The old empire of Tuje committed many foolish acts in their search for power, and one of them was to dig so deep they tore a hole in reality. Now, a thousand years later, a strange elevator-like device has been discovered above an apparently bottomless borehole. One expedition went down, and the elevator returned, empty. Now it is up to you to find out what happened, rescue any survivors, and uncover the secrets of this strange site.

What sort of system to use?

New: 13th Age Roleplaying Game compatibility guide also included!

You don't need much other than some kind of mechanism for resolving outcomes based on players' abilities. It was playtested using a very minimal system we made up on the spot. The decisions the players make are most important.

It's assumed magic exists, technology is limited, and little is known of what happens if you dig too deep underground. It could work for many popular and unpopular fantasy adventure systems, so long as your table likes character-driven stories, and could probably work with many modern or sci fi games, with some adaptation.

There is the opportunity to add combat, but if it combat occurs, you will need to select appropriate monsters for your game system. It is not a major focus of the adventure.

This game lasts about one session, but could be added to a larger dungeon complex or other area to explore.

Accessibility

Content warning: mind control, claustrophobia, death.

A screen reader friendly pdf is included.

Legal

Copyright 2021 Seedling Games, except for the art used under license:

-      Elevator art and map also copyright Seedling Games

-      Art of Yidi-myana: Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art Copyright Rick Hershey/ Fat Goblin Games

-      Art of Gasu-nyeji: Copyright Daniel Comerci – danielcomerci.com

-      Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved. (Specifically, Svarthix and Dedazeh)

-      Paper frames copyright Direquest

-      Artwork used with permission by Charles Ferguson-Avery of Feral Indie Studio (black and white art in the tunnel)

-      Remainder of the art copyright Perplexing Ruins, licensed via the patreon https://www.patreon.com/perplexingruins

13th Age and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Fire Opal Media Inc., and are used under license. See 13thAge.com for more information on the 13th Age Roleplaying Game. The 13th Age Roleplaying game is published under exclusive license to Pelgrane Press Ltd.