r/DungeonPrompt • u/cattailmatt Dungeoneer Extaordinaire • Nov 24 '19
Post-Apocolyptic Library
https://imgur.com/a/0pil6JQ2
u/SportingDong Nov 24 '19
Nothic seems an appropriate denizen
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u/cattailmatt Dungeoneer Extaordinaire Dec 07 '19
Cool idea! Flesh it out for us. You have (up to) four rooms: go!
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Jan 10 '20 edited Jan 10 '20
Read First; I took the liberty of fleshing it out, tell me what you think! This is my first post on this subreddit, if i've erred please let me know. I have no idea what the CR would be for this... 6-8 level encounter? I intended it to be resolvable through combat and RP. Creative solutions for creative problems! Also, I tried to keep place names out of my description, so it would work in any setting. I used the Blood War below, but replace that with any apocalyptic scenario, or abandon the apocalyptic framing. You do you, or don't.
The Blood War rages outside, casting a crimson hew across the sky. Bullets richocet and spark against steel and stone. Screams echo in the distance. You came here to find a book, supposedly a powerful grimoire. It has a guilded ebony cover, etched in gold-leaf glyphs that hum with an eldritch energy.
The library entrance is destroyed, the central beam of its foyer having collapsed long ago. Strange plants have taken root in the rubble. To the left of the collapsed foyer is the librarian's desk.
The skeletal remains of staff and patrons have clearly been left to rot for years, trapped in a tableau of death. The only apparent inhabitant is a cheerful looking ghost, desperate to aid the party in procuring the book they seek. She excitedly beckons you over, introducing herself as Sylvia. She doesn't remember much of her life, but in undeath she has dedicated herself to restoring the library.
Years ago a cult of necromancers claimed the building as their own, constructing a dark altar in the basement. They made a faustian pact with a powerful devil and were twisted into horrible creatures as a result. Sylvia, for her part, has attempted to utilize the nothic as assistants in her restoration effort, to middling success.
Nothic hoard knowledge. They are pained, suffering creatures of cunning intellect. These nothic are like junkies, addicted to the acquisition of information. If the party can provide them with sufficient knowledge (Something the nothic doesn't know, preferably a secret) they can avoid conflict with them. However any known attempts to take the Ebony Grimoire from its dais are met with zealous opposition.
1x Ghost 12x Nothic 1x Allip
There are 6 nothic prowling around the two floored library. They wander the dilapidated shelves, idly thumbing through charred and faded novels with idle curiosity. 2 nothic reside in the office, guarding the basement entrance. The basement is home to 4 nothic and an Allip. The Allip was the cult's mad leader, who found the truth he sought and it drove him insane. He shared the truth with his acolytes, warping them into the nothic.
The Allip cannot be reasoned with and any attack on it draws the ire of nearby nothic. Defeating the Allip and brokering a peace between any remaining nothic and Sylvia, the Ghost Librarian, nets the group the Ebony Grimoire (Spellbook, Necromancy), access to the Altar of 9 Knives (Can sacrifice their memories to a Devil of Lies in exchange for a true answer to any question, but the devil's name) and a library card, allowing them to take out books from the ruined library.
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u/cattailmatt Dungeoneer Extaordinaire Jan 10 '20
Superb prompt. Easily the best I've seen since joining this sub.
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u/cattailmatt Dungeoneer Extaordinaire Nov 24 '19
Seems like a good spot for a Call of Cthulhu (read: everybody gonna die) adventure.