the Old Delve

A shrine. Resting here heals the party; the gold leaf on the altar could be stripped instead. Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong.

They might have chosen to sing the third harmony, or attune the resonances — Margaret Cavendish made the case: "I did not memorize this spell to whisper it." The party chose to endure the discord.

🔊 The discord tears at the ears and nerves, and the party comes out of it well apart, each of them having walked away from the sound in a different direction. 3 damage, and no line to speak of.

A library. The party can study here to learn spells. Shelves sag under books nobody has audited in a century. A font holds water that has been still a long time and is somehow clean.

They might have chosen to read the sealed texts, or study the shelves — Cornelius Agrippa made the case: "Stand back — this is the part I'm for." The party chose to strip the shelves.

📚 The wizard strips sagging shelves: a scroll of Shelf-Found Working for the grimoire.

A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through.

They might have chosen to answer it in its own tongue, or identify the disputed thing — Paracelsus made the case: "The Work is a devotion. The explosions are incidental." The party chose to negotiate with it.

🤝 The grievance is real, old, and settleable. It stands aside, and pays 20 gold out of a hoard it says was never the point. +25 score. 🎓 Everything this asks for, the party happens to have brought: +25 renown.

A chittering rat swarm holds the room (attack 1, health 4). The party must decide how to get past it. It is a swarm: spell openings hit it ×1.5. It keeps clear of the torches: weak to fire (fire damage ×1.5). Pillars break the room into aisles — something to fight behind. A crack runs the width of the room, wide enough to matter and too wide to jump twice.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Margaret Cavendish made the case: "Range is a suggestion. Watch." The party chose to open with a combat spell.

🔥 The caster opens with Fireball, chosen precisely for the monster's fire weakness: spell damage ×1.5. ⚔️ A chittering rat swarm is dead before the party closes: it never gets a round. 📐 The party meets it standing as the last room left them. 🔪 Six knives arrive before the party does: 4 damage before the first round. 🗡️ The daggers land before the argument starts: nothing comes back in the first round. 🎒 6 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.

🛡️ The order settles with Cornelius Agrippa at the head of it: whatever comes, comes to them.

A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong.

They might have chosen to inspect it first, or leave it alone — Margaret Cavendish made the case: "I did not survive the academy by standing in the open." The party chose to loot the treasure.

💰 The party loots the chest: 55 gold. 📜 Also in the hoard: a scroll of Cause Fear, added to the grimoire.

A chittering rat swarm holds the room (attack 1, health 4). The party must decide how to get past it. It is a swarm: spell openings hit it ×1.5. It keeps clear of the torches: weak to fire (fire damage ×1.5). A bed of rusted spikes stands out of the floor, most of them still upright. Half the ceiling is on the floor, in pieces worth stepping around.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Cornelius Agrippa made the case: "If it bleeds on me, that's how I know it's working." The party chose to put it onto the floor spikes.

🔻 The party drives the monster back onto a bed of rusted floor spikes: 3 damage, and it has to pull itself off them. ⚔️ A chittering rat swarm is finished before it can strike back. 🔪 Six knives arrive before the party does: 4 damage before the first round. 🗡️ The daggers land before the argument starts: nothing comes back in the first round. 🧱 The party fights from behind a fall of rubble: 1 less damage per round. 🎒 3 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.

A treasure chest sits in the room. It may hold gold; it may be a mimic. A sarcophagus stands against the wall with its lid slightly wrong. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them.

They might have chosen to appraise the three chests, or pick the chest that was opened before — Paracelsus made the case: "Run first. The reaction can finish without us." The party chose to read the maker's mark.

🏺 The mark of Maestro Cellini seals the chest — his work alone was worth the journey. +35 gold, +20 score. 🎓 It is answered from three directions at once and stays answered: +25 renown.

A connecting corridor. Nothing blocks the way; the party moves through. A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns. Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them.

They might have chosen to search the room methodically, or divine what is hidden here — Pico della Mirandola made the case: "Magic is prayer with better handwriting." The party chose to observe every detail.

👁️ Hidden in plain sight: an alcove holding coin and small valuables, overlooked by a hundred hurrying parties. +15 gold, +18 score. 🎓 A second pair of hands that knows what it sees: +10 renown.

🚶 The party looks into the barracks wing (bunkrooms and a picked-over weapon rack) and keeps to the main route.

A gelatinous horror holds the room (attack 2, health 6). The party must decide how to get past it. Plate and chitin cover it: the party's blows do 2 less damage each round. It flinches from the cold: weak to frost (frost damage ×1.5). Somebody stacked supplies here and never came back for them. A crack runs the width of the room, wide enough to matter and too wide to jump twice.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Margaret Cavendish made the case: "I asked permission for this spell. Twice." The party chose to put it down the crack in the floor.

🌑 The party works the monster to the edge and puts it into a crack across the floor: 5 damage on the way down. ⚔️ A gelatinous horror is finished before it can strike back. 💢 Sunder reminds the plate it was ore: it stops turning blows for the rest of the fight. 🔪 Six knives arrive before the party does: 4 damage before the first round. 🗡️ The daggers land before the argument starts: nothing comes back in the first round. 🎒 3 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.

The boss chamber. The Dragon Whelp of the Deep Vault waits at its center (attack 4, health 12); killing it clears the dungeon. It flinches from the cold: weak to frost (frost damage ×1.5). A portcullis hangs raised above the passage, on a chain that still turns. A brazier burns in its bracket — nobody has been here to feed it, and it burns anyway.

They might have chosen to stand and fight, or fall back — Cornelius Agrippa made the case: "My shield works best with me behind it and everything else very far away." The party chose to shove it into the brazier.

🔥 The party drives the monster into a brazier still burning: 10 fire damage. ⚔️ The Dragon Whelp of the Deep Vault is finished before it can strike back. 🔪 Six knives arrive before the party does: 4 damage before the first round. 🗡️ The daggers land before the argument starts: nothing comes back in the first round. 🧱 The party fights from behind a row of squat pillars: 1 less damage per round. 🎒 3 more preparations hold besides — the ledger keeps them.