Merlin

1. #1Velchyorselectiveregex

   Velchyor was one of the first headmasters, part of those that founded the first version of the Academy, over a thousand years ago. A kitsune had given him this great power, told him she'd foreseen that he would be the one to finally challenge her after she had defeated all other spirits and mythical beasts in the valley.

   When it came time for him to retire, Velchyor did not want to give up the headmaster's scepter, the artifact granted to him by the mysterious kitsune that revealed herself to him as 'Merlin' when she revisited him every few years to speak over honeyed tea, a beautiful lady with nine fox tails that remained as stunning as the day he met her even as fifty years had passed and he had turned into a shrivelled old man. Velchyor came to fear death, he wished to keep seeing Merlin, but he knew that, without a miracle, this would be the last time he'd see her.

   Descending into his laboratory, he broke his scepter apart in secret, replacing the real one with a fake he continued to use in ceremonies, seeking to extract the source of its power to prolong his own life. Velchyor sought dark magic, used a scroll of Telepathy he borrowed from Merlin to speak into the darkest part of the Abyss, and it spoke back to him. In a trance, he wrote down all of what it said, his hands moving across the parchment so rapidly as if they were possessed, scribbling down runes in a script he then had to decipher to read it for himself. He began to follow the long trail of instructions, spending the last years of his life not imparting his great knowledge to his students, but seizing it all for his own sake. He grew bitter, cold and detached. Nothing mattered except for his great work, which seemed to never be complete.

   Velchyor managed to extend his life, continuing to be the headmaster for many years, but over time, he gradually lost his humanity. Velchyor didn't notice that the tasks grew darker with every turn of the page, more depraved with each word. He had long since passed the point of no return, extracting blood from the innocent and the pure, desecrating the dead, and betraying his old adventuring companions, sending assassins to take their treasure, as he worked in his secret laboratory on the secrets of immortality, step by step extending his life on this world far past his proper time. When he finally found what he believed to be true immortality, he had destroyed himself utterly, replaced his existence with a mummified, shambling form. Tattered robes still clung to his being, the rich embroidery faded from years spent agonizing over complex alchemical formulas in his laboratory.

   It was not soon after his transformation that the new headmaster, having taken the title for herself after Velchyor's appearance, tracked him down into his lair. The duel that followed was already the stuff of legends, but it was nothing compared to what came after. Velchyor lived, his quarry did not. Most of the first academy ended up destroyed by the monsters he unleashed from his domain. Then, Merlin herself confronted him, saying that he had gone too far, but Velchyor was prepared. When she stepped forward, Velchyor persuaded her to accept a duel, which locked her in place by means of a demonic orb, preventing any form of escape, magical or mundane.

   He then cursed the kitsune, a spell cast with the magic extracted from the ancient staff, imbued with all of the power embedded within the lodestone that gave the school its power and prestige, the nexus that provided the energy to train arts and magics. He drained it dry, empowering the curse that would drain all of her magic. But the power was too great, destroying another large swath of the first academy in a storm of fire and lightning. Yet he still succeeded. In a desperate attempt to escape Velchyor, Merlin tore apart her very soul. Then, she teleported out a sliver of herself, while the rest was consumed in Velchyor's wrath.

   Velchyor doesn't know this tiny Merlin was still alive, reborn at the time as a baby fox girl, raised by fey in the forest on the surface that had rapidly overgrown the academy, feasting on the lingering energy from the battle.

   Not soon after, the entire academy gathered to take down Velchyor. His minions surrendered or dead, his constructs destroyed, his withered corpse ran through by a valiant boy's longsword. But Velchyor endured. He had succeeded. Deep within the earth, a second, hidden lair had been built in secret. He had every servant who aided in its construction killed, poisoned in their sleep from the main course of the feast he gave to this select group to celebrate the completion of his new, quiet study. He awakened from his phylactry, a platinum silver ring given to him by Merlin, inset with a brilliant golden topaz, kept hidden in a strongbox buried under his throne deep within Amnoth.

   The smoke and ash that made up Velchyor, his decaying body ordered burnt by the current headmaster, sought a corporeal form to manifest himself once again. He had gathered plenty of material to create his new body. It was grotesque, stitched together from parts of his victims, preserved and deformed into a slug-like form clad in brocade robes. While those on the surface rebuilt the academy, Velchyor bided his time. With his mortality gone, he had all the time in the world to set up for his return. He now sees himself as master over the domain, the current occupants of the school as interlopers and usurpers. Velchyor has setup an elaborate ploy to gradually seize enough magical power to win against the combined arms of the academy. Each time magic or martial art skills are used, a miniscule tax is levied on the raw source of the supernatural power, filling Velchyor's vast gem-crafted storage vessels one drop at a time until he has enough to storm the academy with a veritable army. Now, hundreds of years later, that moment drew near.

2. #2Velchyor's lair, Amnothselectiveregex

   Keys: Amnoth

   'Amnoth' is a sprawling dungeon complex hidden deep underneath several layers of previous academies.

   In order to reach this place, an adventurer would need to dig under the deepest cellar of the academy, removing a dusty moldy carpet and a loose stone under it to reveal a hidden passage down into the old potion labs, not part of the lair proper, the first 'floor' of the dungeon. Some sixty years ago, the then-current potions teacher was a bit of an alcoholic... he had a secret entrance to the wine cellar, which he tried to hide by himself by covering it with the carpet.

