THE GROUNDS 22 THE BURIED HOUSE.

22 THE BURIED HOUSE. There is a 50% chance that 1d4 worker thermites will be coming to or leaving the buried house at any time. They will ignore any person who does not approach within thirty feet.

Thermite Workers (AC 4; MV 15”; HD 2+2; #AT 1 bite; D 1-6; SA +4 to hit with blistering spittle for 2-8; XP 50+3/hp)

The buried house has descended into the ground (by action of earthquake, a magical spell, a burrowing monster, or a malefic diety?) so that just the tip of the gray roof shows, looking like a tiled square based pyramid.

There are two entrances that the thermites use to go in and out of the house. The main entrance is in the north face, it is fairly large, about six feet wide and six feet high. The thermites have constructed an earthwork ramp down to the floor of the attic (Room 22A). The east entrance is smaller (three feet wide by four feet high) and has no ramp, instead there is a drop of eight feet to the floor of Room 22A.

The thermites that inhabit the buried house are actually being parasitized by another species. A group of evil dwarves led by the wily hunchbacked dwarf Rogi is holding the thermite queen hostage and mingling among the thermite population disguised by thermite pheremones. Rogi killed the thermite king and has taken his place. He is using the thermites to mine for gold.

Meanwhile, the thermite princess in Room 22U is doing her best to resist the dwarf. She is undermining Rogi's attempts and plotting a way to free the queen from him. However, since the thermites are so single-minded and limited, she cannot persuade them that the dwarf is not a real thermite king. Her only protection lies in the fact that Rogi and the other dwarves haven't realized that she is actually different from the others.

Exterior rooms will have thick glass windows with black earth pressed tight against them. The wooden construction of the original building is rotting, but the thermites have used mud and nymph silk to strengthen the walls and ceilings.

Substitute the following table for random encounters.

Buried House Encounter Table

d%	Description
01/01/55	1d4 thermite workers
56-70	1d3 thermite workers and 1 thermite warrior
71-80	1d2 thermite warriors
81-85	1d2 thermite slashers
86-90	1d2 thermite bursters
91-00	1d2+1 dwarf fighters

Thermite Burster (AC 4; MV 15”; HD 2+2; #AT 1 bite; D 1-6; SA Suicide burst for 4-24; XP 90+3/hp)

Thermite Slasher (AC 3; MV 15”; HD 4+1; #AT 1 bite; D 2-12; XP 90+5/hp)

Thermite Worker (AC 4; MV 15”; HD 2+2; #AT 1 bite; D 1-6; SA +4 to hit with blistering spittle for 2-8; XP 50+3/hp)

Thermite Warrior (AC 3; MV 15”; HD 3+3; #AT 1 bite; D 1-8; SA +4 to hit with blistering spittle for 3-12; XP 85+4/hp)

For encounters with dwarf fighters, use those from 22R and 22Y. Thus only five dwarves can be encountered total.