Dungeon23 Room 159 (The Shallow Dark)

 A small elevated area here is covered in a thick layer of decaying dead stuff. Growing out of the dead stuff are 5 Shreikers (AC 7 HD 3 MM pg. 87) In amongst the layer of shmutz are 6 potions and 6 scrolls, roll for em randomly.

Dungeon23 Room 158 (The Shallow Dark)

 In this alcove of the main cavern, in this almost symmetrical square area there is a pile of foul smelling goo. The goo is harmless, there is a small cascade of cold mist making it's way down the wall. What is causing the mist is a small patch of Brown Mold (AC 9 HD -- MM pg. 71)

Dungeon23 Room 157 (The Shallow Dark)

Entering the larger cavern *huwerk* WHAT IS THAT SMELL? Yup it's dank, dark and smells "Uurthy". Yes BAD, very bad. Saving throws vs poison may be unavoidable.

Dungeon23 Room 156 (The Shallow Dark)

After relieving the trogs of their aliveness, the PCs can proceed into the larger cavern thru this jagged walled passage. An earthy smell permeates the air.

Dungeon23 Room 155 (The Shallow Dark)

Once across the Gorge of Doom! The caverns return to the ripped fault caves that are the norm for this region.

In this cavern we find a group of 23 Troglodytes (AC 5 HD 2 MM pg. 97) They are excitedly babbling about the small platinum statuette of Blibdoolpoolp coddling a pair of Garbugs. It is worth 500 pp.

Dungeon23 Room 154 (The Shallow Dark)

Once again we find ourselves staring across a dark pointy gorge. Losing your step while crossing the perilously thin bridge and you will plunge head first into (onto?) the stalagmites below. A truly evil DM might put a Roper down there as well. Just for fun. 10' deep spiked pit trap. 

Dungeon23 Room 153 (The Shallow Dark)

 This area is a muddy beach, it is also where the Garbugs hunt. What do the Garbugs hunt? Land Lamprey (AC 7 HD 1+2 MMII pg. 50) 9 of them. Buried in the deep mud is the mangled, masticated corpse of a hobgoblin, in his backpack is the treasure haul of the hobgoblins the PCs defeated (maybe). 5 sacks with 1000 sp each.

Dungeon23 room 152 (The Shallow Dark)

Down at the water's edge the PCs with torches lit will have a 60% per round chance of attracting the attention of 1-3 Violet Garbugs (AC 5 HD 3 + 1 FF pg.41) so they may not want to linger.

Dungeon23 Room 151 (The Shallow Dark)

A little further along the shoreline is a good example of what I was saying. Here for some reason a group of 20 Hobgoblins (AC 5 HD 1 + 1 MM pg.52) Surely this pack of geniuses would trip a trap...

Dungeon23 Room 150 (The Shallow Dark)

Over here, not over there, over here where the rocky beach meets the cave wall, is the remains of a rock slide. Unremarkable by itself, if it weren't for the 7 Bowler (AC 4 HD 1D4+1 MMII pg.) hiding at the top of it. The Family Stone?

This is what happens when the dice indicate a Trick or Trap and you can't quite figure out why a trap located there hadn't been tripped already. I'm all for Gygaxian when I can get away with it, but that's a stretch.

Dungeon23 Room 149 (The Shallow Dark)

A bit further along the shore, and noticeably littered with the cast off from a large animal feeding. In the case the large animal is a Mud Snatcher (Re-skinned Ant Lion AC 2 HD 4 MMII pg. 10) Roll for treasure according to Treasure Type.

Dungeon23 Room 148 (The Shallow Dark)

 The cramped tunnel gets even more cramped before opening into an immense space. The party will feel the size of the cavern more than see it. Following the A.G.L. rule we encounter a smaller but no less mean version of Subterranean Lizard. The Giant Lizard (AC 5 HD 3+1 MM pg. 61) 3 of them to be exact. They're hanging out on the shore of the underground lake that fills most of this ginormous cavern. In a heap of bones that was a hapless adventurer are 4 pieces of jewelry.

Dungeon23 Room 147 (The Shallow Dark)

Much like the previous section of this tunnel, it's wet and cold and short with a small sandy area. Nothing here either.

 

Dungeon23 Room 146 (The Shallow Dark)

With any luck, and a fairly benign DM, most of the party will survive the climb up the 15' of wet and slippery rock. Hehe, or not...

But, if they do they will a tunnel carved out by a small stream, it's about 4 1/2 ft tall so the big shiney human paladin is gonna hafta crouch. Impose penalties you see fit. Those uppity armor mongers need a reality check anyway. Along the left wall is a small sandy area.

Dungeon23 Room 145 (The Shallow Dark)

 Here is where the little stream ends in a fairly calm pool. Reclined over a small chest is fairly large rainbow colored frog like creature. This is actually a Mimic (AC 7 HD 7-10 MM pg. 79) So DON'T LICK IT!

Dungeon23 Room 144 (The Shallow Dark)

Once the party defeats the Rust Monster! (AC 2 HD 5 MM pg. 83) and mourns the loss of their favorite sword, they will see 4 stoneware jugs. Each contains 250 gp. This space, though naturally formed, has been modified for storage been creatures unknown.

