275-278 Chaos in Redbrick

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About this Resource

This resource features the general description of an adventure location for RPG adventures or general inspiration. Not all releases are the same; some may include rules material for Dungeons and Dragons 5e but mechanics are left to a minimum.

These adventure ideas are appropriate for low to mid-level (Levels 1 to 10) adventuring parties. As the DM, you are free to change or modify any or all the information found here. NPC names and settlement names are the first you should consider changing to accommodate any homebrew-world lore.

When monsters are referenced, the creature’s name is noted in bold. Only creatures from the D&D5e Monster Manual are cited.

Background Lore

Redbrick City makes honor to its name. It is located five-hundred feet from the ground, at the side of the Amber Mountain, named such due to its red-like dirt which covers it. Inhabitants of Redbrick City are so proud of their city that they also tend to wear clothes that match it. One of the main sources of business for Redbrick City is the exportation of building material and bricks. Pottery, masonry, and brickwork are the most common professions of the Redbrick City population. Ceramics and earthenware are very popular too, although these require, in some cases, more ability and creative touch.

The red roads, called this for evident reasons, are always filled with carts and wagons exporting goods and valuable items to other neighbor cities, villages, and even small settlements. They all make good use of Redbrick City products.

Like many big cities, Redbrick City has taken advantage of its strong exports. Previous rulers, ministers, and the like, have invested in the infrastructure of the place. Over the past two-hundred years, thoughtful and efficient leaders have built roads, raised imponent statues, set up plazas and squares, or erected important buildings. One of those improvements marked a real difference in the city; the sewer system.

Nowadays, big cities compare themselves via their wealth, size, military power, etc. But one main difference regarding their infrastructure lies in the fact of possessing a decent sewer system. Some efficient sewer systems consist of a way of recycling used water in the city by purifying or cleaning it, in order to make use of it again. An array of pipes and ducts are essential. All these connected to cisterns and devices that purify water for further use. Such a project took many years to be completed, but once the sewers infrastructure was ready, Redbrick City status grew a considerable way.

Being able to reuse water infused great speed in the city’s development. People were able to build fountains around statues. Bars and inns improved their service and allowed for more visitors to take baths on a daily basis. Washing clothes became an easy routine for almost everyone.

However, the enterprise of having a sewer system was not easy. Several years of mining and labor lay behind the underground lines and aqueducts. The first, and main level of the sewer holds several channels of water covering most of the city. They are parallel and perpendicular to each other, forming a woven net of filthy used water underground. But engineers, architects, and builders considered the area to be unsuitable for the cisterns, which handled the filtration of such water and made it usable again. Either due to space or the rooms’ temperatures, they opted to dig deeper and place the cistern filtration system below.

But surprise stroke all the people involved, for they had to excavate way more than expected. Right below the first layer of the sewers, they found an ancient abandoned two-level library. Laborers had neither the means nor the skill to know or investigate who could have built it. Rows and rows of shelves filled the place. It was centuries old. A civilization of humans living at the edge of the mountain hundreds of years ago erected their knowledge temple here. It was a hidden sect, for the place remained unknown for such a long time its books crumbled to pieces. Thousands of pages withered and broke down, taking their wisdom into decay with them.

Although the presence of this athenaeum was not expected, it actually made the digging easier. The place had already been built, therefore when the first set of stairs was made, it was not difficult to find the already-built second one, leading to the second story of the library, deeper underground. They dug deeper still, creating a fourth level to the sewers. They placed two huge cisterns and the filtration system on the center of the chamber and took care of the pipe connections and aqueducts in a small hallway to the south of them.

The person responsible for the sewers’ construction passed away about two-hundred years ago. Dan Bennet, a well-known minister, became a local hero when the project was at last done. His family kept ruling over the city afterward, and it is ten generations after when Borin Bennet, now the minister in place, found himself being the focus of citizens’ complaints. One day, people in the city began complaining about the water condition. It looked dirty, and it held a foul smell to it.

