D&D General Maps, Maps, Maps! Dungeons, Ruins, Caverns, Temples, and more... aka Where Dyson Dumps His Maps.

Index Card Dungeon II – Map 3 – The Ghost Tower

This is the third index card-sized map that connect together to form Index Card Dungeon II. Each is designed to fit on a traditional 3 x 5 index card (at six squares per inch), and you can write up any notes about the level on the reverse of the card. I’ll be posting three maps per month in the set, aiming for a total of 18-24 maps or so.

While this map sits above Map 1 (The Tower Base), it isn’t the version of the tower that characters will first encounter. Map 4 will present the tower in the ruined shape that it is in when they first arrive and deal with the Cult of the Fractured Eye. However, at some point while inside the dungeons, the tower shifts and we find this ghost of the original tower standing where the ruins were. The ghost of the tower is not home to the Cult of the Fractured Eye, but instead is home to the spirit of Vaelis Lioren, the warlock who originally built the structure.

Vaelis is a warlock dedicated to one of the “Seventy-Seven Trapped Between” – a group of deities who were trapped between the worlds when they came to aid in the great war. Vaelis takes the rare opportunity when the ghost tower manifests to attempt to establish contact with their patron through strange rituals. Because their patron is trapped between realms, Vaelis’s magic manifests in fragmented ways – most often weaker, but echoing multiple times (each spell is about 50% potency, but manifests 1d4 times in immediate succession in almost the same place).

Other strange manifestations join the warlock on these nights…

Spectral Men-at-Arms: The spirits of their old mercenaries linger, sometimes aiding the Warlock in battle with ethereal swords or offering wise (if outdated) tactical advice.

Unfinished Rituals: The tower’s remnants still hold fading magical glyphs, and incomplete prayers that could strengthen the patron’s voice—or tear open a gateway to unknown realms.

The Curse of Reappearance: Why does the tower return on certain nights? Is it tied to celestial alignments? Forgotten vows? A fragment of the god’s will pushing through? Vaelis both seeks answers – and dreads them.

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 9,000 x 5,400 pixels (30 x 18 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to either 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing it to either 2,100 x 1,260 or 4,200 x 2,520, respectively.

Echoes of a Forgotten King – The Halls of Musquadobet

Sage Marvus Durnwell’s research into the minor noble houses of the Anchor Dwarf clans has probably pinpointed the location of the Halls of Musquadobet hidden from the prying eyes of the world above. These halls, if actually there, would be a relic of a forgotten age, and hopefully a source of ancient dwarven lore. Once a small underground citadel, it was home to the Musquadobet – a secretive and fiercely independent clan that prided itself on its self-sufficiency and mastery of subterranean survival. Their halls, expertly carved from the surrounding rock, were both practical and majestic, reflecting the meticulous craftsmanship and ingenuity of their people.

Ancient scrolls hint at a noble dwarven house that, in exile, retreated from the roots of the world, determined to carve out their own kingdom away from the conflicts of their kin. The subterranean river was their lifeblood, providing not only fresh water and many fish, but a means for transport and trade as the river cuts through the hills where the citadel is and can be used to ship products in and out to the surface lands.

There are two entrances to the Halls – the north entrance is the main entry and is well guarded with arrow slits watching the passage. The east entry is the citadel’s “postern gate” and leads to a secret door on the lower side of the hills where the hall was built. The Whispering Run is the small river that was the lifeline of the citadel – its waters shimmering in the dim glow of bioluminescent moss that clings to the walls of the river cave. The deeper chambers house remnants of a long-lost culture—ancient murals depicting ceremonies, faded banners hanging in the still air, and doors of exquisite craftmanship sealing off long forgotten chambers.

At the deepest point is the great hall – a two-tiered structure that was the heart of the social life of this small clan.

Sage Marvus Durnwell is an aged scholar who has devoted his life to unravelling the mysteries of the Musquadobet civilization, Marvus is a font of knowledge, always doled out in a slow and painstaking manner. His work, collected in crumbling tomes, suggest that the last generation to live here were under the leadership of an ancient Musquadobet elder who refused to abandon their throne, even in death – which lead the rest of the clan to abandon the citadel – leaving many of their ancient treasures behind. Strange occurrences haunt the Great Hall, whispers echoing where no one stands. Has the noble’s spirit truly lingered, or is there something darker manipulating the souls trapped within?

However, when the sage’s directions are followed, the Halls of Musquadobet have become a battleground. A faction of dwarven treasure hunters (who claim nobler reasons) seeks to reclaim the halls (and the treasures within), while monstrous invaders – a brood of half-breed troglodyte mutants – have begun their advance from the river. Do the players choose a side or forge their own path in the conflict?

The 1200 dpi versions of the map were drawn at a scale of 300 pixels per square and are 10,200 x 13,200 pixels (34 x 44 squares). To use this with a VTT you would need to resize the squares to 70 pixels (for 5′ squares) or 140 pixels (for the recommended 10′ squares) – so resizing the image to 2,380 x 3,080 or 4,760 x 6,160 pixels, respectively.