Level 5 - The Dark Lake

Map created using Watabou's Cave/Glade generator

The swirling rapids of the churning, underground river eventually flow into a deep lake of dark, black water. Here the Fire Tribe Goblins have built shrines and make pilgrimages to honour their god who lurks below the waters.

The exit from area 6 of the Underground River leads into area 1 on this map.

The Flow of the River

Characters entering this area will inevitably be travelling by boat (unless they have the misfortune to be swimming and have been able to hold their breath for a very long time), traversing the river in this section uses the same rules from the Underground River section, re-producted below for convenience.

There are a number of small wooden boats available to navigate the river, when pushed out onto the river the boat will immediately be swept 1d10+5 feet in the direction of the river's flow.

If the PCs are rowing against the flow they can reduce this distance by 1D6 + the highest strength modifier of one of the rowers, if they are rowing with the river then their movement increases by a like amount.

If the PCs wish to row over to a siding they must make a strength check to steer their boat to the relevant place.

Each turn the PCs are in a boat travelling down the river the GM should roll a D6, on a 1 their craft hits a rock and each PC in the boat must make a strength check to avoid being thrown out.

The flow of water into area 1 splits and flows into both area 6 and 7 (there is an equal chance of PC vessels being swept into either cavern), the water in area 6 swirls them around for 1D6 rounds before then taking them in area 7.

Area 8 also feeds into area 7.

Those in area 7 no longer need to struggle against the flow of water unless they are seeking to leave the area by boat.

Wandering Monsters

Roll 1D6 every other turn, there is a 1-in-6 chance of an encounter. Encounter distance, etc should be determine as normal using your system of preference.

1D6 roll	Encounter
1	1d6+1 goblins
2	Tarrak the goblin shaman (if dead no encounter)
3	Umash the ogre quartermaster (if dead no encounter)
4	1d4 elite goblins
5	2d10 cave locusts
6	1 Yellow Mould

Location 1 - Entrance Chamber

*Jagged rocks (lining the cavern, a boat passing through here has a 1-in-6 chance of taking damage).

• North: against the flow of water, leading to area 6 of the [[Underground River]] map.
• South: rushing waters plunge downwards in the underground lake of area 7.
• East: the raging torrents threaten to carry vessels to area 6.
• West There is a small patch of dry land here, those brave or fortunate enough to beach their vessels can follow the rock strewn passage to area 3. PCs listening may hear the scratching voices of goblins from further down the tunnel.

Location 2 - Guard post

Cluttered (full of discarded bones and waste from the goblin guards).

• North: a short natural passageway leading to area 3, the sound of muttered prayers echoes down the corridor.
• Exit direction: a jagged passageway, cluttered with stalagmites that eventually leads to area 4.

Elite Goblin Guards

There are half a dozen or so goblin guards here, watching the entrance to their tribal shrine is a prestigious position and it is only allowed to those warriors who have proven themselves in the eyes of their chief and head shaman.

7 x Elite Fire Tribe Goblins AC 7 [12], HD 2 (5 hp), Att 1 x weapon (1d6), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 7, AL C, XP 20

The goblins are armed with short swords and are wearing tattered leather armour.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

The goblins have 100GP in a thick sack, hidden under a rock.

Location 3 - Fire Goblin Shrine

Grotesque statue (built crudely of scavenged rocks, sea weed and coloured with crude paints made from berries, it resembles some horribly tentacled beast with a goblin face drawn crudely on a rock that serves as it's head).

• South: A short, natural passageway that leads to area 2.

Goblin Worshippers

The Fire Tribe goblins worship a creature that lives in the lake, at any point in time there are 2d6 goblins here otherwise praying or laying down offerings before their grim idol.

2d6 x Fire Tribe Goblins AC 6 [13], HD 1-1 (3 hp), Att 1 x weapon (1d6), THAC0 19 [0], MV 60' (20'), SV D14 W15 P16 B17 S18 (NH), ML 7, AL C, XP 5

The goblins are armed with short swords and short bows.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate the sun: -1 to-hit in full daylight.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

At any point in time there is a 1-in-6 chance that the Fire Goblin Shaman is here leading his fellows in worship (otherwise the shaman is in area 5, its stats are also provided there).

There are a number of precious and stolen items laid as offerings before the idol:

• 1000 EP
• 5 gems (each worth 100 GPs)
• 10 x arrows +1 (if the worshippers are attacked or their sanctum violated they won't hesitate to use these)

Location 4 - Goblin Supply Depot

Piles of scavenged loot (in a jumble of boxes and crates that the goblins have stolen).

• North: through the gently curving tunnel back to the guard post in area 2.
• South: along a rubble strewn natural tunnel to the shaman's lair, strange noises and scents waft down this tunnel at irregular intervals.

The goblin supplies consist of the following:

• 2d6 loaves of maggotty bread
• 2 flasks of oil
• 1d6 x 1000 SP
• 1000 GP

Quartermaster & Guards

The goblin treasure in this chamber is guarded at all times by 2 elite goblin guards.

