Welcome back to our 5 Room Dungeon.

The door puzzle from last time. See below:

The large stone archway has 9 dials on it with a tenth on the arch itself. Glyphs and pictographs in Room 2 are surrounded by 9 symbols if a clever adventurer recognizes the pattern and wipes away some of the oily muck that covers them. The dials all have 8 positions.Number 1 is the top position, Clockwise to 2 and so on.

1 dot = 1 Point. Dial stays facing up. Triangle = 3 points. Click the dial to the third position starting from the top and going clockwise. 2 dots = Line. Click the dial to the second position. Square = 4 Points. Click the dial to the fourth position starting at the top. Octagon = 8 points. Click the dial to the 8th position starting at the top and going clockwise. The last dial should face the tenth on the arch to open the gate, Which drops down revealing a long, darkened hallway.

At the end of the hallway, a faint bluish light can be seen coming through a crack between two large stone doors that are pushed slightly open. Inside, the panicked shrieking and yelling is heard.
“Uh, We can talk about this. That’s a really big knife you got there. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!? Is there anyone there? HALP ME!” Dubney yells.
More guttural hissing and growling can be heard from two creatures in response.

All that separates the group from possibly freeing Dubney from certain doom is the hallway. The tile floor of the hallway tells a tale in the dust and thin layer of oily slime. Dubney was dragged by one of the Lurkers to the open doors where its masters awaited their sacrifice. The first two rows of tiles are untouched followed by a series of 6 round holes in the floor corresponding to 6 iron bars protruding from the ceiling. The next two sets of tiles appear to have been avoided as well, almost as if something carried the flailing Dubney over them.
If the PCs fail to detect the trap in time, Long iron rods drop into the holes forming a sort of portcullis at both ends of the hall. Two rounds later, hatches slide open at 3A and 3B releasing two different Lurkers. These 2 beasties travel on the wall and ceiling. They have the head of a raptor, body of a large snake, 8 scorpion like legs, and a snake like tail with a venomous stinger attached.

2 Venomous Lurkers:  AC 13, HP 13, ATK 1 claw +3 (1d6), 1 Tentacle +3 (2d4,) Or 1 Bite +3 (1d8) Or 1 Sting +3 (1+Poison.)  MV double near, S +0, D +3, C +1, I -2, W +1, Ch -3, AL N, LV 3
Poison. DC 10 CON or go to 0 HP.
Weaknesses: Direct sunlight and loud noises such as yelling, music, or banging. Years of seclusion and darkness have made these creatures sensitive to the outside world.
If the group defeats the Lurkers and/or avoid the trap, they will arrive at the stone doors at the end of the hall that are open just enough to peer inside.

To be continued…

This 5 Room Dungeon is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.