%%%% Dungeon It is still a mystery how this bizarre place was created. Some claim that it is the playground of bored gods, whereas others maintain that it was shaped by all kinds of species who fled the overworld and shunned the light. No matter what its origin, this deep cavern is filled with riches unheard of as well as with ample dangers to any intruder. Few have escaped alive, and even fewer have kept some sliver of sanity sufficient to tell the tale. %%%% Temple The Ecumenical Temple is a place of peace and refuge from the insanity of the dungeon. It usually contains altars to most of the known gods. Gods that value exploration grant no piety for exploring the Temple. %%%% Orcish Mines The Orcish Mines are filled with the cave orcs native to the Dungeon, their humanoid labourers, and piles of freshly mined gold. Enterprising merchants have set up trading posts to help relieve the orcs of the latter. %%%% Elven Halls The Elven Halls are home to the deep elves, a race that turned their backs on the sun long ago. Their halls are filled with riches, but a deadly welcome awaits any would-be robbers. In their long seclusion, the deep elves have perfected dark sorceries of a power the orcs can only dream of! %%%% Lair Most adventurers find the Lair of Beasts to be an exciting change of climate. And indeed, there is something to be said about getting gored, mauled and eaten rather than sliced, burnt or stabbed. The Lair contains the entrances to one of the Swamp or the Shoals, one of the Snake Pit or the Spider Nest, and to the Pits of Slime. %%%% Swamp A swampy wasteland, the Swamp is filled with ooze, muck, flies and large slavering carnivorous monsters. A dungeon features only one of the Swamp and Shoals branches. %%%% Shoals The exotic underground beaches of the Shoals make up a few small islands in a seemingly endless sea. The merfolk have made it their home, alongside many dreaded sea creatures. A dungeon features only one of the Shoals and Swamp branches. %%%% Snake Pit The corridors of the Snake Pit are home to all varieties of serpent, and are inhabited by a society of powerful nagas and salamanders. A dungeon features only one of the Snake Pit and Spider Nest branches. %%%% Spider Nest The crumbling, web-choked caverns of the Spider Nest are packed with poisonous arthropods and assorted creepy-crawlies. A dungeon features only one of the Spider Nest and Snake Pit branches. %%%% Slime Pits The Slime Pits are the amorphous realm of acids, jellies and slimes. Even the walls drip with painful acid. Any trace of intelligent beings has long been dissolved. Still, there are rumours of great treasures deep down, hidden safely away in secret chambers without any entrance. %%%% Vaults Possibly constructed by some powerful tyrant, the Vaults are said to be home to great treasures. The blood spattered liberally around the entrance suggests that there is a certain amount of violence, too. %%%% Crypt The Crypt is a huge repository for the ancient dead. The air is chill and fetid, the walls cold and damp. Bones are strewn liberally everywhere, and every noise echoes worryingly, violating the overbearing silence of the grave. %%%% Tomb The Tomb of the Ancients is a place of damnation, of horrors animated by the vilest necromancy. The list of those who have returned from this place of pure death is exceedingly short. %%%% Hell The Vestibule of Hell is guarded by Geryon, along with various denizens of each of the hells themselves. Portals to the Vestibule of Hell are found abundantly in the Depths. %%%% Dis The Iron City of Dis is home to many of the most resilient guardians of hell. Those who do not belong in the halls of Dis will find the very earth itself opposing them. The malice of this metal realm corrodes equipment. %%%% Gehenna Gehenna is a realm of lava, flames and damnation. Those who linger will have fire and brimstone rained down upon them. The acrid smoke renders scrolls unreadable. %%%% Cocytus Cocytus is a grim and frost-bitten wasteland. Intruders will find the biting winds and icy inhabitants of the wastes impeding their progress. The frigid cold congeals potions. %%%% Tartarus Tartarus is a decaying netherworld. Over time, the undead, demons and devils of this place drain the life from any who dare to enter. The all-pervading rot saps visitors' willpower. %%%% Zot The Realm of Zot is a region of the dungeon that is so terrifying, so full of madness, frenzy and lunacy, that it has been locked securely against random trespassers. Only the most demented adventurers would dare gather the required keys, break the seal and penetrate deeper — all in the vain hope for a fabled artefact no one has ever laid eyes on before. %%%% Abyss The Abyss is a truly bizarre place, ever-changing and twisted. It is filled with all sorts of monsters, mostly of demonic nature, whose common aim is to feast on intruders. It is also the garbage dump for many sorcerers, who delight in sending would-be champions like you to these proving grounds of madness. Reportedly, there is some structure to the chaos, as Lugonu seems to concoct schemes around this place and its denizens. Portals to the Abyss are found abundantly in the Depths. The Abyss consists of seven infinite levels. The abyssal rune of Zot can be found from the third level onwards, and is more common at greater depths. Portals back to the dungeon are scattered throughout the Abyss, and are found more commonly at greater depths or while carrying the abyssal rune. Adventurers who linger in the Abyss will find themselves drawn irresistibly deeper. Killing monsters will warp the substance of the Abyss, eventually generating a gateway out. Further persistence will wear holes in the Abyss, allowing descent into deeper layers. The Abyss remembers its visitors - once an adventurer has entered a level, future visits to the Abyss will always take them at least that far down. %%%% Pandemonium Pandemonium is