Troglodytes' Warren
Feral cave dwellers, troglodytes are the fallen scions of a once-mighty empire fallen into ruin and obscurity. Now they are little more than savage scavengers.
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Outside the Lair
Rocks and rubble cover the floor, slowing movement. Two, well-trod, winding paths have been cleared through the obstructions.
Slick with water, stalactites hang above a shallow puddle of cold freshwater. Water drips from their tips.
The bones of a giant insect-like creature lie scattered amid the dust. Greenish mould grows over the remains.
A pile of rubble is heaped up to form a crude breastwork. It is steeper on the side facing away from the lair’s entrance.
What’s Going On?
Two troglodytes wrestle good-naturedly while their fellows look on. All the troglodytes are distracted.
A troglodyte mindlessly throws pebbles against the wall. The soft clack of stone on stone heralds each throw.
The troglodytes recently ate and loll about sated. They are all groggy and take an entire round to react to the sudden arrival of intruders.
Alerted by their sixth sense, the troglodytes lurk in the shadows, ready to spring an ambush.
Major Lair Features
Several rocky outcrops have been crudely carved into approximations of chairs. These carvings stand throughout the lair; some are in very strange positions.
A jagged chasm cuts the warren in twain; in several places, natural stone arches bridge the gap.
The ceiling height alternates between a few feet above the floor and a lofty 20-foot-high or more.
A stream filled with tiny albino fish flows through the warren. In places, the troglodytes have dammed the stream to create small nursery ponds for the fish.
Minor Lair Features
Tiny albino insects dwell amid the lichens and fungus growing throughout the warren.
Piles of stones, ready to be thrown at intruders, are placed strategically throughout the warren.
Dozens of small niches pierce the walls. Each holds a troglodyte skull—the tribe’s ancestors.
Polished collections of shells decorate many small ledges throughout the warren.
Troglodyte’s Appearance
The troglodyte wears a finely polished leather belt as a crude bandolier.
With mottled dark and light grey hide, this troglodyte is hard to spot when lurking in a cave or cavern.
This troglodyte is missing several fins from the crest running down its head and back.
Wearing a tattered loincloth, this troglodyte also possesses a worn and dirty haversack.
Treasure
This slender deadly-looking spear has a finely tapered point and an iron shaft.
Four irregularly shaped flecks of glimmering black stones (all shards of onyx) lurk in a small pouch.
Although unfinished, this carving of a skull cut from a chunk of rock is simplistic but possesses a certain raw, unsettling attraction.
Hanging from a loop of sinew, the four skull fetishes comprising this necklace are a macabre decoration. The troglodytes believe each skull holds the soul of a tribal chieftain and worship the necklace.
Trinkets & Trash
Torn pieces of dirty, faded fabric fill an old sack shoved into a recess in the wall. Blood, sweat and other unidentifiable stains cover the cloth.
Fragile, crumbling shards of spear shafts and so on lie stacked haphazardly near a smouldering fire pit.
Crudely carved, this stone statuette looks a bit like a squat ziggurat.
An upturned human’s skull—its orifices filled with hardened mud—serves as a container of sorts. Liquid placed in the skull inevitably oozes through the mud unless it is drunk quickly.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Monstrous Lair #23: Troglodytes’ Warren by Robert Manson.
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