295 rooms · levels 10–42
Work benches with strange tools and unidentifiable supplies are placed around the room, and it looks as if nothing was ever put away. Maps and diagrams are tacked to the walls. Little bits and pieces of monsters, people, and equipment litter the floor. Chaos rules.
This area has obviously been used by someone recently, and is spotlessly clean. A counter has been carved out of one wall, so perhaps it is a workroom? There is a shallow well in the floor. It looks like an animal pen, with straw on the bottom. Someone has written a strange table on the wall. To the south is a hall, and to the east the branch slopes down.
The northern branch slopes steeply down to the east, into the ground. The air here has a dank, sinister smell. The dark becomes more oppressive. The walls are slick and lifeless. To the east and west the branch continues.
Here a rough set of shallow steps has been carved into the earth. There is a taint of evil in the air. The low ceiling and confining walls are roughly carved and have splashes of semi-legible graffiti on them. To the west the northern branch continues, and down is an evil lair.
The passage ends here at a blank wall. The ground is damp and mucky, and the lack of prints shows this passage is little used. Water slowly seeps down the walls, keeping the thick growth of folded, gelatinous fungi damp. To the east the passage continues.
This is a hollow branch used as a hallway from here to there. It seems reasonably clean, and the walls have been smoothed by someone, but overall it is an uninteresting place. To the north the branch continues, and to the south is the polished limb.
You slide in from the slide room and skid to a stop on a small landing. That was fun! The floor is covered with deep sand, and the walls are of a rough texture. A polished spiral slide leads down from the north side of the landing, and to the east a rough hole in the floor opens onto a rodents' nest below the lip.
The old passage narrows and turns. It looks as if nothing but a few small animals have come this way, leaving little paw prints in the dust. The wall is damp, with little brown fungi shaped like ears growing out of the wood. The passage runs west, and back south.
This is the abode of a simple hermit. He has a pallet of straw to sleep on, and a few pegs on the wall to hang his possessions. The room is spotlessly clean, and the walls have been carefully smoothed. No signs of religious devotion are seen, so it is uncertain why he has withdrawn from society. To the east a passage slopes down.
The passage slopes steeply up to the west. It is very clean, but otherwise uninteresting. To the west is a room, and to the east is the polished limb.
The interior of this hollow limb has been carefully carved to look like a wood paneled room. The gleaming walls brilliantly reflect your light. The room smells slightly of lemons. To the south and east the polished limb continues, and to the west a passage slopes gently upward.
This corner of the polished hollow limb has a beautifully carved domed ceiling supported by 8 carved pillars. Some one spent a great deal of time on this. Why does it only seem to be inhabited by vermin now? To the west and south the polished limb continues, to the north is a hall, and to the east is an elaborately carved door.
This room is completely round, and polished to an almost mirror finish. A polished slide leaves the room to the east, and another one goes down to the north. Are these slides recreational, or do they serve some sinister purpose? A door leads to the west.
The passage twists several times here. This seems to be a well traveled passage, with the ground beaten smooth by the tread of many little feet. The smell of ammonia comes from the north, where a nest of sticks blocks most of the way. The walls are dry and knobby, showing the twisted pattern the growing tree once followed. The passage continues north and south.
A large nest of sticks, branches and trash lies here, covering the entire passage. A strange musky smell assaults your nose, and odoriferous droppings assault your feet. The walls look like the inside of a naturally hollow log. Passages lead north and south, a tiny room opens to the east, and a hole in the bottom of the nest drops away into a short slide. Sand trickles in through a crack from the landing beside the nest.
This little used passage through the hollow looks like the natural product of ancient decay. The walls are rough, and the floor is covered with a thick dust formed from the dissolving wood. Paw prints in the dust show that something often walks here. The passage runs a long way north, and south to a nest.
Here is the entrance to a large room carved out of the limb. The walls are polished smooth, so no fungus grows and it is dark. The room smells faintly of bee's wax. Someone must have made this room. The droppings on the floor suggest whoever it was has not been here to clean recently. To the north and east the polished limb continues, and to the south is the hollow trunk.
Here the polish has been besmeared with grime, and bits of fungus are starting to grow on the walls, though not enough to give much light. The floor is filthy, and the corner smells strongly of what the rodents leave behind. The polished limb continues north and west.
The passage twists several times here. This seems to be a well traveled passage, with the ground beaten smooth by the tread of many little feet. The smell of ammonia comes from the east. The walls are dry and knobby, showing the twisted pattern the growing tree once followed. The passage continues east and south.
The passage continues, following the course of the hollow limb. The walls are marked with malodorous yellow stains left behind by some animal. As you carefully avoid the stinking puddles your eyes water from the ammonia in the air. This looks like a naturally hollow limb. To the north and west the passage continues.
This tiny room is where the packrat keeps her treasures. She has collected bits and pieces of all kinds of refuse. Perhaps something here is useful? The room looks as if it was gnawed out of the solid wood. The only way out is west, back to the nest.
The roots surround you here, like great arms raised above and below you. The gargantuan roots have a pale green lichen growing where ever the sunlight filtering through the trees reaches them. The bank to the north and west is too steep to climb. To the south is the entrance to the tree, and to the east are even larger roots.
As you thread your way among the roots you notice several nooks. Do you dare reach into one to see what you can find? To your east the roots come together to form an impassable barrier, and to your north the bank out of the hole is too steep to climb. To the west the roots continue, and to the south is the entrance to the hollow trunk.
On the ceiling above you, among the glowing fungus, are little fungi that look somewhat like puff balls. You squish one, and realize it has more the consistency of a ball of slime than of a mushroom. To the north is the entrance to a hollow branch. To the south and east the hollow trunk continues.
The trunk curves here, forming a small corner in the northeast. In the corner grow tiny little round baskets on tiny stalks. The little baskets glisten in even the dimmest light. To the west and south the trunk continues.
Here a narrow tunnel goes north and south through an old hollow in a branch. The walls of this twisting passage are rough, and the floor is uneven. A trail of sorts leads along the passage. It seems that many little creatures travel this way frequently.
The loose dust flows slowly down this cramped tunnel. The walls, floor and ceiling are covered with shifting dust, and look like they might collapse at any time. You slip and slide in the dust, which is up to your waist. It looks as if to continue to the west you will have to crawl single file. Do not continue that way, or you will drown in the dust. To the south is the dust bath, and to the west is a tunnel into the dust.
You have found the source of the dust. The fine, shifting dust seems to well out of the ground forming a deep pool. You are sinking in the dust, there seems to be no bottom! PANIC! FLEE!
You are now in the hole formed by the roots as they were torn from the ground, ages past. The fallen tree is huge, much larger than seems possible. It is crawling with small harmless animals. To the north and south you could walk among the roots which were ripped from the ground when the tree fell. To the east is a large opening, and to the west is an area where you can climb out of the hole.
The tree is hollow. What forces carved out the interior of this giant tree, leaving a gigantic cave? The hollow looks too regular to be the result of just ages of rot. Perhaps this was once a dwelling of some woodland race? Now the hollow has become the home of countless small animals. For some reason the interior of the tree is not dark. To the north and south are roots, to the west is a way out, and to the east is the hollow of the tree.
The tree is entirely hollow. As you enter the tree a damp musty smell assaults your senses. The walls of the hollow glow faintly with a pale green luminescent fungus, and you can barely make out the ceiling high above you. The tree is so gigantic that the main hollow extends east, north and south, with the exit to the west.
The trunk narrows here, and the roof is lower. The walls still glow with a pale green fungus. A faint draft blows from west to east. Little dots seem to be moving slowly around on the wall. To the west, east and south the hollow trunk continues.
Here a small tunnel leads off to the north. Perhaps it is another hollow branch? A cacophony of strange noises reaches your ears, echoing eerily. The air in this room slowly eddies and shifts; It is moving, but in no definite direction. To the east, west and south the hollow trunk continues.
A smaller passage splits off to the east here. Dust seems to be drifting in slowly from that direction, covering everything. To the east you could investigate the source of the dust, or to the west and south the hollow trunk continues.
Here the floor, walls and even the ceiling are covered with a thick layer of fine gray dust. The dust prevents the glowing fungus from growing, so the passage is very dark. To the west is the hollow trunk, and to the east the passage continues.
A cloud of dust drifts in from the west, causing you to cough as it clogs your breathing. What could be stirring up all this dust? The tunnel is also getting narrower. To the west the tunnel widens, and to the east it narrows.
You have found the source of the dust. A giant chinchilla has made an enormous dust bath here. Very deep dust makes footing treacherous, especially around the edges of the tunnel. The fine dust hangs in the air, making your throat very dry. A small tunnel leads slightly up to the north, and to the west is the way back to the hollow trunk.
Here the roots have rotted away, leaving deep humus and bits of rotten wood. The area is very damp, and footing is treacherous. The layer of rotted wood must be several fathoms deep below you. The bank to the south and west is too steep to climb. To the east are more roots, and to the north is the way out.
Here the rotted stubs of roots form a wall to the east that is completely covered by verdant ferns. Red tinged water is seeping out of the roots, and trickling down into the mat of rotted wood beneath your feet. Perhaps the water is good to drink? It smells musty. To the south the bank is too steep to climb. To the west the roots continue, and to the north is the entrance to the hollow.
Here in the south side of the hollow trunk you find a mucky puddle encrusted with stinking algae. The foul smell of the water informs you it is definitely not fit to drink. The decomposing remains of a couple of small animals add to the stench. The way west is blocked by a wall of roots. To the east and north the hollow trunk continues, and to the south is a hollow branch.
Strange creeping bits of slime are on the decaying wood here. They squish and die beneath your trampling feet. Were they plants or animals? At this damp section of the hollow trunk, you can continue east farther into the trunk, or south into a humongous hollow branch. To the west is an awful stench.
The ceiling is lower here, and there is a slight draft from west to east. The wall seems to have a fine powder on it, or perhaps growing out of it. The air has a strange flowery smell. Could the air here be harmful? To the east, north and west the hollow trunk continues.