Cornered by the sewer problem, he felt very frustrated. He never had to worry about the sewers before. His father never did, neither his grandfather as far as he could recall. He felt scammed as if someone was trying to usurp his position and make him look bad. Borin was always proud of his history. He belonged to a wealthy family and felt content to take advantage of his status. When he came to power, he changed many things he considered wrong. He lowered the wages paid to most of the city workers. He raised taxes, he created new tax fees to pay, and he nullified benefits lower-class people had. The first thing that came to his mind regarding the new sewer problem, was the city engineers.

There are only a few engineers in Redbrick City, and the city has a series of maintenance workers who take care of the sewer system. Cleaning and maintenance are key for its right functioning. Borin Bennet has tried many times to fix this issue by telling the city’s employees to find the problem and solve it. Naturally, he does not move a finger himself.

Borin’s grievances became greater when the people he had sent told him they could not do anything about it. A guild of thieves had taken over the sewers’ facilities and would not let them do their job. Every time workers tried to enter the cistern system; they were confronted by thugs who threatened them. Borin did not know what to do. He did not have the build of a fighter, nor could he properly hold a dagger. But something he did have, was money. He has been trying to hire mercenaries who could take care of those filthy thieves since. He offers a decent pay of one-thousand gold pieces to anyone who can clean the sewers of this nuisance.

The hideout is operational 24/7. There are always members of the crew working on their next target, scheming and plotting, or simply waiting out for a while until things become less heated on the surface in the case they just did a heist. The thieves’ guild has actually been there for a while now. They take advantage of the many levels of the sewers for their own purposes. They plot and plan their scams underground in peace, well away from the law. Only a few members of the guild live here. Members who formerly lived in the streets, or those who were beggars, take advantage of the small rooms in the sewers that builders used when they worked there. So far, Rowan Sulek, the leader of the guild, has managed to deliver coups along with his men to steal jewelry from noble families, luxurious food from the Crimson Castle, the city’s most important structure, and even some magic items. Even though they are thieves, their philosophy is more like that of a justice fighter. They do pamper themselves with the stuff they would have never been able to acquire otherwise, but they also help the poor and the less blessed folk. They try to give to the poor, feed the hungry, shelter and recruit the homeless. The guild is composed of farmers, potters, and the like. Some others are city guards that were sick and tired of their lowly lives and let the guild buy their allegiance. Another important section of the crew is the whole bunch of sewer workers, including the engineers. All decided to work for the guild as well, looking to improve their quality of life. The whole guild consists of about fifty people. Less than half of them can wield weapons properly. Most of them are stewards, young teenagers used for errands, or women who trust the guild to improve their family’s position.

This explains why every time Borin sent “his people” to fix the sewers’ problem, they contented themselves by saying they were stopped, threatened, and could just not enter; the maintenance team and the thieves were working together. The thieves, in fact, caused the cistern problem. They messed with the cisterns and filtration system mechanism to stop the water from flowing. They knew Borin was going to freak out about this, and they also were aware of his incapability to do this himself.

The guild is not expecting to get money from this, nor to stop the city’s development. They had a problem of their own. For about two or three weeks, thieves have been fighting with unwanted visitors in their hideout. The first level of the library, which has to be crossed to get to Rowan’s quarters, now has a fissure on the western wall. Unconscious creatures with no real shape are going through it. These sticky, smelly puddings are very dangerous. They corrode everything they touch, attacking and trying to engulf anything that moves.

The guild’s men have tried several times to close the hole where they come from, distracting these amorphous beings, drawing their attention far from the fissure. However, every time they do so, more jelly monsters come out to defend their origin point. They have to be extra careful if they want to cross the first level of the library unnoticed. Clutched to the eastern wall, Rowan’s men are forced now to stay on the edge of the place, hiding behind shelves and then running to the next set of stairs. It has become a real trouble for Rowan has lost a couple of men to these monsters.

