#dungeon23: Week 1, the Beast Cave

 I have ambitions to write a longer post about my dungeon23 goals and methods. Today, however, I'll just take a few minutes to share Week 1:

Formatted like a journal with maps and ancillary details on post-its

1.1 - Ordure Entry

Vaulted entry hall, waist deep in muck. A rickety catwalk crosses the mire between the doors. Rotten, splintering boards may collapse under a person's weight. 

• Beneath the surface, jagged stakes & protruding nails will pierce anyone that falls in
• Making noise in this hall will draw beastmen from other areas.

1.2 - Crossroads

In the middle of this intersection, a large object under a filthy tarp.  

• Under the tarp, an iron cage containing a sickly, molting buzzard. If the tarp is removed, the bird will make a huge racket and draw beastmen from nearby areas

Darkest Dungeon

1.3 - Corrupted Chapel

Once a shrine to a saint, but is now smeared with manure, blood and beastmen graffiti. The saint statue in the apse, has been be-headed and a rotting bull skull affixed on it's neck with tar. Liquid tar has been poured over the stone robes so now they are foul, black and sticky. Lit by many oily, black candles, some poured in human skulls. 

• This now an altar to Baphomet. Bestial god of vengeance, debauchery and brotherhood. 
• More on him later
•  If the shrine is cleaned and restored (the saint's head is in Room_____) the saint will bless the party (with the most helpful buff spell the DM finds appropriate

Le Beouf - Chaim Soutine

1.4 - Meat Larder

Several limbless corpses hang from hooks. A few living people are packed into pens like livestock. 

• In the first couple delves, these will likely be local peasants (throw one they know in, if you've been running this campaign for awhile).
• After the first few visits to the Mountain, these will likely be Mute Monks. 

1.5 - Stairwell

An iron door, heavily barred (from inside this room). Can't be forced without demolishing the whole wall. 

• Stairs descend to Level 2 (barred from inside the stairwell) and Level 3 (door is unbarred). 
• Provides rapid transit between levels, once opened up (most-likely from the bottom end). 

1.6 - Tar Well

A well in the floor, complete with winch and bucket. A large water barrel against the wall. Numerous tar-stained buckets (some full of water, some liquid tar) litter the room. 

• If a bucket of water is lowered, it will be returned filled with tar (workers below make the exchange)
• The well hole is too small for an adult to fit down, but a monkey or child would probably fit.
• Amongst the detritus, several reeking, smoky tar-torches can be recovered.

1.7 - Guard Post

2d4 beastmen play a drinking game around a brazier of burning tar. Will respond to loud noises in nearby areas but will be otherwise inattentive. 

• Armed with pitchforks, farm implements and tar-torches
• One leader, with a ram head, has a net and if a fight starts (or might develop) he'll circle and look for an opportunity to snare someone.