A huge knot protrudes from the side of the hollow trunk here. Also, a faint draft can be felt blowing from west to east. This area is less damp than the areas to the west. The hollow trunk continues to the north, west and east.
A faint draft can be felt blowing from west to east. Here the hollow trunk splits into two passages, one to the east and one to the south. Both slope slightly up. Small black domes are scattered across the ceiling. Inspecting these fungi closely, you notice one, which was split open, has concentric rings inside like an onion. Passages lead east and south, and to the north and west the hollow trunk continues.
The hollow slopes steeply up toward the east. The irregularities of the walls form a rough stairway up. A slight draft blows from the west, up the stairs. The walls are damp, and everything but the stairway is covered with a slimy coating. The room is very dark. The rough stairs lead up, and to the west the hollow continues.
At the top of the rough staircase the hollow flattens, forming a landing. The air here is fresh, in contrast to the awful stench below. The walls are dry and devoid of any fungus. The rippling grain of the ancient wood swirls into interesting patterns: with imagination you can see a face, a key, and a running deer. The rough stairway leads down, and a long, straight hollow runs north through the upper trunk.
A fire once blackened the inside of this hollow limb, leaving charred wood and the faint smell of smoke. The fire must not have been recent, because the glowing fungus is flourishing here. To the north is the hollow trunk, and to the east and south the charred limb continues.
The wood surrounding you is blackened with char from a long ago fire. Glowing fungus grows thickly on the wall over the old char marks. Some large creature has left large claw marks on the walls. To the west and south the charred limb continues, and to the north is the hollow trunk.
The passage becomes completely round here, and the walls are devoid of all growths. A few long, bristle-like, reddish brown hairs are on the floor. A vague memory of tunnels made by large boring worms disturbs you, since this passage is large enough for even the Half-Giants to walk comfortably erect. The passage continues to the south, and to the north is the hollow trunk.
Faint light and a fresh breeze from above point you to the way out. Something is gnawing on something up there, however; is it safe? Here the hollow limb is cracked and twisted, open to the sky. The long hollow runs back south, and above is the noise of the surrounding forest.
You have stumbled into the nest of a gigantic flying squirrel! Mama is not happy to have you threaten her babies. The nest is perched high up on a limb, among the tops of the trees of the surrounding forest, and is made of twigs and bark lined with the soft fur of the mother squirrel. The poor blind babies are utterly helpless. Down is a passage into the fallen tree, and to the north the walnut tree's branches reach close enough to climb across.
The walls are smoothly paneled, under the scorch marks. It looks like this was once a great hall carved from the inside of a massive limb, but areas to the south and east have collapsed due to some long ago explosion or fire. The glowing fungus is thriving here. Also, little black fingers of fungus are growing out of the floor. To the north is the charred limb, and to the east and south the blasted hall continues.
This was once an elaborately carved great hall, before something blasted it to pieces. Whatever happened must not have been recent, because glowing fungus grows thickly on the wall. Some orange fungi that resemble coral are growing from one wall. The way south is blocked by fallen wood, where the roof has caved in. To the east there is the sound of gnawing. To the north is the charred limb, and to the west the blasted hall continues.
Some creature has dragged a large pile of bark here. The bark is all chewed as if something has been eating it. This area was once the northeast corner of a great hall, but the hall was destroyed by fire long ago. Glowing fungus grows thickly on the walls. To the south and west the blasted hall continues.
The completely round tunnel curves here, going north and east. Looking at the walls, you notice a regular pattern to the way the tunnel was carved. The swirling pattern is too regular for someone carving by hand. What could have carved this large, perfect tunnel, if not some artisan?
The completely round tunnel curves here, going west and south. The regular pattern is even more pronounced here. Could some fantastic magical device have made this tube? The tube slopes slightly up to the south.
The walls here are shattered and seared by whatever calamity destroyed this hall. The cracks in the wall to the west are not large enough for a person, but some other creature could be lurking there. To the east the ceiling has fallen, but it looks like you could worm your way in if you wish. To the north and south the blasted hall continues.
This seems to be the center of the blast. All that remains of this once great hall is a ruined wreck, with only a few bowed pillars preventing total collapse. The ceiling fell in; pieces of it block your way in all directions but west. Some light filters down from the sky above, proving some of the cracks in the ceiling lead out, but you cannot find a hole large enough to climb through.
Here some trace of this room's former majesty can be found. The seared wall is finely paneled, and the ceiling was carved with elaborate scenes of... dancing rats? To the south and west the shattered wood blocks progress. To the east is a decrepit door.
This was an entry way to the large hall to the west. The hangings that once covered the walls are tattered to shreds by the gnawing of rodents, and the floor is foul with droppings, but otherwise the room could be part of some noble house. Only the absence of windows made this room odd, in its prime. There were, however, skylights, which still let in the daylight.
The tube slopes upward to the south. The walls are very smooth here. There is no sign of the carved pattern that was in other parts of the tube. Seed hulls litter the floor among the rodent droppings. To the north and south the tube continues.
This corner of the blasted hall has subsided. The floor has dropped, perhaps due to a collapse underground. The walls are scorched beyond recognition, but a few scraps of carpet are on the floor, under the rodent droppings. The way north is an easy climb, but climbing among the broken wood to the east is impossible. In the floor, a dark, sinister hole drops steeply down.
This is the south end of the blasted hall. There is a foul puddle of excrement here, giving off an eye watering ammonia stench. The area was badly shattered by whatever great blast ruined this place. Piles of twisted wood nearly fill this area, but it might be possible to squeeze through and jump down to the west. The way north is completely blocked. To the east is the remains of a bar.
This was once a bar, where drinks were served to those who gathered in this hall. Broken pottery and some broken furniture are all that remain. The air here is very dry, but the glowing fungus on the walls somehow survives. Maybe the eye-watering fumes coming from the west keep the fungus healthy. To the north the ceiling has fallen in, and to the east is a door.
The pleasant, padded furniture that once graced this room is now only fit for a rat's nest... or perhaps it IS a rat's nest! Skylights provide a view of the sky, but are not large enough to allow egress. The bar this anteroom served lies to the west through a door, and a small room can be found to the south. To the north the anteroom continues.
The tube ends here at a steep rise. Faint chewing noises from above do not sound quite like the chewing noises heard anywhere else; they are slower and sharper. The tube itself is smooth, and climbs sharply upward into a wider area. The smooth floor makes movement tricky on such a steep slope. To the north the tube continues.
A manger full of hay, and piles of grain have been left here. Is some insane person FEEDING these disgusting rodents? Perhaps it is one animal in particular they mean to feed, such as the one that has dropped all the stiff, orange-brown hair on the floor here. The room is spacious and roughly carved. Straight up is a round tube with a ladder carved into its side, and the steep tube drops away below.
The quiet, peaceful aura of this small, private room puts you at ease. Many small lamps are attached to the walls, and each one can be dimmed or brightened with a thought, to set the mood desired. The walls are painted a soft white, with several paintings of flowers and landscapes placed in well lit sections. The high ceiling is painted a deep blue, and the stars of the winter sky are painted on it with a magical paint that has a starlight glow. A comfortable couch is next to the fireplace. The fireplace burns low, with just enough heat to keep the bearskin on the floor near the fireplace pleasantly toasty. Across from the couch is a wall with three windows. One looks out over the forest surrounding the fallen tree, one looks out over the Common in the village of Daleville, and the third is constantly changing views, showing first one location, and then another. Away from the fire, on a small table, is a bottle of fine red wine, two glasses, and a bowl of fruit. In one corner is a small trap door inset into the floor. To the south is the door to the courtyard.
This looks like a rodent burial ground. The stench of decomposing flesh is overwhelming. The bodies have nearly been picked clean by their cannibalistic comrades. The room is rather small, and looks like someone intentionally carved it from the earth, but there are no braces to hold the roof up! Why does this room not collapse? To the east is a small room, and to the west a slide leads down.
You have left the fallen tree and are in a small room dug below it, in the dirt. Here at the bottom of the slide is a pile of bones, and a few fresh animal carcasses. The stench is stomach turning. The fresh bodies are well chewed by little teeth, but you can still ascertain that at death, they were very thin. Perhaps they died of starvation? No fungus grows here at all. If they are starving, does that mean there is no way out?!? To the south is a small tunnel in the dirt, and to the west is another room.
This small room has been neatly carved out of the fallen tree. The walls are painted white, but are scarred and pitted with the indignities of these hard times. Some pegs on the wall suggest this perhaps was a coat room? There are also marks where shelves once were fixed into the wall. Smoke stains on the ceiling suggest cheap tallow candles or torches were once used to light this room. To the east is a strange opening, like a doorway, but the air there shimmers slightly. To the north is the anteroom.
As you pass through the portal, you realize it is some sort of magical wall, keeping the moving air and howling wind out of the small room to the west. The air in this narrow shaft is moving at an incredible, magical rate! You are sucked upward by the force of the howling blast, and thrust through another magical wall.
This small tunnel in the dirt looks like it was formed by some burrowing animal. Chewed roots lining the floor and the lower part of the wall give off an acrid, nose burning smell. The dirt of the walls is well packed, so the tunnel is most likely safe. The ceiling is low here. To the east the tunnel continues, but the ceiling is even lower and the tunnel even narrower.
This small tunnel is the burrow of a gargantuan pocket gopher. The gopher has its nest here, deep beneath the ground. The nest is made of chewed plant material and lined with soft gopher fur. The room has a fresh, earthen smell. No babies are currently in the nest. The walls, floor and ceiling are packed, unsupported, dark earth. Small tunnels, much too small for a person to enter, lead in several directions.
You are on a frail trail through the light forest. To the west is a cart track. Nearby to the east you see the roots of a huge fallen tree reaching into the sky. There seems to be something small moving among the roots. In the middle of the roots is a dark area, perhaps an opening? Immediately to the east is a deep hole where the roots once grew.
You let yourself sink into the pool of dust. There is no air here, and no way out. Thick dust fills your eyes, your throat, your lungs. You die, dust to dust. Your equipment dissolves into dust, destroyed forever. However, some benevolent deity takes pity on you, and spares you the experience you would have lost if you had died in combat.
