Temple of Expectant Kokytos: a White Box starter dungeon
Over on Substack, the BX Undernauts have called for a White Box Challenge to celebrate the forthcoming coming of James Spahn's WHITE BOX DUNGEON ADVENTURES (which frankly sounds amazing).
Herein I present a dungeon where PCs are born from a breaching pool from the Hadean river of tears, Kokytos. They crawl out, formed of sloughed-off spume and regret, with no memories beyond a placeless yearning.1
PCs collect keys as they move through the dungeon. Any two of the three are needed to unlock the final grate.
Map
Key
The Temple of Emergent Kokytos is dark throughout, except for an everburning lantern hooked on the wall in the first room. Gridded floors are tiled in rough terracotta. Cavern floors are bare slate.
- willspring players awaken here, naked and with their equipment wadded in a bundle by their feet within the waist-deep pool. the PC with least CHA also notices a dense box underfoot [the box contains a sodden cloth cushioning a dull peridot (170gp)]
- lozenge the room itself is bare, with the exception of an unlocked clear-crystal box containing a mortice key [numbered 99].2 it also contains a pungent transparent fatal gas ── save or die!
- breach rubble and debris: the ancient remains of dozens of age-dead adventurers. within the mess, as many wary GIANT RATS as there are PCs
GIANT RAT ⛨7 ♡1-1 ⚔bite »12 [[50xp]]
- all-cove a smarmy LIZARDMAN [named Raleph] runs a small dungeon shop, stocked with d6+1 of your least favourite items from the equipment list at half their typical price and a mortice key [numbered 101] for 1gp.2
RALEPH non-combatant, killed by any attack [[0xp]]
- octoground in the centre of the room, a dais displays a chipped kylix piled high with coins! [170gp value total, mostly silver drachmae] as many SKELLINGTONS as there are PCs guard the treasure and will pursue PCs, except that they will not ascend or descend stairs
SKELLINGTON ⛨8 ♡½ ⚔xiphos »12 [[50xp]]
- three down in the centre of each of these rooms, there's a mosaic of Medusa's face ── stand upon it and petrify! [petrified characters can be washed in the waters of Kokytos to reverse the curse]
- caverns torn armour and sundered shields form the bedding for a skittish HARPY. thousands of coins are scattered about the floor [totalling 400gp, though mostly copper obols; collecting everything takes d6+1 dungeon turns: after the first turn searching, PCs find a mortice key [numbered 101]2]
HARPY ⛨7 ♡3 ⚔talons »6,18 ‡flight ‡siren song [[300xp]]
- the throat the walls are covered with tiny bracket fungus [edible but intensely sour] which is being cultivated by half as many inquisitive DROW as there are PCs.
DROW ⛨5 ♡2 ⚔gladius,crossbow »12 ‡paralysis bolts ‡magic resistant +5 [[200xp]]
- slip steep hollow leads to Hypotenebris3 [out of the frying pan and into the fire]
- three across simple stone chests, one in each room. [third chest opened contains 200 gold quinarii]
- grate a sturdy iron grate gates off open plains beyond this Hadean barrow. locks on its left and right edges, hinges on the floor. [any two keys in any combination will work]
Wandering encounters
1-in-6 chance each turn that 50% of the closest monsters come looking
- dungeon contents generated by White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game