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Dungeons
Castle · Large · Level 11 · Hard

The Four-House Palace

Four carved crests stare up through the frost, and one has been clawed away.
Rooms
23
Foes
32, CR 3 to 13
Traps
5
Treasure
7,740 gp
1234567891011121314151617181920212223Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Crested Vestibule

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

At the heart of the Undercroft, the Oath-Marshal, an ancient animated knight, interprets every breach of the founding pact as an act of conquest.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    2× Crest patrolCR 6

    When: A loud fight, a broken ward, or carrying a noble-house seal openly in the main passages.A pair of animated palace armors patrols the corridors, their helmets turning in perfect unison.
  2. 2

    Brass trackerCR 7

    When: The party rests in a corridor or leaves a trail of blood.A three-legged brass hound with a lantern for a head sniffs for warm blood and fresh footprints.
  3. 3

    Chainbound riderCR 8

    When: A door to the Undercroft is opened, or the oath-engine in is damaged.An armored knight on a gliding stone plinth moves silently through the halls, dragging a chain behind it.

Rooms

23
1

Crested Vestibule

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A broad vestibule opens beneath a ceiling painted with four noble crests. Snowmelt runs down the inside of the outer doors, and the air beyond the north and south exits carries the faint clatter of armor.

Features

  • Four worn house crests in the floor
  • A cracked reception desk
  • The western door is locked and bears no crest

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× House sentriesCR 5

Bronze-faced guardians in tarnished ceremonial armor, still marked with the colors of two rival houses.Tactics. One blocks the western locked door while the other tries to shove intruders toward the side exits.

Treasure

Pact chain450 gp

A silver presentation chain engraved with the four-house pact, worth more intact to a collector.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The ordinary doors lead to rooms 1, 3, 4, 7, and 10; the locked western door leads to . Noise here carries into the barracks.

5 doors: S (archway), W (secret), E (normal), N (normal), W (normal)

The place

What it is

This buried palace annex was built where four noble houses could meet in private, with its upper halls serving as barracks, archives, shrines, and holding cells.

Atmosphere

The palace air bites like winter even below ground.

The threat

At the heart of the Undercroft, the Oath-Marshal, an ancient animated knight, interprets every breach of the founding pact as an act of conquest.

History

Four Silvercrest houses raised this palace annex as a neutral place for negotiations and shared rites.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The four houses built a palace beneath their palace, and none of them trusted the others to hold the only key.
  2. 2A knight still walks under the city, counting every crest it sees.
  3. 3The old prison holds a release order that can make the dead jailer stand aside.
  4. 4Blue fire burns in the shrine, but anyone who swears falsely near it loses their shadow for a day.

Plot hooks

3
RecoveryThe Seal Beneath the FrostA Silvercrest envoy needs a missing treaty seal recovered before the four houses renew their brittle accord. The seal lies somewhere in the palace, but the Oath-Marshal may recognize it as a claim to the Undercroft.From: Tavern keeper and former palace courier HessaReward: A rare house signet that grants safe passage through one warded door, plus payment in gems
RescueThe Missing HeirA family member vanished after entering the old prison passage. Their trail ends at the hidden route linking to the lower levels.From: A tired stablehand named BramReward: A rare frost-resistant cloak and the family's written promise of aid
SabotageA Beat Under the CityThe palace's ward-beating has started beneath Silvercrest, cracking ice in nearby wells. Disable the oath-engine before the disturbance reaches the city foundations.From: Royal engineer Vardan KveshiReward: A rare enchanted weapon taken from the palace armory and a substantial royal bounty

Corridors

4

  • Main passage outside

    Four faded house crests are set into floor tiles. The crest of a white tower has been deliberately scratched away.

  • Passage between rooms 8 and 14

    A narrow gutter carries cold water toward the lower chambers; the water briefly flows uphill when the Undercroft wards stir.

  • Passage near

    A suit of empty ceremonial armor stands at a junction. Its visor turns to follow anyone carrying a noble-house token.

  • Lower passage near rooms 12, 16, and 20

    Frost forms a repeating pattern of four interlocked rings on the walls. One ring grows darker whenever a trap is triggered.

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