Weee! Down the slide you go -- faster and faster, farther and farther down! The wood is very slick. The roof comes closer until you are forced to lie flat. You gasp as dust fills your lungs. Ominously, this must mean this slide has not been used recently. As you go down, a dark opening appears below, and you fall through, landing with a THUMP! You look and see...
Weee! Down you drop through the bottom of the nest into a short slide, straight and fast, with no time to take in your surroundings. You land with a THUMP! You look and see...
Weee! Down you slide, spinning around in a spiral. FUN! This slide was carefully and precisely carved out of the fallen limb. It is perfectly smooth, and waxed. The upkeep is recent, so someone still uses this slide. Faster and faster you slide, until you see an opening suddenly appear below you; you fall through with a THUMP! You look and see...
This is the center of the hollow trunk. Strange sounds and rustlings echo ominously around you. Little iridescent mushroom-like fungi grow from the ground. To the west is the exit through the roots, to the east the trunk narrows, and to the north and south are openings to giant hollow limbs.
The stench of garbage overwhelms you for a moment as you tumble down. This chute is too rough and primitive to be called a slide. It drops you quickly, bumping and bruising you on the way. It is roughly carved out of the earth, wet and slimy with decomposing rubbish, and dirt is knocked loose by your passage. You go down and down and down, and land at the bottom with a squelch.
Weee! Down you slide, first to the right, then to the left, then over a bump! You are tossed around a spiral, then spun in a loop-the-loop! The slide turns almost straight down, then it does turn straight down; you are falling! Thankfully, the slope slowly lessens again, until you are once again sliding. You start to slow. An opening suddenly appears before you, and you fall through with a THUMP!
Suddenly you find yourself in a black boat on an endless sea, with a dark, clouded sky stretching from horizon to horizon. This world is somehow strange, something about it is subtly wrong. You get the sudden feeling you will not like the destination of this boat.
You find yourself floating in the middle of a pale blue light. Here, you will do no harm.
The floor of the forest is uninteresting, and overgrown with brush. You are stuck here, unless you can fly or climb a tree.
This small chamber is dominated by a large four poster bed, hung with blue silk curtains. Tall crystal windows and hundreds of candles brilliantly illuminate this room. A small table with two chairs sits in one corner. On the table is a single red rose in a vase. Across the room is a screened fireplace, with a brilliantly colored woven rug placed before it.
Hundreds of lush ferns, vines and trees grow around the edges of this spacious courtyard. Tall trees block out the sun, but glowing blooms of moon flowers wending up the walls provide a gentle twilight. A gently bubbling fountain and the soft song of birds in the trees provide light background music.
You are standing in a huge courtyard, circled by a stone wall. The color green is everywhere. Beautiful trees provide shade, while rare flowers and sculpted bushes give color and style to the room. The chirping of birds fills the air, and you hear the sound of dogs barking.
This is where Cale comes to escape from the pressures of reality. Along the south wall is a large bookcase filled with an extensive and well used collection of books. On the walls hang old weapons and other momentos of a long life. A couch, and several comfortable looking chairs sit on the floor, along with a large oak desk. The room has a peaceful aura that automatically relaxes you and makes you feel at ease.
This deep, dark cave is lit by a circle of many candles. A bubbling hot spring wells up in the center of the room, inviting you to enter and relax. A well stocked stone bar is to one side. A very anachronistic home entertainment system is to the other side. Loud, throbbing music fills the room.
A large field of corn, surrounded by a low stone wall, fills most of this small valley. A creek slowly wends its way though the field. A single apple tree grows near the creek. The field is well tended, with very few weeds. It looks like the grain crop should be good this year, as the corn is tall and healthy. To the south is a barn, and a trail leads past to the east.
A rough cart track leads south toward the fields. It does not look like this end is used very often, since it is overgrown with grass; the twin wheel ruts are those of a one horse farm cart. To the east a woodcutter's trail leads off between fresh stumps into the deep forest.
You are in a small, dusty farmyard that has the pungent, earthy smell of fresh manure. A small wooden chicken coop with a low roof and a few nest boxes is resting on some bricks. A covered well with a low, mossy wall around it stand to one side. Around the corner of the barn to the east you spy a large manure pile, undoubtedly the source of the smell. The small building with the moon carved in the door may be contributing as well. The farm house to the south is painted a cheerful blue, with yellow shutters. A fenced vegetable garden grows near the kitchen door of the farmhouse.
The barn is in good repair, and the loft overhead is full of sweet smelling hay. Several stalls on the north wall are set up to hold a cow, a team of oxen, and a donkey. To one side is a small farm cart with a yoke for a donkey hung next to it. A plow is on the other side of the barn, with an oxen yoke hanging above it. Bags of feed lean against the wall near the small door to the farmyard. A large double door leads out to the cart path to the south.
A simple cart track leads north and south. To the west is a large field of grain. Wildflowers, such as pink monkey flowers, corn lilies, and golden yarrow, grow by the side of the trail. The ground is damp and mushy, and you must jump a small creek that crosses the trail. Near the creek the wheel ruts in the track are very deep. In the creek the muddy stream bed is dug up where someone had to dig to free a stuck cart wheel.
This large, cheerful farm house has open windows, and is partitioned into three rooms. The bedroom has a bed and a wardrobe, and is not even large enough to swing a cat. The kitchen is larger, containing cupboards, a basin, a table, an oven, a barrel of staples, and an embroidered sampler on one wall. The main room has a table, some chairs, a fire place, a padded bench, and a small altar.
Ruts of a four wheeled cart go east and south. To the west is a blue and yellow cottage, with a grape arbor arching over the front door. To the north is a red barn, and behind it stretches a large corn field. To the south the cart track is well used. To the east a single set of wheel tracks mark the path. The surrounding light forest is full of the sounds of wildlife. You hear a cock pheasant thrumming on a hollow log, to attract a hen.
A single set of wheel ruts mark the path. A few small trees were felled to make it possible for a cart to pass, but the track mostly follows the path of least resistance through the light forest. The soft, muddy ground is marked with the prints of many small animals. One print is much larger, however. It is the paw print of a bear. The track continues west and north, with the roots of the tree to the east.
A rough road leads north and south through the light forest. The dirt road is reasonably straight. It perhaps should be called a cart track instead of a road, because it is not raised, cobbled, or otherwise improved, but is just an area that was cleared enough to let a cart pass. Wildflowers and weeds grow on the center of the road. The bobbing blooms of the Black-Eyed Susans stand high above the other plants, at about waist level. The surrounding forest is filled with small game animals.
A rough road leads through the light forest. The small, scattered trees around you are of wildly mixed types. The fresh scent of the pines and junipers mix oddly with the perfume of the magnolia trees and the lilac bushes. A small valley in the low, forested hills lies to the north. A few wisps of smoke rise above the valley.
A small campsite is in this small, peaceful glade. The animals watch you without fear, somehow knowing they are protected. The grass underfoot is dotted with small white star flowers. Small ash trees surround the glade, forming a whispering, shivering wall. The camp site itself is only a simple shelter built of branches and leaves, and a camp fire ringed with rocks. To the west is a small trail.
You have now reached a point where you can go down no longer. A trail of sorts leads east and south, and a rough climb leads back up to the ledge. Looking at the trail you notice there are no footprints, only many claw prints. You hear chittering sounds in the distance.
The path here opens up into an underground dirt road. Stalactites that have been forming for centuries untold loom down from the ceiling. You hear the sound of marching feet in the distance. The road continues east into the unknown, or back west to the way up.
As you progress down the tunnel, you see caves that were not created by nature lining the walls. Hearing chittering and marching feet in the distance, you are reminded of tales of rat like men who supposedly had a civilization somewhere under the earth. The main tunnel continues east and west, and there are openings to the north and south.
As you progress down the tunnel, you see caves that were not created by nature lining the walls. Hearing chittering and marching feet in the distance, you are reminded of tales of rat-like men who supposedly had a civilization somewhere under the earth. The main tunnel continues east and west.
The place you have come upon seems to be a sort of market for the Ratmen. Burrows or shops line the walls of the tunnel, and there is the sound of voices and shouting. Your unannounced entrance startles several of the Ratmen, some of whom scurry away. The main tunnel continues west and south, and to the east is what looks like a menacing temple.
You have entered a morbidly ornate and sculpted cavern. Mosaics and statues of death and torture both horrify and fascinate. Servants and acolytes scurry around at the whims of important looking priests in robes. At your approach, they scurry for cover, the cowardly scum.
This is the most sacred part of the temple. You look around and see artifacts and holy items of the Ratmen's evil religion. A strange image is carved on the wall, or a creature that seems to be both man and beast. It looks somewhat like a large cat, and is strangely attractive, in a hungry sort of way. The carving is painted with black enamel, and the eyes are glowing emeralds.
You have entered the cave of Zefrek, the local butcher. Large cuts of meat of dubious origin and even more dubious cleanliness line the walls of the room. Behind the rough plank counter is an intrusion of roots that serves as smell of death is nauseating.
You have entered a dark cave lit mainly by the red glow of a forge at the center of the floor. Piel Dar, the master smith, oversees the entire operation as his apprentices run around. Piel Dar is in charge of equipping the entire Ratman army with his products, and takes his job very seriously. Raw iron bars are shaped into swords, and small pieces of metal are hammered flat, and then set on hardened leather to form scale mail.
You have entered a crowded and noisy room filled with Ratmen of all kinds. You see everything from merchant type Ratmen to off duty soldiers. People are all drinking and there is a dice game going on towards the back. You overhear a bit of one conversation about some sort of planned invasion from the table on your left. Everyone seems to be ignoring you.
This room is much simpler than the rest of the temple. It seems to be where the apprentices and acolytes live and work. On one side of the room are rows of bunk beds, and on the other side are desks and a few shelves. The wall to the south is obviously carved from solid stone.
As you continue moving down the main tunnel, the passageway expands and widens to accommodate more traffic. To the west you see several soldiers leaving and entering a large entranceway. The main tunnel continues south or north.
