Minidungeon - The Troll's Toll

Pont Valentré

It's a well-known fact that Trolls live under viaducts. No one really knows why (including Trolls). So when some Serpentmen found Lemuria the Green hiding beneath their fortified bridge, they didn't bother evicting him. Instead, they did a recruitment pass. After some careful negotiation and a longpork signing bonus, the snakes hired the immortal maneater to guard their river checkpoint.

Centuries later, Lemuria still dutifully mans his post. He really enjoys being a tollman. So much so that he wasn't bothered when his employers stopped paying him. Or that they're all dead. 

How does the saying go? Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life.

THE GATEHOUSE

The gatehouse straddles a waterway leading into the heart of Bloody Glades, a primordial woodland considered cursed by most sensible folk. Dense with megafauna and magical critters, adventurers ply the forest for pelts and reagents to fuel the market economies of "civilised" lands. Though isolated, the increasing scarcity of hunting grounds has driven more traffic towards Lemuria's home. Those who obey the tollman's instructions pass without incident. Everyone else gets killed and eaten (though not necessarily in that order).

The structure is made from bricks of native bluestone. It's old, but is clearly being maintained. The bridge sits 25ft. above the waterline, providing enough clearance for most boats to pass beneath it. The central tower is another 50ft. tall, with three levels and an undercroft built below the bridge.

Doors are large sheets of reinforced bronze. Lemuria is supposed to secure them whenever he leaves a room, but he's forgetful in his old age. There's a 2-in-6 chance that a given door has been accidentally left unlocked. 

Built for Serpentmen, the gatehouse has corkscrew ramps instead of stairwells. These don't obstruct Lemuria, but are difficult for anyone else to negotiate. If in a hurry, or if the ramp is slippery, make a Save vs Paralysis. On a failure, go toppling down for D6 DMG and alert everyone nearby if you were wearing metal armour.

(Thieves can roll a Climb Sheer Surfaces instead. If they fail, they still get to make the Save vs Paralysis.)

By Justin McElroy

THE TOLL

While they were still ascendant, the Serpentmen monopolised all metal production by jealously guarding the region's few deposits of copper and tin. Only loyal human cultists were permitted to use bronze; local tribes were subject to cruel reprisals by the paranoid snakes if caught performing metallurgy.

As such, Lemuria's toll depends on what social caste he thinks the PCs belong to. 

If conned into believing they're cultists, Lemuria charges them the standard toll of 250 silver pieces per head. However, the Troll only recognises the silver denarii of the Empire as legal tender. He'll begrudgingly accept gold pieces, but doesn't change the number of coins. 

Otherwise, Lemuria assumes they're not cultists and taxes the PCs for a quarter of whatever furs, food or other goods he assumes they're carrying. This involves him rooting through their baggage to assess the value of their cargo. Upon discovering any metal items (coins, weapons, armour, magic items etc.) he confiscates them.

Thankfully, the ancient Troll's eyesight is poor. If the PCs make a concerted effort to conceal their contraband, he only has a 2-in-6 chance of finding it. If they have a Thief or similarly roguish character, it's a 1-in-6 chance.

LEVEL 1

1A: Northern approach to the gatehouse. A bronze portcullis blocks entrance to 1C. Impossible to lift without inhuman strength. During a siege, Lemuria can dump the contents of his privy from 2A onto attackers. Save vs Poison or waste 1D4 rounds vomiting and take -2 to all D20 rolls until you clean yourself.

1B: Side room that reeks of rotting plant matter and old fish. Several dead piranha are strung up on a string, slowly drying out. The crank for 1A's portcullis is on the North wall, but requires two people working together (or an exceptionally strong person) to rotate. It's at least quiet, Lemuria keeps the mechanism well-lubricated. Once opened, the crank be locked into position with a bronze rod lying nearby. The ramp to 0B is slick with moss, river water and fish guts, requiring a Save vs Paralysis.

1C: Large chamber hemmed in by thick doors and bronze portcullises. Anyone passing through the checkpoint on foot or by cart is inspected by Lemuria here.

1D: Side room used for holding seized contraband. Several crates are filled with metal weapons, armour and other equipment. The stockpile is worth 1,000 GP based on its quantity alone - there's enough here to equip a company of soldiers. The crank for 1E's portcullis is on the South wall, and identical to the one in 1B.

1E: Southern approach to the gatehouse. Portcullis is identical to the one in 1A. During a siege, Lemuria can dump the contents of his cooking pot from 2C onto attackers. Save vs Breath Weapon or be doused in boiling fat, taking D6 DMG per turn until you extinguish yourself. Jumping in the river works, but then you get attacked by the Giant Piranhas in 0C. 

LEVEL 2

2A: Bedroom. Lemuria's bedding is made from 1,500 GP worth of pelts. Shoved below the oversized bed is the gatehouse's pay chest. It contains 10,000 SP, but is trapped to cast Sleep on anyone opening it. The room's privy contains two scrolls being used toilet paper - Detect Magic and Hold Monster. Located next to the toilet is an unlocked bronze hatch connected to a chute terminating above 1A. It's possible to access the hatch by climbing the portcullis. Naturally, if Lemuria detects such a ploy he welcomes the intruder with a deluge of Troll shit.

2B: Workshop. The room's masonry equipment is used to maintain the gatehouse and its flock of Gargoyles, with one such construct here awaiting repairs after being injured by a Magic Missile. In the meantime, the Gargoyle is guarding Lays-Many-Eggs who's currently tied up in the corner. One table has 800 GP worth of gemstones lying on it, pried from an ornate sword. Also present is a Foldable Boat sitting on a tall shelf. Its inside a glass bottle labelled with its Elvish command words.