Dungeon23 Room 143 (The Shallow Dark)

 Across what might have thinned out the PCs a bit, lying in wait in a small pond, is a Water Weird (AC 4 HD 3+3 MM pg. 100) The pond is fed by a dribbling stream coming from a cave opening 15' up the wall.

Dungeon23 Room 142 (The Shallow Dark)

Spanning a toothsome gorge full of stalagmites, really sharp ones. You really don't want to fall off the bridge into the equivalent of a 10' deep spiked pit trap. You too can now make home made adventurer kabobs!

Dungeon23 Room 141 (The Shallow Dark)

This area currently contains 27 Kobolds (AC 7 1d4 HD MM pg. 57) excitedly gabbering about the centipedes... Off to the right side of the cavern is a small stone bridge.

Dungeon23 Room 140 (The Shallow Dark)

 Here where the stone wall meets the muddy floor is a moist very muddy cave area. Unfortuneately for the party, it is home to a nest of 20 Giant Centipedes (AC 9/2 h.p. MM pg 14) Of course the party may not want to focus of the centipedes just yet...

Buried in the mud inside the cave is a small gold statuette of Zuggtmoy.

Dungeon23 Room 139 (The Shallow Dark)

The perilously steep flowstair empties into the one half of another cavernous area formed from a rip fault. There is nothing here, however the party may want to be quiet. There are some other things on the other side of the cavern...

Dungeon23 The Shallow Dark Random Encounter table

Here is the table I made for the Shallow Dark. I'll be making a new one for the middle dark, but that won't be until after the Fungeon..

Roll a d30

1. Mimic (MM)

2. Stun Jelly (FF)

3. Pedipalp, Large (MMII)

4. Green Slime (MM)

5. Garbug, Black (FF)

6. Hobgoblins (MM)

7. Goblins (MM)

8. Piercer (MM)

9. Cave Lamprey (MMII)

10. Ochre Jelly (MM)

11. Lizard, Subterranean (MM)

12. Troglodyte (MM)

13. Spider, Large (MM)

14. Shrieker (MM)

15. Centipede, Giant (MM)

16. Centipede, Huge (MMII)

17. Carrion Crawler (MM)

18. Spider, Huge (MM)

19. Cave Twarg

20. Rust Monster (MM)

21. Yellow Mold (MM)

22. Gibberlings (FF)

23. Kobolds (MM)

24. Ant, Giant (MM)

25. Cave Cricket (MMII)

26. Grey Ooze (MM)

27. Cave Fisher (MMII)

28. Pedipalp, Huge  (MMII)

29. Spider, Giant (MM)

30. Otyugh (MM)

Dungeon23 Room 138 (The Shallow Dark)

This flowstair descends at such a steep angle it would be very easy for someone *cough* PCs *cough* to slip and tumble taking half falling damage. All that noise might attract something hungry also...

Dungeon23 Room 137 (The Shallow Dark)

Here we have the first of many mini-bosses. This cavern stretching away into darkness to make it 120' tall. Here resides a monstrous squirming mass of empty! Nothing here.

Dungeon23 Room 136 (The Shallow Dark)

This section of cavern is where nothing lives (AC - HD -) It's really empty in here, except for the crack in the wall...

Dungeon23 Room 135 (The Shallow Dark)

Didn't we just leave this party?

Here too we find a really big Subterranean Lizard (AC 5 HD 6 MM pg. 61) a 20 footer! 25, 3 tons of im. 

Buried in the pile of rubble the lizard is using for a bed is a silver gilded hooded lantern containing a large sunstone with a continual light spell cast on it. The whole thing being worth 400pp.

Dungeon23 Room 134 (The Shallow Dark)

This area is a lounge without a lizard. It's empty here.

Dungeon23 Room 133 (The Shallow Dark)

Did someone mention places of peril with really big lizards?

At the bottom of the flowstair from the dark lake is a large cavern, also a very dark cavern. SO dark in fact that the Subterranean Lizard (AC 5 HD 6 MM pg. 61) and it's 20' long! Will want to investigate the pretty lights. And eat them too..

Dungeon23 Room 132 (The Shallow Dark)

Now I ask you... Why would there be an ARROW TRAP at a bend in the hallway? Why?!?! Because the die I'm using are infected with a wicked case of Gygaxitis... :-( 

However, since the dice have spoken.. This flowstair descends 50' vertically, and where it bends to the left there is an arrow trap. (I mean seriously, how am I supposed to explain that?)

Dungeon23 Room 131 (The Shallow Dark)

Here is a larger rocky beach, and on the cavern wall on the far side is a small gold idol of Blibdoolpoolp worth 750gp. How Gygaxian!

Dungeon23 Room 130 (The Shallow Dark)

 Here lies another small rocky beach on the underground lake. And there is the same 10% chance of the party lights attracting a Garbug.

Dungeon23 Room 129 (The Shallow Dark)

Down a short flowstair is a second rocky beach. They won't have to worry about any kind of ooze, but there is a 10% the party's torches will attract a Black Garbug.