Along this portion of the tunnel, there are a large number of skulls spiked to the walls. The skulls belong to those, both Ratman and otherwise, who questioned the policies of the king or made themselves an annoyance to his soldiers. The gruesome spectacle serves as a warning to all who would test the might of the authorities.
At this section of tunnel you can see in several directions. To the north and west are large tunnels, and from the south the smell of garbage wafts. To the east you see an ornate gate and a guard checkpoint.
You have landed in a gigantic pit filled with garbage and sewage of every kind. Consider yourself dirty. It is plain you have entered a different sort of world: an evil and foul place. The chute you came down is far too slick to climb. Unless you like standing in refuse you should move, through the openings to the north or west.
The street that you are now on is beyond simply being dirty. Trash and garbage cover the ground and you are forced to wade through the mess. The stench of garbage, unwashed bodies, and decomposing matter washes over you.
Fungus on the walls glow softly, illuminating the tunnel. You see where a small trickle of water has managed to squeeze between the rocks, forming a small pool at your feet. The water is brackish but drinkable.
The street ahead was apparently sealed off ages ago for reasons unknown. Since then it has not been used by anyone, except as a garbage dump. A bit of motion in the corner of your eye attracts your attention. As you watch in growing horror, the knee deep garbage moves!
This stretch of tunnel is still large, by any standard you have ever seen, but it lacks the finished look of some of the other, more traveled tunnels that you have seen so far. It is also not as clean.
The tunnel here narrows considerably, and the ceiling lowers as well. You are definitely leaving the more traveled and populated sections of this strange community. You smell garbage here, and see some sewage piled up against the walls.
Here a small tunnel branches off to the south, from where you can hear a lot of chattering and can smell the awful stink of garbage. The bigger tunnel continues to the east and to the west.
If you thought before that you had left the better part of the Ratman civilization behind, there can be no doubt in your mind now. Your senses reel as they are assaulted by the sight and smell of old vomit, unwashed bodies, and raw sewage. You see bodies lying on the ground, and you can't even tell if they are alive or dead.
The passageway here looks brighter than many of the other sections of the city that you have seen so far. You notice that it is lit by large amounts of glowing moss or fungi on the walls. To the west the tunnel gets wider, and to the east it gets darker and narrower.
The trail here passes through a large tunnel that bends to the west. You notice the tracks of non-human feet on the ground, and many of them. They look smaller than human footprints, and are shallower. The tunnel here is lighted with torches in wall sconces, as are most of the tunnels in this underground warren. You can either continue west into the darkness, or go north toward the way back up.
The tunnel here expands a bit in width and in height, but no torches or glowing moss give you light. The way bends to the south and to the east. From the south you hear a lot of activity, the marching of feet, chittering sounds, and the sound of metal striking rocks.
The passageway here is clean, wide, and well traveled. There seems to be a lot of traffic from the mines to the west. Out of that fissure in the wall pours all of the metal ore and minerals that keep the Ratmen army equipped and ready. Guards and workers are all over the place.
The large tunnel branches off here. The further south you go, the more ornate the passageway seems. To the east you can see a bright tunnel and to the north is a slightly smaller one. You continue to hear the sounds of marching feet.
This passageway is very ornate, with cut and polished walls, and woven carpets on the ground. Wherever this leads must be very important and grand. Torches held up on golden stands light the room and create flickering shadows on the walls.
You have entered a very ornate chamber. Light streams from crystal chandeliers, making strange shadows on the walls. As you walk through the room, you pass huge statues of former champions of the infamous arena. You feel awed knowing that you are intruding on the burial site of centuries of mighty warriors. Then, you realize these warriors are of the despised Ratmen, and slap some sense into yourself.
This is the place where each gladiator prepares him or herself for the battle to come. There are a few practice weapons lying around an exercise mat on the floor. To the south you hear the roar of the crowd as the ongoing fight rages on.
You have entered a gigantic natural cave, with enough rows of seats going around the outside to fit thousands of spectators to bloodthirsty competition. As you walk into this spectacular chamber of death the crowd roars, making it difficult to concentrate. Suddenly you realize that the crowd is looking at you in anticipation. You are the entertainment!
The entrance to the mine is a large cave. Workers scurry around with excavated minerals and metals from deep in the earth. You see cart tracks on which ride the hand carts that carry the products of the mine. The carts are pushed by young, underfed Ratmen children, who run and hide in fear at your approach. The tracks disappear into a small hole in the north wall.
As you squeeze yourself through the hole, you realize that you are now in the main part of the mine. You hear the clanking sounds of working miners coming from many small crawl spaces. There is no light here, only darkness. The mine shaft continues to the west.
As you squeeze through to the next section of the shaft you consider how the slight build of the Ratmen allow them to better navigate these tunnels. The mine ends here, as does the track. Workers are hacking at the wall, working to expand the mine even more.
Here is the office of the army recruiter, who sits behind his desk and registers the names of all of the people who have volunteered for (or have been conscripted into) military service. The recruiter is a busy man, and pays you no attention.
This is where the arms and armor of the Ratman army are stored. You see along the walls many weapons fresh from the forge of Piel Dar. Primitive records are scratched onto the wall with chalk in an attempt to keep track of what is supposed to be stored here.
This is a large and well lit cave, with a sandy floor ideal for the practice of weapons and the training of soldiers. You see some test dummies on one side, and a ring where hand to hand combat is taught. As you look closer you realize that many of these practice weapons have sharp edges and don't look very harmless at all. You realize that in the mentality of the Ratmen, those that do not make the standard do not deserve to live anyway.
This room is dominated by rows and rows of bunks where the garrison of the Ratmen sleep. The beds are neatly made, and the room is clean. Obviously these soldiers are held to a high degree of perfection.
This small office is the workplace of the military paymaster. Here, the wages and bonuses earned to the troops of the army are handed out. The lighting is poor, and the furniture is ancient and rickety, suggesting the man in charge is a miser.
You have entered what can only be generously called an infirmary. It might be more accurate to think of this place as a corpse disposal. Here the wounded and dying are finished off and their bodies preserved for experimentation by the unholy priests and demented mages. There is no need for the Ratmen to try to heal their soldiers. After all, more soldiers can always be conscripted, and those that can not handle being a soldier are just dead weight anyway.
The tunnel here has smooth rock walls. Before you to the east is an ornate gate with gold gilding. This appears to be the entrance to a sort of underground palace. You would like to get a better look at what lies behind the gate, but a Ratman guard is getting in your face demanding to know the reason for your presence here.
It is clear that you have entered a separate part of the Ratman warren. The passageway here is much smaller, but also much finer. The walls are polished as well as the floor. You have a choice of going north, south, east, or back west out of here.
The hallway here is carpeted with a blood red carpet, and shelves full of assorted shiny junk and a few tattered scrolls line the walls. Perhaps this area of the fortress was intended for study. The other thing you notice is the lack of noise coming from this direction. Where you have heard voices and marching feet all over the place, from the north is only silence.
The hallway here turns to the east. No longer do torches light the way, instead glowing balls of light are held in holders on the wall designed to look like grotesque claws. The air feels very dry.
The hall here is cut precisely out of the rock. The floor is unadorned and polished smooth, as befits a place of military bearing. Ratman sized suits of armor along the walls are the only decorations here. The hall continues to the south.
Here there are portraits of former soldiers, leaders in the Ratman army who distinguished themselves at one point in time. There is a room to the east, guarded by a couple of soldiers.
The hallway here takes a turn towards the east. Looking in that direction you see what looks like a training arena. The hallway is smooth and cold here, with no ornaments other than the torches hanging from the walls.
This is not the armory for the grunt recruits. This is where the elite guards of the king are issued their weapons. Weapons ranging from battle axes to short swords hang in place, each piece polished and honed to be used at a moment's notice.
This is where the elite troops of the king receive their specialized training. The ring that is roped off in the center of the room has a sawdust floor, and is used for the study of advanced martial training. As in the training room in the other part of the city, there are no practice weapons here... the price of failure is DEATH.
The parade ground is where the troops of the Ratmen army practice troop movements as well as drill and ceremony. The floor of this cavern is polished stone, and sculptures of fearsome looking warriors in full dress uniform adorn the walls.
This small corridor leads from the training ground to a closed door to the south. The hallway itself is plain and neat, as befits the crisp military bearing of the place.
You have entered uninvited into the office of the Lord General of the Ratman Army. He has a desk made of polished bone. An uncomfortable looking chair made of ribs and bones is pushed to one side. No chairs are provided for visitors, as it would be unthinkable for a lowly ratman soldier to sit in the presence of this man.
The Lord General is so devoted to his work that he insists on having his personal living quarters moved next to his office. Such devotion is rare in selfish Ratman society. The room itself is not spectacular, with just a painting of the king on the wall, as well as a few medals and commendations that the General has earned during his long career.
The hall here branches to the east and south. To the south is a well lit chamber. To the east is what looks like more shelves. The air feels dry here, and the temperature is considerably lower than it was in the outer tunnels.
The hallway ends abruptly here, and there is nothing before you except for a blank wall. A breeze wafts in from somewhere bringing in the cloying smell of spices.
As you turn off the main hallway, you enter a dark room that is not illuminated by anything. There is a musty smell coming from the east. The floor here is not as polished, and there is no special decor.
This room is musty and dusty and OLD! The stone walls here drip condensation from something, and the floor is rough and cold a breeze drifts up from an open trap door on one corner of the floor.
You have entered the ornate east wing. Macabre and ornate tapestries decorate the walls of the hall, and torches on the floor are held in golden containers. You can either continue farther in to the east, or return out to the west.
The air is noticeably more humid here, and steam comes from the south. The hall here is fully carpeted with blood red carpets. The tapestries that you saw earlier continue here, displaying horrible and gory acts of sadism.
As you continue down this hall, you pass by large sculpted archways to your south. Through the archways you can see the famed gardens of horror. The proximity of the gardens is what is causing the air here to be so humid and thick. The smell is sickening.
A few small chairs are in this corridor and there is a window through which people can watch the gardener work his gruesome trade as they recline. The window is large enough that you could open it and go into the garden if you wish.
