RuneQuest Place #2: Dread Tower
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RQ Place #2: Dread Tower
You can hear it whispered at night in the darkest corners of lost cities, in the echoes of
the howls of nameless things in haunted hills: 'The Dread Tower has five rooms!'. The
wise speak not of these things, and harpers shudder and turn away when I ask of
them; but there is something behind the legends, and I mean to find the truth.
--from the Ballad of Karlan Light-Bearer, who did not return
The Dread Tower stands in a blasted waste, a waste where no living thing grows or
dwells; a few dead and barren tree-trunks point upward from the barren ground nearby,
but the silence of the land fairly shouts that this is a place from which Life has been
banished, and perhaps in fact never came at all.
There are no maps to the Tower, and no songs sung of it; the seeker must find it by
accident, although some lore might be found in blasphemous tomes buried deep in the
ruins of lost temples of forgotten gods. Nonetheless, it is whispered that those who
seek the Tower cannot help but find it before death finds them...no matter how much
they beg for release from the quest.
There are many possible reasons to search for the Tower. One is that it is an
unmatched source for extremely powerful evil spirits; there are no weak spirits here.
Another is that there is a legend that anyone who spends a night in the fifth floor of the
Tower is forever immune to fear, and to all evil spirits. And yet another, of course, is
curiosity.
The Tower is made of massive blocks of gray stone. It is seventeen meters across, and
stands 39 meters high. No door bars the black archway which gapes wide at the ground
floor. The rest of the Tower is smooth and unbroken, with no windows or gaps. At the
top of the Tower jagged crenellations give the appearance of cruel teeth against the
night sky.
There are five chambers within the Dread Tower, each filling an entire floor. Broad and
deep stairs lead upward, spiraling along the inner edge of the Tower. Although there is
no source of light, and all light-making objects (torches, spells, other) are at only half
strength in the Tower, a faint and wan gray gloaming pervades the space in the absence
of other lights. In fact, the presence of torches or a light spell actually make the Tower
seem darker, since beyond the shrunken confines of the light all is utterly black.
The effects of the Tower are several.
First, anyone who enters it feels constricted. The air is heavy, and still, and hard to
breathe. At times there is a sudden surge of cold, damp, fetid air that momentarily
takes the breath away. No one can ignore the feeling of doom that pervades every inch
of the place.
Sound, too, is strange in the Tower. At times it echoes strangely, and some have sworn
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that other voices can be heard saying strange things, if one listens closely. The echoes
can become so loud that they seem to be about to shatter eardrums. At other times all
sounds are muffled and silent, so much so that you can hear the blood pounding in your
veins as you scream desperately to get the attention of a comrade standing only meters
away -- deaf to your cries.
An aura of fear pervades the Tower, and it takes a strong will to keep from running in
terror. But those who leave cannot summon the courage to enter the Tower again that
night. If they are foolhardy enough return to the Tower at some later time, they find
that the terror has become much, much worse. And even if they do not return, their
dreams will forever be haunted by the shadow of a tall, slender tower topped with
jagged dark teeth.
The primary power of the Dread Tower is the spirits which haunt it. Anyone who enters
the Tower acts as a beacon, drawing 1d4 evil spirits per person (including noncorporeal
persons). Spirits take 1d6 hours to appear, and only appear at night -- at sunrise they
vanish. The type and power of summoned spirits varies depending on the floor that the
adventurer(s) are on. Spells which protect against spirits work at only half effectiveness
(rounded down), and non-evil summoned/captured/bound spirits may not be brought
into the Tower; they are either broken free of their bonds, literally cannot be carried into
the Tower, or are destroyed. This does not apply to fetches, allied spirits or familiars,
although they are also subject to the fear that surrounds the Tower.
Divine Intervention is probably impossible in the Tower.
Spirit Encounters:
Only evil spirits dwell in the Tower. Different floors are more likely to contain particular
types of spirits, but there is a 20% chance for every spirit that appears that it will be
some other type, rather than the type common to that floor -- except for Room Five.
Remember, during the day no spirit will appear in the Tower. There is a gloomy aura of
decay and fear, and lights are still dimmed, but not until the sun sets do the spirits start
to rise.