2C: Kitchen. Larder full of salted longpork, beaver jerky and other locally sourced meats. Pantry containing sheets of smoked moss, jars of pickled vegetables and dried mushrooms. Searching the cabinets finds a jug of Killer Bee Mangite worth 500 GP. It has five swigs left, each healing D4 HP. A large brass pot bubbles away over a roaring fireplace. Lemuria uses it to render down fat for tallow candles. It's adjacent to a bronze hatch identical to the one in 2A.

2D: Mudroom. Wombat-hair doormat caked in dirt and blood. Shoe cubbies for heavy boots made from tanned manskin and repurposed leather. Oversized cloak containing 750 GP worth of platypus fur.

LEVEL 3

3A: Covered patio. A triangular roof sits above this area, providing cover from the infrequent but violent rainfall common for the region. Some hand-carved chairs and tables made from local timber decorate the room. Lemuria likes to sit up here to eat his meals.

3B: Rooftop garden. Lemuria grows Macadamia nuts, wild greens, bush tomatoes and native yams to supplement his diet. The gatehouse's Gargoyles roost on the edges of the roof, keeping a careful watch on the surrounding area. 1D3+1 are here at any time, with the rest patrolling nearby hexes.

LEVEL 0

0A: Lemuria stored the riverboat of the Happy Few here. The vessel is covered in bloodstains and gouges from the crew's battle with the Gargoyles. There's still 3,000 GP worth of pelts onboard that haven't been unloaded yet. Unbeknownst to the tollman, Trafalgar the Halfling is hiding inside a barrel of castoreum, using the musk to hide his scent.

0B: River checkpoint. A pair of portcullises form a secure chamber where Lemuria can inspect vessels trying to pass through the gatehouse. An elevated stone archway stands over the water channel.

0C: This section of water is where Lemuria dumps his offcuts, feeding them to his school Giant Piranhas. Too lazy to pry the knight out of his armour, Lemuria has thrown Sir Volga's corpse in the water here. His defleshed skeleton still lies at the river bottom, weighed down by plate maille. Dredging it up finds 250 GP and a Potion of Haste.

DUNGEON RESIDENTS

LEMURIA THE GREEN

Stats per OSE.

Lemuria's body may be immortal, but his mind certainly isn't. The Troll suffers from dementia, frequently forgetting things, misplacing items or staring at the wall in a fugue state. It's one of the reasons he hasn't left the gatehouse in centuries - it's like a dementia village, a safe place where he can feel productive and in control of his surroundings.

Lemuria has a large silver pin hammered into his skull, engraved with magical runes. It grants him a permanent Comprehend Languages, allowing him to understand any spoken tongue (but not written language, he's completely illiterate).

The Troll splits his time moving between 2B, 2C and 3B on various errands as he prepares to cook Lays-Many-Eggs. Once he does so, he goes to bed in 2A. The following day he starts unloading the Happy Few's riverboat in 0A, discovering Trafalgar in the process (and then eating him too).

THE GARGOYLES

Stats per OSE.

There's seven of these stone constructs. They were created by the Serpentmen to help Lemuria run the gatehouse, and as such are shaped like Couatl (winged snakes). They're invaluable to the Troll, giving him force projection over the adjacent hexes, and the ability to gather food and building materials without leaving his post.

One of the constructs is currently at half HP after being blasted twice by Magic Missile. It's in 2B, being repaired. There's 1D3+1 more in 3B, keeping watch on the surrounding areas. The rest are out patrolling or gathering resources in the surrounding hexes.

If the Gargoyles detect anyone approaching (or trying to avoid) the gatehouse, they converge on their position and make awful hissing noises as they point them towards the checkpoint. They ignore mundane attacks made against them, but quickly become hyper-aggressive as soon as they actually lose any HP.

GIANT PIRANHAS

Stats per OSE.

There's four of these oversized carnivores kept semi-tamed by Lemuria. The Troll not only catches them for food, but also uses the fish for bathing, jumping into the water and letting them attack him. They effectively act as violent sharksuckers, devouring the tumors, skin tags and lesions sprouting from his cancerous flesh.

THE HAPPY FEW

Lemuria's most recent victims, an adventuring party hunting Giant Beavers and other valuable megafauna along the Redriver. They consisted of:

• Konrad Kunst, Thief 4
• Lays-Strong-Eggs, Ranger 3
• Sir Volga, Knight 3
• Trafalgar, Halfling 3
• Yazidi The Blue, Magic User 2

The Happy Few approached the gatehouse via riverboat, but Yazidi panicked when she saw the Gargoyles converging on them. After she opened fire with Magic Missiles, the constructs attacked the party. Yazidi and Konrad were killed almost immediately; their corpses falling into the water. Meanwhile, Sir Volga surrendered, Trafalgar hid in a barrel and Lays-Strong-Eggs leapt off the boat (only to be captured by Lemuria).

The tollman caved Volga's skull in and fed him to the piranhas. Having never eaten a member of her race before, he tied Lays-Strong-Eggs up whilst he prepared ingredients to cook her with. The Lizardman doesn't hold a grudge against the Troll (it's not like she hasn't eaten people alive before), but she would still like to escape.

Trafalgar wants to rescue Lays-Strong Eggs. Partially out of guilt over hiding while his friends were slaughtered. Mostly because there's no way he's making it back to civilisation without her help. He's equipped with Leather Armour, a Shortbow with silvered arrows, a +1 Dagger of Light and a Potion of Resist Arrest (doubles movement speed and renders the user immune to being grappled or restrained for 1D6+6 turns).

Seattle Bridge Troll