The Mud Drowned Palace: The Cupola
#Dungeon23 (week 1/ day 1)
Emerging from the mud, a partially excavated dome of terracotta bricks. All around, wooden walkways and support structures. At the top, near the broken remains of the roof lantern, a descending platform powered by a wheel pulley, guarded by 4 company men. Inside, various groups of explorers and adventurers are loitering and preparing for their next expedition. Stacked gear on the walls, lit torches and lanterns. This area has been thoroughly looted for a while now. All around the walls huge arched windows offer a look at stratified clay. At the NW, NE, SW, and SE corners, four alcoves open on long descending spiral stairs. The ceiling has a faded and mud splattered mural depicting the four aspects of the Mother.
Descending platform: a wooden platform big enough for 4 people with backpacks to stand on. The pulley must be operated by two persons using the 2m tall dented wheel nearby.
Company men: stats as brigands. lightly armed and leather clad. Will let people with a Company contract in and out without questions. Can be bribed for entrance, but will refuse exit unless most of the loot finds a way in their pockets. 2-6 chance they will still denounce the trespassers afterward.
Explorers: 1d6 groups present. Roll randomly on (or choose from) the adventuring parties table.
Stairs: all of the spiral stairs go down to the the “piano nobile”, and all of them have a semi-hidden door (forced open) halfway down to access the upper servants quarters. The NW stairs are collapsed after just a few steps.
Aspects of the Mother: the Child of Spring, the Maiden of Summer, the Lady of Autumn, and the Crone of Winter. The cult of the Mother and her Aspects is the main religion in the Wild Frontier.