Each of the five chambers of the Tower has a name.
Ground Floor: The Chamber of Longing
Atmosphere: Although the wind often howls and blasts the landscape in the waste
around the Tower, once inside the air is unnaturally calm. It is very dim here, and
although the walls, floor, and ceiling are bare it always feels as if something is moving
quickly just out of sight.
Spirit Types: Passion (Confusion) Spirits, Passion (Fear) Spirits. Frontier+1d6 POW
First Spirit Encounter: The deep hush grows deeper, heavier, with a weight that's
almost crushing. The blood roars in your ears, and you can hear your heart pounding
faintly through the thick, hissing noise.
The inner cacophony falls suddenly silent as the outer silence is broken. What was that
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sound from above? The dim light flickers strangely across the staircase. Suddenly a
dead broken branch, blown by the wind, scratches across the mouth of the door and is
gone. A shadow falls across the archway, and you cannot keep the thought from
wandering through your head: Will you ever leave this place alive?
As you stare at the darkened doorway a thick silence falls behind you, so thick that it
screams "DANGER"! You turn just in time to see the ageless, twisted, milk-white face of
the demon-spirit descend upon you.
Results: Defeat by a Confusion spirit takes away knowledge of spatial position. You
cannot find the doorway without making an INTx1 roll, and each person only gets one
chance. Defeat by a Fear spirit gives the effect of the spirit magic spell Demoralize.
Second Floor: The Garden of Things Forgotten
Atmosphere: It is warmer here, and the quiet air seems to promise safety and peace.
Faint traces of dust lie on the floor, and there is a feeling of great antiquity.
Spirit Types: Wraiths, Passion (Pain). Frontier+1d6+3 POW.
First Spirit Encounter: A tiny dust whirlwind spins lazily on the floor, settling away
into nothing. To your amazement you see a form sitting on the floor facing away from
you, a child, playing with a small furry pet. Faintly you can hear a high, pleasant little
voice singing a happy little play-song. But wait a moment -- at second glance, it's not
playing with that limp little creature. As you move, the child turns to face you and you
see that instead of a face, it has a grinning black void lined with buzzing teeth and
tentacles...
Results: Standard for wraiths. Each defeat by a Pain spirit reduces all skills by 5%, and
takes 1 point of CON and STR as well (which all return one day after leaving the Tower).
Third Floor: The Laughing Gallery
Atmosphere: This room is darker than the last. The shrieks of the child-demons of the
floor below fade. But another sound echoes through this room, faintly at first, then
louder and louder: laughter. Insane, screaming, painful laughter, drowning out every
other sound in the world.
Spirit Types: Passion (Hysteria), Disease (Laughing Sickness - attacks INT), Insanity.
Outer+1d6.
First Spirit Encounter: The howling inhuman laughter makes you dizzy; you feel as if
your eardrums are about to burst. But suddenly, the sound fades away to blessed
silence, and a form teleports in before you. It's a powerful old friend [preferably one
who's saved the party before]. He looks grim as he speaks urgently.
"You're in over your heads, and I'm here to pull you out. Hadn't you heard? No one ever
leaves this place! Take my hands, I'll teleport us out of here!"
If the PCs take his hands, he grips them tightly and mutters the words of what appears
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to be a spell. The PCs feel a spell effect wash over them (they may resist or not as they
choose). If they are affected, they feel a spell take effect but nothing seems to happen.
"Damn," says their friend, "failed! I'll try again in a minute. But could you pull that damn
thing off of me, first?"
He turns his head, exposing his neck. On it there seems to be a large red bump. If the
PCs look more closely, they see that it has eyes, and a tiny grinning mouth lined with
fangs. It is laughing. They feel agonizing pains in their hands, and looking down see
that their friend's hands are now skeletal claws, gripping them fiercely. The insane
laughter of the Gallery bursts forth again, louder than before.
It is a spirit, of course, and if the PCs fell for his act they find themselves afflicted with a
Spirit Drain spell which has cost them each 1d4 personal magic points. Again, the
spirits attack.
