L1-17. Ruby-Skull Cell 'Bodyguard Quarters'

Features & treasure

Sprung Needle Chest

A squat iron-bound chest sits under the fresco; a spring needle protrudes from the lock.

• State: already triggered; the needle is extended and still venomous. Touching the keyplate inflicts 1 piercing + Con save DC 13 or 7 (2d6) poison and Poisoned for 8 hours.
• Safe open: Thieves’ Tools DC 10 to tape and snap the needle aside; DC 12 to then open without further mishap.
• Inside (as given):
• Tiny hammer & miniature anvil (esoteric rite tools; 10 gp to a Suel scholar).
• Mortar & pestle sets — small, medium, large (alchemical kit components; 15 gp total).
• A pouch of shiny, polished stones (pretty but worthless).

Bed & rack

• Armor pegs, a whetstone, a skin of sour ale. The bed can be flipped (object interaction) to create half cover (AC +2) from the doorway.

Map notes

• Single entrance; place the fresco opposite the door; bed along one long wall; chest beneath the fresco; rack beside the door. Leave a 5-ft fighting lane.

DM tips

• Lean on the doorway choke—these two are trained to hold thresholds.
• Use the sprung needle as environmental danger if a PC or orc is shoved into the chest.
• Let a player who identifies Wee Jas earn advantage on one Insight or Investigation check in this room (they read the space’s purpose).

Response clock from here:

• Chief + lieutenants: arrive round 4.
• Barracks orcs: flood round 6.
• Room 18 bodyguards will also check this room next round if they hear steel.

Orc door-barks (2nd-person, table-ready)

“You breathe loud, filth. Found you! Now try and hide from this!”
“Hands high, swine—Drop steel or feed the floor, maggot!”
“You are weak! I am stroooonng!”

Room 17 — Door Challenge

Grakha “Skull-Chain” (chain clinking against his jaw): “You. I hear you breathing, filth. Scratch my door again and you feed my floor, maggot.”

Morzh “Red-Gleam” (breastplate scrapes as he stands): “Show temple seal—now. No? Then you’re scum dunghill with shiny sticks.”

Grakha: “Hands high, swine. I pick which one to nail to the wood.”

Morzh: “Open gentle if you want words. Kick it, and your scream ends with my axe.”

If the party keeps fussing with the door / starts to force it:

Grakha: “Found you! Now try and hide from this!”

Morzh: “No more games… time to die! I smelled your fear, human!”

Grakha: “I’ll wear your bones around my neck! Ha ha ha!”

Morzh (low growl): “Drop steel or I take your arms for supper.”

If the party hesitates or backs off down the hall:

Morzh: “Where’d you go, little bleeder? Gonna find you… gonna KILL you!”

Grakha: “Hey! You disappear? No fair! Come back—be a good pink-skin and die proper.”

Morzh: “You can’t hide from us… I can taste your fear!”

If they threaten to fight / call allies:

Grakha: “Chief hears your squeal in one breath. Grey-Howl takes the debt!”

Morzh: “Last chance—captured or carved. Choose quick, swine.”