Lower ABBEY (The DARK undercroft)

LOWER ABBEY (THE UNDERCROFT)

Type: Dungeon / Laboratory Ruins

Description:

A narrow staircase carved into stone descends beneath the ruined abbey.

The air grows heavy with dust, mold, and the faint metallic smell of blood.

Rusty lanterns still hang from the walls — someone lit them not long ago.

The lower halls are lined with collapsed doors, shattered glass, and strange symbols burned into the stone.

This was once the alchemical workshop of the monks, where the Golden Blood was created.

Long tables now lie overturned, alembics cracked, and parchment half-dissolved in dark water.

Something still drips from the ceiling — thick, gold, and pulsing faintly in the torchlight.

Appearance:

Cold, claustrophobic corridors of blackened stone.

Iron rings still hang from the walls, and a massive glass container dominates the center chamber, split in half like a broken heart.

Small golden veins run through the floor cracks, glowing faintly when disturbed.

Every sound echoes far too long, as if the halls don’t want to let go of what they hear.

GM Notes:

The Lower Abbey opens after the player discovers the entrance during “The Golden Debt”.

Inside lies the truth about the Golden Blood — it was meant to heal the King’s son, not create a weapon.

Depending on the chosen path:

– If the player worked with Captain Velan, the ruins are filled with broken machinery and remnants of the King's previous expedition.

– If the player worked with Father Lethar, the air is filled with holy incense and half-burned corpses of failed “purification”.

Encounters:

– Mutated remnants of the old monks (half-blind, afraid of light).

– Environmental hazards: gas leaks, unstable ground, collapsing corridors.

– Central chamber puzzle: reassemble broken notes to reveal the formula fragment.

When the player reaches the final chamber, they must decide whether to take, destroy, or hide the last vial.

That decision will define the end of Chapter I.

Faction:

None (disputed between Crown and Church)