This hallway is only slightly dirty. There is a bit of dust on the floor, and a few splashes of dried blood on the walls, but no garbage litters the floor and the smell is almost tolerable. To the south and west the hallway continues. To the east is an office.
This chamber is not nearly bare. There is only a desk, a chair, a bench, and a chest full of papers. You notice that the desk and floor were recently washed. The papers in the chest smell of blood, and there are some large splotches of dried blood on the upper walls and ceiling. It looks like someone died rather messily in here recently, and the decor has not yet been repaired.
This garden, if it can be called a garden, mocks everything that was ever wonderful about botany. Cacti have creatures still living impaled upon them, and what looks like a weeping willow drips a steady stream of blood onto the ground. The room is stuffy and you start to almost feel claustrophobic. It is very odd that these plants grow under ground, out of the sunlight. Perhaps the warm glowing mage lights attached all over the ceiling make underground horticulture possible.
This section of the garden is dominated by a large fountain. As the thick, sweet smell of blood reaches your nostrils, you notice that this fountain is no ordinary one. A seemingly endless supply of blood gushes out of several spouts in a colorful, although gory display of hydrotechnics.
This is the gardener's favorite part of the gardens. It is here that he takes prisoners, criminals, and enemies of the king and performs his experiments. You see people confined within plants, and in places where the plants actually grow through the tortured soul. It is difficult to tell in places where the person ends and the plant begins. Red is everywhere, the color of pain. The moans and pitiful cries of the unfortunates fill the air.
This is the site of the famous, or infamous, garden of bleeding roses. Roses of colors ranging from bright red, to so dark as to look black are neatly arranged in this landscaped setting. Looking closer, you realize that the term 'bleeding roses' is not just a nickname. The flowers here actually drip what looks to be blood, as if they are crying.
This looks like a tool shed. There are all of the ordinary tools necessary for the upkeep and maintenance of a garden hanging neatly on hooks on the walls or leaning up against a corner. There are also some sharp tools that look more suitable for a torture chamber than for a garden shed.
The hallway here is carved from solid stone, with no inner walls to keep the dirt back needed. The walls are perfectly smooth, showing no sign of the marks left by a stone mason's tools. Perhaps this corridor was formed by magic. The corridor continues to the north, and opens into a room to the east.
This room, like the smooth hallway to the west, has walls of perfectly smooth native stone. The walls are not bare here, however. Woven tapestries showing cave scenes adorn the walls. Why would anyone bother to make tapestries of something so dull as a bunch of stalactites, stalagmites, flow stones, and other boring limestone formations? To the south is a large perfectly arched entrance to a very large chamber.
You find yourself in a huge natural cave. It seems most of the tapestries in the room to the north depicted scenes from this cave. The tapestry depicted the limestone formations as white, however, but in reality they are gray to black with soot and grime. The floor of the cave has been smoothed and paved with flagstones. Far to your south you see some sort of raised structure. The room continues to the east and south, with a room to the north.
A dais made of wood is built in one corner, with steps leading up either side. The platform looks strangely out of place in this large natural cavern. Steps lead up either side of the dais, and there is a throne and four smaller seats along the back edge. To the north and east the large cave continues.
The large cave is a bit cleaner here. Cold stone benches are placed along the edges of the cave. The flagstones in this area are very even, and sawdust has been strewn across the floor. This cave is the largest in the Ratman warren, even larger than the arena. It seems they use it as a meeting hall of some kind. The large cave continues to the south and west.
Chains attached to manacles and slave collars are set into the walls around the edge of this large limestone cavern. Several pitiful wretches are chained up here. The passing Ratmen take great pleasure in taunting and tormenting these unfortunates. Under their coating of grime and blood you realize the prisoners are also Ratman. These creatures have a sick sense of what is amusing. The large limestone cave continues to the west and north, and to the south is a small corridor.
This corridor is lined with impressive frescos of dancing female Ratmen. The reason the artwork is impressive is not so much the beauty or skill of the artist. It is instead that the female Ratmen look nearly attractive, despite the eight to twelve teats and the two pair of jutting front rodent teeth. The corridor opens up to the north and south into rooms.
This small room is perfectly circular, with only the corridor to the north breaking the symmetry. Strange runes and magical symbols are marked along the walls. An odd shimmer of magic in the air makes your hackles rise. Perhaps this is not a normal room.
This small room is perfectly circular, with only the corridor to the east and the door to the north breaking the symmetry. Strange runes and magical symbols are marked along the walls. An odd shimmer of magic in the air makes your hackles rise. Perhaps this is not a normal room.
Rough stone tables, used as desks, are placed around the edge of the room. You notice paper and quills, so the Ratmen that work here must be literate. The lighting is brighter here than it is anywhere else in the warren, with an oil lamp on every table and several set in niches in the walls. To the south is a door.
Padded wooden benches are placed along the walls. The walls are draped with old velvet, and the floor carpeted with large rugs. This looks like a very boring place to sit and wait, but it is surprisingly comfortable. To the west is a circular room, and to the east is a curtained archway.
A magnificent throne dominates this large, pillared room. The walls are decorated with the weapons and scalps, and occasionally the stuffed heads, of vanquished foes. The throne itself is chased with gold, and set with that glitter in the torch light. To the west is a curtained archway, and to the north is a door.
This is the private chamber of the Ratman king. A warm fireplace and softly padded chairs and couches make this a comfortable room. The cold earth and stone above and around is held back by strong beams and plastered wooden walls and ceiling. To the east is a curtained door, and to the south is a sturdy door with a large lock.
A large bed dominates this room. Next to the bed is a small table with whips and obscene devices of torture placed upon it. Manacles are set in the headboard of the bed. The room smells of old blood, and bits of ripped cloth are brushed unobtrusively into the corners. You get the feeling that if there is a Ratman queen, her position is not enviable. A curtained archway leads to the west.
You have found a secret passage. The small passage is carved from solid stone. The passage is full of cobwebs and dirt, but the center of the floor is free of dust. You cannot make out any clear footprints, but it looks as if the passage has been recently used. A strange spicy smell blunts your senses.
You have reached the end of the passage. The passage opens up into a natural limestone fissure that heads down into the darkness. A rough set of stairs is carved into the side of the fissure, making a winding stairway. The spicy smell is very strong, and wisps of smoke waft up from the passage below. Someone must be burning large amounts of a strange incense.
The stairway is very dark, slippery, and precarious here. By carefully holding on to small handholds carved into the stone wall, you keep your balance, but it would be fatal to crowd one another. You think you spy the end of the natural fissure below you.
You have reached the bottom of the fissure. The ground beneath you is composed of fallen rubble from the construction of the stairway above. You carefully pick your way across to a small door set in the side of the fissure. Holes are carved in the door, in the shape of a leering demon. Incense smoke and muted candlelight flow through the openings. The smoke flows up the fissure above you, to some unseen vent.
Candles set on sconces on the walls light this hallway, but it is still difficult to see due to the thick smoke of incense. The floor is uneven, but the walls are paneled with wood. It looks as if some effort was made to clean and furnish this passage at some point in the not-too-recent past. The hall continues east, and the fissure is west. To the north is a door.
This room is obviously the workplace of a dabbler in the arcane arts. Strange symbols are drawn on the walls, floor, and ceiling. On rough shelves carved into the walls are bottles and baskets full of magic ingredients and bizarre items. Some cages on the floor hold some pathetic, sickly animals of exotic breeds. A desk in one corner is covered with spell books and the dripped wax of countless candles. On one corner of the ceiling is a deep scorch mark into the stone, in a humanoid shape. The door to the hallway is to the south.
Candles set in niches in the walls light this hallway quite well, despite the smoke. The source of the incense smoke is a series of tiny holes punctured in the door to the east. The door is very heavy, and made of iron. It is barred from this side, but not locked. There is another odor underlying the overpowering odor of incense, a sinister odor... perhaps you do not want to find the source of that smell. The hallway continues back to the west.
By stepping into this room you disturb the complicated series of lines drawn on the floor, in blood. A mystic dome of force flickers around you, and dies. You realize the lines formed a pentagram, marked with runes, with sticks of incense set at regular intervals in a circle around it. The five black candles at the vertices of the pentagram flicker, and two go out from the draft.
The finished look of the corridor to the north fades here. This is a simple tunnel in the ground, braced with wooden supports. The smell of earth is strong and fresh, clearing away the disturbing scents of the area to the north. You hear water nearby. The corridor slopes down to the south.
The passageway ends at a swiftly flowing underground stream. The water is pure and fresh, but the cracks it enters and leaves through are too small to enter. The rough limestone walls look totally natural, though the passageway to the north was obviously dug by someone.
You are now traveling down a long flight of stone stairs. The air is musty and cold, and a steady dripping can be heard from somewhere. The stairs continue down, and up.
As you descend into the depths of the hole, you hear a steady sound: Drip, drip, drip. The air is musty and cold here. You can also hear the moans of someone in pain, although it is difficult to tell where the sounds come from. You have entered the dungeon.
As you move north you enter a passageway, dark and dank. To the east is some sort of room, and to the north you can see only darkness. Pitiful moans filter down to you, and you hear some coarse laughter in the background.
The passageway turns into a dark tunnel here. The walls are close together and you begin to feel just a bit claustrophobic. The only ways to go are north or south.
This is the office and living quarters of the man who oversees the operation of the dungeon. The room is more lavish than almost any other one in the Ratman warren, with silk hangings and finely carved wooden furniture. The smell, however, is one of death.
This place is some sort of prison cell, although it is empty at the moment. Chains hang from the walls, and a pair of shackles is on the floor. You also notice a few irons and a whip coiled up in the corner.
The hallway here progresses from the dirty dungeon of before into a gleaming hall. Light and sound bounce off the walls creating an echoing effect that is very disorienting. You can either continue north or go back south.
The hallway ends here in front of a large and impressive looking door displaying the royal coat of arms. The cleanliness, the big lock, and the guard post suggest the door to the north is very important, somehow.
This is the royal vault, containing all of the riches of the king. What the Ratman consider worth locking up is a bit strange, with shiny glass beads and other junk displayed as equal to piles of raw gold and a few old weapons. The gold here seems to be of the dark reddish type found in the Ratmen mines. The vault is lit by a few magic globes of light mounted on the walls.
