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The Cryptic Sluice

The dead stir in the sludge of ages.

6 roomssewereasy

A forgotten section of the city sewers that has become infested with the rising dead from a collapsed graveyard above. Murky, waist-deep water hides grasping hands and rusted debris.

The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and sewage. Sloshing water echoes through the halls, and the faint green glow of bioluminescent moss provides dim, flickering light.

☠ Threat

Varun the Drowned, a former city engineer turned Wight, stalks these tunnels. He blames the city for the collapse that killed him and now seeks to clog the sewers with corpses to flood the streets with pestilence.

History

Originally built as an overflow spillway for the High Cathedral, these tunnels suffered a catastrophic collapse a century ago. The falling masonry breached the cathedral's lowest ossuary, spilling blessed remains into the filth. Instead of finding peace, the spirits were corrupted by the stagnant rot, turning the sluice into a necrotic nest.

Encounter Table

CR
1/4CR
Swarms of Ratsx1d4

Hungry, red-eyed rats that surge from the drainage pipes.

1/4CR
Lone Zombiex1

A wandering corpse that escaped from the Cathedral breach.

Rumours & Whispers

1

The sewers beneath the old square have been groaning at night like a dying beast.

2

Someone saw a man in a wet engineer's coat walking on top of the water.

3

Silverware from the High Cathedral was spotted being sold by a local rat-catcher.

Quest Hooks

1
The Clogged DrainContract

Quest giver: Magistrate Kaelen

The city’s basement is flooding with sewage. The High Magistrate needs someone to clear the blockages in the Old Sluice.

200 gp and a Favor from the City Watch

2
The Stolen ReliquaryPersonal

Quest giver: Father Darian

A priest of the High Cathedral claims a sacred bowl was lost when the floor of the ossuary gave way.

3 Potions of Healing

Corridor Notes

Corridor between Room 1 and Room 4

A thick curtain of hanging roots that obscures vision more than 10 feet ahead.

Corridor between Room 1 and Room 2

A series of notches carved into the wall tracking the rising water level.

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