Deeper Delvings of the Nameless Mage
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Far below the sunlit surface lie places and things undreamt of by decent commonfolk. Some such things have never seen the light of day, while others have escaped into the Underlands to escape the hated sun. Centuries ago, another settlement stood where Dulwich now stands, and its crumbling remnants yet linger in the endless dark below the town. A wealthy merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, has made a curious discovery—a rubble-choked set of stairs leading to who knows what subterranean depth—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies below…
Deeper Delvings of the Nameless Mage is a sequel to Lost Cellar of the Nameless Mage and Forbidden Halls of the Nameless Mage. However, it can also be run as a standalone adventure if you so desire.
Ancient History: Centuries ago, a wizard raised a tower and therein conducted blasphemous and terrible research. The wizard engaged in even more terrible doings in the cellars below the tower—raising the dead, summoning demonic extra-planar creatures and so on. However, even the mightiest wizard will eventually succumb to the Final Enemy—death. After they departed the mortal realm, their tower—eschewed by the commonfolk—slowly crumbled and fell. Thus, finally, did the mage, their tower, and their blasphemous doings pass from the world and memory.
Recent Events: Recently, the merchant Antero Kalervo engaged a stonemason to repair a section of an old, sagging wall in his cellar. During the work, the stonemason—Matias Hirvi—removed some of the old stones to better repair the wall. Doing so, he discovered a small sealed-up chamber beyond. A cautious man who knows the local lore and rumours about Foundation Way and what might lie beneath, Matias did not enlarge the hole or enter the chamber himself. However, by the light of a flaring torch, he could make out a stone trapdoor set into the floor. For Matias, this was a problem for his employer to solve.
Notable Locations at a Glance
The dungeon has several notable locations:
The Descent: This area lies downstream from location 5 in the Forbidden Halls of the Nameless Mage or beyond a cave behind the broken wall in Antero Kalervo’s cellar.
Suite of Chambers: Herein dwelt and worked the Nameless Mage’s most trusted human servants.
Guardroom: Here, trusted guards watched over the spiral stair leading to level 2 and the Lightless Stream.
Treasury of the Nameless One: The Nameless Mage stored certain problematical items here.
Looted Armoury: This chamber has been looted.
The Moorings: Beyond this area, the Lightless Stream speeds up noticeably and is dangerous to traverse.
Chapel of the Glimmer-Altars: This richly appointed chamber holds two malign items: the Glimmer-Altars and two disturbing but masterfully executed oil paintings.
Hall of Clustered Shadows: Herein, shadows cluster in a most unwholesome and disturbing fashion.
Chamber of the Apprentices: Here dwelt the Nameless Mage’s otherworldly apprentices.
Library of Horrors: Here were stored tomes of forbidden and blasphemous knowledge. None now remain.
Waterfall into the Unknown: Amid the cacophonous roar and spray billowing up from below, the Lightless Stream tumbles into a far deeper cavern.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Dungeon Backdrop: Deeper Delving of the Nameless Mage by Creighton Broadhurst with cartography by Dyson Logos.
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