Dungeons · Any · Rooms/ Halls
Redux Tantibus
An open room lay before them, occupied only by a few cobwebs and dust. Upon entering, a phrase is seen on one wall. One of them utters the phrase out of wonder for its meaning, unknowingly activating the room. An eye opens on the wall in front of the poor souls and with a quick flash of light, the last thing heard from the room is heart retching screams... then silence.
This room looks like any other room you would find in a dungeon, it can come in many different shapes and sizes, could be filled with assorted stuff such as furnishings, corpses, treasure, etc.
What makes this room different is on one wall their is written the phrase 'Redux Tantibus', meaning 'restored nightmare'. Once the phrase has been read aloud, the room activates, causing an eye to open on the wall, under the phrase. With the reveal of the optical entity comes a flash of light, a light that allows the room to see inside your darkest dreams to find what scares the character(s), and brings it to life in the room.
The room can take a small area and turn it into a huge haunted forest with wolfs stalking every corner, the deepest depths of the oceans where the character's cant breath and can only see dark eyes and tentacles coming for them, it could turn the characters in to children, and place them back in their childhood home, back on the night the murderer came...
Its not clear if the room is using some kind of illusionary magic, some mind altering psychic effect, or some kind of mind effecting poison. The only thing that can be agreed upon is the utterance of the phrase, 'Redux Tantibus', is what activates the rooms power... the ability to see inside ones mind... and bring back the nightmares...
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Enjoyed this? Sign in and cross blades for young0ne2 — five clashes, up to 25 XP.
Sign in to cross the blades.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Bonds
Curated bonds across the Citadel — sign in to bind a bond. Kindred Favors are another thread in the same weave.
No bonds yet — be the first to bind one.
Use alongside
Submissions that pair well with this one at the table.
A good fit for an old-school dungeon. In such an environment, the who's and the whys are unimportant, though as I have aged, those questions stick with me.
It would be nice to have some reason behind this, apart from being an unusual trap. Its power seems akin to Wish type magic's - i.e. The person's greatest fear is the End of The World and so someone would have invested a great deal of magic in its creation.
Perhaps its old purpose was as a test for some order - face your fears, overcome them. Eventually, no nightmares would come forth when then phrase was spoken, and they pass the ordeal.
Typo: wolves not wolfs
I was actually planning on tying this to some organization/person later on down the road.
thanks for the feedback it is much appreciated
A cursed holodeck. Awesome!!
Kind of reminds me of Ghostbusters, when Gozer created the giant Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
I feel like an experienced adventurer would know better than to read an ancient dungeon inscription aloud, but it makes sense as a trigger.