Rowan thought that he needed a different approach to solving his dilemma; he did not want to deal with it himself, but seeking the help of the law to aid him in the slaying of the jelly invaders would end his cover, and the city guards would find and arrest most of the guild members. So, his plan is to diminish Borin’s patience, knowing he’ll grow tired of the situation and fix it via his wealth. He knows sooner or later Borin is going to be forced into hiring some mercenaries or thugs in order to send them to the sewers. Rowan’s plans are to rehire these people himself. He wants to convince anyone whom Borin sends that it is more important to deal with the monsters than fixing the filtration system. He wants to keep his operations secret as well, but he explains so in a way that emphasizes the work he does for the community, which is, as per his words, steal the rich to give to the poor. In the case his plans go sour, his backup plan consists of blackmail. He hid the stairs that lead to the cistern level in the sewers. He does not have any intention to disclose this information unless he gets the help he is looking for.

Gloriana, her second in command, is not very comfortable with this whole plan. She considers Rowan went too far with his plan. Affecting every single citizen in Redbrick City is not something she feels proud of. She has spoken her mind several times but Rowan’s authority has prevailed so far, and the guild does as Rowan says.

Many people are grateful to Rowan. They see him as an example in life. Rowan has taught his people they have to fight for their rights, and for what is just. They are all conscious of the fact that they do steal from others, but the grudge they hold against the government, along with their negative sentiment towards its unfair rulers is stronger. Borin is their main antagonist. He is the one responsible for the poor living conditions they have had since the day he came to power.

Sewers Level

1-1. Sewers Tunnels

These halls cover most of the city. They represent a net of passageways that hold water that later travels to the cistern systems to be filtered. This hallway does not have a water channel in the middle and gives way to a series of small rooms which were left behind after the sewers were built.

The rest of the sewers complex is outside the scope of this module and left to the DM’s discretion.

1-2. Small Rooms

There are six small rooms in different sizes and shapes. At the beginning of the construction project, they were meant to function as the builders’ resting places. Three of these rooms have a small compartment at the end, which can be accessed through a wooden door.

1-3. Secret Room

One of the small rooms has a secret compartment hidden beneath the stone wall. Pressing one of the bricks causes a section of the wall to slide to the left and reveal a small cubicle. A passive Perception score of 16 or higher or a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the brick that has to be pushed. The value of the treasure is two-hundred gold pieces, divided in silverware, and silver and copper coins.

1-4. Stairs

This hallway has a locked door that leads to the first set of stairs. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to open such door. All thieves have the key to this door. The middle-sized stairs go down fifty feet, leading to the northeast section of the floor below.

1-5. Shrine

Dugmaren Brightmantle is the dwarf deity of scholarship, discovery, and invention. This old shrine holds the statue of this dwarven god. It was built about two-hundred years ago. The majority of miners, workers, and crafters responsible for the creation of the sewer system were dwarves and thought the god suited their needs at the time. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to open the double doors to the shrine. There is a hidden hole below the statue. A passive Perception score of 16 or higher or a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the hidden compartment at the feet of the statue. Inside it, there is a small pouch holding three small rubies worth fifty pieces of gold each.

First Library Level

2-1. Main Hall  

This grand chamber contains three center pillars which are the main frame of the structure. Rows of shelves with moldered books cover the place. There is a crack on the wall opposite the stairs leading here, to the west. It is too small for any character to go through. Tiny creatures could fit, although the small tunnel is pitch dark. Besides the wall breach, another fracture on the wall with no definite shape is littered with stones from the masonry. Two ochre jellies roam around the fissure. Messing with one of the ochre jellies draws the attention of the other. They are never more than fifty-feet apart from each other. Anyone who tries to cover or repair the fissure on the wall encounters two more gray oozes.

2-2. Library Rooms

The doors are locked. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to open any of the two doors. The room to the south is empty. The one on the north side contains a very old, battered armor. A passive Perception score of 12 or higher or a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that the armor moves slightly. It is an animated armor. Thieves are aware of the presence of this moving armor. However, the day they found it, they thought it best to lock the door again and leave it unbothered.

2-3. Library Depository

A fissure in the wall has filled this place with rocks from the masonry. The room is otherwise empty. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to open any of the doors of the depository. If adventurers take more than three days in the city without taking any action against the monsters, two ochre jellies appear in this room as well.

