Beginning the third layer of my dungeon, I wondered whether the people living here should be evil. I’ve had two layers where you can be friends with those living there, but it’s a challenge… and whether or not it’s worth it is debateable.
I pulled back on having the next group be monstrous, because I wanted them to cooperate with those above. They have their own quirks, dangerous if treated the wrong way, but there’s common sense in them.
In the end, that has led to the general feel of this layer. It’s a world of two halves. In the north, the scientist crew lives in ordered, gleaming, clean rooms, dedicated to keeping the otherworldly growths constantly spewing from the overgrown laboratories in the south.
The Salubrious
By the end of week 10, I’d actually decided that the ‘clan’ on this layer was the most sane of the groups so far. I’m also planning to have them be the first group that appears on more than one floor. In addition, this is the first group that has a clear understanding and appreciation of what this ‘dungeon’ was originally for; the party’s first unfettered glimpse at the lore behind the Atmo-Sphere.
The Salubrious are the ancestors of the original scientists, professors and doctors instrumental in delivering a response to the Plague Prophecy. A veracious, global pandemic was foreseen, an airborne, waterborne and animal-borne extinction event. This third layer of the complex was constructed to prevent this calamity.
Considerable time later, this fragment of a forgotten world tumbles through space. The Salubrious no longer perform tests, but they read and absorb all the former research they can. They would love to return to the laboratories, but sadly that is not to be.
The labs are overrun.
In the (TBD) event that caused this complex to be sent out into the void inside its Atmo-Sphere, led to chaos on this level. Various samples, chemicals, part-completed experiments thrashed and crashed together. The result was a number of bizarre chemical and biological reactions. As the former scientists ran for cover, a storm of uncontrolled science enveloped half of the rooms on this floor.
Now, the Salubrious use their specially-modified firearms, limited equipment and ingenuity to hold back the various ‘malignant growths’, oozes and spores that encroach on the safe spaces that remain.
When the party arrive, if they can abide by the Rules of Cleanliness, they can possibly find allies amongst the Salubrious. If they can help push back the things that grow from the labs, they may earn some favours, and benefit from aid on this level and others below.
If they can’t be civil, or clean, they will find themselves at the ‘cleansing’ end of flame throwers, beam weapons and chemical sprays.
Week 10 – 70 Rooms Complete
By the end of Week 10, the ‘safe’ part of the third layer looks like this:
64. Common room
– comfy recliners, communal kitchen, large table and stools
– two Salubrious Technicians are re-cleaning the room meticulously. Respond to the alarm triggered in room 5, ready to ‘cleanse’ any intrusion
– can be reasoned with, if the ‘rules of cleanliness’ are followed
65. South Bedrooms
– Spotless accommodation, barely a sign of aging or wear.
– 2d4 Salubrious Technicians lounge here or clean this space. It takes two full turns to equip their gear in the event of combat
66. North bedrooms
– 3 Salubrious Technicians rest here. They are not ready for combat, asleep unless combat in adjacent rooms wakes them
– middle bay has been converted into a quarantine zone. A sick Technician is monitored by a Salubrious Physician, who will only engage if the quarantine seal is broken, at which point they fly into a rage
67. Sanitation
– industrial washing machines and large basins
– A Titanium Sentry, traded by the Tungsten Line, performs cleaning duties. Secretly relaying information to the clan upstairs
– 8b. Room added to make room for the Sentry’s repair station
68. Lecture Theatre
– slope of chairs and long tables facing boards and large screens
Gholon, Master Salubrious (clan leader) leads a lecture for 4 Salubrious members. He presents video records of past experiments, and reads out journals as if they holy scripture
– 9b. Storage cupboard full of folders, textbooks and stationary
69. Conference Room
– Long table flanked by comfy chairs
– 3 Salubrious Technicians and 1 Salubrious Cleaners in discussion.
– If the party clear any of the infected rooms of danger, and return, this group will be sent to ‘purge’ those rooms
70. Canteen
– spotlessly clean eating and serving space, storage cupboard
– 2 Salubrious Staff clean this space between meals; if it’s mealtime then 1d8+4 unarmed Salubrious technicians and 1d4 Salubrious Staff are here.
– food created on this layer is a higher quality. Food taken from the storage cupboard and prepared in this canteen grants a minor bonus (I.e. 1d4 temporary hitpoints)
In Summary
If all goes well, we’ll end up with a wonderful contrast here. Room 4 of this floor (Room 63 overall) is the turning point here. If the party pushes West or South, they enter a gross, pulsating world of nightmares, but if they go north they see a polished and sparkling scene.
Of course, they can only gain access to the floor below by finding the key card in the gross rooms. Whether they have a safe space to come back to, depends on how well they react to the Salubrious clan.
Thank You For Reading
Want to read about my Dungeon23 experience from the start, and see the other bits of lore surrounding it? Look here!
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Gamer Peak 