At this point the tunnel starts noticeably heading deeper into the earth to the south. There is no choice in direction but back out to the north or onward to the south. Pathetic whimpers and screeches assail your ears, making you cringe. This is NOT a nice place.
The descending tunnel ends here at a set of stone stairs. The stairs themselves are very well kept with no moss or growth on them; This is an accomplishment in this damp environment. Perhaps this is an indicator of how often this area is used by the Ratmen.
This is the chamber of the master torturer. Here he brings his special victims to live out their final hours, or days, in excruciating pain. Instruments of torture, some familiar, some bizarre, line the walls. The smell of blood and fear is so strong it must have seeped into the stone walls themselves.
This hallway has been dubbed by the Ratmen as the 'Hall of the Torturer'. Here it is the torturers for the king, the specialists in pain, who rule. Under the direction of the Master Torturer they diligently come here every day to perfect their techniques. A prison cell lies to the north, and the passageway continues to the east.
The tunnel comes to an abrupt end here. To the south you see a large room from which emanates a huge amount of heat. To the north is another room, this one cleaner than some of the other that you have seen.
The only purpose that this room ever served, was to inflict misery and suffering upon others. The room is filled with implements of torture as well as ropes, chains and other confining equipment. On the floor are channels cut into the stone to help facilitate the flow of blood that regularly pours onto the floor.
This reasonably clean room is where apprentice torturers learn their 'art' at the knee of the master. Old and worn devices of torture are placed on shelves. A fire pit glows hotly in one corner. Manacles are set into the wall on one side of the room, and a sturdy table with chains is on the other. The room is open to the south, so that the screams of the 'practice' victims can be heard from a distance.
In this room is the furnace, which serves a couple different purposes. The first and most obvious of these purposes is that this is what heats much of the Ratmen fortress through tiny ducts in the walls and floor. The secondary purpose is one of disposal. It is very easy and routine to dump corpses into the flaming furnace.
You stand on a ledge of stone. To the north is a sudden drop off as the ledge ends. The other exit is down. You hear chattering in the distance, and strange sounds echoing through the caves. A sense of evil continues to come from below.
For some unknown reason you have decided to jump off the ledge into empty space. Without the ability to fly you will fall into a bottomless pit. The walls are as smooth as glass, and a strange moaning sound comes from below. If you fall down, you are surely dead. To the south is the ledge.
You have fallen into a bottomless pit. You are dead. You hear ominous laughter, as all your equipment is lost forever.
As you enter the pit, you begin to get an uneasy feeling. You sense what may be a great evil down below. Strange sounds echo off the walls, and you can not tell if they originate near you, or from far away. The only way to go, besides where you came from is down into the murky depths of the pit.
A game trail twists among the giant trees of the forest. Some paw prints in the dust show that you are not alone in these woods. Thick tree branches over your head shade out most of the light, but if you could fly you could move up into the tree tops. The trail runs east, and south to a large pine.
A game trail twists among the giant trees of the forest. Some paw prints in the dust show that you are not alone in these woods. Chestnut trees close overhead, but if you could fly you could move up into their tops. The trail runs west, and south to the side of the huge fallen tree.
Several fresh tree stumps are here. These small trees were chopped down with an axe, most likely to provide wood for the fires of the nearby villages. The canopy of large trees overhead blocks out the light. To the east is a cart track, and the east is a small game trail into the deep woods.
You can push your way under a large pine tree. The drooping branches form a shelter reminiscent of a peasant's hut. The smell of pine is thick in the air, and the ground is sticky with sap. To the west and north is a small game trail, and to the east is something large, like a cliff.
A tree of gargantuan proportions has fallen to the south. It is so very huge that it looks like a cliff face towering above you, but it is made out of wood. This tree must have reached the heavens above when it was standing. To the east, west, and north are small game trails into the forest.
A game trail twists among the giant trees of the forest. Some paw prints in the dust show that you are not alone in these woods. Thick branches overhead shade out most of the light, but if you could fly you could rise into the treetops. The trail runs west toward the fallen tree, and east under a low roof of branches.
You lose the game trail, here, as it seems to turn into rabbit paths through the brush. There is a large tree at the end of the trail. On it, someone has carved "J loves C" in a heart. The carving is very old. To the north is a large pine tree.
The game trail has a low roof here. You have to duck under the branches of some thick small trees to make your way east and west through the forest.
The trail is very muddy here. In the mud are tracks like dog prints, and others like strangely shaped little hands. To the south is a hollow among the roots of a large tree, and to the west the game trail ducks under low branches.
The track ends here. There is no continuation, no destination, and no reason the game trail came here at all. The surrounding brush and trees make progress difficult in any direction except up, if you are flying, or back west. You look up, and consider taking to the trees.
You crouch in a hollow among the roots of a large broadleaf tree. The hollow smells very musky, as if some animal used it as a lair; reddish fur and a pile of stinking droppings suggest the animal is still about. A game trail leads north, and a faint track pushes east through the brush.
This is the softest and warmest place you have ever been. The clouds surround you, hold you and cuddle you. So sleep baby sleep. Then follow me on a journey to the dream land.
You are flying among the tops of some giant redwood trees. The trees are free of any moss, lichen, vines or other growth, rising clean and majestic high above the lesser trees. You could fly east to the chestnuts, or south to a great oak.
You are flying among the tops of some chestnut trees. A bird nest lies untended in the crook of a tree, where a tree snake has found it and is eating the eggs. You could fly west to the redwoods, or south over the fallen tree's edge.
You are flying among the tops of some basswood trees. They are in bloom, and their sweet smell perfumes the air; bees buzz everywhere, busily collecting nectar. A long, clear way leads east over the forest, and the branches thin to the west.
You are flying among the twisting branches of many kinds of trees, right above the huge fallen tree. The limbs intertwine and rub each other, and vines with large red blooms hang from tree to tree. A bird with iridescent feathers bursts from a clump of leaves and is lost in the branches. Ways through the branches lead north, east and west.
You are flying above some cottonwood trees. The breeze picks up their cotton-like fluff and carries it away. A couple of the trees are diseased, with yellow, curled leaves, and one is dead and bare, with an empty eagle's nest at its top. Below, the forest floor is a tangle you could never walk out of. The way back is west.
You rest on a limb of a large sugar pine tree, far above the village of Rathem, which lies on the back of the great fallen tree. The branches spread wide, like a priest giving his blessing to the forest congregation below. A long flight north over the trees leads to a holly, and below is the village's end.
Orchids with blooms shaped like yellow and cream butterflies grow out of the side of a great fig tree, and a small moth with eye spots on its wings flutters from bloom to bloom. The oak tree is north of you, and below is the forest floor.
The treetops around you are alive with birds, insects and other life. The vines on a nearby tree are so thick they are choking it; when they finish it off, it will fall, and the vines will die with it. Their small, delicate flowers smell of honeysuckle. You could fly west, east or south.
A great holly tree with prickly leaves and red berries grows here, alive with little birds eating the berries. Some of the berries have fermented, and many of the birds are quite drunk; some flop helplessly on the ground below. A long, open flight leads south over the fallen tree, and the walnut tree is west.
A huge walnut tree with shining white bark stands here. Some of the soft husks that held the nuts still hang on it, but the nuts are all gone; the dark brown husks make a fine dye. You could fly north, east, or south to a squirrel's nest on a high limb.
You enter the hollow of a large oak tree, the nest of a giant gray squirrel. The nest is lined with bits of leaves and squirrel hair. The hollow is rough and jagged and stretches far above you; under the nest is a floor made of planks. You could step out of the hollow into the treetops to the north, east or south.
You have found an exit down that was concealed among the fallen leaves. Under the plank floor that someone built above you, you enter a large room filled with many walnuts. The walls are just rotted wood, and the floor is a pile of rotten wood that fell from above. Above you is the squirrel nest.
This large chapel has rows of seats with a center aisle leading up to the altar. Many candles illuminate this holy place. Urns of white roses stand to either side of the altar, and stained glass windows high above let in beautiful patterns of multicolored light. To the north is the temple.
You are hit by a blast of heat! This entire, massive wooden building is a kitchen. The smell of baking bread and savory stews makes your mouth water. There are three open hearths, two bread ovens, a long row of basins, a pump, clapboard walls covered with hooks holding cooking implements, and bunches of dried herbs hanging from the low ceiling. This kitchen must serve not only the dining room, but the entire community! Cooks and their apprentices are working hard throughout the room. Several other citizens are also using this room, baking or using the pump. Several youngsters are bringing in wood to feed the fires. Some warm berry pies are cooling on a sideboard by the door. A door leads south into the dining area, and a strange round door leads east.
Through the strange round door you enter a tall, round room. A few lanterns are placed by the door to light the room, as there are no windows to let in daylight. This must have once been a granary, but now it is used as a storeroom. Boxes of dried food and other supplies are stacked neatly against the wall. Barrels containing salted fish, beer, apples, or spirits are standing in neat rows. A pile of grain bags sits next to a small hand operated flour mill. Large bins contain grains, root vegetables, and sundry dried foodstuffs line one wall. There is no sign of any vermin here, which is amazing, considering what lies below. The walls are seamless wood, suggesting this silo was either carved of solid wood or created by magic. A strange round door leads west back into the kitchen.
This area is covered with a thatched roof, held up with pillars. The soft sounds of the surrounding forest, and the sweet scent of pine make this a pleasant place to relax. Many rough wooden tables surrounded by stools provide a place for the people to dine or just relax and quietly talk. Each table is covered with a clean white cloth, and has a candle in a glass chimney set upon it. Hooks on the pillars match ties on a pile of screens in one corner. The screens could be tied up in rough weather to keep out rain or high wind. This place gets very cold in the winter, however! A central fire pit, with a smoke hole overhead, is designed to heat this area, but how much can one fire do? To the north is a large wooden building, and to the south is a fancy building full of music and laughter.