2-4. Rockslide

A fissure on the wall reveals that the structure of the complex is compromised. It is too small for anything to go through. However, if adventurers take more than three days in the city without taking any action against the monsters, two gray oozes appear in this room as well.

2-5. Stairs

The medium-sized spiral stairs plunge fifty feet deeper and lead to the second level of the library. The first half of the stairs shows clear signs of corrosive damage on the steps and walls. The acidic oozes have not managed to go down any further.

Second Library Level

3-1. Main Hall

The three pillars near the center of the chamber are the base for the ones on the upper level. There appears to be minor signs of wear and erosion in the bases of the pillars. However, A successful DC 18 Intelligence check reveals that the structure will not need any serious maintenance by at least a decade. This level of the library has not been touched by the acid creatures yet. If adventurers take too long to get into action, oozes from the upper level squish through the floor or cracks on the walls and land here.

3-2. Rowan’s Quarters

This is Rowan’s room. He does not actually sleep here but likes to spend time thinking and analyzing his next heist possibilities. The room has a couple of torches on sconces. It contains some of Rowan’s personal belongings such as books, clothes, some fancy perfumes, silk robes, and good quality alcoholic beverages like wine and ale. A passive Perception score of 16 or higher or a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals some pipes and ceramic pieces hidden under a blanket, in a wooden box. These are the missing pieces of the filtration system that would fix the problem.

3-3. Storage Rooms

Both rooms are locked and Rowan has the only key. These rooms are used to store and keep bounties. They are empty at the moment. Rowan and his men do not keep the things they steal for long. They always hurry to remove any evidence in case the place is run over, although the probabilities of such a revision are very low.

3-4. Rockslide

The structural problems from the upper level are visible here too. The compromised structural integrity grows less stable day by day. If adventurers take more than four days in the city without taking any action against the monsters, two gray oozes appear in this area as well.

3-5. Secret Stairs

There is a set of secret medium-sized stairs by the northern wall of the library. Rowan hid these stairs as part of his sabotage plan. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that a section of the wall is nothing but an illusion. The short tunnel leads to the stairs.

Rowan hired a spellcaster to create a permanent illusion effect to hide the stairs from prying eyes.

Filtration System Level

4-1. Cisterns

Going down the last set of stairs gives way to the cisterns. Two massive containers in the center of the room stand in a 500-square-feet pool. Each cistern has a faucet, which in place is connected to the series of pipes and water ducts that lead above the ground. One of the cisterns is broken. A successful DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that it was broken not so long ago.

There are two small rooms west of the cisterns. They are empty except for some rocks which are evidence of the poor state of the structure here too. Builders used them to store their tools long ago.

The area to the north of the cisterns features a similar chamber with other parts of the filtration system. This area is outside the scope of this module and left to the DM’s discretion.

If adventurers wish to find a way to fix the filtration system themselves, a successful DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows character to know what parts are missing. Another successful DC 16 Thieves Tool’s (Investigation) check fixes the problem, as long as the right parts are used for this purpose. If the adventurers try to fix the filtration system with improvised spare parts, the roll is made with disadvantage.

4-2. Pipes Corridor

The main net of aqueducts was built in this long corridor. It is more than 150-feet-long. Rowan’s men also messed up some key pipe connections in here. Two sections of the corridor have fissures on the walls as well.

The guild does not come to this part of the sewers often unless they have to. Primarily, to avoid Gregory, because they consider him annoying. Secondly because there is no real use of this section for them. Whenever more than five people come through here, the sound and vibration of all the water ducts causes three spider swarms come out from the fissures to defend their home. Any square with water pipes in it is considered difficult terrain for the purposes of tactical movement.

4-3. Gregory’s Bridge

Gregory, the hermit that lives in the caves east to the filtration system, managed to build a movable bridge here. It took him months to finish. He recycled trash, wood, and some unused machinery from the filtration area. As a former brick worker, he had some of the knowledge needed. Whenever Gregory goes home (Area 4-4), he activates the mechanism of his bridge with the lever next to it. This way he blocks any possible access to his caves. Adventurers may try to jump across the gap. A successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to reach the other side.