an infinite realm of pain and suffering. While there are many treasures to be found within, they are guarded by cruel demons and even crueller demon lords. Portals to Pandemonium are found abundantly in the Depths. Pandemonium is endless. Each area of Pandemonium has a small chance of containing a portal back to the dungeon, either directly or via the Abyss. No fewer than five runes of Zot can be found in Pandemonium: • the fiery rune resides in the blazing realm of Cerebov • the glowing rune can be found in the contaminated domain of Mnoleg • the magical rune is guarded by the arcane powers of Lom Lobon • the dark rune is hidden in the shadowy abode of Gloorx Vloq • the demonic rune exists in multiple places, owned by less famous lords %%%% Ziggurat A ziggurat is a strange tower constructed of incrementally larger combat arenas, each containing greater wealth and even greater danger than the last. Beware, for a ziggurat is not a place for the faint of heart: even the bravest and most skilled adventurers have met their ends in one. While a portal to safety will be present on every level, once left, a ziggurat cannot be re-entered. One ziggurat is guaranteed in the Depths. Tales tell of a magical item found at the bottom of each ziggurat, granting access to a new ziggurat in turn. Such an item is also said to be found at the bottom of the Tomb of the Ancients. Each time a ziggurat is conquered by exiting it from the final floor, subsequent ziggurats will become increasingly dangerous and lucrative. %%%% Gauntlet An elaborate complex designed to lure foolhardy adventurers seeking riches and glory. Those who enter must choose a path through several combat arenas, each of which contains treasure guarded by dangerous and sometimes exotic creatures. At the end awaits a fearsome minotaur, guarding a large hoard of loot taken from the bodies of foolish adventurers. Long-range teleports are impossible in Gauntlets. %%%% Bazaar While some merchants set up shop in the dungeon, others travel in caravans from place to place. The bazaars of these itinerant traders feature a number of different shops and often have better stock than the sedentary ones, sometimes even at a bargain. %%%% Trove Once upon a time, an enterprising thief and wizard created a system of portals leading into the secret treasure troves and chambers of the rich. Too scared to loot them himself, he instead charged an extortionate fee for entry to anyone who wanted to rifle through them. The items inside such troves are likely to be useful, but beware: the wizard is long dead, and even while alive he never offered a money-back guarantee. %%%% Sewer Every inhabited place needs to dispose of its waste products. The Dungeon too has its stinking sewers and drains, full of filthy water and ignored by most but used as hideaways by the disgusting and the desperate. Old tales speak of dangerous creatures stalking through the foul-smelling green water, preying on each other without mercy. The tales also allude to valuable items accidentally washed into the drainage tunnels, forgotten and left to grow mouldy in the damp caverns. %%%% Ossuary The ossuary is a small tomb containing the remains and grave goods of some distant relatives of the pharaohs, along with the corpses of their retainers and household animals. It is undoubtedly riddled with many traps, and its undead denizens are unlikely to take kindly to looting. %%%% Bailey The bailey is the still-occupied and well-guarded fortress of an orcish lord. The treasures within are protected by both physical barriers and large numbers of well-armed humanoid warriors. %%%% Ice Cave The {{ if you.branch() == "Elf" or you.branch() == "Swamp" or you.branch() == "Snake" or you.branch() == "Shoals" or you.branch() == "Spider" then return "glacial chasm"; else return "ice cave"; end }} is a desolate cavern shaped from solid ice and filled with the echoes of bestial howls. The intricate carvings and statues which once lined its walls have been warped and obscured by centuries of slow melting and refreezing. %%%% Volcano Built from enormous blocks of obsidian, the volcano's sweltering chambers may once have served as a temple to some strange deity, or perhaps the dwelling of a mighty fire giant. The air shimmers with oppressive heat, and the dull roar of the volcano's heart never ceases. %%%% Wizlab In ages past, the most powerful mages would frequently find or construct small realms sealed off from the rest of the world, where they could isolate themselves in the pursuit of ever-greater magical knowledge and power. The mages are long gone, but many of their arcane laboratories still exist, filled with the results of their experiments. Those willing to explore these laboratories may find powerful magical treasures, but be warned: any wizard capable of constructing such a realm deserved their reputation. %%%% Depths The Depths are the deepest part of the dungeon proper, subject to the corrupting influence of the Realm of Zot without being considered a part of it. %%%% Desolation The Desolation was once ruled by the divines Sheza and Sargol. After the dread twins were cast down, the good gods reduced their former realm to salt, that such a terrible cult would never rise again. Amidst the ruins, only the last cultists of the dead gods, their heretical constructs, and the guardians of the cult's legendary treasure yet remain. # important note: the Twins were religion '2', as TSO is '1'. Not 'S'. %%%% Arena Okawaru's most favoured followers are granted access to the Arena to duel against their foes. %%%% Crucible The Crucible of Flesh is an infernal pit where Makhleb's most devoted and detested alike are made to sanctify themselves in blood. No sane mortal would ever choose to come here, and yet even victims of the Destroyer's greatest ire may be granted passage out once more, should they mete out mutilation equal to the demonic torturers of this realm.