After a long hiatus, I come back to my series of Dynamic Lairs for the ACKS game and compatible RPGs.

Today, we finish with the letter D and deal with the dwarf; although, let’s do something a bit different…

The Church of Consumption

Nestled in the side of a steep, stoney hill is a archway of black marble, decorated with images of hammers and axes, helmets; and mouths bearing clamped teeth tearing at flesh from a bloated figure, corpulent and swollen, manlike and seemingly dead on a table of stone. Inside a long hallway leads to a network of tunnels and chambers, vaulted and decorated with more of the same. At the end of the great hallway is a temple, immense and glittering with gems fixed into the columns and arches, with a red marble altar at the end. Beyond it is a wide pit, descending into a black void, wherein lies a tethered Old God, in an eternal slumber, from which the priests of the temple, the rulers of this dwarven dwelling, carve pieces of flesh to feed upon and grant them divine powers.

The vault holds 69 combat-capable adult dwarves, 35 non-combatants and 15 children. They are ruled by a Vault Lord (Level 9) with his elite guard of 11 Vault-Guards (Level 2), and their High Craft-Priest (Level 8).

Dwarf Combatants (69): AC 5, Move 60′ (20′), HD 1, #Ats 1 (weapon), Dmg 1d8, SV D1, AL L, XP 10: chain, shields, axes;

Dwarf Vault-Guards, Elite (Level 2, 11): AC 6, Move 60′ (20′), HD 2, #Ats 1 (weapon), Dmg 1d10 or 1d8, SV D2, AL L, XP 20: plate armour, great axe, arbalest;

Dwarf Craft-Priest (Level 8, 1): AC 9, Move 60′ (20′), HD 8, hps 31, #Ats 1 (weapon), Dmg 1d6, SV D8, AL L, XP 1,100: x; elaborate and ornate plate armour +1, mouth-styled shield +1, mace +1, scroll of ward versus magic; spells, turn undead.

Dwarf Vault-Lord (Level 9 Vault-Guard, 1): AC 7, Move 60′ (20′), HD 9, hps 27, #Ats 1 (weapon), Dmg 1d6+x, SV D9, AL L, XP 700: plate armour, shield, sword +1, +3 vs undead; potion of heroism, potion of diminution, ring of X-ray vision, Girdle of Giant Strength, .

In the vault’s treasury are the following items:

• 4,000 Silver Pieces, 1,000 Electrum Pieces; numerous gemstones: 2 turquoise (25 gp), 4 lapis lazuli (25 gp), 2 Agate (25 gp), 1 Azurite (10 gp), 1 tiger eye (25 gp), 1 onyx (50 gp), 1 jasper (50 gp), 1 Bloodstone (50 gp);
• 20 rolls of garishly dyed cloth, worth 10gp each (4 stone each); 4 pouches of saffron, each worth 15gp;
• 113 animal horns worth 20gp each (1 stone per 5 horns); 3 bundles of fur pelts (such as bear, beaver, or fox), worth 15gp each (3 stone per bundle).

The dwarves believe that gluttony and greed are their holy mission, and seek to accumulate gemstones and coins by any means necessary.

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