The air is thick with smoke, and your head swims for a moment with the thick smell of incense and scented candles. This chapel has many small nooks and side altars, dedicated to the many good gods of the region. Each altar is distinctive. Many of them have candles, incense, or offerings placed on them. Something constrains you from stealing the offerings (mostly fruit and flowers) from the altars. You feel the presence of the gods, looking down on you. Do they demand worship, accept worship, or just watch? Only the greatest of sages knows, perhaps. The high ceiling is painted with the stars above with some imagination, placing the pictures of the gods among their starry constellations. This room is quiet and very peaceful. To the south is a carved door leading back to the temple nave.
This is where the leading cleric of the community spends his days, in prayer and meditation. A large desk, a slateboard, and a circle of chairs show that classes are also held here. The room is very simple, with plastered, whitewashed walls and a few windows with oiled paper instead of expensive glass. The furniture is also simple: besides the above mentioned classroom area, there is only a straw pallet on the floor, a few hooks on the wall, and a bookshelf with a few religious tomes. A fireplace on the east wall provides heat, and an oil lantern on the desk provides light. To the south is a door to the temple altar.
This small area, screened off from the dance floor, is where musicians perform. Scraps of food, and a few straw pallets suggest the musicians may live here, as well. Several lanterns provide good light, but the room is small and drafty. No decorations are on the walls, and dust and dirt has accumulated. The room shows no personal touches, and little care; most likely the musicians are transients, with little care for this temporary accommodation. To the east is the dance floor.
The floor is polished smooth, the high ceiling is hung with fine silk draperies, and torches line the walls, providing a warm, flickering light. The smell of smoke, wine, and perfumed bodies mix with the lively music to give an atmosphere of excitement. It is mostly the youths, dressed in their best clothes, who are on the dance floor, but a few older couples and some few excited children also are dancing. To the west is a screen behind which some musicians play. To the south and east the ballroom continues.
Here, a large, jovial crowd is talking, laughing, and drinking. The bar is a long, wooden structure, with several barrels on tap, and innumerable bottles waiting to be opened. The entire area is very clean, with fresh sawdust on the floor and polished glasses stacked on one the left side of the bar. Some stools are by the bar, but most of the people are standing in small groups. The barmaid is cheerful, but modestly dressed. Several people are obviously a bit tipsy, but no one is falling down drunk. These people even seem to be under control when partying! To the east people are dancing, and to the south is the grand entranceway.
This room is empty. The walls are completely featureless, and seem to flow into the floor and ceiling without lines. The room is lighted, but the light seems to come from nowhere, and everywhere at the same time. Even the door to the east is very hard to see, and almost escapes notice. The atmosphere of emptiness and nothingness overwhelms you. With nothing external to focus on, your thoughts turn inward, and you start to contemplate your own mind, your own existence. Why are you here? Why do you think? What is thought? Ack!!! This is a very creepy place!
Some hooks are on the wall of this large closet, and a cloak hangs from one. The room is dimly lit by a single small lamp. Bags of strongly scented herbs are nailed to the wall, and a small window allows fresh air to circulate. The walls are plastered and whitewashed, but undecorated. A cedar chest sits against one wall, but it contains only some simple altar cloths and a couple of used seat cushions. A cabinet to one side contains incense and offering candles. You barely notice a plain door to the west. To the south is the door to the temple nave.
Here, in the eastern end of the temple nave, there are no pews. The large, open space is glowing with light from the hundreds of candles in the chandelier. During the day, the sunlight streams through the high stained glass windows, adding sparkling color. The high, arched ceiling is painted with a beautiful scene of trees, animals, and joyous worshipers of many races. Each panel on the wall has a painting of some great event among the gods, from the creation of the world by the great god Celestian, to the final fiery judgment and destruction prophesied to someday come. The sound of beautiful song fills this place, echoing from the walls in intricate harmony. To the west is a closet door, to the north is an intricately carved wooden door to a chapel, and to the south is a door to the temple entranceway.
The voices of the choir echo beautifully from the curved dome overhead. This is the east end of the temple nave. Choir stalls stand to either side, with women on the right and men on the left. An eye catching pattern spirals up the walls, ending in a great sun directly over head. When you examine the wall, you see the pattern is not painted on, but is instead made up of many tiny tiles. It is the finest, and the largest, mosaic in the land. To the west the temple nave continues and to the east is the temple altar.
A magnificent altar stands before you. It is covered in precious gems and colorful stones. You try to reach out and touch it, but find that some godly compulsion prevents you. The walls are paneled in highly polished wood. The panels are incredibly large. They must have been carved from some humongous tree... perhaps the very tree you stand on! To the west is the temple nave, and to the north and south are doors.
This small, simple room has a cot, a small altar, and a supply of food and water. This must be a hideaway for priests in times of trouble. The walls are plainly painted and the ceiling is low. A small peep hole is next to the door.
Movable screens are placed around this area to block it off from the rest of the ballroom. People sit at about a dozen tables, avidly looking at small pieces of paper and whispering to each other. Pieces of paper and small, round pieces of wood in several colors change hands frequently. To the north is the sound of music, and to the east is the grand entrance.
A magnificent stairway leads up to a wide doorway with a finely carved lintel. At the top of the stairs stands the herald, announcing each new arrival. The walls of this giant ballroom are paneled in highly polished wood. Chandeliers and candelabras fill the room with light. To the west is a card area, to the north is a bar, to the east is a door, and to the south is the way out to the level path.
Large potted palms provide shade for this tiled courtyard. An enchanted fountain is here, sending out an endless stream of pure water. Here gather the men of the cloth, and the scholars, to debate the great issues of the day. A few benches are placed around the edges of the courtyard for their comfort, but many have brought their own cushions or stools for greater comfort. Stone gargoyles are carved into the building to the east and north. They stare down at you with menace, but on careful inspection, they seem to be truly only simple stone carvings. To the west is the ballroom, and to the east is another door.
This bare room, with a low ceiling and clap board walls, is a post for the temple guards. The walls are bare, except for an empty weapons rack. The floor is loose sand to absorb the blood of invading monsters. From the east the faint sound of singing and the smell of incense waft in. To the west is the temple courtyard, and to the south is a practice yard.
This room has tiled walls and a tiled floor. Several basins and foot baths sit next to benches, so you may purify yourself before entering the temple. The tiles are arranged to suggest a pattern of light and shadow that is like the pattern in the surrounding forest. From the north comes beautiful music and the sweet smell of incense. To the west is the post of the temple guards.
The finely embroidered silk hangings on the bed, and the intricately woven, colorful carpets on the floor, suggest the priest Furron has not taken a vow of poverty. His young and beautiful wife intimates that chastity is not on the list, either. However, he is most likely obedient to his god, if no one else. The stiff, formal furniture is very precisely arranged around the room. A painting on the wall is a very unlifelike, formal representation of the Goddess Jandrea. To the south is the cooking and living area.
The level path ends here. A magnificent wooden stairway, with a large double door at the top, leads north. The path is still under the shade of the great redwood tree growing to the southeast. A fine residence lies to the west, and a simple, square building lies to the east. The perfectly level, perfectly clean, brick path leads south.
In this simple, square building are 8 small bunks, 8 small desks, and 8 unlocked wooden chests. This is the home away from home of the 8 young boys who serve the priests, exploring their own possible vocations. The chest contains only spare robes for the boys and a few childish toys, such as a top and a crudely carved wooden horse. The walls are not plastered, and the chinks in the wooden walls let in a draft. The thick blankets on the bed prove the lives these boys live are not always easy. To the east is a training yard.
This irregularly shaped yard is perched precariously on the edge of the great fallen tree. On the east and south no railing separates you from a LONG drop to the forest floor below. A few targets stand here, so this must be an area used for weapons practice or training. An inconspicuous rack to one side contains a few blunted practice weapons, useless for actual combat. To the west is a simple building, and to the north is a guard post.
The living area is very tidy, with a place for everything and everything in its place; the Furrons were never blessed with children. They do have a young maid, who sleeps on a cot in a screened alcove. The family altar is near the hearth, and samplers with embroidered religious homilies are on the walls. The floor is bare and cold. Warm soup boils in a pot at the cheerfully blazing hearth, filling the room with its pleasant scent. A glass window provides a view of the forest to the west, an obvious sign of wealth. To the north is a door to the master's bedroom, and to the east is a door out to the level path.
The top of the huge fallen tree is reasonably level here, so a brick path that leads north and south was made. The soft noises of the surrounding forest, and the fresh scent of pine, make this a pleasant place to pause, and look around. To the west is the door to a fine home. There is a small carved wooden sign over the door. To the east a large redwood tree grows out of the body of the huge fallen tree, but it is not possible to reach it from here due to the thick growth of tiny trees, or suckers, that grow around its base.
The huge fallen tree is broken and rotten in this area, so footing is treacherous, and nothing was built. The rotten wood and decomposing leaves have formed a fertile soil. If it were not for the smell of wood smoke and the faint sound of music, it would seem that you are deep in the woods, far from any settlement. A large redwood tree grows here, its roots invading the body of the dead tree on which you stand. From death, life. The thick underbrush of small redwood trees blocks all exits except east.
Small trees surround this grassy glen. Ferns and wildflowers grow in abundance. Faint music in the distance is the only sign of the settlement that surrounds you. A small stone is half buried in the earth that has collected. Some fresh flowers, nuts, and fruit placed around the stone suggest it is some kind of altar, or place of worship. The surrounding bush makes it difficult to tell which way exits may lie, but you notice some bent branches to the west.
This quaint cottage is clean but cluttered. Scrolls and books are on the shelf, and bottles are in a locked cabinet. Odd smells and the feeling of magic fill the air. A large bed with thick hangings is in one corner, and next to it is an oaken wardrobe. The oiled-paper windows do not let in much light due to the ivy growing up the outside of the cottage. A small loft overhead contains a small bed and a clothes press for Dorma. Two comfortable chairs are set close to the screened fireplace. Hamstead cheerfully invites you to take a seat, and discuss any matters magical. To the west is a door to the shop.
