L1-22. Red-Tiled Main Way Skull’s Spine
Darkness swallows a long, straight hall of red stone. Your lantern throws a crawling cone of light over glossy tiles and brass seams; every sixth tile bears the faintest ledger mark, like a heartbeat in stone. The corridor runs east for nearly one-hundred-fifty feet, its walls punctuated by doors and black mouths of side passages. Somewhere ahead, a chill draft brushes past your boots like a warning.
Suel function & motif (ancient use)
- Purpose: A processional “spine” for clergy and stewards—timed steps, ordered chants, and watch points.
- Motifs to show:
- Lendor (Order/Time): the sixth-tile cadence (hairline runes you can feel more than see).
- Wee Jas (Law/Funerary): brass seam-lines that once locked doors to ritual pace.
- Pyremius (Fire/Defense): blackened vents and heat stains where the hall meets defense galleries.
Table rule (reward reading the room): if characters state they advance by measured count or chant, give advantage on one check here to notice a hazard (secret door, trap, ambushers). Rushing or shouting imposes disadvantage on Stealth until they slow.
Layout from West → East (starting at Area 1 entrance)
- North wall (left as you walk east):
- Door to Room 10 (Ogre Den)
- Door to Room 11 (Red-Sack Cell)
- North-running cross-corridor blocked by a closed portcullis (temple-wide corridor beyond)
- Door to Room 12 (Burnt-Icon Cell)
- Door to Room 13 (Stag-Chair Cell)
- Midway secret door to Room 7 – Gauntlet Walk (details below)
- South wall (right as you walk east):
- Directly opposite the portcullis: Double doors to Room 18 (Bodyguard Bedchamber)
- Directly across from Room 12: a wide red corridor leads south into darkness; about halfway down that south run lies Room 19 – Urzhag Grey-Howl, Warband Chief (boss).
- Far east end: the Final Measure Pit (trap; drops to Level 2 crypt halls).
Map callouts: Mark the hall length at 150 ft. Place the secret door roughly mid-run on the north wall (between Rooms 11 and 12). Put the portcullis mouth between Rooms 11 and 12 as described above, with Room 18 directly opposite on the south.
Features & checks
The cadence tiles (ever-present)
- Spot the pattern: DC 12 Religion/Investigation to notice every sixth tile bears a hairline rune; advantage to spot hidden seams and pressure plates in this corridor.
Secret Door to Room 7 (north wall, mid-run)
- Appearance: a flush panel of red stone whose grout lines “skip” the sixth-tile cadence.
- Find: DC 14 Perception/Investigation (or DC 12 if moving by measured count).
- Open: DC 14 Thieves’ Tools or press the correct six-count: three taps, pause, three taps (Lendor’s measure). Swings silently inward to the Gauntlet Walk.
North Portcullis (temple-wide corridor)
- Gate: Iron bars, down and locked. AC 19, HP 27; DC 17 Athletics to lift 3 ft (maintain each round).
- Noise: Raising/striking here alerts adjacent rooms in 1–2 rounds.
- Graffiti: Blue crescents (Howling Moon) and tally cuts on the jambs.
Double Doors to Room 18 (south wall, opposite the gate)
- Thick oak banded with iron. AC 15, HP 22; DC 14 Athletics to force. Blood spatter on the outer faces.
Southward Red Corridor (across from Room 12)
- Wide (10 ft), red-tiled, unlit; drops slightly as it runs south. At its midpoint is Room 19 (Urzhag Grey-Howl). Sound from the main spine carries into it and back like a speaking tube.
Encounters & patrols (use as needed)
- Quiet patrol: 2 orcs moving east→west, horn with one; Stealth DC 13 to avoid at lantern range.
- Alert patrol (after a fight anywhere nearby): 3–5 orcs plus a bugbear or an elite; they pause to check the portcullis and Room 18 doors before sweeping east.
- Ogre tell: deep scuff arcs near Room 10 from Diirag’s feet; Survival DC 11 to read direction.
Major Trap — The Final Measure
(east end)
A Suel fail-safe made for invaders who break cadence. The last two tiles of the corridor form a concealed counterweighted platform over a vertical shaft.
- Theme: Lendor’s Last Measure—if you rush or break count, you’re judged and dropped.
- Where: The entire 10-ft by 5-ft landing at the corridor’s east end.
Lendor’s Last Measure — Wall Motif
(at the east end of Room 22)
Placement. The carving sits on the north wall, within 10 feet of the corridor’s final landing (the pit location). There’s no fixed light here; it reveals itself only in lantern-glow.