4-4. Gregory’s Caves

Gregory has spent decades here. He has explored tunnels that he dug himself through the years he has been living underground. Gregory does not allow anyone to go near his caves unless they have become his friends, which is very unlikely for he does not have any friends at all.

Important NPC’s

Borin Bennet – Minister of Redbrick City

Everyone seems to like Minister Bennet. Or at least that is what he thinks and tells others whom he speaks to. Borin is a stuck-up fat man. His presumptuous manners and ways scream of his arrogance out loud. Nevertheless, he has enough power to make people’s lives miserable, and he never hesitates to do so if he feels threatened. He does not tolerate verbal aggression to his persona and does not allow for constructive criticism.

He is now on the lookout for adventurers who dare go into the sewers and get rid of the thieves’ guild. He had no idea that the guild existed, and he does not know the guild is responsible for the water problems. He wants to first remove the burglars from there, and then investigate what happened with the cistern systems.

He knows nothing about the engineering of the sewer system, nor does he know about the underground channels. He is useless when it comes to information about the mission.

Bond. Borin does everything in his power to protect his wealth, his status, and his persona. He does not hesitate to step on others to get what he wants.

Instinct. Borin explodes in anger when it comes to verbal aggression. Of course, he only does so to defend himself. He does not care if insults are thrown to people around him, and he does not hesitate either to insult anybody who crosses him.

Flaw. Borin does not cherish violence. He fears it in fact. Borin does anything in his power to avoid physical conflict. He has enough money to hire bodyguards to protect him from harm.

Rowan Sulek – Guild leader

Rowan is a middle-aged human who heads the guild of thieves. He is charismatic, easygoing, and somewhat good looking. He wears his hair long and except for a couple of uneven braids on each side of his head.

His philosophy with the guild is that of a justice warrior. He robs the rich in order to help the poor. He had a hard childhood and he always had to fight for what he wanted. He protects his guild and operations no matter the cost. The guild is all he has and it is everything to him.

Rowan is presently worried about the monster situation underground for it could mean the end of his hiding place. Attacking the jellies upfront has not worked at all. He already lost two men to these acid beasts, and many of his weapons and armors were corroded in the process. He is a good swordsman, but most of his men are nimble and swift. They are good thieves, and although they can defend themselves, the oozes are way out of their league.

He is waiting for Borin’s new mercenaries to come, so he can convince them to work for him instead.

Rowan and his men hid the stairs leading to the filtration system with a simple illusion spell. Rowan did this as a warranty to get the strangers to help. He tells adventurers the location of this secret door as long as they help him first. He also states that denying him help would represent a double fight, as the heroes would have to fight him and his crew first, and then get rid of the monster problem anyway.

Three city engineers are part or Rowan’s men. They know how to fix the cistern in a matter of hours if they have the appropriate spare parts. The missing parts of a couple of pipes, and the pieces needed to fix the broken cistern are in Rowan’s quarters.

Bond. Rowan does anything he can to protect his men and the guild. He puts the guild’s priorities above anything else. This is why he sabotaged the filtration system, regardless of all the innocent people he affected.

Instinct. He does not hesitate to draw his sword whenever he feels threatened.

Flaw. His love for the guild and his men blinds his judgment.

Gloriana – Guild’s Second in Command

The second in command of the thieves’ guild is a tall, tough woman. Her hard looks give a first impression that she is not someone to be messed with. Although, in reality, she is kind, affectionate, and goodhearted.

Gloriana is living a personal dilemma at the moment. She is very fond of the guild, and Rowan too. She has always followed his orders without hesitation and she shares Rowan’s ideal to aid the poor and take from the rich. But stopping the cisterns from working on purpose, affecting all the citizens of Redbrick City, is not something she agreed to. Even when she confronted Rowan and explained her thoughts about it to him, he went on with the plan anyway. She wants to believe it is all for a greater good, and she trusts Rowan to do the right thing once all this is over.