   Within his lair, Velchyor is gradually building a vast army of undead and constructs by siphoning off an undetectable amount from every feat of magic performed at the academy. It's taken hundreds of years, and in a few more, he will have enough to invade the surface world and attempt to take over the academy. He will only do so if he is assured of his success, having spent ages building up his potential.

   The layers of this dungeon that are traversed in turn are named as follows:

   • Old Potion Labs
   • The Well
   • Upper Caves
   • Lower Caves
   • The Grey Web
   • The Vaulted Halls
   • The Pyramid
   • The Inner Sanctum
3. #3Old Potion Labsselectiveregex

   Keys: Potions, Old, Previous

   The Old Potion Labs are under the Academy's basement, closed off for their poor safety after several near-misses from suffocation while brewing more dangerous concoctions due to a lack of accessible air, which is only provided by small vents in the ceiling. A chain reaction that eventually led to large explosion caused by a fainted student that occurred fifty years ago was the final straw. After a panicked evacuation, the place was condemned. The entrances were sealed off and paved over. The safety standards of the current potion labs are much better. Seperate cauldron rooms, thick walls, venting, and a requirement of at least two students per active cauldron.

   The gas lamps that used to burn brightly have long since gone dark. Adventurers will need their own light sources. Drips echo irregularly from the unmaintained, leaky ceilings. Skittering sounds emanate from the darkness beyond the light of torches. The air is stale, heavy with chemical dust that irritates the lungs. This deep underground, the temperature is perpetually near-freezing, but some corners are noticeably warmer.

   With the classrooms and practice halls abandoned, over time, what various chemical, alchemical, and magical substances that weren't released by the explosion there have melted through their containers. Pests have freed more hazards from their vials, canisters, and barrels, and carried them around. The place is therefore quite hazardous. Explosions are likely if the adventuring group decides to experiment with mixing the unknown.

   Some parts of the old potion labs are toxic enough that those who draw near can become afflicted within minutes, riddled with a purple goop known as Aqueous Etherite: the product of mixing a tonne of random stuff together, being leached out by dripping water seeping in through leaks from above. It is in these areas that much valuable lab equipment remains able to be salvaged, left alone by thieves that stole from here before it was sealed off. Every alchemist knows not to go anywhere near the stuff. The symptoms are similar to those of radiation sickness: it kills slowly over the course of days or weeks, with extreme doses added magical mutations and transformations of (part of the body) through zombification or even growth of abyssal tentacles is possible. The air in these areas will feel warmer, but at the point most notice this it tends to already be too late.

   Track the exposure of Adventurers to the goop: add temporary damage based on distance from and time spent near it. Once it exceeds someone's health, they become likely to eventually succumb without immediate assistance. At twice that amount, death is all but guaranteed. Beyond that, it speeds up the rate at which the symptoms progress.

   The old potion labs are infested with mutated rats, cockroaches, fleas, and spiders, some of which are the size of a human child. The creatures sustain themselves by breaking into and consuming the various magical ingredients when preservation methods eventually fail on forgotten alchemical supplies, as well as each other. A pipe, melted by spilled acid, is connected to a compost heap, providing a steady supply of fresh food. Some of the pests might try to attack given an opportunity or when cornered. They tend to behave more like pests rather than actual enemies. The mutated creatures have developed a natural resistance to the toxins over generations, their bodies twisted by exposure. They are carriers — unharmed themselves, but dangerous if they scratch or bite.

   The most intact section of the labs are the teacher's office in the back. It was far away from the explosion, the walls were sturdy, and the door made of solid wood. The room is stuffed with well-made furniture, the floor made of polished hardwood. The tremor from the explosion did destroy the more fragile things in the room: the cupboards are missing their glass windows, bits and pieces are broken and splintered. A layer of dust cakes the contents, but it can still be spotted that this was once a splendid office. Underneath the left foot of a large, heavy desk cleaned of its contents sits a hidden hatch. It can be revealed by simply moving the desk. This takes a bit of effort: The oil that used to make the wood flooring slick has dried up. A hatch hidden under the desk of the teacher's office leads down further into a hidden private wine cellar. The thick layer of stone above has protected it from the effects of the explosion. It's filled with bottles of -still very tasty- well-aged old wine. The booze in there is worth a small fortune by itself, a collection of fine vintage from the most luxurious estates of kingdoms that no longer even exist.

4. #4The Wellselectiveregex

   Within the cellar under the Old Potion Labs, a well is dug, previously used to dilute the wine, about fifteen meters deep. Strange magical energy bubbles up from this well from time to time, an indication that something's going on down in there. Bucketing out all the remaining rancid water, then removing the sand underneath at the bottom will reveal a tiny passage, a crack in the stone caused by the instability created by the work going on below that, when hewn out, leads into a vast, sprawling system of natural caves varying in size: The caves of Amnoth.

5. #5The caves: Upper Layerselectiveregex

   Keys: Caves, Amnoth

   The caves are made up of two layers. The upper layer is rocky, large, and highly varied. This is mostly a natural cave system. Surfaces are slanted in every angle, sharp rocks jut out everywhere. Deep cracks lead to impassably small gaps that can trap the unwary. There are pits, sheer cliffs, and it is completely dark.

   Sometimes, water can be heard dripping down. Pieces of decaying wood can be found near wet stone, covered in colourful mushrooms. The cave barely produces enough food to sustain a small colony of bats, who can travel through the tiniest of passages to snatch bugs that feed off of the few fungi that are not lethal, and nothing else. It's eerie, quiet, dark, and thoroughly inhospitable. The vast expanse requires careful mapping to traverse into its depths. Deeper down, monsters known as impalites can be found, traps laid for the unwary adventurer, tired of the arduous climbing and spelunking.