Your lantern finds a shallow relief: a robed figure with a star-shaped hourglass behind his head holds a balance scale over the red tiles. Brass lines pick out the beam and chains; six tiny bead marks climb each arm of the scale, and a small pendulum is carved beneath like a metronome. A ribbon of script curls along the base.
Red-Tiled Main Way Skull’s Spine by 3orcs
Detect & understand
- Passive clues: a barely cooler draft (DC 12 Perception) and hairline brass arcs that don’t match the rest of the seams.
- Active search: DC 15 Investigation to feel the slightest give; or pole-tap grants advantage.
- Lore (optional): DC 12 Religion to connect the six-count cadence to a likely fail-safe near a terminus.
Interactions (tie-ins to the trap)
- Measured Rite (safe pass). A creature who touches the right-hand pan and speaks or taps a six-count (one round of deliberate pacing) locks the pit mechanism for 1 round; the party can cross safely in cadence. (Each creature may benefit once per short rest.)
- Haste Telltale. Pressing the left-hand pan emits a faint click and a whisper of air from the landing—subtle warning that haste triggers the device.
- Disable Stud. The pendulum’s bob hides a narrow stud. Thieves’ Tools DC 16 (or Religion DC 16 while chanting the six-count) wedges the brake, disarming the pit until reset (an hour or a lever below).
- Lore Reward. If a player states they “match the scale marks to their steps,” grant advantage on the next check to detect or avoid the pit.
Trigger
- Stepping onto the landing without declaring measured pace or placing 30+ lb on any two opposite corners causes the platform to hinge downward (instant). A creature may make a Dex save DC 14 to leap back to safety (land prone).
If They Fall
(brief, see L2-23 for details)
- Drop: 30 ft to the crypt level; the shaft opens into the Laogzed’s Crawl approach tunnels.
- Where they land:
- If the troglodyte net is strung (L2-23C): the victim is restrained in a sagging wide net 4 ft above the floor (fall reduced). Trogs attempt to lash, drag, and bind; reinforcements arrive in 2–4 rounds.
- If no net: the victim hits stone in the L2-23 corridor pocket (normal fall damage) amid troglodyte camp sign; nearby scouts may investigate within 1–2 rounds.
- Noise/Alert: A fall counts as a noisy event for both levels: trigger L1 response clocks as written and begin L2 checks in Laogzed’s Crawl.
- See also: L2-23. Laogzed’s Crawl (raid way, camps, shaman) and L2-23C. Catch-Pit Cavern (net, bindings).
Disable / bypass
- Disable: DC 16 Thieves’ Tools to fix the brake wedges; failure by 5+ causes a partial drop (Dex save DC 12 to avoid).
- Brace: two iron spikes or a bench (from nearby rooms) prevent the hinge (DC 12 Sleight of Hand).
- Solve by rite: Advancing by measured chant (players say so) allows the party to cross safely—the mechanism listens for the six-count and locks for one round.
Read-aloud — Perceived
Your light skims over the final landing. A colder breath lifts from the stone; the brass seams here curve oddly, like the outline of a lid. The cadence marks on the tiles… stop.
Read-aloud — Triggered
Click—silence—then the whole landing drops like a jaw, red stone vanishing beneath your boots as the black throat of the temple swallows you whole.
Response clock (from this corridor)
- Any loud door/portcullis activity or a fall into the pit pulls: nearest elite room in 1 round; chief/bodyguards by 3–4 rounds; barracks flood by 6 rounds. Footfalls and shouts echo brutally—warn your table.
Running tips
- Reward cadence. If players lean into the Suel “walk by count,” pay them: earlier secret-door finds, safer trap approaches, quieter doors.
- Use darkness. Let the cone of a single lantern create tension—things exist just outside the light.
- Foreshadow the boss. From the south corridor you can stage a distant wolf-like howl or the clink of armor—Urzhag is down there.
- Make the spine legible. Re-state landmarks as they pass: “left—10, 11; iron bars ahead; right—double doors splashed dark; farther—12, 13; and the red floor seems to end…”
Red-Tiles corridor by 3orcs
Area tags
main artery, stealth/perception, navigation hub, secret door, portcullis, major trap (drop to Level 2), Suel motifs (Lendor • Wee Jas • Pyremius)
Light • sound • smell
- No fixed light sources. Only what the party brings. Polished red tiles reflect lantern light in broken gleams; shadows are deep and deceptive.
- Sound carries far: a whispered word travels 40–60 ft; metal on stone rings the length of the hall.
- Scents drift by section: old oil (west), wet leather and meat (near Rooms 10–13), iron and smoke (opposite 18).