However, she thinks it is a better idea to look for the source of the monsters themselves, and try to find a solution afterward, instead of waiting for Borin to find and hire more people. She believes those monsters are coming for a reason, and she suspects the answer to getting rid of them is above the ground, and not under. She does not want to wait too long because the acid monsters are little by little becoming more numerous somehow.

Bond. Gloriana is in love with Rowan. No one knows this, and it is the main reason Gloriana tolerated the filtration system sabotage. However, she does not think twice to tell others what she really thinks, and tries to convince them of her own idea to solve the problem.

Instinct. She always speaks her mind. No matter the consequences.

Flaw. She is a kleptomaniac. Although she always helps the poor, she has become addicted to robberies.

Gregory – Crazy Hermit in the Sewers

Gregory is a frail, fragile, old man. He has been living in the sewers long before the guild took over the facilities. He was a former brick crafter in Redbrick City. He lives off of rats, bugs, and drinks filtered water. The water problem also concerns him because he no longer has a source of fresh water. This was the only thing that helped him bathe and now he cannot. Gregory reeks of rotten onions and meat.

The guild is aware of his presence but they do not see him as a threat, and he is not a nuisance either. He stays on the lowest level of the sewers, south of the cisterns. He has managed to craft a movable bridge to keep intruders away from the caves he calls home. Since the filtration system stopped working, Gregory has been arguing with guild members. He is aware it was them who damaged the device and does not lose any opportunity to yell at them and insult them.

Gregory is not useless though; he is the only witness of the truth about the oozes and puddings. The caves where he lives are below a main square in the city. From there, it is possible to hear some of the stuff happening in the surface thanks to an unused water pipe that works as a sound amplifier. A couple of weeks ago, he overheard a conversation through this pipe. He heard a couple of people talking about an alchemist. This alchemist is developing corrosion-proof substances. Gregory heard people are complaining due to the wastes and foul smells the alchemist’s experiments detach. Also, as Gregory spends all his time in his caves and the sewers, he believes there is a connection between the alchemist and the sudden birth of the jelly monsters. If adventurers question Gregory he goes back and forth in his story, making it difficult to understand. However, if he is offered food, he tells the story with overwhelming detail.

Bond. Gregory becomes friends of all those who do not judge his looks or his ways. If someone criticizes his way of life, he becomes mean and acts rude to that person.

Instinct. All kinds of food are acceptable.

Flaw. No one messes with his caves and home. Gregory insults anyone who trespasses.

Rulf – The Culprit Alchemist

Rulf is a gnome alchemist. He was born in Redbrick City and has always lived here. He is a gnome that looks older than he really is. This is due to the years he has spent working with chemical substances, his greasy face, and the not-so-good experiments he has done. He specializes in corrosive agents and liquids. His research is about bricks and constructing materials that are corrosion-proof. In order to do so, he experiments with different materials such as bricks, metal, and stone blocks. He applies a special coating to the material he is working with and then attempts to destroy it by submerging it in various pools of acids and corrosive liquids.

Rulf has not had success in his project. Every time he fails, he throws the used brick down the garbage duct his home has. He has been throwing away polluted bricks for weeks now. All this corrosive acids and substances have fallen to the sewer systems, corroding bricks, walls, and stone. The mix of these strong corrosive liquids, summed with the alchemical properties of their origin caused an unexpected reaction. Shapeless unconscious monsters emerged from the foul mix and wandered of.

Bond. Science has to improve. The end justifies the means.

Instinct. Rulf lies if he feels threatened. He tries to hide the truth about his experiments.

Flaw. Failing in one of his experiments only turns him more motivated to succeed.

Adventure Ideas

Adventurers have different options on how to approach the situation in Redbrick City. These are a few options for the DM to implement this module.

