Patreon Supported Adventures – Torture Chambers of the Inquisitor

In a medium sized trade city a large number of homeless have gone missing. The local governor would normally pay no mind to this as it relieves the city of what he considers to be riff-riff. However, the people of the lower districts have come together to appeal aid and have unwittingly caused a ruckus in the noble districts in the process. With no recourse but to investigate or throw the noble district into chaos the governor has sent out a missive to any foolhardy enough: Find and stop whatever is taking the homeless and if need be rescue those who can be saved.

Missive of the Troubled Governor.The missive of the governor has reached the party and eager for the reward (500 gp) and agree to the quest.

An Old Friend. One of the party members once journeyed with and formed a fast friendship with an old dwarf named Bomgi. After the two split to go on their separate roads Bomgi ran into some troubled times and ended up as one of the homeless forgotten on the streets of the city. Only recently did the player discover their old friend’s fate but before they could make it to the city Bomgi was among the many who vanished.

An Old Wound. The party’s cleric or paladin (or both if they serve the same god) receive word from their order about the recent activity in the city and request that they investigate. The letter tells the sad story of a Church Inquisitor who fell to darkness. The Order believes that someone has found the Inquisitor’s dark secret and is copying the fallen Inquisitor’s final, horrible acts. The Church requests that the copy-cat be eliminated and that any link to the Church be removed.

Book of Secrets. It is rumored that long ago a great dark mage created a book that in its pages held every dark secret of any individual alive or dead. All the owner of the book had to do was whisper the name of the person and that person’s secrets would be theirs to know. The dark mage supposedly vanished from the city ages ago, leaving behind all his worldly goods except for the Book of Secrets.

The Torture Chambers have a grand total of seven areas. The seventh area is locked away until the players find the five keys to unlock it. The halls connecting the chambers are patrolled by the victims of the Inquisitor. Every 500 feet the characters have a 3 in 6 chance of encountering one of the following:

This area is a stairway that leads up into the sewers of the city and a door that is locked by five keyholes arranged into the shape of a pentagram. Once the characters have the five keys those keys must be placed in the corresponding holes to the rooms the keys were located in. Should a character not put the keys in correctly they will be struck by a lightning spell trap.

Dozens of hanging metal coffins dangle from the ceiling of this area and lay on their sides upon the ground. The floor and some of the cages have ancient moldy bones. A single living homeless person, a dwarf named Bomgi, is trapped in one of the hanging coffins. When the players enter he will tell them to run. As soon as he finishes speaking four of the coffins will attack the players. Should Bomgi survive the attack and is freed by the players he will request that he come along to aid them (treat as hireling by rules of choice)

Enemies – Hanging Coffins(8): HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Slam 1d6; Move 6; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240; SPC on a successful attack the Hanging Coffin has a 4 in 6 chance to attempt to capture its target within itself (save negates). While trapped the target receives ½ the damage the Hanging Coffin does from any attacks. While trapped the target cannot move or make any actions that are not vocal.

Treasure – Approximately 25 gp worth of gold and jewels litters the ground.

Key Location – rear wall being held by a skeleton.

A richly appointed chamber with fine carpets and tapestries. A side board against one wall has liquors of ever y variety available to drink as the players please. However, these bottles are laced with a poison that will magically over hydrate the drinker’s body until they explode. When the character’s enter this room they are enchanted by a spell that rings the door. This spell causes them to be overly thirsty. Any supplies they may have do not sate the thirst they feel. The effects of this spell last twelve hours. If a character succeeds a saving throw against either spell three times in a row he is disenchanted and cannot be re-enchanted in that way for twenty-four hours.

Enemies – None

Treasure – None

Key Location – Resting on the sideboard.

Large narrow spikes cover nearly every inch of this chamber. Hundreds of bones line the floor and a few more recent bodies slowly rot on the spikes. Once the characters are in the room the spikes come to life and writhe like snakes as they try to impale the characters.

Enemies – Living Spikes (50): HD 4: AC 2[18]; Atk Stab 1d4; Move 0; Save 14; CL/XP 5/240 spc on a to-hit roll of 20 or better the target is impaled on the spike and receives 2d4 damage per round until he is removed from the spike.

Treasure – Approximately 50 gp worth of gold.

Key location – On the floor carelessly dropped among the bones.

This large pit of the room is a squirming mass of giant, rats who have grown large and dangerous in the centuries they have been used as instruments of torture and death. At the mere scent of human or demi-human flesh the two dozen or so giant rats will fly into a frenzy and attempt to devour the nearest character.

Enemies – Giant Rats (24): HD 3; AC 6[13]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 14; CL/XP 3/120; Special: 5% are diseased.

Treasure – None

Key location – Stuck in the gap of a Giant Rat’s teeth.

This room is a giant sphere made up of five-foot wide sections of alternately moving wheels. Each wheel has 30 blunt, metal shafts extending from it at a distance of fifteen feet. The rooom itself spins as well at a rate of every three minutes, turning to a different angel. If hit by a shaft the player is knocked off balance for 2d6 damage and must succeed a saving throw or fall helplessly into the device and receive an additional 2d6 damage for every round he fails a saving throw.

Enemies – None

Treasure – None

Key location – Stuck against the center most shaft.

This room is richly appointed. The walls are covered in a velvet wall paper and tapestries. From the five walls of the chamber a single faucet breaks through the wallpaper and various other tapestries. If any of these should be turned on it will issue forth blood not water. The Inquisitor is no where to be found until the character have explored the whole room. Once this has occurred the players will be overcome by fog that well be sucked into the form of the Inquisitor. While happy to talk to the characters he soon grows tired of it and attacks.

Enemies – The Inquisitor (Vampire)

Treasures – 250 gp worth in jewels and gold. The Book of Secrets found in a false drawer.

Should the players be fully successful in their mission they will find that the city has released a breathe it did not know it was holding. The Governor reluctantly pays the characters and sends them on their way with a promise of future employment if their services and talents are needed again. If the characters rescued Bomgi he will beg for the adventurers to take him on as a faithful retainer. The book, while evil, is of little use unless the owner rolls a critical success. Otherwise the book lies.

With the Inquisitor dead the questions that still remain are simple. Why did the torture chamber exist at all, especially if it truly belonged to a good god or goddess. Further who or what turned the Inquisitor into what he was in the end?