Unexplored Worlds: Malis Ebonsky's Siphon

• When approaching this dungeon room, all the doors will be closed. Upon entering, the party will immediately notice a change in the climate. The walls and floor are completely dry and no moss or any other vegetation grows inside. The only feature of the room is the siphon and the well it stands over.


• The siphon closely resembles a common water pump made of polished brass. It stands four feet off the ground with a curved, twelve-inch nozzle that drains directly into the well. The handle is eighteen inches long, also of spotless brass. It rattles when touched or grasped as the mechanism has loosened over the years. As there is no longer a complete seal on the siphon, a steady drip of water falls from the nozzle. The well into which the water drain is a simple hole in the ground two feet in diameter.


• Within five to ten minutes of entering the room, the characters will experience dry skin and chapped lips as though they had been traveling through the desert. Anyone who checks their canteens or other liquid supplies will discover that they have been drained. If the party is carrying wine, ale, or other colored liquids, there is a moderate chance that they will notice that the fluids are passing through the siphon.


• If the party lingers in the room for an additional five minutes, each player takes one point of damage as the siphon starts to drain their blood. Once this begins, the players take three points of damage every five minutes and the flow of blood from the siphon will be obvious to everyone in the room.


• If anyone pumps the siphon, everyone in the room takes either five points of damage or damage equal to five percent of their health, whichever is greater, each round that the siphon is pumped. For a cruel version of this trap, all doors close and lock magically after the party enters while an invisible construct works the siphon with the intention of completely draining the characters.


• Unexplored Worlds is my attempt to design an RPG campaign in the open. Since I have not rolled a d20 in anger in many years, this is my way to keep playing without actually playing. All posts are written to be system-agnostic, so please use whatever keeps your interest in your own games. Just let me know how it goes!

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© 2010 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.