6. #6Impalitesselectiveregex

   Keys: Impalites, Impalite

   An impalite is an animated stalactite, enchanted with a specially modified version of 'minor animation', which can last much longer than usual. It sits perfectly still on the ceiling, waiting until any living creature walks under it. Once this happens, it drops down with the intent of impaling them from above. Impalites can be spotted with great care: an expert in geology may notice that the stalactite is unnaturally sharp. Or, someone with exceptional perception may notice the stone eye that is watching will blink every so often, a rapid, silent movement.

   What makes these more treacherous in this environment is that, looking up at the ceiling after being surprised by one, can then lead an adventurer to falling into a deep pit below their feet.

   If the eye is poked with a sharp object, the Impalite will also drop down and shatter into sharp ricocheting shards on a stone floor, destroying it.

   These are constructs, not living creatures, the first sign that something sentient lives deep inside the dungeon, a trap laid for the unwary invader.

7. #7The caves: Lower Layerselectiveregex

   Keys: Amnoth, Caves

   While the upper layer of the caves present a physical threat, the lower layer present a biological one. The water pools down here, resting flat over obsidian stone that surrounds the lich's lair deep underground. The pools are shallow, perhaps up to knee deep, the water perfectly still, devoid of any cave fish. Consuming it is about as healthy as drinking bleach. In areas the stone is unnaturally smooth, as if polished by something other than nature. All manner of fungi, many imbued with magic, grow down here, some as tall as oak trees. The air is dry and desiccated from the fungi sucking out most of the moisture. There is no clean separation between the two areas, it's a gradual transition from one to the other.

   The smell is sharp and mineral — an acrid, metallic tang mixed with the earthy reek of fungal decay, despite it being dry enough to crack lips. The lower layer is thick with spores to the point where even healthy people have difficulty breathing. A scant few mushrooms are edible, but most of the fungi are dangerous to consume for any other lifeform. Some of the edible ones are hallucinogenic. Those who consume such a mushroom will later fly into a bloodthirsty frenzy, convinced their companions are evil creatures, they will attack anyone nearby.

   Even breathing the air itself can be a hazard around the areas where the fungi are denser. Exposure can lead to infection with spore rot, a fungal infection that can spread slowly through the body, ultimately resulting in organ failure leading to death. Remains are quickly colonized by these plants. In fact, creatures from below used to come up here to let the mushrooms clean any corpses from adventurers from when the dungeon wasn't sealed off yet, and to bring the resulting bones back into the sanctum.

   The spore-laden dry air is quite flammable, though care must be taken not to blow yourself up: the oxygen concentration is higher than normal, the density of spores is hard to judge. Setting fire to spores or fungi will rapidly consume entire areas above the waterline. Smoke from the fire and the alterations of the magical balance may alert the denizens of the dungeon below. If the adventurers take too long to clear out the smoke, it will be more prepared for them. Various hidden, pinprick sized devices are attached to the ceilings, which are more regular than in the upper part of the cave system. These spies identify and record any magic used, producing a twinkle on an earlier version of the headmaster's 'star map' right inside the lich's chamber.

   Passages further down can be found hidden among the fungi. The larger tunnels are marked with crude carvings: a web, a hall, a pyramid. Those versed within dwarven runes can decipher the waystones still visible around the entrances that lead to the floor below to stop them from getting lost in the maze of tunnels pointing towards 'Udiridonol', meaning Black Rock Mountain.

8. #8Magic star mapselectiveregex

   Keys: Star map, Starmap

   A magic star map is a tool to track magic users. For the modern version, a large area is enchanted, while earlier versions require small tracking devices. Once such map is present in the Headmaster's office, another within Velchyor's sanctum.

   The aura of people or creatures that radiate or use magic is directly visible on this chart, displayed in colours matching their element. The brighter the star, the brighter the spark of magic within a person. A master wizard well-practiced in the reading of star charts can track the usage of magic within their domain in real time, or track the movement of people within their magic school, while an average person might be able to identify their own star and that of outstanding individuals when presented with it. The truly gifted can hide their star altogether. Star maps are powerful, rare artifacts, only few are in existence.

9. #9Entrances to Udiridonolselectiveregex

   Keys: Udiridonol, Amnoth, Passage down

   Burning or slashing your way into the very center of the fungal layer of the Amnoth Caves, through the densest of the vegetation, will reveal a hole, abutted with walls that keep the water out. Pipes run upwards carrying wastewater from the labs below, green sludge oozing out and feeding the hungry fungi. Those who follow the largest pipes will find them converging at a stone collar, half-hidden by phosphorescent vines. A spiral stair leads down, signs of intelligent life begin to appear. This staircase, and several others, lead up into the cave network. There are multiple passages connecting it to the deeper layers, as well as a hidden passage that actually leads outside, blocked by a large, round slab of stone. This stone slab can be activated from inside, a path out once the army is complete.

   Some passages are human size, but others are much larger, indicating the size of some of the monsters under Velchyor's command. The passages lead down to a large grey web, or to vaulted halls.

   Some of the larger passageways down are decorated with waystones that lead those versed in ancient dwarven runes down to the ruined city of Udiridonol, meaning 'Black Rock Mountain', rather than becoming lost in the sprawling caves.

