Column of Electrum Thrice-Bound in Tin is an ancient funeral ship, built by the primordial revolt-empires of mankind. It still wanders the Sea of Lights, holding its crew and guests in the strange half-life the ancients preferred to death and the judgment of the Authority. It is found on a roll of 2 on the sea encounters table.
As with other NMD dungeon posts, the map is pure Donjon output - ignore which doors it says are secret, locked, et cetera.
Random Encounters
- Tukulti-Authority, recordkeeper of ancient days. Stats as Zombie, but remains sentient and bored. Fond of overlong stories about nothing.
- 2d10 armed and armored zombies.
- The three Companions of the Monarchs.
- A Giantish catamaran has come to challenge the Column.
0 - Outside
Column of Electrum Thrice-Bound in Tin hovers ten feet above the water - this is due to the Ghostparting Prow, a carved tin-and-lead ram built onto the front of the vessel. It can be attached to other ships - the lack of friction doubles their movement speed (though they have a tendency to slide around like air hockey pucks).
The deck of the ship holds 30 zombies in verdigrised armor (1 HD, 6 AC, 6 MV), who man six ballistae to fire on incoming vessels. The cabin on the rear of the deck has a staircase that leads down into Room 1. PCs may also sneak under the treasure vessel and enter through room 5.
1 - Deeds of the Queens of Mankind - Empty
The painted walls of this room show the destruction of a city of giants. Statues are torn down with ropes by angry mobs. Catamarans burn in the harbor. In the midst of it all stand two imperious figures, one with a sword marked out with mother-of-pearl.
It was only an outpost - the giants remain, and barely notice the absence.
2 - Chained Rowers - Monster
30 Zombies (1 HD, 8 AC, 6 MV) labor on great oars, dragging the Column across the Sea of Lights. The tops of their heads have been removed - their skulls are empty.
3 - Judge's Scales - Hidden Treasure
A bas-relief of a grinning man holding a set of scales - perfectly balanced with a bundle of flowers on one plate and a skull on the other. If the bas-relief is damaged or removed, a Potion of Healing waits behind the flowers, and a dose of save vs. death poison behind the skull.
4 - The Helm - Special
A pair of cloth-of-silver gloves and a blindfold of the same material hang from strings in the center of the room. Wearing the blindfold provides you a third-person view of the Column of Electrum Thrice-Bound in Tin, while the gloves permit you to puppet the 30 rowers and 30 ballista operators.
Column moves at 12 hexes per day over water. It is difficult to run aground due to the Ghostparting Prow, but I'm sure the players will manage anyway.
5 - Moon Pool - Empty
Two three-man boats, finely painted, hang from ancient ropes above a hole in the floor. It was expected that the ship's guests would leave one day.
6 - Extremely Cursed Evil Statue - Trap/Treasure
A statue of a cruel tyrant, cut in half at the waist. The break reveals carved stone viscera that would never be seen unless the statue was destroyed.
It is worth 5000gp - unfortunately it is both exceedingly heavy and extremely cursed. Any who die within eyesight of it rise up as the fitting undead for their HD (1 HD creatures have stats as zombies, 2 HD creatures as ghouls, et cetera).
7 - Companions of the Monarchs - Monster w/ Treasure
Three Wights (3 HD, 5 AC, 9 MV, drain 1 level/hit, unaffected by nonmagical missiles, double damage from magical missiles, killed humans become Wights) lie in repose in this room, each with a 100gp amethyst in the chest of their verdigrised armor.
8 - Poison Chamber - Trap
The floor of this room has been built up into a sculpted map of the world. Its seas and rivers are made of flowing mercury - each dungeon turn in this room prompts a save versus poison to avoid taking 1d6 damage. The wall to the south is painted with a mural of the mountains that form the edge of the world - pressing on the sun that rises above those mountains opens the secret door to 10.
9 - Shooting Gallery - Trap
Three niches in this room hold immobile statues of crossbowmen, who track and fire upon targets (as 3 HD monsters) that enter. They wait for targets to cross into the middle of the room to prevent their escape.
The other three niches hold glass cabinets of engraved tin tablets - annals of distant years in a long-forgotten language.
10 - Dead Throne - Monster w/ Treasure
Two mummies (5+1 HD, 3 AC, 6 MV, hits inflict necrotic disease, only vulnerable to magic and fire, damage and to-hit bonuses halved when attacking it), one wrapped in 1000gp of onyx-thread jewelry and the other wielding the neutral +1 sword ONE WILL LIE (12 INT, 3 EGO, speech, reads magic, targets struck by it decay, taking another 1d6 damage at the end of their next turn).
Both marched with the Unconquered in past ages.
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