This is a proof of concept that you can take a 5-Room Dungeon type story and randomize the different pieces. Imagine each part being in a random generator as you play through it so that each new part isn’t revealed until you get there. If lots of people wrote 5-Room Dungeons like this, we could have tons of fodder for solo-play for years to come!
If you like 5-Room Dungeons, please make sure to download Johnn Four’s ebook at his site.
Background
The Temple of Lahiru has long been maintained by an order of warrior monks who feel it is their duty to carry out justice as called for by the legitimate ruling body of the local baronies. They travel the lands adjudicating for a time in each province they come to without pay or bias. They are feared as deliverers of swift justice but respected for their adherence to the rule of law and authority.
The Lahiruns have strong connections to their ancient traditions and venerate their fallen forefathers to a near deity-like status. Ancestor worship is a deeply held belief as well as the sanctity of artifacts passed down through the centuries. The older a monk is, the more esteemed just as the older an artifact is, the more power it has.
The most powerful artifact within the Temple is a large diamond known as the Heart of Truth which is said to reveal even the most minor sins of those who stand in judgment. It then extracts justice for each sin by forcing the sinner to live out a harsh prison sentence of an appropriate amount of years within their own mind all in a matter of seconds. The one who is judged comes back to the present feeling aged and disoriented but much more humbled by their own wrongs. The weight of this process is so heavy upon the monk who reads the Heart of Truth that it causes most to go mad shortly after pronouncing and carrying out judgment on the accused. It is considered reserved for the most egregious and unknowable sins, usually by those who sit in power and abuse that power. Among the Lahirun Order, there is no greater honor than be chosen to pronounce judgment through the Heart of Truth and giving your life for the process.
Recently, three spirits manifested in the inner sanctuary of the Temple of Lahiru claiming to be the ghosts of the first Grandmasters of the Order. They accused the Order of Lahiru of abandoning their principals and demanded a trial of the current Grandmaster. The ghosts then began attacking the monks and capturing the leadership of the Order who they paralyzed and strung up in ectoplasmic chains. Meanwhile, the lowliest rank of monks were allowed to escape and told to bring out the Heart of Truth which lay deep in the catacombs on a pedestal outside the tomb of the first Grandmaster.
The few young acolyte monk who escaped felt it was sacrilege for someone such as themselves to even touch the Heart of Truth and have sought out the heroes to help them prove the veracity and dedication of the Order of Lahiru to the ghosts. At the risk of speaking blasphemy, one even whispered that the ghosts may not actually be their forebearers.
Are the ghosts here to bring the Order of Lahiru back to the light? Why do they want the Heart of Truth? Is the Heart of Truth even a real artifact of power? Why did the leadership of the monks fight back against the ghosts if the spirits really were who they said they were?
Entrance with Guardian
- The temple courtyard is overrun with undead with no monks in sight. They heroes will have to get past the animated skeletal remains of long-dead monks before they can enter the temple.
- The temple is zealously guarded by monks who had been out travelling during the initial attack. They will only let in those who have purified by ritual combat.
- Upon reaching the temple courtyard, the heroes find a group of goblins prying off the more ornate pieces of architecture around the outside of the temple. They are not happy about being caught red-handed and attack the heroes in an attack to scare them off.
Puzzle or Role-Playing Challenge
- Inside the antechamber of the temple, the heroes find a journeyman level monk who has just returned from a month-long adjudication route through the neighboring country and is claiming leadership. The heroes must convince him that they can help without committing sacrilege.
- Inside the antechamber is the Maze of Reflection, a complex maze meant to be a time of contemplation as the monks seek an audience with the Grandmaster that doubles as a defensive measure. The twists and turn are easy for novice monks to get lost in, but quotes from the Grandmasters throughout the ages are on the walls at intersections that give clues to those who can decipher their deeper meaning.
- Inside the antechamber of the temple, the heroes are immediately confronted by a ghostly visage hanging in the air that says, “Three paths are necessary for justice to take place: Strength, Wisdom, and Compassion. Speak that which is greatest to pass.” The spiritual head cannot be attacked in any way and will speak no more.
Trick or Setback
- Making their way further into the temple, the heroes find the door to the Grandmaster’s inner sanctum barred and protected by two spectral guards who tell the heroes to retrieve the Heart of Truth from the crypts before they may enter the room. The heroes must fight through a small horde of undead in the crypts to get the Heart of Truth. During the final battle, one of the novice monks grabs the Heart of Truth and runs with it. Can the heroes track down this monk and return with the Heart of Truth? If they follow as soon as they can, they can track the young monk to a necromancer who claims to be the brother of the current Grandmaster seeking vengeance on his brother for wrongs throughout their life as they grew up. At the end of their encounter, the necromancer vanishes in a puff of smoke leaving the Heart of Truth behind.