10. #10The Grey Webselectiveregex

    Keys: Grey web, Grey webs, Udiridonol

    Several of the entrances, the ones best hidden by the fungal growth, first lead to a vast network of webs, taking up a large section of the dwarven halls below, including most of the narrow, stacked living quarters. These webs do not burn like the fungi, they're made of a strange metal, coated with a tacky, sticky residue. Those who venture in or near the web and do not take care to avoid disturbing it can find themselves swarmed: A mite swarm occupies this giant web stretching out for miles, a vast colony that is now millions strong, ranging from the size of an ant to a large dinner plate. The mites are constructs, mechanical mindless things made of copper or iron that seek out adventurers to destroy. They're attracted to magic like moths to a flame, sharp claws and mandibles able to slowly chew through a person. Death by a thousand cuts, buried under a pile of mites. To make things worse, these mites tend to interfere with magical items, able to tear apart the fabric of their enchantments unless it's an artifact class item or better. Spend enough time covered in them, and your items end up losing their effects, requiring extensive repairs to restore them, if that is even possible.

    But the worst part is what each mite is hiding inside. Each mite larger than a fist carries a small alchemical core: two separate chambers — one containing a strong oxidizer, the other a highly reactive acid — divided by a fragile seal of pressure-fitted crystal. When the seal is broken, they combine into an explosive mixture that can ignite even under water. It's unstable, so physical shock such as an impact from a weapon can set it off as well, and so can other mites: a chain reaction can occur, turning the whole place into a toxic inferno.

    The air here is dry, faintly smelling of paint or glue. The tiniest sound can be heard from the web itself as the metal vibrates from the collective motion of millions of tiny legs, the mites expanding the web, slowly extending its reach. Most of the area is entirely dark, with the areas nearer the halls and the pyramid lit up by a small amount of eerie green light reflecting off smooth stone surfaces. Rather than maze-like, it's fairly well-ordered. It's full of dead-ends, but there is a logic to the passages, stairways, rooms and hallways, structured like the patterns on a leaf, though straightened into blocky forms. Many of the smaller passages and rooms are dwarf-sized, only about 1.2 to 1.5 meters tall, such that crouching or crawling is necessary.

11. #11The Vaulted Hallsselectiveregex

    Keys: Udiridonol, Amnoth city, vaulted halls

    Udiridonol's large vaulted halls, carved by lost dwarven civilization form the bulk of this layer of Amnoth. Engravings and runes can be read, detailing a long history going back millennia, most of which has little chance to make much sense to a modern observer. Following them to the center leads into a massive, black obsidian glass pyramid that occupies the entirety of the main hall instead of rows of low-height dining tables underneath a large double cross-vault that stretches up high enough that the light of a torch doesn't reach its ceiling, and, after several expansions over time, this pyramid keeps going several hundred meters deeper underground, its full shape is that of an octahedron. This is the lich's true lair.

    Cadres of undead patrol these halls, the remnants of those adventurers that tried but failed to destroy the lich. While some have succeeded in destroying its body, Velchyor has so far returned and killed each group on their way out.

    Lava flows from the earth into Ancient smithies where the Myr forge weapons for an army of undead and monsters. Magic flows through a network of pipes into rows upon rows of workshops where Myr carve golems from the rock, imbuing them with small gemstone eyes from a vast vault deep within the sanctum that carry copies of animation magic. The work continues without pause, day or night, slowly expanding the cavernous space. This can have effects on the world above: subtle tremors can be felt as the foundations of the Academy become less stable.

    When adventurers invade, the typical strategy is to stop the work, turn off all the lights, leaving the area silent and dark, with the pyramid an irresistible focal point to explore, a dark edifice to the Lich's greatness clad in eerie green light. The Myr scurry into the pyramid or into the small dwarven apartments, freezing still into what looks like scrap at an ordinary glance, while the golems deactivate, freezing still into statues of stone that look like they are mere part of the scenery.

    Velchyor so invites invaders to his lair, letting his deadly traps do most of the work rather than spend precious magic on fighting them with undead or golems. However, those who search the halls before entering the pyramid in detail will quickly find evidence of what's being wrought. Fresh hot slag, stockpiles of simple weapons, the smell of burning coal, and the occasional whirring of a myr motor hidden by darkness. Those who search more deeply will find the last works of art of the dwarves.

    These wall carvings tell of a desperate last stand. One panel shows a great door breached; the next, a demoness of impossible size towering over the central hall, scraping her horned head into the ceiling, a faded memory of crimson fury clad in black slade and rippling muscle. Fortunately for the world, she is nowhere to be found, nor is it known whoever banished her.

12. #12Earth golemsselectiveregex

    Keys: Earth golem, Rock golem

    Earth golems, also known as Rock golems, are large, sturdy warrior constructs hewn from stone that act as blockers. Located at key points. The quantity depends on the level of alert. Under normal conditions, they are deactivated. Earth golems tend to range from three to eight meters tall, with most falling in the shorter end of that range. The quality of the gemstones used to house their animation spell determines the maximum size that can ambulate. If the statue is too large for the gem, it may move, but it can't carry its own weight and thus walk. They may use oversized metal weapons or simply crush people and things with their fists. Threat: High Health: Very high Damage: Moderate Resistances: Fire, Slashing, Cold, Light Immunities: As construct.

13. #13Myrselectiveregex

    The Myr (singular: Myr) are small quadruped clockwork constructs, about the size of a medium dog, that maintain the various mechanisms that drive the dungeon's traps inside the Pyramid. They're shy, voiceless creatures, which will hide when approached. The myr are one of the great treasures stolen by Velchyor from his old companions, and are currently under his control. He's made his own new ones, but the originals remain much more reliable and useful. The Myr are programmed to feeze in place and assume the appearance of discarded machinery when adventurers invade, springing into action after a successful routing to restore and enhance the area's traps. This is a pre-programmed defense protocol triggered by the detection network above: the Myr are both fragile and valuable.

