Hidden Sanctum of the Nameless Mage

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Everyone—even the powerful—has enemies, and the Nameless Mage was no exception. In a hedge against future calamity, the Nameless Mage created the Hidden Sanctum—a bolthole of last resort—buried deep below present-day Dulwich. Never used, at least for its intended purpose, the Hidden Sanctum has mouldered and decayed, forgotten and abandoned, through long centuries of darkness and neglect.

Now, a wealthy merchant, carrying out repairs in the deepest part of his cellar, has made a curious discovery—a rubble-choked set of stairs and a seemingly endless array of dungeons and caverns—and needs a band of brave adventurers to explore whatever lies within…

Notable Locations at a Glance

The Hidden Sanctum has several notable locations:

  1. The Sunless Stream: The Sunless Stream flows from the north and connects the Hidden Sanctum with the Forbidden Halls to the south.

  2. Twisted Cavern: This dry natural cavern lies above the level of the Sunless Stream. Bounded by escarpments to the west and east, it is a good place to rest.

  3. Overwatch: A small garrison once dwelled here and watched over the Sanctum’s main entrance.

  4. Great Hall: This large chamber was once a meeting place and a critical part of the Sanctum’s defences.

  5. Crossways: This small chamber is mostly empty.

  6. Slime Landing: Virulent slime grows over this small landing; the slime may give cautious adventurers pause.

  7. Guardroom of the Many: Here dwelt the Sanctum’s garrison; their leavings are scattered about the place.

  8. The Final Redoubt: If terrible things boiled up from the caves below the Hidden Redoubt or other enemies pressed him too closely, the Nameless Mage would retreat to this chamber.

  9. Prison of the Damned: Sometimes, the Nameless Mage would bring living things forth from the caverns below. Such creatures were often kept in this chamber.

  10. The Descent: This set of landing-punctuated stairs leads down to an extensive network of caverns buried far beneath Dulwich.

Dungeon Dressing

Use this list to breathe life and detail into the dungeon:

  1. A deep crack cuts through the ceiling; a faint breeze issues forth.

  2. Faint marks on the stone floor could be nothing, or they could be drying footprints.

  3. Dusty cobwebs fill a corner high up against the ceiling.

  4. The air feels colder—perhaps unnaturally so—in this area.

  5. A broad and irregular unidentifiable stain mars the floor.

  6. An albino insect scuttles across the characters’ path.

Things to Find

Use this list to determine what minor objects or features of interest the party finds if they search a dungeon location. Modify the value of items found to suit your campaign.

  1. Six old gold coins minted in Ashlar long ago are scattered about the floor.

  2. A mouldy wine jack lies on the floor; it smells of decay.

  3. A rusty dagger lies against a wall. The dagger is worthless, but its pommel comprises a chunk of obsidian (worth 20 gp).

  4. The skeletal remains of an unnaturally large rat sprawl on the floor.

  5. The shards of a shattered (and now rusty) longsword are scattered about the area.

  6. Two silver coins and a squashed tinderbox fill a mouldering pouch.

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Dungeon Backdrop: Hidden Sanctum of the Nameless Mage. The book is available in 5e, Pathfinder First Edition, Pathfinder Second Edition, System Neutral and OSR editions.

Words Creighton Broadhurst Cartography Dyson Logos

Credit

This is a short system-neutral extract from Dungeon Backdrop: Hidden Sanctum of the Nameless Mage by Creighton Broadhurst with cartography by Dyson Logos.


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