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The Palace Dungeon
“My father’s sacrifice was brave and unmatched. I cannot stand by and do nothing about the oni. My honor and that of my whole bloodline are at stake.”
Heiress Mei Tanaka
The characters and Mei Tanaka descend into the dungeon beneath the daimyo’s bedroom. Mei has never been here. During her grandfather’s rule, she recounts, only he was allowed down the ladder. The heiress thinks the place must be a hiding room, a vault, and an escape tunnel.
The Dungeon. For generations, the daimyos have expanded the dungeon under the oni’s influence. The three-story, underground compound features a small chapel, vaults, deadly traps, an alchemy workshop, and a large chamber with a summoning circle in the lowest level.
The Oni. Each time the oni’s spirit is bequeathed to the next daimyo, it becomes a little more powerful. Currently, it can still only exist as a possessing entity, but its goal is to fully abandon its host and become corporeal, unbridled. The rituals performed in area B9 have that purpose, but the oni is still not powerful enough.
Akira Tanaka. After sending his daughter away, the new daimyo descended into the dungeon to confront the oni in area B9. He told the demon that the Blood Contract would end with him. Akira could not allow the conditions that would expose Mei to the same cruel fate. Enraged at the daimyo’s balking because the oni still needs a few more incarnations to be powerful enough, its fury erupted and fully took over the body and mind of Akira Tanaka. The demon-possessed ruler bellowed a scream of anger and hate that could be heard throughout the Palace of the Dawn Dragon. All those bound by duty to the daimyo also fell prey to the inescapable possession.
Daimyo Akira Tanaka
Slaying Mei’s father frees their bloodline from the evil oni once and for all. The only alternative is to attempt to exorcise the spirit using the Mask of the Oni. The fabled artifact is located in the workshop’s vault (area B4).
Dungeon Events
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1d6 |
Details |
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1 |
Four palace guards are called mentally by the demon-possessed ruler. They descend the shaft from area A8 and move toward area B9. |
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2 |
The ground trembles for 1 minute. It is strong enough that objects scatter through the ground and creatures fall Prone (DC 16 Dexterity). |
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3 |
The oni takes advantage of Mei’s ancestry and assails her mind. She hears her father’s voice calling to her. She sees this as a cruel trick. |
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4 |
Cackling laughter can be heard throughout the dungeon. It does not appear to come from any direction in particular. It is telepathic. |
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5 |
All light sources are extinguished as ten specters appear and attack. They have ethereal horned visages with elongated fangs. |
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6 |
Four toughs, friends of the Tanaka household but not bound by duty, infiltrate the dungeon seeking to aid Mei. They join the party. |
The Oni’s Options
The oni overestimated his capacity to convince the daimyos generation after generation. With Akira’s refusal to cooperate, the Blood Contract is null. Its only hope is to sign a new contract with Mei Tanaka. It can only be her, as the only daughter of the daimyo. Alas, she cannot be forced into signing it. It must be done of her own accord. The oni’s current plan is to offer Akira Tanaka’s life in exchange for Mei signing a new Blood Contract.
B1. Dungeon Landing
The ladder descends 40 feet to a small landing. Next to it is a natural cavern with a pool of fresh spring water. A narrow stream of water filters from the koi fish pond on the surface, next to the daimyo’s bedroom. There are small koi fish in the cave pond.
B2. Cursed Chapel
Braziers flank a row of wooden pews and an arch-like altar by the far wall of this chapel.
The Arch. The granite monument is inscribed with runes in abyssal. The runes speak of freeing the oni’s spirit. The Abyssal runes carved onto the stone reveal a magical ritual to create the physical body for the oni (DC 16 Arcana). This ritual requires a large amount of magical power.
B3. The Vaults
The fake vault contains an ornate chest and a pedestal with a sword fused to the stone.
The Chest. Lifting the lid activates a 10-foot-wide pitfall trap next to the chest (see map). Creatures on the marked area fall to area B6 and take 4d6 damage (DC 16 Dexterity save).
Pitfall. Inspecting the ornate chest beforehand allows an observant individual to notice the triggering machinery in the chest’s hinges (DC 16 Investigation). The triggering hinges can be easily disarmed after spotting them (no check).
Secret. The button is hidden behind the fused sword on the pedestal. It has a different texture than the rest of the stone surface.
The Vault. A hidden button reveals a room with four chests (DC 14 Investigation). They contain 1,500 GP, a Potion of Healing, and a diamond (300 GP).
B4. The Workshop
The room is filled with common alchemy implements and cheap ingredients. A Potion of Invisibility can be retrieved from a drawer.