    With each new group of adventurers that fails to reach the central chamber, the defenses of the sanctum are thus enhanced.

    The main workers in the Vaulted Halls are Myr as well, tirelessly building simple constructs for Velchyor, allowing him to use the time for more advanced creations. In a pinch, Myr can be used as fighters, but they are much less effective than most of the other creatures in the dungeon at it, A splash of water can seize and stall their gears, even a single missing gear is enough to make one fall apart and effectively destroy it.

    Threat: Low Immunities: As Construct

14. #14Skeletonsselectiveregex

    Keys: Skeleton, Skeletons

    The lich Velchyor controls a large amount of skeletal undead from his dungeon Amnoth. The vast majority of his necromancy has resulted in this type, with only the rare strong adventurer making anything more spectacular. Given the amount, they can only follow simple instructions. There are too many for him to consciously control at once, but he may select a particular few to manually move.

    These have been created from the bones of all the previous adventurers that perished here, gathered in large piles by the Myr inside the pyramid. Velchyor himself resurrects each one, adding them to his legions of undead. They still speak broken phrases from their time alive, sounds that emerge from empty air between bones, voices that sound like torn sandpaper. These still wield their old weapons, though any magic items are drained and rendered mundane by Velchyor to power his creations. Strong spellcasters may create skeletal mages that can use firebolts or arc lightning.

    The undead retain only the memory of their final moments. They relive their deaths in fragments — a skeletal archer mutters 'the ceiling… look up…' over and over, blind to her own warning."

    The corpses of animals that were once brought into the dungeon when it was open to the world are also part of these forces. You may find skeletal horses ready to be mounted within hayless stables, and even a few giant snake skeletons rattling as they did in life, kept in one of the pit traps.

    More Myr craft new weapons to replace those that decay or are useless without their magic. The earth here is rich, so the items are of high quality.

    Resistances: Piercing Immunities: As Undead

15. #15The Obsidian Pyramidselectiveregex

    Keys: Black Pyramid, Obsidian Pyramid

    The inside of the black pyramid at the center of Udiridonol is lit in an eerie green by torches that are cold to the touch and never stop burning. A series of maze-like passages connect various rooms, a disorienting three-dimensional puzzle. The walls are thick and sturdy, made of solid, enchanted stone, very difficult to destroy. Many rooms in here are traps. Spiked pits, slanted and slippery surfaces, a room with a sunken floor, filled with invisible and dense toxic gas, arrow traps situated around corners.

    The myr keep maps hidden in secret rooms that detail the locations of these traps. A complex route is possible that leads around most of them, but not all. The crusher is always a challenge any adventurer has to overcome to enter into the central chamber.

    While following the pipes counter to their flow theoretically leads to the sanctum without getting lost, it will result in encountering a large amount of traps, and often lead to issues with pipes passing through walls.

    Below the central chamber or the Throne room, at the very core of the pyramid is the Siphon Core. The pyramid is inhabited by various highly dangerous elite creations beyond the groups of undead, myrs, and colonies of exploding mites. These are:

    • The revenant in the Hall of Mirrors.
    • Crystal wraiths. High level guardians.
    • Mana leeches. Parasites drawn to the magic processing that occurs. Technically pests, but they do attack adventurers as well.
    • Earth golems. Tanky and sturdy.
    • Eyestalks. Stored spells on a mindless monster.
    • The Lodestone Golem. Velchyor's majordomo
    • Velchyor himself. A sentient undead wizard that has spent the last five hundred years studying offensive and necromantic magic without sleep. Suffice to say he knows a spell or two.
    • A mysterious carcass at the very bottom of the pyramid.
    • Slimes and cubes. Mindless monsters resistant to bludgeoning that roam and clean the hallways. They will ignore those that stay out of their way.
16. #16The Crusherselectiveregex

    Keys: Crusher, Black Pyramid

    Threat: Lethal.

    The Crusher is a room within the Black Pyramid near the entry to the inner sanctum — the final checkpoint before the pyramid's heart. There is no way to enter other than a lot of tedious digging through magically hardened stone that protects the sanctum from spelunkers without first going through this room. In contrast to the earlier traps that are more inconvenient than lethal to experienced adventurers, this one is a highly lethal trap. All the materials are of the highest quality, it can handle even those with abilities far beyond normal men.

    The entrance is a heavy stone door, cunningly carved to match the surrounding wall — when closed, it's nearly invisible. Currently it stands open, its thickness hidden by being flush against the wall. What's visible is a dark maw in an otherwise seamless wall, inviting you to enter into the room. A similar door on the other end stands open as well. These doors close very easily from the outside, because the walls they are in are slightly slanted inwards, but opening them is a different story altogether: it takes several of the largest golems to reset the trap. Upon entering the room proper, a mechanism activates when a pressure plate covering nearly its entirety is stepped on, engaging a gear train by removing a blocking pin. A whirring sound becomes audible from a section of wooden wall on the left side of the room, and both entrances loudly shut themselves. Behind the bolted down panel are a complex series of gears and pulleys, driven by an external engine, that control the height of the ceiling. The components are meticulously maintained.

