Monday, March 2, 2015

Oubliette

Oubliette - a place to forget...

A sniff over the grate tells of decay, underlain by suffering and sorrow.  Abandoned by its gaolers, the 'hole' is now filled with broken bodies in various states of decay.  No one recorded those who were tossed into the pit-dungeon.  These were prisoners who were not even worth execution.

source

Who were they? Does anyone care to hazard roping down into the pit to investigate? Could one of these poor souls be a lost name from the world above?  Or did they all deserve this anonymous fate?

Digging through the bodies carries a risk of  contracting disease, 5% chance per turn, cumulative. One body may arise (20% chance) as some accursed undead (up to 3HD), making for a desperate, close-quarters fight in the dark.

However, there is a 10% chance per turn, cumulative, of finding a ring, still on a bony finger, or hidden within a fold of tattered cloth. There will be nothing else of value in this pit of despair.

Rings:
1. A signet, providing a clue to to the fate of a minor noble who went adventuring, and was not heard from again.
2. Magic, seeping with enchantment.
3. Cursed and malevolent, woe to that scavenger who puts it on their finger.
4. Pretty but of little or no value (up to 10 GP).  Perhaps a trinket, providing a brief comfort in the dark.
5. Valuable, but not enough to buy off a guard before its wearer was pushed into the hole (up to 200 GP).
6. Really valuable, hidden, a king's ransom (up to 1,000 GP).  Too bad the bearer was merely a petty thief.
7. Relic - thought to be lost, the return or this artifact will gain great favors from the owner or race in question.
8. A prison itself, perhaps holding a djinn, or a demon, a being helpful or malign.  Close inspection shows a tiny figure thrashing within the gem.  Free it?


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