Help Me Make the Mage's Hoard

[Loonook]

So I've been thinking about some things and after watching a couple episodes of Hoarders and the discussions of Information Hoarding, I really want to make an adventure based on entry into a wizard's hoard. The party has heard that the Mage has a McGuffin of note, and they need to find it... But noone was expecting to walk into the midst of what they found.

Thousands of tomes from around the planes. Magical experiments trapped in piles of debris from Creation spells. Extradimensional spaces filled with detritus of a hundred years of experiments. And somewhere trapped in his own pile of paranoia and slowly unraveling sanity a wizard who has anchored the whole place, and is trapped within.

Fire would be dangerous as, well, you're looking at burning down a good portion of the Hoard. Unique ecologies from mice who have grown eating the leavings of a hundred years of arcane experimentation. The Mage has reduced his physical form to just keep creating, going from an epic spellcaster of mighty prowess down to a tired old man/woman who just cannot stop with their obsessions.

An entire room of half-built constructs? Unseen servants gone feral over the constant attempts to clean a mess that just... won't... stop. Bodies of adventurers that have died along the way trapped in deadfalls of thousands of potions mixed into a hundred deadly concoctions.

What do you think would be the ecology of such a place? I'm thinking Awakened vermin, various half-built constructs, living spells of many flavors, unseen servants turned to various elemental beasties, oozes risen from the leavings, random summoned creatures, physical and mystic traps, ragamuffin, and even some trash-obsessed fey. Perhaps the mage's familiar is actually running the show, given free reign as the Mage deteriorated into a husk of his former self, or others. Just want some opinions on what you would include in such a locale.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[Loonook]

The ideas so far:

Alyster Holden, Master of Spellcraft of the Academy at Altamyri, Demonbinder of the Shah of Zajara, planeswalker and man of means. Women wanted him, other sorcerers wanted to be him, the Sultan of Summoners, the Caliph of Conjuration, a true maestro of the Art.

Seventy-five years ago. Before the battle at Altamyri, and the destruction of the school. The screams of apprentices and imps, the pain in his artificial arm from the wounds he received in the grip of demon steel. Alyster spent over a year among Healers, though most knew that he would never reclaim his spellcasting ability. Or wish to use the abilities he may have.

Now he is known as Alyster the Barrowman, a collector of junk and trinkets. He lives in a magnificent manor home that none but rock-throwing children go around, and he smiles his benevolent smile as he offers his trades mutely to any who come across his cart.

Alyster has gone missing, though his cart remains in the home. Some say he never left the house that day, and the Mayor has asked for the group to come forward and look into the disappearance.

When they first go in they notice the problem... The smell of must and mold, the piles of foolscap and vellum with simple drawings on them hanging on the wall, while the foyer is blocked with walls of debris that looks to be settling in place.

---

I feel that the adventure could easily be for individuals around 9-12 level. Alyster had been an Epic spellcaster, and though he has forgotten his talents the house hasn't. Alyster has been in a constant mental struggle with the house and his 'roommate', a shadowy parasite that came with him all the way from Altamyri. Whether it is a demon or the apprentice who helped to summon them is up to debate, but they have been spending Alyster's intellect without him knowing. Thousands of XP have been poured into the home, adding extradimensional spaces, keeping Alyster in check with various modes, and helping to assemble various items that have created an unholy gateway to Something Bad.

Sadly, Alyster is a walking vendor bot and his 'roommate' is nothing more than a controller of actions with no true agency of his own so it cannot activate the Gate it has made. Powerful blood is required and Alyster cannot be made to kill himself by his shadowy parasite even if it can force him to drain his life away bit by bit. By the time he is weak enough to be pushed to sacrificing himself his power will be far too thin, but the shade has made deals with its 'owner' to protect their precious secrets.

Alyster's paranoia has developed his obsession to collect everything. Farming equipment, slag, fence posts, piles of stones from his travels, rags, animals he finds on his travels (dead or alive). He pulls some of his best from the midden-heap, but it is never enough.

It has been sixty eight years. Alyster soldiers on much past the lifespan of most men due to his sheer will to continue (and the shade's ministrations), to collect and acquire. His latest obsession was to collect bones of any type, and bags of mortar.

The interior of the home is much larger than it appears from the outside. It has become a physical manifestation of the mage's psyche, and his additions have a mystic presence about them, seemingly held together by spit and wonder more than physics.

Sample Areas:

The standard maze-like piles: The Hoard is filled with difficult terrain, but Alyster formed mazes upon mazes in the debris. Corridors can be dangerous, leading to pitfalls due to weakened floors, piles of debris falling down on the players, swinging block traps, and even piles of debris that have a mind of their own (oozes that pour out of the walls). The pathways are completely irregular, with wide paths leading to rabbit-holes, and entire walls honeycombed with pathways up and down.

The confused servants: When Alyster gained the manor as his inheritance he used some of his know-how to summon up a bevy of unseen servants. These servants have been warped, turning into Air Elementals. His favorite, known as Butler, can take the form of a well-dressed servant who carries around the Master's wand in the form of an ornate walking stick. Butler has taken the worse for it, becoming an Aerial Servant.

Butler can be found randomly rearranging the home's rooms, tearing apart the work Alyster has performed. IF disturbed or spoken to without Diplomacy (treat as Hostile) Butler will launch into an attack. Butler can be reasoned with during his attack, and if he is reasoned with offers the players an escort through a few rooms of the home, along with explanation of the areas around. He wishes to be free of the place, and can only be freed if the Master is made whole (by conquering the Manor and the Shade within him), or being banished.

He will beg for release from his duties, and will willingly fail his saves against banishment to leave this damned place.

Slainte,

-Loonook.