Dungeon Challenge—Room #002 - Paths to Adventure

The Nexus of Future Past

Cartography: The room is 80 feet from east to west and 50 feet north to south. Each corner is angled at 45 degrees, creating a 5-foot wall. There is a door in the center of the east and west walls, and two doors each on the north and south walls, spaced 20 feet apart.

Room Details: The ceiling in this room is 10 feet high, except for a 30-foot wide, 30-foot deep dome that rises from the center of the room. The air quality is nominal. The volume of the room is approximately 22,137 cubic feet. The elevation of the room is -100 feet. This room is included in Dungeon Zone 1.

Landmarks: 12 10-foot tall columns, spaced evenly around the walls, a 45-foot by 15-foot pool situated in parallel with the east to west axis of the room, 10 feet deep and filled with water to a depth of 8 feet.

As you step into the chamber, your gaze is drawn to the massive dome that rises high above, its curved shape dominating the space. The walls stretch outward, their angles creating a sense of engulfing expanse as twelve tall columns stand evenly spaced around the room, stone bastions resolute as they support the massive void overhead. In the center of the chamber, a long, narrow pool stretches across the floor, its water dark and still. The pool’s surface remains perfect and undisturbed, its depth concealed in shadow. Several doors frame the room offering a myriad of pathways from this nexus to whatever lies beyond.

The water’s smooth surface and shadowed depths create a reflective mirror. Any character who gazes into the pool is greeted with a vision of the final moments of their life, visible only to them. The reflection depicts a vivid scene of their death, with the nature of the foresight determined by a roll of 1d6:

A peaceful death, elderly at home, surrounded by friends and family.
A violent death, slain by a bandit or robber in a dimly lit alley.
A slow death by starvation while imprisoned in a jail or dungeon.
A heroic death, sacrificing themselves to save another from danger.
An agonizing death by plague, covered in pustules weeping dark pus.
An imminent death, torn apart by a dozen amorphous green-glowing specters. In this case, roll 1d100 to select a room in this dungeon, and describe the locale based on its details and landmarks.

The pool remains undisturbed, its surface smooth and reflective. When the surface is disturbed, five soulbound performers (NPC 0; dancers, one elven, two human, and two half-elven, all female) erupt from the water, attacking in a fluid, choreographed manner. These souls are dancers who died while performing and now are trapped in eternal performance. If the adventurers respond to their dancing with cheers and applause, the dancers become confused and drop their guard for 1d4 rounds as they respond with grateful bows and curtsies. This distraction may only occur once during the encounter.

Relevant Tags: DC (Combat Encounter), DC (Dungeon Zone 1), DC (Elevation -100 Feet)

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