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Dungeon 23 Week 9 - Cliffbarrows

 Welcome back to another week of Dungeon 23! This week is the first entry in a brand-new region of the dungeon, a sublevel of level 1 dominated by Fune and the Basalt Warriors. Last week we looked at Deepcrossing, the fortress Fune has for safeguarding the only entrance into this area. This week, we look at the cliffbarrows, the first stop on the long switchback leading down to the basalt flats below.



More than anything we've seen so far, my goal for this place is to signal to the party that they are somewhere different now. They travel through the long corridors of the Deepcrossing, feel themselves descending into the earth, and suddenly come to this wide open basalt space. As they descend the ramps to the flats below (which will be more detailed next week), they are immediately set upon by boulders thrown from the cliffs above! Here, hidden in the cliffs, are horrible mixtures of human and basalt, failed experiments from Fune's prisons. They are hostile, and survive by taking whatever they can from adventurer and basalt war party alike, but could be persuaded to work with the party, especially if the sicker among them can be healed.

This part of the dungeon is also going to try and do some "scenic storytelling" with the descriptions of the place. I'm not sure that I ever want to directly reveal to the party who or what Fune is, but the environment should suggest that all this basalt here is somewhat invasive, rather than a natural part of the dungeon. The caverns that are full of "growing" basalt, the sickness that clings to people with basalt skin, and the generally expansionist nature of Fune's soldiers all work together to give a sense that none of this is natural, and none of this should be here.

The "loot" for this dungeon is entirely immaterial - the party has a chance to meet and befriend Tzuri the sage, a spellcasting member of the twisted walkers who acts as leader and healer for the party. They are one of the first of the basalt horrors, and have been a mostly-stone creature for so long they have forgotten much of the details of their human life, but still have a strong desire to save (or at least assuage) others afflicted as they were, and a burning hatred for Fune. They can provide recruits, healing, and other potions to the party if convinced to help, and can also present the other immediate "treasure" in this place - a secret tunnel through the mountains to the back of Fune's watchtower. This tunnel is how Tzuri shuttles the experiments to safety, and is unknown (although suspected) by the Basalt forces below. Again, Tzuri won't reveal this lightly (it's too vital to their own mission), but will gladly use it against Fune if the party is persuasive in their own anti-Fune rhetoric.

Next week, we'll have a broader look at the Basalt Flats region (likely done up like we did the rapids a few weeks back), and then dive into the three structures Fune runs their operation from. See you then!

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