AtaraxianBear
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Desert Dungeon - The Hunt for the Fountain of Youth [90x70] (main floor) (free version)
🕑 Added 2021-01-19 12:24:08 +0000 UTCMy patreons find the high-resolution versions without watermark, the 10/5mb versions, the vtt files and a upper floor [50x50] in the post above.
Credit for the used asset packs goes to Essendi, Synecdoche, Crosshead, Geordi, Krager and the Apprentice of Aule.
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Background:
This is the lost temple of an ancient civilization. The still active fountain of youth is hidden at the lowest point of its vault.
But the dangers are numerous. What will our heroes face in their search for eternal youth?
Occultists who want to misuse the power of the fountain for their own purposes?
The ghosts and undead bodies of that vanished civilization?
Monsters who have made themselves comfortable in the ruins?
With these dangers, let's not forget the ancient magic, which is still active here. Magical and mechanical traps lurk widely within this dungeon.
In my own game, it will be undead guardians who inhabit this dungeon. Their job is to ensure that only the worthy get to the fountain of youth.
The Guardians are four in number and each has a personality of their own. They are ghosts who are brought to life again and again, even when our heroes destroy their undead bodys.
They will challenge our heroes in the individual rooms (with fights, puzzles, arbitration awards, decisions, tests of courage) and try to find out whether our heroes are worthy to drink from the fountain or not.
The ghosts can also summon servant creatures and command the wildlife that resides in this dungeon. Sometimes the ghosts appear alone, sometimes with one or more of the other guardians (they are sometimes friends with each other, but also enemies, depending on their relationship before their death).
To make the whole thing more difficult, one of the ghosts has his own plans. He is looking for the possibility of being born again. For this purpose he will try to manipulate our companions and get them to ruin the fountain of youth.
Like the other ghosts, he will also try to play our heroes off against one another.
In the end it is my goal that my group got to know each of the ghosts and their individuality.
At the end there will be a showdown in which our heroes either ruin the fountain of youth to gain great power or earn it in a final trial and then compete against the treacherous ghost. (With arguments, he can perhaps pull one of the other ghosts to his side)
Description of the dungeon:
Within the dungeon there are also several "normal" rooms that are furnished with rubble, columns but no special point of interest. Use this for "normal" dungeon encounter, a short rest, etc.
In the following I will briefly go into the "more special" rooms, briefly describe them and give suggestions on how they could be used:
Main floor
Two paths lead down into these vaults. The first special room is located between the two entrances: Offerings are collected in this chamber. Here a riddle could take place as to which of the offerings is worthy to be offered to the king or god of the fallen civilization.
Note: The offerings are all represented once on the middle stone and then distributed again individually on the wall. Those who choose correctly will also be able to marvel at the contents of the chest. But woe to him who opens the chest without having passed the test of the room.
Let us now look to the north (west of the main room). There is a sauna. Several spirits are enjoying themselves here in their worldly bodys. One possible test: The doors are locked and the task is to stay in this room for as long as possible while the spirits heat the place to boiling temperatures. A fight should also be interesting here. In the increasingly thick fog, the view becomes worse and worse, while you are slowly cooked in your armor.
Now we go to the central burial chamber (under the main room): Here are the coffins of our ghosts. Here the crimes of two of the ghosts could be decided by your heroes in a fictitious arbitration court. (Are your heroes independent judges or can they be bought too?)
Now we briefly visit the south-east with a summoning chamber. In the upper area there are also dark altars and a vessel with magical liquid. Here the group could prepare the ritual to ruin the magical liquid, then move it to the main chamber and then spoil the fountain of youth.
Finally we come to the main room where the fountain of youth can be found. There are also several altars here, which can be used for a final exam in which you have to show what you have learned in previous dungeons.
At the finale, one or the other water elemental will rise out of the well (what properties does an elemental have if it consists of water from the (spoiled) fountain of youth?
![Desert Dungeon - The Hunt for the Fountain of Youth [90x70] (main floor) (free version)](https://img5.leakoo.com/storage/4/ey/km/93d9f0-019e8c52-625e-7116-b391-5619b87cfaf1.jpg)