Type
Temple / Religious complex
Parent Location
Owning Organization
Contested By
Red-Tiled Main Way
Random Encounter Chart
When to roll:
- Roll 1d20 every 10 minutes of exploration on this corridor, or whenever the party makes loud noise (door bashing, armor clatter, shouting).
- Alert modifier: If nearby fights have already happened, add +5; if the horn has sounded or a corpse has been found, add +10.
- Suel cadence: If the party declares they advance by measured count/chant, they have advantage on Stealth/Perception checks during the encounter and subtract 2 from the roll.
1d20 Red-Tiled Encounters (Room 22)
1–2. Empty, but the hall breathes. A cold draft licks the boots; lantern light shows hairline brass arcs near the far landing (foreshadows the Final Measure Pit). Perception DC 12 to clock the draft.
- Faint ritual echo. A single chime like a metronome—then silence. Anyone moving by cadence gains advantage on the next check to spot hazards this watch.
- Rat wave. Swarm of Rats crosses the beam, scattering into cracks. Startled creatures make Dex DC 10 or kick a tile for +5 noise on your next roll.
- Oil tang. The smell of old oil drifts from the west. Those who investigate hear a distant chain clank from behind walls (murder galleries). Investigation DC 12 reveals blue crescent daubs near the portcullis jamb.
- Loose ledger tile. A sixth-tile sits a hair high. Investigation DC 13 spots it; stepping on it adds +5 to the next encounter roll (sound carries).
- Two-orc sweep (quiet). 2 Orcs pad east→west, one with a horn. Stealth DC 13 to avoid; if seen, they challenge then back toward Room 18.
- Lever checkers. 2 Orcs emerge briefly from the secret door (Room 7), check the hall, and slip back. If pursued, they try to lure the party toward Portcullis A/B.
- Cross-corridor glance. From the south corridor (toward Room 19), a scout and runner pass (2 Orcs). If lights are visible, they duck back and warn Urzhag (increase alert by +5).
- Elite prowl. Ushnak or Mogruk (your choice) makes a pass with 1 orc. If they spot lanterns, they ready throws from a doorway and retreat to their rooms (11 or 12) to hold a choke.
- Bodyguard check. One of Krak’s bodyguards cracks the Room 18 door to listen, then steps out. If the party is within 30 ft, he holds the threshold and horns for help next round.
- Ogre scent. Heavy foot-scuffs near Room 10; Diirag sniffs under the door and growls. If the party lingers within 20 ft, he bursts out (roll initiative) unless already engaged elsewhere.
- Shaman’s warding. The orc shaman and 1 guard pass quickly, avoiding the Wee Jas doors (Area 6). If confronted, he spits curses and retreats south; capture yields clues about the crypt “un-living.”
- Drip and smear. A fresh blood smear crosses the red tiles. Survival DC 12 tracks it to a door of your choice (10–13/18). Following raises the next encounter roll by +5 (you’re hurrying).
- Barracks surge. 1d4+1 Orcs hustle east, late for a horn that never sounded. If surprised, they scatter; if not, they form a line and Aggressive rush.
- Ambush in the dark. Lights out behind the party; an elite orc with 2 Orcs attempt a door-frame ambush from 11 or 12. Perception DC 14 (advantage if moving by cadence) to catch them.
- Gate rattle. The north portcullis lifts 3 ft with a chain grind, then slams. Anyone near must make Dex DC 12 or take 2d6 from the slamming bar. Noise adds +10 to the next roll.
- Owl-bear totem smear. Painty prints (from Room 18’s floor stencil) track the hall. Following them quietly gives advantage on Stealth; stepping in them imposes disadvantage until cleaned.
- Urzhag’s shadow. From the south corridor, a wolf-like howl answers your voices. Next encounter roll on this corridor counts as 20 unless the party douses lights or retreats (his hunters are coming).
- Final Measure Pit in play. The east landing unlocks. First creature within 10 ft must pass Perception DC 15 to notice the subtle hinge shift; stepping out of cadence or placing weight wrong drops the platform (see trap text in Room 22). Anyone who falls alerts Level 2 immediately and spikes the corridor to +10 alert.
Quick usage notes
- Response clock still applies. Any fight here pulls nearby rooms in 1 round, chief/bodyguards by 3–4, barracks by 6.
- Leverage the hall. Parties that seize doorways or the portcullis mouth can gate foes and dictate the clash.
- Reward Suel literacy. If players call out cadence, ledger tiles, or Wee Jas rites, give them earlier warnings and cleaner crosses past hazards.
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