In the front room of this quaint cottage is a magic shop, called "Potions and Notions." A young woman sits behind a large desk. She motions for you to take a seat, and would be happy to list the merchandise she sells for her father, the famous mage, Hamstead. The room is well lit by three oil lamps. The lamps are the only light, since the window shutters cannot be opened due to the clinging ivy. To the west is a door to the residential part of the cottage, and to the south is a door to the outside.
This is a schoolroom, but it is not inside. The floor is the same planked floor as is in the buildings, but instead of walls and ceiling there is only a bubble of force to keep out rain and bugs. The wind passes through the bubble unimpeded. Four simple desks are scattered around the room, facing a blackboard at one end. A shelf floats in mid air near the northern edge of the bubble. On the shelf are several bottles and cans filled with magical supplies, such as butterfly antennae and eel slime. To the south is a courtyard, and the east is a small, simple building.
This small building is quite drafty, with large chinks in the walls between the boards. The shutters are open, and the windows have no glass, so every breeze sweeps through this room. Four bunks, and four chests, are securely nailed to the floor. Even the thick, warm blankets on the beds are nailed to the bunks. In the chests are only some notes, spare robes, and a few personal momentos. A strange painting is on the wall. To the west is the door to the schoolroom, or schoolbubble, or whatever you want to call it.
The somewhat corny name of this shop is carried through in its decor. The walls have varnish that is purposely cracked to look old. The chairs and tables are modern copies of old designs, executed with only a journeyman's skill. The shop is also a workroom, and the smell of paints, varnishes, and floating sawdust make it a bit difficult to breathe. A large fireplace to the west is kept burning in cold weather, to keep the pots of paint and varnish from freezing. To the east is the door to the level path, and to the south is a door to a private residence.
You have found the center of this small community. A carved marble sign is here, the only large stone artifact in the entire village. Benches are placed around the edges of this small square, and several of the locals sit on them, discussing the events of the day. The people here are not the soft country folk you are used to, but show signs of a rough life that has hardened them, and made them strong. The square itself is packed dirt, with occasional sections of the wood from the fallen tree under foot showing through. You are reminded that this community is perched high in the air, on the top of a gargantuan fallen tree. It is an unusual place to build a village, but is certainly easily defensible. To the east is a boardwalk, to the west is a shop, to the north is a very level path, and to the south some brush grows.
A boardwalk has been built here. It runs to the east, and ends at a village square to the west. The raised boards keep your feet clean and dry above the mud that has collected on the huge fallen tree below you. To the north, a large tree grows out of the trunk of the fallen giant below. Some script has been carved into the planks at your feet.
A boardwalk has been built here. It runs east and west. The raised boards are smooth, due more to the constant passage of feet over them, than to purposeful sanding. The weathered wood is sturdy and clean. To the north you could press through the shrubbery to a wild, natural area. The village is quiet and peaceful, though the citizens look surprisingly competent in matters of self defense.
A boardwalk has been built here. It runs east and west. The boards are weathered but sturdy, forming a raised, clean footpath through this small village. Through the chinks in the boards you see the rough, broken surface of the huge fallen tree. In the depressions in the tree, deep, fertile soil has collected. To the south are two rows of small trees, growing out of the fallen tree itself, lining a small path.
A boardwalk has been built here. It runs east and west. The boards are new and were carefully smoothed and polished by someone's hand, and the fallen leaves from the surrounding forest have been neatly swept away. The people of this community obviously take great pride in the village, to put so much work into a public walkway! To the north is a sign next to a door. To the east is a more open area.
A bizarre sight is before you. In this large courtyard are four tables, each with chairs around them; that is normal enough. But, while one table is on the ground, the second one floats in the air 5 feet off the ground, the third 10 feet off the ground, and the last high in the air! As you watch the tables, they slowly drift around the courtyard, the chairs moving with their tables. The surface of the courtyard is inlaid with polished wood tiles. To the west is a boardwalk, to the north is what looks like a floor with no building, to the east is an open area, and to the south is a very odd looking building, made out of an unidentifiable substance.
Here, a branch of the huge fallen tree projects out into the forest. Something is moving in the tree tops above you. If you could fly, you could go up and investigate. The wind blows, and the branch beneath your feet sways. The view of the forest below is blocked by the many branches of the nearby trees. To the west is a courtyard with floating furniture in it.
The living area of Muskram the Woodcarver is full of beautiful, highly polished furniture. You notice each piece has a flaw, however. The bed, dresser, table, chairs, shelves, fireplace screen, wardrobe, cabinet, and even the shutters on the window are all apparently rejects from his shop next door. A battered old suit of armor sits in the corner on a dummy. The blank shield of a mercenary hangs on the wall. The leather straps of the shield and armor are cracked and broken, making it unusable. A long sword is on hooks over the fireplace. It must have seen countless battles, and been sharpened many times. The blade is now so thin from the many times at the whetstone, it is amazing it has not broken. The weapon and armor are so old and used they are of no use, except as remembrances. The door to the north leads to the shop.
This area, south of the square, has a faint trail leading north and south. To the south is an area of tall, dark, overgrown brush. You could push your way in, if you wished, but it might be hard to find your way around in there. A wooden dwelling is to your west, and to your east is a long drop. You have moved off the main trunk of the huge fallen tree, and onto a gargantuan branch.
For some reason this small building was impossible to notice from the outside. You walked right past it, and you tried to look at it, but you just did not notice it. The room is simple and unadorned, with plastered walls and ceiling, a wood floor, and a single shuttered window. A small shelf on one wall holds a single candle, and sweetly smoking incense. The doors out are as hard to notice as the one in was.
Small trees line this small dirt path, which leads north and south. If you did not know better, you would assume you were on the forest floor instead of high on the top of a fallen tree. Fallen leaves dust the path, and crunch beneath your feet. The fresh smell of the trees and the sounds of the village to your north are pleasant and peaceful. Could some violent force, such as a group of evil adventurers, some day ruin the contentment of this happy place? In the world we live in, it is unfortunately quite likely. To the north is a boardwalk, and to the south the leafy path continues.
The master of this small mage's college has his living quarters here. The room seems to be unfurnished, until a slight shimmer catches your eye. You see the faint outline of a bed, and then a table, and even a chest of drawers, all made out of shaped air! The semi translucent walls are also shaped air, with dust trapped in them to give some privacy. The floor, however, is polished wood, and the roof is sturdy shingles. If the spell forming the walls was to give out, the roof would fall on you, and crush you. To the north is a courtyard.
The tall brush has no trail through it; you have to force your way, ducking under branches and climbing over fallen wood. The thick branches overhead block out the sun. The fresh smell of broken willow leaves is pleasant, but the sticks poking into you are not. The edge of the brush is north, and the thicket goes on to the south.
The young trees to either side of this north-south path rustle pleasantly in the breeze. The sounds of the community to your north are also pleasant, with cheerful laughter and the sounds of industrious work. The path is made of dirt that has collected on this wide limb of the huge, fallen tree. To the north are sounds of the village, and to the south the path continues to a small cluster of buildings.
This simple room is the abode of Zoker, Paladin of Tempus. He has a bed, a chest, a table, two stools, and an armor's dummy on which he stores his armor while he sleeps. The room is slightly blinding, since the walls and ceiling are plastered stark white, and the wooden floor is also painted white. In one corner is an altar to Tempus, the Lord of Battle. Off to one side of the altar is a large, neatly painted sign with a list on it. The room is lit by a single oil lamp on the table, and by the light entering through the oiled parchment windows. Also on the table are some documents, a seal, a sealing wax candle, a bottle of ink, some blank paper, and a quill pen. To the south is the door to the hall.
The tall brush has no trail through it, and the wood underfoot is broken, weak and shattered: perhaps it is not safe to walk on for very long. The fresh smell of broken willow leaves is pleasant, but the sticks poking into you are not. The thicker brush is back to the east.
The brush is thickest here, a wall of willow and bramble. The thicket opens a little to the north and south, and to the west the ground looks broken and unsafe.
The small dirt trail is lined with small trees, and leads north and east. The trees are of various types, with live oak, juniper, and dogwood prevailing. The fallen leaves on the path crunch under foot, and give off a pleasant scent. The tall trees of the surrounding forest overshadow these small trees, which someone has planted in two rows along the sides of the path. It is strange that enough dirt has collected here (or been brought here) to allow trees to grow and thrive. With the small trees growing around you and the dirt path, it is hard to believe you are high in the air, on the limb of a huge fallen tree. To the north the path continues, and to the east is a building.
This is much like the great hall of any manor house, with the large roaring fireplace, the hunting trophies on the wall, and the long tables with benches at them. It is dark, since the only windows are arrow slits that are presently shuttered. The walls are stone blocks, and the floor is slate with rushes thrown down on it. The great wooden beams above you hold up a slate roof. Why would these people lug so much stone here, in the middle of a forest full of fine wood? Perhaps they feel they need the defense, due to some local enemy. Doors lead north, south and west. Each door is heavy, iron bound wood, and can be barred from within.
You are on the end of a dead limb, sticking out over the forest, among the tree tops. The limb sways with every breeze, so you must be careful to maintain your balance. Far below is the trackless forest floor, overgrown with brush and briars. The limb is rounded and weathered, but surprisingly sturdy, so there is little danger that it will break. Some strange symbols are freshly carved into the limb. To the east is some brush, and to the south something shimmers in mid air.
The brush thins at the end of a gargantuan limb of the fallen tree. To the west the limb runs out over the forest; the thicket is back to the north.
Guards are stationed here to keep undesirable types out, and to call the community to arms in case of an invasion from below. The room is bare except for a bench against one wall and a torch on each wall. The unfinished clapboard walls let in a strong draft, the rafters have cobwebs on them, and the floor is packed dirt. The hall is to the north, and to the south is the top of a ladder.
A large, perfectly round tube leads straight down, and a ladder is carved into its side. You stand on top of a giant limb of the incredibly large fallen tree. The limb is very old and weathered, its bark long since gone, but it seems sturdy and the footing is good. The guard room is to the north.
You are flying in mid air, in a small space where no trees grow, at this height anyway. The brush below you is very thick, and the treetops all around are very dense. Up is nothing but sky. To the north a gargantuan limb of some colossal dead tree is thrust into the air. You could come in for a landing there if you wish.