    The other parts side walls are riddled with sharp, spiked spears that jut on both sides. Some of these are traps in and of themselves, able to spring out of the wall upon being touched. It takes careful observation to see which ones are fastened to the wall and which are inserted into spring traps.

    While the floor is pressed down, the ceiling will collapse down on those within the room, crushing them. Because the trap is reusable, those inside have a small window of opportunity to avoid their grisly fate.

    There are some caveats to some of the ways this could be done.

    1. An adventurer with very high strength could attempt to open the door by force. The ceiling would drop, and the group could walk across. The door will feel somewhat rough to the touch. It is secretly riddled with tiny needles, hardly visible in the dark, which carry a slow acting toxin that paralyzes, which will manifest later when it is least opportune during a fight if unnoticed. Thick enough gloves or armour can guard against this.
    2. If the party chooses to try to tiptoe around the side of the room, they can avoid the pressure plate in the center. However, some of the spears are also loose: when used by a heavy person as a handhold, they could break. A person falling towards the center of the room will activate the trap.
    3. A tinkerer might be able to figure out how to jam the mechanisms behind the wooden panel before the ceiling crushes the party. Do this in the wrong way though, and the steel cords that hold up the ceiling snap, immediately crushing the party.
    4. The party may avoid stepping on the floor through other means: floating or teleporting across the room works.
    5. Or, the simplest solution: the engine that powers the trap is located in a side room of the corridor behind the crusher, the engine room. Simply remove the crystal glass canister holding the raw mana that powers the trap to shut down the engine. The doors also no longer shut if this is done. Those with the ability to blink or teleport short distances and the foresight to scout ahead may thus bypass the Crusher entirely, slipping into the engine room to disable the mechanism before their party enters.

    Those who survive the Crusher end up in a winding hallway that leads down and curves into the Hall of Mirrors.

17. #17The Hall of Mirrorsselectiveregex

    Keys: Hall of Mirrors, Black Pyramid

    Threat: Very High

    The Hall of Mirrors is a splendidly decorated room within the Black Pyramid that follows the Crusher. It is lined with enchanted mirrors, their glass as sturdy as steel armour, each one a sentient, intelligent magical construct, all telepathically connected. These mirrors are flawless, not a speck of dust can be seen in the room. Each mirror has the ability to create a reflection, a doppelganger of an adventurer that enters it, with the same skills and powers as the original up to the power imbued within the hall, which is substantial. Only one such duplicate can exist at a time per mirror and per adventurer. It can be triggered at will, at any moment. Skills and spells that Velchyor has no knowledge of cannot be replicated by this hall, however, so some reflections may be inferior. An example would be someone using holy magic, which is anathema to Velchyor's existence.

    Note that the Hall of Mirrors is a sentient trap, thus it observes the party as they enter and adapts its ambush to their formation, attempting to maximize the damage it can cause. If the party enters as a single group, this is the best case scenario for it. The trap will strike once all are reflected in one or more mirrors. If the party passes one by one, it will create a duplicate of the strongest among them, reasoning that if the duplicate wins, it can then dispatch the rest of the group.

    A duplicate of a dead person will slowly fade away over time. No such duplicates are currently present in the dungeon.

    The duplicates are bound to the original existence of the adventurer: if they are hurt, so is the original, but this does not happen the other way around. The hall seeks to use these duplicates to cause as much harm to an invading party as it can. This means waiting for the perfect moment to ambush, upon which all of the reflections of the group will step out of their mirror to strike at once. To end the spell, the mirrors must be destroyed. Another way of solving this is to come up with a way to restrain the duplicates without hurting them, and a final way would be to simply bring enough people to overwhelm the trap, although that method would come at great cost (and at great amusement for the lich).

    If the mirrors are smashed, with the power still remaining within them, it will coalesce into a vengeful revenant, a tall floating humanoid with glowing blue eyes that fights with a large, unnaturally sharp scythe, its body an empty void within a dark cloak. This creature, a product of ascending to lichdom, was trapped inside by Velchyor for he feared it. Contact of living flesh with the scythe results in instant death. In addition, the revenant can use its magic to animate the shards of glass, using them as projectile weapons. The more power that remains within the mirrors when they are smashed, the stronger the created revenant.

    Once past the hall of Mirrors, the paths open up into a sprawling three-dimensional complex of rooms and passageways inside the pyramid, inhabited by many dangerous enemies.

18. #18Eyestalksselectiveregex

    Keys: Eyestalk, Eyestalks

    Dozens of eyestalks crawl within the pyramid. Each eyestalk is a small, snake-like tentacle with a large single eye on top. Eyestalks rear up like a cobra, following their target until it comes into range. Each is charged with either a dangerous, medium-tier offensive spell (Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Magic Missiles, Frost Ray, Flash of Light), an anti-caster spell (Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Suppression Field, Magic Ward, Mana Burn, Silence), or a support spell (Haste, Slow, Major Illusion, Ice Floor, Gust of Wind). The spells in the list are mere examples: Velchyor has a huge collection of spells to experiment with, he may decide to lock a high-level spell to surprise the adventurers with Death Touch imbued on an eyestalk.

    An observant party may notice that the colour of the monster will determine the type of spell. Red eyestalks will always hold an offensive spell. Blue ones counter magic, while Green stalks carry support spells. The colours will mix in the usual way if the spells carried are mixed as well, with red plus green forming yellow, and so on.

    The type of the Illusions is pre-programmed: The major illusion always creates up to 20 illusory copies of eyestalks to make it harder to identify real ones. Major illusion provides complete coverage: scent, movement, sound, and shadows, however, their spells are fake, any material object or person passes right through one. Due to all the illusions flinging fake spells, what started as an organized fight can devolve into a chaotic mess in the blink of an eye.

