, dust everywhere
    • on the rug a set of tools and half-finished stone carvings
46. former chapel, now common room for the swamp gnomes
    • in the alcove is an altar used as a counter for food preparation
    • basin in the middle is usead aas a fireplace – there are potstands, tripods, etc. in and around it
    • usually at least two gnomes on kitchen duty; more if it’s meal time or there’s a matter to discuss
47. originally a workshop, now the room serves as the swamp gnome leader’s quarters
    • divided by a screen made of sailcloth, behind the screen is a pallet, table and chair and a small chest
    • N wall lined with shelves with various trinkets and containers, SE corner occupied by a corner workbench
    • the swamp gnomes’ leader Čitlo is rarely in his quarters, more often supervising other gnomes’ activities or spending time in the common room (II/46)
48. isolation cell reused as a storeroom; it is full of seaweed bundles tied with coarse ropes and twines
    • T: one of the bundels in the back, under several others, is a hidden stash (DC 30), containing the following: 78 gp 51 sp in various coinages, 2 healing potions (unlabeled), wand of Reduce person
49. isolation cell remade into secret access shaft to lower levels
    • the door is locked, key is worn by Čitlo
    • the room is empty, in SE corner a roughly cut shaft with rungs set into the stone
50. former utility closets, now larder
    • shelves, boxes, and sacks containing various foodstuffs – undergorund and coastal
51. utility closed turned into a toilet, a screen divides the room
    • behind the screen is a toilet leading to a lover level, climbable by small creatures, though filthy and leading to a sump
52. another converted twin cell, housing a single swamp gnome woman
    • right in front of the door is a standing loom
    • in SW corner is a table and 2 chairs, a large shelf at the S wall, smaller chest on the opposite side, seaweed pallet and coil basket near E wall
53. twin cell remade into tannery
    • there are 2 frames with stretched skins along the N wall, 2 vats along S wall, 2 drying rackswith fish skins in W part of the room
    • Some scraping tools hanging from the frames, and softening hooks on the walls
54. Twin cell rebuilt into a room, it serves as housing to a pair of swamp gnomes
    • There’s a larger pallet, a table with 2 chairs, a large coil basket and a chest, one shelf on the N wall
    • The occupants are leatherworkers/tanners and spend most of their time in the tannery (II/53)
55. Room made from twin cells, occupied by a single gnome
    • Caringly repaired furniture – 2 shelves, a table and 2 chairs, a chest, and a pallet
    • On the table and shelves are various woodworking tools – saws, knives, planes, a hammer and nails, etc.
56. Corner cells remade into another room, a couple with child lives here
    • Screens divide the room into sections, N has a larger pallet and a cradle, center part has some chests and a table with chairs
57. small workshop with a work table, equipped shelves, and a chest
    • door is locked and barred (1 key for each needed)
    • inside is a corpse of a dwarf engineer
    • the workshop is equipped well enough for most basic craft and maintenance needs
    • T: the dwarf has a dagger, shortsword, and small crossbow with 6 bolts in the quiver; also some jewellery (worth 7 gp total) and coins (2d4 gp in different coinages)
58. Fountain room – large basin with a fountain; there is no water and the basin is dirty
    • “secret” door behind the basin (DC 35) leading to fountain maintenance
59. Maintenance room for the fountain
    • apart from some machinery there is a shaft leading down
60. Lift room
    • the lift is broken, but the shaft can be used to climb up two levels (better access from the top with a rope)
    • there are also stairs leading up, but only one level, and the door on top is locked

This concludes the prison level of the compound. Another set of inhabitants was introduced, the swamp gnomes. A detailed description of this subrace/heritage will be the content of another post in the future. So far the dungeon didn’t offer much in the way of dangers, but I’m not working on a room-by-room chain of encounters. We’ll see how this goes in the next few months. April is round the corner and I have to start on March, still. I guess I can do a lower level for March and make it more dynamic.

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