Encounter Key: Inner Ward Ground Level

Basic Description

With regard to the layout of the place, this level features the dining halls and kitchens along with the throne room, library, and areas devoted to craftsmen. The majority of the rooms are of dressed stone, with wooden beams supporting the ceilings. Ceiling height is generally twenty feet. Most rooms have sconces or cressets for candles or torches. Candelabra were also used extensively for lighting interior rooms.

The Ground Level of the Inner Ward directly connects to the First Floor, the Second Floor, and the Cellars of the Inner Ward. It also connects to the gardens to the west known as The Grounds. In addition, it connects to Levels 1 and 2 of the Upper Dungeons and the Ground Level of the Outer Ward. A hole in Room 67 leads to a series of tunnels used by the rats.

Monsters in this Level

The Ground Level of the Inner Ward is a battleground between two factions. On the one side is a force of former Triskelion retainers, hobgoblins, who are loyal to Vicenne Triskelion and on the other there is a motley group of humanoids and brigands known as the Red Legs.

VICENNE TRISKELION. Vicenne Triskelion (this floor, Room 47) is the twin brother of Emiliano. He is cunning, mad, and power hungry. He is frustrated by the rapid and utter decline of the Triskelion family and desires to return them to glory.

Vicenne hates his brother Emiliano with a passion. He has captured him and locked him in a tower in the Outer Ward (Room 28, Third Floor of Outer Ward). Vicenne is looking for his brother's fiance, Luisa, so he can kill her in front of his brother's eyes.

He is ably served by several hobgoblins who have always been in the employ of the Triskelion family. Vicenne is an important cog in the structure of the Dungeons, he funnels food and other supplies downward by means of his hobgoblin and goblin servants, such as Carnassus in the Upper Dungeons Level Two.

NICOSTRATO AND THE RED LEGS. The Red Legs are a group of brigands consisting of humans, orcs, gnolls, and half-breeds. They are led by a ruthless woman named Sandrina Nicostrato (Room 11 of The Cellars). The goals of the Red Legs are simple. They exist to raid caravans and nearby villages and farmers. They use the castle as a base because the people who live nearby are afraid of its reputation (with good reason).

The Red Legs get their name from the strips of red cloth they all wear around the calves and ankles. This is a method of allowing their victims, usually merchants or other hapless travelers, to realize that giving up is a better idea than fighting, for the Red Legs are known to kill to the last man those who fight back, while they usually spare the lives of those who give up immediately (so they can fleece them again in the future).