The Vault. The south door is locked (DC 18 Thieves’ Tools). A macabre display of fifteen human skulls is arranged on three plinths. One of the eerie skulls dons the Mask of the Oni.
B5. Shrine of the Fox
Switchback stairs descend to this area from area B4. A magical brazier bathes the effigy of a fox with its light. Next to the statue are two tables with an assortment of trinkets and objects with no apparent connection to one another.
The Fox. This personification of the fox conveys a meaning of prosperity and mischievous trickery in the prefecture (DC 15 History). Engraved in its collar is the following phrase: “Leave something of personal value to welcome fate.” Mei leaves a ring. Those who leave such an item in one of the side tables gain Heroic Inspiration.
B6. Prison Cavern
The ancient skeletons of five people litter the hard-packed soil of this natural cavern. These remains have been here for decades.
Cell Door. Where it intersects with the daimyo’s dungeon, the path is blocked by iron bars. They can be lifted with a button on the hallway, 15 feet from the bars, or with strength (DC 16 Athletics).
The Passage. The west tunnel descends 50 feet and joins a larger cavern. These tunnels can be used as an emergency exit if the Palace of the Dawn Dragon is under attack. They lead to an opening 4 miles from the Tanaka estate.
B7. Room of Artifacts
This room contains an intricate magic circle and a stone plinth. On the polished granite surface, there is a set of katana and wakizashi blades.
The Blades. They are a +1 katana and a +1 wakizashi of expert craftsmanship. The metal is engraved with imagery of winged serpents reaching the sun. They have an extra +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls when used to fight the demon-possessed ruler in area B9. A scholar knows that these blades are also used for ceremonial seppuku in the prefecture (DC 13 History).
The Magic Circle. On a quick inspection, it is revealed that the double circle was not built here. It was transported whole from another location (DC 14 Investigation). A Detect Magic spell reveals a strong aura of evocation and conjuration. A previous daimyo had it moved here for research. Back then, the oni tried to use variations of teleportation magic to exit the host’s body. But it never worked. A mage can copy the rune sequence of this magic circle to use it as an anchor location for the Circle of Teleportation spell.
B8. Columbarium
Embalming implements litter the wooden table in this room. In front of it, there are four stone wardrobes that contain small copper urns. The ashen remains of ancestral daimyos are stored here. Minato Tanaka’s urn was added weeks ago.
The Captain. A man stands in the middle of the room in full samurai armor (palace guard). This is Akaji Satou, the highest-ranking swordsman sworn to serve the Tanaka household. Unlike the other possessed guards, Akaji is Neutral and talkative, yet he is still possessed. If Mei is present, he informs her that her father is below and waiting for her. He has been tasked with escorting her. Here, Akaji fights only in self-defense.
B9. Summoning Room
Three rune-engraved pillars surround a magic circle in the center of the room; broken pieces of quartz and obsidian lie scattered on it. Countless bones litter the room. This is the debris of the possessed daimyos’ magical research to free the oni. Nothing has worked so far. The oni needs to be inherited a few more times to have enough power to do so. It is still too weak.
The Daimyo. Standing on the magic circle is the demon-possessed ruler in full regalia, wielding a poleaxe. Four palace guards and one mage surround him. In a deep, guttural voice, the possessed daimyo beckons Mei to approach, if she is present. The oni offers to release her father from his grasp on the one condition that she signs a new Blood Contract and allows the oni spirit to inhabit her body. It claims she shall remain in full control and have a long, healthy life. Shrewd observers may note that the oni, a trickster by nature, lies (DC 16 Insight check).
The Heiress. Mei thinks that signing this contract devalues her father’s sacrifice; she shall not sign it. But she still tries to save him. She offers to be the one donning the Mask of the Oni. If that is the plan, there is a 4-in-6 chance that Akaji Satou breaks free of the possession and helps. Otherwise, he joins the enemy force and attacks.
Vault. The door to the secret room lies ajar (no check). It contains 15,000 GP, a +2 Plate Armor and a +2 Shield with intricate carvings of the Tanaka heraldry, and a Spell Scroll of Wish.
Exorcism
If the characters weaken the demon-possessed ruler enough to use the Mask of the Oni’s Bond ability (10% HP or less), the oni tries one last trick to coerce the party. It laughs and claims that the mask shall not work and that it shall also kill Daimyo Akira Tanaka. It claims that there is still a way out and that if Mei accepts the contract, no one must perish today. Still, the oni lies (DC 18 Insight). There is a 2-in-6 chance that Mei balks at this. If she has the Mask of the Oni, she refuses to use it. If someone else uses it, she shrieks for her father when it happens.