- Making their way further into the temple, the heroes find the door to the Grandmaster’s inner sanctum barred and protected by two spectral guards who tell the heroes to retrieve the Heart of Truth from the crypts before they may enter the room. The heroes must fight through a small horde of undead in the crypts only to find the Heart of Truth is missing. However, during the final battle in the crypt, the last several undead still fighting all fall down simultaneously rather than from the attacks of the heroes. It’s almost as if a necromancer was controlling these undead and suddenly went out of range of his creations. Can the heroes track down this necromancer who may have the Heart of Truth? Outside the temple, the heroes can search to find a necromancer who claims to be the brother of the current Grandmaster seeking vengeance on his brother for wrongs throughout their life as they grew up. At the end of their encounter, the necromancer vanishes in a puff of smoke leaving the Heart of Truth behind.
- Making their way further into the temple, the heroes find the door to the Grandmaster’s inner sanctum barred and protected by two spectral guards who tell the heroes to retrieve the Heart of Truth from the crypts before they may enter the room. The heroes must fight through a small horde of undead in the crypts to get the Heart of Truth. When the first hero touches the Heart of Truth, the whole party is sent back into a stupor where they witness a montage of visions depicting two brothers where one continually wrongs the other as they grow older. The heroes find they can interact with the people in the past, but can never seem to alter the outcome turning out badly for the same brother in each scenario. The final vision reveals that the older brother who constantly has betrayed and wronged his younger brother is actually the current Grandmaster of Lahiru while the younger brother turns to necromancy.
Big Climax
- The heroes are allowed entrance to the inner sanctum where they find the Grandmaster and his immediate subordinates chained upon the walls with ethereal bonds. The lead ghost summons a necromancer who makes a case against the current Grandmaster as a fraud who judges falsely. The Grandmaster claims to have sought and received forgiveness from his brother years earlier. The lead ghost demands a trial by combat and has each brother choose their champion from the heroes who must battle against each to determine who is right. In the middle of the fight, the necromancer cheats and summons minions to fight for him. The spirits of the dead Grandmasters change their appearances to a likeness of skeletal ghost-knights and attack all in the room.
- The heroes are allowed entrance to the inner sanctum where they find the Grandmaster and his immediate subordinates chained upon the walls with ethereal bonds. The lead ghost summons a necromancer who makes a case against the current Grandmaster as a fraud who judges falsely. The Grandmaster claims to have sought and received forgiveness from his brother years earlier. The lead ghost demands the Heart of Truth to be used on both brothers, but who will do it? If deliberation takes too long, the necromancer grabs the artifact and forces it upon his chained brother while undead minions appear to hold back the heroes. The spirits of the dead Grandmasters change their appearances to a likeness of skeletal ghost-knights and attack all in the room as well.
- The heroes are allowed entrance to the inner sanctum where they find the Grandmaster and his immediate subordinates chained upon the walls with ethereal bonds. The lead ghost summons a necromancer who makes a case against the current Grandmaster as a fraud who judges falsely. The Grandmaster claims to have sought and received forgiveness from his brother years earlier. The lead ghost demands the Heart of Truth be brought to him to determine the truth and deliver justice. As the Heart of Truth touches the ghost’s hand, it begins to glow brighter and brighter before shattering. Arcs of power begin to surge into the ghost and a sickly purple tether becomes visible between the necromancer and the ghost before it too shatters. The other ghosts have similar experiences and take on the likeness of skeletal ghost-knights. They loudly boast of their freedom and turn to attack all in the room.
Reward or Revelation
- If the current Grandmaster survives the battle, he freely admits how he wronged his brother throughout their childhood which is why he sought out the Order of Lahiru. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone else. If he did not survive, a novice monk who is still alive will tell the story. The heroes are offered Lahirun slippers which allow the wearers to continue non-strenuous traveling without the need for sustenance or rest for up to 12 hours per day.
- If the current Grandmaster survives the battle, he freely admits how he wronged his brother throughout their childhood which is why he sought out the Order of Lahiru. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone else. If he did not survive, a novice monk who is still alive will tell the story. The heroes are offered the chance to join the Lahiruns as acolyte-servants if they are willing to spend a week at the temple confessing their wrongs and purifying their hearts. From that time forward, they will have some status (albeit small) within the ranks of the Order of Lahiru.
- If the current Grandmaster survives the battle, he freely admits how he wronged his brother throughout their childhood which is why he sought out the Order of Lahiru. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone else. If he did not survive, a novice monk who is still alive will tell the story. The heroes are offered a Belt of Empathy which gives them limited mystical insight into situations when trying to determine the veracity of statements made. It only works while the wearer is under no undue stress such as combat or emotional distress.