The Portrait Dungeon

## Entering the Dungeon

Around the world many kingdoms, castles, and keeps have been built, ruled over, ransacked, and been forgotten. These remnants of once forgotten eras can still be found scattered about Etera, Siacros, and other landmasses. A strange artifact that can be found within several of these old landmarks and ruins is a large portrait with special magical properties. The portrait depicts a woman from a strange race akin to humanoid dragon turtles. She possesses large spiked horns, a turtle shell on her back with several spikes, and a theming of fire and flames. She is usually portrayed in a regal position from afar with either fiery red hair or a calm blonde. If one is to approach the portrait her visage changes to a more feral and violent nature, sucking the person into the portrait itself.

Those that only spot the portrait from afar and people who have escaped the portrait's grasp have come to call this woman 'The Lava Keeper'. She is said to hold great and enormous power, undefeatable by mortal hands and rumoured to be hoarding immense wealth in some distant realm.

## The Ashy Walkways

When brought into the portrait, whether willing or otherwise, people are usually met with the ashy walkways. Long and winding pathways in what appears to be an old forgotten ironworks factory, still slowly churning out molten metal, using the heat from large rivers of lava that snake their way between two massive cliffs.

Enemies in the ashy walkways are few but not none. Ashy beings in the shape of numerous forms of monsters sometimes attack those that approach them. With strange traps and hurdles to cross, the walkways themselves are rickety and any unsteady steps can spell disaster. Thankfully some brave adventures of the past have left little helpful flags and signs to show the right way to the exit, even sometimes leaving food and drinks that have weathered the horrible atmosphere, as it can feel like days pass within minutes in this terrain, or sometimes that days never pass at all.

For some strange reason, nobody can make their way outside of the portrait's areas through use of magic or such, even attempting to fly up and out of the ashy walkways proves ineffective, as people who attempt it find that regardless of how fast or high they fly, they are never more than a few hundred feet from the floor.

## The Lava Keeper

   After walking through the many dangers of the ashy walkways, the keep of the Lava Keeper will be found. A large and strange building of smooth obsidian and stone can be found and accessed by a treacherous walkway, leading towards the sounds and sensations of a huge creature hiding within. Those that don't have any form of fire resistance will be battered by a heat haze that makes things hard to perceive correctly, those with such methods fair slightly better, though it does not stop the sting of heat in this place.

The Lava Keeper herself is just as her portrait would show, massive and resplendent, this creature's appearance can seemingly take on two forms. One form being that of the more dainty and appreciative princess appearance. If found in this form she can be conversed with, even allowed to leave peacefully if provided with large amounts of nourishment or special items that can be found within the dungeon itself. Her other form however is one that she can be found in, or turn to, if angered or not presented enough offerings, beware this form.

Those who fight with the Lava Keeper will find that blows spark off her body, magic rarely, if ever, manages to take hold, and any form of ranged or sneak attacks will be nullified by the intense atmosphere of the room and her protective turtle shell. Luckily enough she has a weak point, with the spiked turtle shell on her back and the large tail she has, it makes things hard for her when pushed back. People have told tales of how they tricked the Lava Keeper to fall off the platform and into the lava below, others say they managed to swing her by her tail and into the fiery depths. Nobody, not one person, has ever bested her in a fight to the death. It is rumoured that she herself is the artifact of the portrait and can never be properly harmed whilst within her realm.

## Rewards, or What Comes After?

So, what comes after? The Lava Keeper doesn't offer money or jewels, no truly wondrous prizes can be found, but those who manage to get around the Lava Keeper and outside of her keep will find a very beautiful sight. A lone cherry blossom tree that survives on a rocky outcrop above the ocean. The lava slowly running off into the sea, creating an impressive visual in the constant sunset of this landscape. All that see the tree are compelled to place a hand upon it, and doing so will bring the person out of the portrait and back into the world at large. Those that attempt to attack the tree have the same thing happen before their strike hits.

The portrait people exit through is in a different location than the one they entered, now bearing a single cherry petal on a black background. Any attempts to destroy or move the portrait fail. After leaving the area successfully, nobody ever finds the portrait of the Lava Keeper again.

Strangely enough, those who exit the portrait find that their pockets are heavier than before, gold and jewels having appeared there as a prize. In addition to this, many find a small bonsai sapling like the one they touched at the end of the dungeon, this can be taken and replanted elsewhere. The sapling takes to magic rather well and can project a magical effect out to thirty feet for one month when in bloom. The sapling seems to bloom just after being prompted to do so via Enhancement magic and takes another month to recharge. ( This acts as if the Referential Enhancements talent at CL21, any sphere caster with the right Enhancement talents can place them within the sapling and cause it to bloom for a month. It's duration is always one month, the effect placed within is always CL21 regardless of the CL of the caster, and the sapling cannot be moved by any means once activated for the month. )

## Random Encounter Table

This table is to help those that wish to traverse the dungeon figure out what they faced in their exploration of it. You may roll randomly or choose specific events if you wish when writing up how you conquered the dungeon or maybe even write your own if you think your ideas fit. The dungeon may damage the people who explore it, but those who die or sustain a great amount of damage find themselves outside and able to try again.