Forbidden Halls of the Nameless Mage
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The past rarely stays buried forever, and forgotten and forbidden things have a way of finding their way back into the light. 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…
Forbidden Halls of the Nameless Mage is a sequel to Lost Cellar 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.
Standalone: Instead of spying a trapdoor through the hole he made, Matias spots a rubble-choked stair leading deeper underground.
Sequel: During their exploration of the Lost Cellar, the characters found a rubble-choked stair in location 8. The stair briefly ascends before descending. This is the stair detailed in location 1 in this Dungeon Backdrop.
Notable Locations at a Glance
The Forbidden Halls have several notable locations:
Rubble-Choked Stairs: Until cleared, these rubble-choked stairs are impassable (without magic).
The Echoes: The gurgle of running water from the north fills the air in this part-ruined chamber.
Archmage’s Chapel: This small chapel is dedicated to Morden, the greater god of magic and knowledge.
The Failed Circle: The Nameless Mage once held a bound creature here, but it escaped years ago.
The Lightless Stream: A broad stream cuts the dungeon in two.
Three Ways: Guards once dwelled here, but they are long gone.
Unstable Chamber: The Lightless Stream is still undercutting this chamber, and it is in imminent danger of further collapse.
The Processional: Four ornate stone statues stand endless vigil here.
Chamber of Inescapable Summons: An ornate (and potent) summoning circle dominates the centre of this magic-lit chamber.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Dungeon Backdrop: Forbidden Halls of the Nameless Mage by Creighton Broadhurst. Cartography by Dyson Logos.
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