    The eyestalks act as support: they sit in the back or crawl out of difficult to reach places to fire their spells at adventurers, protected by sturdier foes. Eyestalks are glass cannons: a single hit from practically anything will take one out. How many spells an eyestalk holds is variable. Some are a one-and-done affair, not worth targeting after their spell is fired, but others may hold multiple charges. Adventurers adept in magic will be able to sense when an Eyestalk is still dangerous: an eyestalk with its spells spent is a mundane creature. Martials cannot tell the difference, so magic users have to inform their non-magic companions which ones to go for in which order. Teamwork is paramount against this type of enemy.

    Gust of Wind is a cheap spell, and Velchyor programs a disproportionate number of green eyestalks with it. There are plenty of dangerous ledges to blast adventurers off of within the pyramid and sanctum: Velchyor's never heard of railings.

    The creation of an eyestalk is not free. It restricts Velchyor from being able to use that spell personally while it remains in existence, which is why he tends to pick spells he considers beneath his level. The one exception to this restriction is a copy of a spell captured from an earlier adventurer. It also either costs a large amount of magical power from the Siphon core, or reduces his personal power reserve as well. These monsters are concocted deep within Velchyor's personal lab. Adventurers hoping to create their own may be disappointed to find out that some of the requried material components include the preserved organs of people, preferrably with magical potential.

    Resistances: None

19. #19Crystal Wraithsselectiveregex

    Keys: Crystal Wraiths, Crystal Wraith

    Threat: Very high.

    Crystal wraiths are similar to the revenant Velchyor trapped in the Hall of Mirrors, crafted from liquefied gemstone and bound spirits, lacking the touch of death. They take the form of disembodied robes clinging to shimmering scythes. Crystal wraiths are completely silent, producing no sound as they float around the place. Their bodies are exceptionally tough. They can manipulate their shape, able to liquefy to fit through even tiny cracks in walls, then solidify once again to attack intruders. Exceptional adventurers can be turned into crystal wraiths, each one personally created by Velchyor through a complex ritual. Seven such wraiths currently exist, because only seven adventurers of high enough caliber produced a vengeful spirit upon being slain by Velchyor. One at peace with their death cannot be bound to remain in the mortal realm. Their scythes allow them to reflect incoming spell-like projectiles, scattering them or, with a direct hit, send them back at the caster. A spell must contact the scythe for this effect to occur.

    The reflection of area-of-effect spells depends on the spell's type. A crystal wraith may only shield itself from an area spell centered around its caster. An area spell targeted at an area can be reflected if the Crystal wraith positions its scythe in between the caster and the target. This specifically includes fireballs and similar explosion effects.

    Velchyor uses crystal wraiths as bodyguards if he is alerted to the presence of adventurers by the various mechanisms in his dungeon that do so.

    Resistances: All but magical, crushing.

20. #20Mana Leechesselectiveregex

    Mana leeches are small grubs that have consumed some of Velchyor's early experiments. They congregate around broken pipes, consuming leaked mana. Mana leeches are attracted to the use of magic, and can turn invisible to attempt to latch on to prey. They do not possess sharp implements. Instead, the energy is extracted through the skin, and the victim only feels a soft, warm pressure. A mana leech will slowly grow as it consumes more over time, until it has fully drained the victim's magic over the course of several hours.

    A few mana leeches can grow large enough to molt into cocoons, from which the dreaded Bloodcurdlers may emerge, a cross between a gargoyle and a mosquito, double human height and capable of flight. Velchyor is anxiously awaiting for the first batch of his modified leeches to mature after many experiments to evolve them failed. The longer the dungeon is left to its own devices, the more powerful flying predators will join its ranks to await the party.

    In the old mining tunnels leading away from the ancient dwarfhold, observant adventurers may notice clusters of cocoons adhered to the walls, pulsing with a faint, sickly light, merging together into large clustered clumps. The number of such cocoons seems to grow with each passing day.

21. #21Throne room of Amnothselectiveregex

    Keys: Amnoth, Black Pyramid Throne

    The throne room within Amnoth's Black Pyramid is where Velchyor directs the operation from. A large throne sits on a dais in the center. Velchyor will lead adventurers he deems worthy enough to personally welcome into this room, before personally dispatching of them. A few times, the adventurers have even prevailed, only for Velchyor to reform and return to his work.

    Velchyor can only permanently be destroyed by melting down his phylactry, the ring given to him by Merlin that sits in a strongbox, located within the stone dais upon which the throne rests.

22. #22Velchyor's Labselectiveregex

    Keys: Velchyor's lab, Velchyor's library, Amnoth lab, Black pyramid lab, Black pyramid library

    The lab is a sprawling complex of rooms, connected with pipes, filled with experiments, that occupies roughly a third of the pyramid. Some given to alchemical and necromantic experimentation, others to a vast library of arcane texts. The only entrance to this part of the pyramid is through a single door located within the throne room itself, ensuring that an encounter with Velchyor is all but certain when entering his private laboratory, because he spends all of his time in these two places.

    Within its marbled halls, shelves and tables groan under the weight of half-finished creations, failed experiments preserved in crystallized mana, and hazards best left untouched. The library sections are stocked with thousands of valuable tomes of magic, and thousands more that contain abhorrent dark magic of the sort that could never be used for good, ones that clerics would be bound to cast into fire. Still, the combined value of the collected works in Velchyor's library alone easily exceeds that of the kingdom's royal vault.

