What Little Remains - A Crossword Dungeon

What Little Remains

A Xword Dungeon (Crossword Dungeon)

A waterfall spills from the cliff face, a narrow passage just visible beside it. A quiet, secluded cult once gathered here, faithful only to Death, but now they are gone. This is

What Little Remains

by molomoot

Answer the following questions as part of your prep:

The faithful kept to themselves, very rarely getting involved in the affairs of the town.

What did the locals think of them? 
	What wild rumours do they tell?

The faithful are gone now and the temple sits silent in the cliffs.

What has caused them to disappear?
	 What has moved in to take their place?

The cult apparently kept many fabulous treasures and relics.

Who has told the party they are sitting alone and unguarded?
	What prevents them from entering the temple?

RADAR

A magical fractal crystal stands in the center of the room, any sound made within the room is copied and repeated, louder and louder, until it is unbearable.
The statue of a person stands at the end of the room, their face is blurred and a broken mask lies at their feet.

“Our names and faces shall be forgotten…”

If the statues face is covered completely, the hidden door to FEMUR opens and a mechanism dampens the crystal’s vibrations. The crystal can also be silenced by muting the vibrations or smashing the crystal - which dramatically explodes dealing an appropriate amount of damage.

AFLOAT

An underground river flows through the room and into a tunnel under the eastern wall.The river flows around a marble statue; her face gently worn by the running water, she holds a plaque which reads

”…And our bodies shall be carried down the Styx” *

Floating down the river takes you to the REVERE.

* Referring to the River Styx from Greek mythology, change this to suit your group or setting if needed!

REVERE

The river runs through the center of the room, pooling momentarily amongst the rows of pews, before running off into the empty darkness beyond.
Murals along the walls depict graphic scenes of death, but there is a strange sense of wonder, acceptance and even beauty to them.
The pulpit’s lectern carries a lavish tome open to a fabulously illuminated text; “The Macabre Amen”.

FEMUR

A single bone is all that remains of the Perfect Death, their name and face has been lost to time.
Three other relics grace its presence; A glass dagger stained with old blood, a carved horn which emits a barely audible tone when blown and a small vial filled with a honey like liquid.

Attempting to remove the bone from its sarcophagus closes the door and causes water from the underground river to begin pouring in, filling the room completely in minutes.

MACABRE AMEN

The doors to the VAULT are tightly sealed, between them stands a statue of Death holding carefully balanced silver scales. One side is coated with a thin layer of ash, the other is clean.
The doors open when the weight of a human’s bones are placed on one side of the scales and their worldly possessions are balanced on the other.
The doors will stay open as long as it takes to recite the MACABRE AMEN, by the time the prayer finishes the doors will shut again.

ARENA

A great mechanical idol of Death looms over the room, left untended for many years it whirrs and sparks erratically. If it detects anyone’s presence it begins to attack.
In the past this room was used as an arena where the faithful would perform trials of combat and tests of physical and mental constitution against each other and the Idol of Death. Those who took Death’s hand were revered and laid to rest in the Vault

STORE

A naked body lies on the slab, a long deep wound cut across their chest. Their ripped and bloodied clothes neatly folded beside an open chest, which is filled with a few gold pieces and heirlooms. A half emptied bottle of oil rests against their glistening skin.
There is a small crematorium across the hall, coated in ash and charcoal, the sigil of Death and their scales engraved on the outside.

AGLOW VAULT

It glows from within from an endlessly burning flame which ignites the crematorium, this is the final resting place for followers chosen by Death.

Ashes and bones are contained in clay urns on one side of the room, disturbing any of them causes a very angry Ash Ghost to appear.
The final possessions are kept locked chests on the other side, each chest looks the same except for the initials of each individual engraved on the