L2-11c. Pillar Truss - Broken Span
The floor drops away into a jagged 12-foot trench, ten feet down, where the corridor has caved into natural stone. One brace post still stands half-set; the other two lie shattered. A single cap-slab leans nearby, cracked but usable. Heat-damp air sighs from a dark tunnel that slopes under the collapse. Triple-stack
What this room is
A collapsed span offering a quick cross or a detour below—your party chooses: fix-and-go, scramble, or head into the caverns toward L2-09.
No monsters staged here by default. Noise draws a Ruby work party.
Quick-run options (pick one; no puzzles)
A) Careful Cross (fast):
- Lay the cap-slab across the narrowest bite (clearly marked with a ruby dot).
- Two creatures lift/steady: Athletics DC 10 (group check). Success: slab seats; everyone crosses single file at half speed, no rolls.
- Fail by 1–4: it squeals (Attention +1) but holds.
- Fail by 5+: a corner slips—first crosser makes DEX DC 12 or falls 10 ft (1d6), prone.
B) Rope & Scramble (no lifting):
- An iron rung is set into the far sill. Throw or shoot a line and hand-over-hand across.
- With rope: Acrobatics DC 10 (advantage in light armor or lighter).
- Without rope: Acrobatics DC 13 along the broken edge. Failure = fall 10 ft (1d6).
C) Go Under (safe, slower):
- Climb down the rubble lip (Athletics DC 8), then follow the natural tunnel (70 ft, damp and warm) to a small cavern that joins the L2-09 Flame Transept network. From there, you can rejoin the crypts via L2-09a Lift Well or loop back toward L2-03 Mortuary.
- Roll once on the Cavern Intrusion subtable (rats/darkmantle/grick/ember-skins) when you choose this route.
Table tip: Announce all three options. Let the players choose; resolve with 1 short roll or none.
Hazards & noise (keep it light)
- Stone Bite (only if they rush or shout): when they sprint or bellow across the work bay, a floor slit snaps: DEX 13, 2d6 slashing, Attention +1.
- Heat draft: the under-tunnel is humid and warm; torches sputter but don’t go out.
What the Suel left (tiny cache)
- In a wall niche: tapping hammer, 1 oath-nail, ruby chalk (1 use).
- Scratched on the standing post in Old Suloise: “If the span fails, under-ash holds.” (a nudge to the tunnel)
Options & player ingenuity
- Oath-nails: Hammering an oath-nail through a post’s footplate locks it without the stud sequence (quicker but loud; +1 Attention).
- Brace-Hammer of Golbi: Using this item to tap studs grants a free rerun if a step is flubbed (forgiveness, not speed).
- Rope line: PCs can tie a line to post B to give themselves advantage on the DEX 12 slip check when crossing an unlocked span.
Rewards & caches
- Tool niche: 2 oath-nails, tapping hammer, ruby chalk (1 use).
- Reliquary drawer under post C (press studs 1-3-5-2-4-6 while holding the six-count): Stonebond token (as in 11b) or mason’s square (your choice if they didn’t get one yet).
Exits
- East: back to the mid-spine toward the Hall of Pillars.
- West: the corridor continues to L2-11d “The Quiet Draft.”
- Down: natural tunnel to L2-09. Flame Transept — “Under-Ash Service” (two-way).
Boxed outcomes (snappy lines)
Slab seats (Option A success):
The stone settles with a low click—steady enough if you mind your step.
Rope crossing (Option B success):
With the line tight, your weight skims the gap; grit rains into the dark below.
Drop to tunnel (Option C chosen):
Heat breathes from the under-ash. The walls turn from cut ashlar to slick, veined rock—and the tick of the six-count fades to a slow drip.
Pillar Truss - Broken Span by 3orcs
Layout & Features (DM quick-run)
- Room Type: Collapsed span in a service corridor; now a choice point: cross above or drop to caverns (links toL2-09. Flame Transept — “Under-Ash Service”).
- The Gap: 12-ft wide trench, ~10 ft deep, jagged ashlar edges; warm air rises from a natural tunnel sloping southwest beneath.
- Set Post: One brace post remains half-seated near the brink (cosmetic—no puzzle use).
- Loose Stone: 1 cracked cap-slab (3×8 ft) leaned against a recess; two shattered post stubs; scattered rubble (difficult terrain at the lip).
- Anchors: An iron rung set in the far sill; a drilled ring bolt on the near wall (for rope or winch).
- Alcove Banks: Triple-stack niches on both sides (8×4×5 ft a few are empty; bronze name-plates intact.
- Tool Niche: Small recess (eye-level) with tapping hammer, 1 oath-nail, ruby chalk (1 use); scratched note in Old Suloise: “If the span fails, under-ash holds.”
- Environmental Cues: Faint six-beat tick in the stone; heat-damp draft from below; soot smudges on cap-slab corners (it’s been tried before).
Patrol Trigger
Type
Crypt
Parent Location
Owning Organization
DM notes (run fast)
- Keep this player-skill, not dice. If they keep the cadence and order, it works.
- Use noise to press tension: a squeal or shouted count brings the work party on a clock.
- If they refuse the ritual, let them scramble with DEX 12 checks across wobbling spans; they’ll learn why the Suel used the brace.
- Reward good table rhythm—audibly counting together earns the clean lock and no Attention.
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