  1. Help Borin Bennet. Accept the payment of one thousand gold pieces and get rid of Rowan and his men by force. This would mean taking Rowan and about two dozen of his men. In case the guild is dealt with, adventurers would have to free the sewers from the acid monsters anyway. This could represent a moment of regret for the party, in which they could look for Rowan’s favor again, as long as the guild members were arrested and not killed.
  1. Help Rowan Sulek. Ignore Borin and his job proposal or taking it anyways is independent of the adventurers’ decision to help Rowan. If they accept to help the guild, Rowan helps in the cleaning of the sewers. Rowan pays the job with four hundred gold pieces and allows the party to keep anything they find. If this is the path adventurers take, Rowan’s quarters stay off boundaries unless it is entered by force, without Rowan noticing. 
  1. Help Gloriana. Gloriana tries to convince adventurers to help her find the source of the monsters. This implies doing some research and exploring the city. Gregory is an important character in the plot if the party decides to take this road. Interviewing the hermit is not easy, as he is no longer within his five senses, but once he tells them what he saw, getting to the truth is a matter of time. Adventurers might need two or three days of searching in order to find Rulf, the alchemist. This causes the sewers to become more infected and invaded. The gnome does not have any problem with helping solve his mess, as long as his future research is safe. 
  1. Deal with Rulf. The alchemist does not wish to be put down, nor arrested. He did not know his experiments were creating foul monsters. If the party avoids threats or violence, he helps them deal with the oozes. He can give the adventurers a special coating for their metal weapons and armor which reduces by half the corroding effect on them when dealing with the acid creatures. If the party decides to turn his back on Rulf, he does not tell them about the protective coating and lets the heroes deal with the monsters by themselves. This is the hardest path for the adventure, for the time spent looking for the alchemist allows for the number of foes underground to multiply. Plus, not having the protection the alchemist can provide might be the downfall of all metal equipment they carry. 
  1. Fix the Sewers. No matter what the adventurers choose, the main objective is to fix the filtration system. If the guild is removed then the situation worsens because the engineers are part of it. The spare parts to fix the cisterns are hidden in Rowan’s quarters.

Once the filtration system is repaired, the cisterns and the water pipes start filtrating the water. The filtration process causes a buzzing sound that fills the room. The reinstated water flow pushes the jelly monsters out of their hiding places in the ducts and dumps them in the pool around the cisterns.

One black pudding, one gray ooze, and two ochre jellies appear in Area 4-1 if the adventurers are working together with Rowan and his guild. Reduce this encounter to three gray oozes and two ochre jellies if the adventurers are fighting alone.

 General features

Smells and Sounds. The sewers smell bad, the air is heavy, and they are humid. The two levels of the library are not as humid as the first level, but as the days go by, the oozes reproduce and cause the place to reek. The sound of flowing and dripping water is perceptible in all sections of the underground complex.

Doors. The underground complex features wooden doors. They arein bad shape, for the humidity of the place has swollen the material for years. All of them are unlocked unless it is stated otherwise.

Terrain. Gray blocks of stone conform to all the levels of the sewers. They are old and ancient. Sticky goo corrodes the floor where the oozes have been to. It is important to emphasize this as the days go by. The more adventurers take to make a decision on how to solve this, the conditions of the stone blocks diminish to the point of creating holes that go from one level to another.

Light. The guild makes campfires whenever they need to. Otherwise, they always bring lanterns with them. The only place with proper lighting is Rowan’s room, lit by torches.

Guild’s Composition. The members of the guild share the following stats regardless of the adventurer’s decision to help them or fight them. Rowan is a bandit captain. Gloriana’s stats are those of a thug. Six members of the guild can fight, they are scouts. The rest of the guild are three dozen people. The stewards, errand boys, engineers and the like are all commoners.

Filtration System. Even though all the pipe connections are old, they have had decent maintenance and they work well enough. Rowan’s sabotage is repairable. The engineers working with him know what they did to stop its functioning step by step and can undo it. The cisterns system is quiet and still. Once it is repaired, it makes a permanent buzzing noise and filtrates the water.

Gregory’s Bridge. The hermit used recycled materials to build his movable platform. The mechanism can only be activated from the east side. If Gregory is home (Area 4-4), he never forgets to draw the bridge to one side, therefore impeding anyone who wishes to trespass from entering. The lever that activates the bridge is well oiled and this makes it easy to move.

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