2 x Elite Fire Tribe Goblins AC 7 [12], HD 2 (5 hp), Att 1 x weapon (1d6), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 10, AL C, XP 125

The goblins are armed with short swords and are wearing tattered leather armour.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

The quartermaster of the tribe is a particularly lazy and runty ogre called Umash who is most often asleep in the pile of boxes and crates, when entering the cave PCs will have a 1-in-6 chance of spotting a foot or hand sticking out from the pile (PCs with exceptional senses or tracking abilities notice the sleeping ogre on a 2-in-6).

If a combat or disturbance breaks out, after a round Umash will burst out from concealment and lay about the intruders with his club.

Umash - Lazy ogre quartermaster AC 5 [14], HD 4+1 (9 hp), Att 1 x club (1d10), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 90' (30'), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (4), ML 7, AL C, XP 20

The goblins are armed with short swords and are wearing tattered leather armour.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

Location 5 - Fire Goblin shaman Lair

Strange symbols (daubed in blood and paint on the walls). Iron brazer (with local herbs and mushrooms burning inside it producing a noxious vapour).

• North: back to the supply depot, if the ogre quartermaster is still here then the sound of soft snoring can be heard from area 4.

The goblin shaman has 1000 SP and also the following items in his lair:

• A scroll of protection from lycanthropes
• A treasure map showing the location of an abandoned dwarven outpost to the north (area to be detailed later)
• A scroll of protection from undead

Noxious Fumes

When PCs first enter the room, unless measures are taken, they must make a Poison save otherwise they will suffer a -1 penalty to all dice rolls whilst they remain in the horrible fumes. The goblins and their quartermaster are not affected.

Shaman and Guards

The Fire Goblin shaman Tarrak makes his home here, imbibing various concoctions brewed from local mushrooms, communing with the spirits and interpreting the omens and the will of the tribe's dark god. Tarrak is guarded at all times by four elite guard.

4 x Elite Fire Tribe Goblins AC 7 [12], HD 2 (5 hp), Att 1 x weapon (1d6), THAC0 18 [+1], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1), ML 10, AL C, XP 125

The goblins are armed with short swords and are wearing tattered leather armour.

• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

Tarrak - Fire Goblin Shaman AC 6 [13], HD 3 (15 hp), Att 1 x weapon (1d6+1), THAC0 17 [+2], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (2), ML 10, AL C, XP 35

The shaman is armed with a wickedly curved dagger that has stylised tentacles etched onto the blade.

• Tarrak has the following spells available (each may be used once per day):
  • Magic Missile
  • Darkness
  • Ventriloquism
• Infravision: 90’.
• Hate dwarves: Attack on sight.

Location 6 - Shallows

Shallow water (that swirls through the chamber for a few moments before moving south).

• South: going with the flow, downhill to area 7.
• West: paddling against the current to area 1.

Location 7 - Deep Water Lake

Huge lake (numerous small branches of the underground river meet here). Unnaturally calm, dark waters (the waters are deep and very calm once one gets out on the surface of the lake, the water has a glassy, black look making it difficult to tell how deep it is). Glittering silverfish (small silver fish dark about just under the surface of the water, when the Tentacled God makes itself known the fish disappear into the depths, provided a potential warning for the canny PC).

• North: if the PCs can fight against the current they can take one of the two northern tunnels to either area 1 or area 6.
• South: in area 8 a small spring also feeds into the lake.

The Tentacled God

Perhaps inspired by the gigantic fearsomeness of the creature lurking below the waters, hallucinogenic concoctions or some combination of the two, the Goblin Shaman Tarrak encountered this huge creature and survived, believing it a god and that he had been chosen, Tarrak soon spread the worship to the rest of the Fire Tribe.

The tentacled god is a huge creature that resembles a cross between a giant squid and an octopus, whenever something new enters the cave or there is a disturbance there is a 3-in-6 chance that the god will arrive from the depths in 1D4 rounds to investigate and possibly attack the intruders. Although it can be distracted and may be lured away by offerings of food, something more easily obtainable and less pointy that the player characters.

Tentacled God - giant creature of the depths AC 7 [12], HD 8 (36 hp), Att 8 x tentacle (1d3 + constriction) 1 x bite (1d6), THAC0 12 [+7], MV 90' (30'), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (4), ML 7, AL N, XP 650

• Constriction: Tentacles grab and constrict after a hit. Each constricting tentacle inflicts: 1d3 automatic damage per round, plus a -1 penalty to attacks.
• Severing tentacles: Requires a hit with a cutting weapon inflicting 6 or more damage.
• Ink cloud: When escaping, can emit a cloud of black ink (80’ diameter) and jet away at 3 times normal speed.

Location 8 - Basking Rocks

Small natural spring (that fills the cavern with shallow (above a foot deep) water and slowly flows into the underground lake to the north).

• North: a small underground stream flows from the spring to the lake in area 7.