Results: Defeat by a Hysteria spirit causes the effects of Fanaticism and Strength 4
combined with extreme confusion; the PC must make an INTx3 roll or attack others or
themselves. They may attempt to come out of the hysteria by making an INTx3 roll at
the end of each succeeding round, but they temporarily lose 1 point each of CON and
STR for each round they were hysterical. One point of a lost characteristic may be
regained for every hour of complete rest.
Defeat and possession by Laughing Sickness causes the victim to laugh hysterically. All
skills and actions suffer a 50% penalty, and the victim becomes extremely fatigued.
Eventually the victim's head implodes.
Defeat and possession by an Insanity spirit causes a random insanity taken from Call of
Cthulhu tables, or else the GM may choose an appropriate insanity.
Fourth Floor: The Grotto of Dark Delights
Atmosphere: Smells jump out at the adventurer as they enter this room: heady
perfumes of all varieties. The laughter from below fades to a soft, sighing murmur.
Voluptuous, rounded shadows slide hypnotically along the walls, floors, and ceiling. The
air is warm, caressing the skin.
Spirit Types: Lust Spirits/Disease Spirits (Venereal), Inner +1d6.
First Spirit Encounter: It's a party! Incredibly beautiful/handsome spirits cavort
around the PCs in a sinuous, curiously appealing dance. They move closer and closer,
the music gets wilder, the smells and sights more intoxicating...and they pounce, as
you always knew (and hoped?) they would.
Results: Defeat and possession by a Lust spirit makes it difficult for the victim to think
about anything but sex. In the presence of a member of the appropriate gender, they
must make an INT roll vs. the POW of the possessing spirit each round or fling
themselves on the object of their desire with wild abandon. Contributing factors, such
as an already-existing or previous relationship, or high APP on the part of the desireobject, penalize the victim's INT (no pun intended). Even if they manage to resist, they
are severely distracted; an INTx3 roll is necessary each round, otherwise the victim
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performs all actions at 50% of normal skill for that round. Also, in males armor
becomes extremely tight in the middle area, reducing movement rates by 1.
Infection (possession) by a Venereal Disease spirit causes unpleasant weeping sores all
over the body and a painful burning sensation. CON and APP are reduced by 1 point
every day, and movement is reduced by half. There is a -10% chance of success for all
tasks due to the distraction of the pain. Finally, a foul smell emanates from the infected
body, eliminating any chance of successfully Hiding except downwind.
Fifth Floor: Room Five
Atmosphere: It is quiet here, and pitch black except at the top of the staircase.
Spirit Types: Special - Doppelgeists.
Spirit Encounter: A form steps forward from the darkness. If there is more than one
PC, there is an opponent for each one. It looks like the PC in every way, except that it
seems somehow shriveled, corpse-like, and evil. As it advances toward the PC(s), they
realize that this is what they will become if they lose this fight.
Doppelgeists have twice the characteristics and skills of their original image, except for
APP. If the original has a STR of 15 and a sword attack of 92%, the doppelgeist has a
STR of 30 and a sword attack of 184%. On this level, spirit attacks and physical attacks
are the same. Room Five lies in the Godtime.
Results: Defeat by a doppelgeist destroys the PC utterly. Their essence remains only
as a malignant spirit of evil, trapped forever in Room Five, waiting for a new victim to
impersonate and destroy.
If the PCs are victorious, they are immune to the spirits of the Tower for the rest of that
day, and may bind any of them they wish. They are also free to leave the Tower. In
campaigns which use species maximums for POW, their species maximum has been
increased by three points. Otherwise, they automatically succeed on their next POW
gain roll, and gain either 4 points or 2d3, at their option (they will not realize this until
they actually make the roll).
Secret: The Roof
There is a secret sixth floor to the Tower: the roof. There is a trapdoor in the top of the
fifth floor, all but invisible in the darkness. It may also be possible to reach the roof by
flight or climbing from outside. On the roof, heroes may meet the Gods of evil spirits.
Coping with these would be a challenge even for superheroes, and the GM is invited to
make examples of the PCs for the sin of hubris.
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Copyright 2000 by Peter Maranci. Revised: October 20, 2000. v.2.0
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