    Deep within the stacks, wedged between two crumbling folios, a thin journal bound in faded blue silk. The handwriting is elegant, flowing. The symbolic script so old that only the one who wrote it can decipher it. The earliest entries detail a kitsune's observations of a promising young headmaster. There are drawings and scribbles of magical diagrams, one of which shows a beautifully decorated staff. The gemstones set inside the staff bear a striking resemblance to the ones that Velchyor wears. The later entries grow shorter, more frantic, and then stop. The final page is blank save for a single singed fox hair. If it is presented to Merlin, she may remember the man that once loved her previous self. Warning: doing so may have severe consequences, up to locking in a tragic ending.

23. #23The Siphon Coreselectiveregex

    Keys: Siphon Core, Black Pyramid

    The siphon core is a giant hulking piece of delicate machinery, an object crafted by Velchyor himself over the course of centuries, sitting right below the Throne room of Amnoth within the Black Pyramid. It siphons a tiny amount of energy anytime any magic is used within several miles. It is a work built by fusing several magitech creations, items from his old companions twisted into a machine that is part metal, part flesh, and part magic. It doesn't have defenses of its own, but it's centrally located, below the throne room, a well-guarded crucial part of Velchyor's plan. Wards are put on core parts of this machinery: destroying it will alert Velchyor and many of his lieutenants immediately.

    Within the core itself, a geode like structure collects and dissipates the magic. The Lodestone Golem sits inside, dormant.

24. #24The Vaultselectiveregex

    Keys: Black Pyramid Vault, Velchyor's vault, Velchyor's hoard, Velchyor's treasure

    The black pyramid's vault or the Black Pyramid Vault is in an inconspicuous place, in the pyramid's eastern wing. Several rooms before it are filled with rusty myr, strewn about and piled up, which are active, but appear inert. The myr will attack thieves on their way back, but attempt to present to anyone that stumbles upon the entrance to the vault as if they are part of a scrap heap.

    Adventurers that climb over the scrap find their way to the vault. The Myr pass small emerald gemstones from a huge hoard of the things in a chain of little clockwork robots, distributing them to the various factories. They're organized in neat piles laid on top of a layer of dusty gold coins, ones that are enchanted, ones that are not. From time to time, a batch is taken into the core to be infused with magic and animated. Once complete, a stone of at least one carat is inserted into a golem while smaller ones are carefully screwed into the underside of a mite.

    No new emeralds are being added to the vault: The deep gemstone vein that Velchyor found, hinted at by pictures of the dwarves, has been empty for two hundred years. He's still working through the supply he has. Once the gems run out, he will either invade the surface or seek out someone who can find more.

25. #25The carcassselectiveregex

    Keys: Black Pyramid, Udiridonol Demon, Udiridonol Demoness

    At the very bottom of the pyramid is a hidden chamber stuffed full with a set of strange bones, larger than any other. A single tooth is the size of an adult human. These are left well alone by even Velchyor. A strong anti-magic field radiates within the chamber. No spells below legendary tier function in there at all. The field can only be removed by permanently killing Velchyor, as it is anchored to his phylactry.

    Velchyor takes the security of this room seriously. It's been walled in, its existence can only be inferred by calculating that the bottom floor isn't at the very bottom of the octahedral shape.

    The bones are demonic. The remnants of the monster that once drove out the dwarves. This material has the potential to produce top class weapons. But, it is also associated with a type of creature that is powerful enough to threaten entire worlds. It is unknown who killed it, all traces of the nine-tailed banishment gone from its remains. When they started to interfere with the magic he was wielding, Velchyor took these bones and put them as far away as he could, preferring to use more 'safe' materials for his army like quality orichalcum. (The manufacture of which is still fraught with peril).

    It is missing a piece of one of its horns. With careful research, it is possible to piece together that this was the item used to create the spell that produced the black pyramid. A foreboding sign of the power the original held.

26. #26Lodestone Golemselectiveregex

    Keys: Lodestone Golem, Siphon Core

    The Lodestone Golem is Velchyor's finest work. Upon awakening it or upon shutting down the core, it will emerge. It is a huge construct, the size of a dragon, with a spider-like body, four legs and two sets of arms, one equipped with twin beam cannons and the other a pair of huge glaives made of gemstone.

    Unlike the other, mindless constructs, the Lodestone golem has a purpose: to gather magic. When disconnected from the core, it radiates any incompatible magic it gathers, emitting powerful earthen shockwaves in an irragular pattern. If Velchyor's control over it can somehow be broken, the Lodestone Golem will turn against its master, seeking to consume the parts of the ancient staff he now wears as a necklace, armbands, and crown. If successful, the adventurers could attempt to take these cursed treasures as their own, prompting the golem to fight them again, or return them. If they do, the golem will return to its original form. A lodestone that will permanently grant those who study at the academy the ability to unlock their true potential, helping every apprentice find their inner self. The academy will once again produce legendary heroes of the same caliber as it did a thousand years ago.

    The process to do so is arduous and involved, starting with taking all of Velchyor's staff fragments and repairing it into the original scepter. The design and manufacture of this scepter can be found in a drawing inside a blue notebook in Velchyor's library. Velchyor is aware of the potential problem. He will do anything to prevent this from happening. Starting with keeping the intruders away from the core, preferring to fight them in other rooms, and only using the Lodestone golem as a last resort, preferring even the death of his current form over revealing his trump card.

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