help plotting background of an adventure

[Gilladian]

I have a situation where I'm throwing together a site very quickly, and I need some brainstorming help. The PCs are returning to a dungeon they've been in before. They cleared 2 levels of it, but they know that there is a deeper level or more. They also know that there are 3 "wizards towers" connected to the dungeon. These towers (heretofore undescribed) are not enterable from the outside. No one, in 400+ years has found a way in.

Just recently, they've discovered that the wizards who lived in these towers "defeated" a bunch of evil cultists. The cultists have now come back and need to be defeated again. The PCs hope that by finding a way into one or more of the towers, they can find out HOW the wizards did the job, and thereby do it again, possibly more thoroughly this time around.

My problem is that I have ONE week to figure out what is on the 3rd level of the dungeon, and how the wizards' towers are protected/sealed off. THEN I'll have a week or two to design each tower! AND figure out what the wizards did to defeat the cultists, and if it is do-able again...

So I need help. This is a 3.5e game, but my players don't care if what I do is "really within the rules", just that it sounds reasonable. My PCs are 6th level at this time.

If you've read this far, the third level of the dungeon is a wizards school that the three wizards who lived in the towers ran together. I have a map, and that's only a small problem. But HOW did the wizards seal their towers? So that nobody can get in at ground level, and nobody who got down into this level would have easily penetrated from below? Any suggestions? And what might the three towers be like? I'm open to lots of ideas...

 

[BlackSeed_Vash]

The wizards never beat the cultists. Try as hard as they might, they couldn't stop the cultists, only delay them. The wizards got their hands on a McGuffin/artifact that shunts a targeted area outside of space/time. To keep the McGuffin/artifact active it needed to be magically anchored to the plane its being use and a steady supply of _______ (life force, magic, pickled zombie brains, etc). The wizards decided to use their most fortified locations, their towers, as the anchor locations. Unfortunately for the wizards, the anchor locations are held between their current plane and outside time/space, making them inaccessible to anyone.

Now in the present, the McGuffin/artifact hasn't been getting enough of its power source. Luckily, instead of returning all the cultists back to the material plane at once, they are slowly trickling back. Fortunately for the PCs this means they can worm their way into one or more of the towers. Maybe a puzzle like this (watch from 14:30 to 20:00). While they do learn that the wizards didn't really win, let them know that the cultists are not at full strength yet. Maybe hint that if the cultists had their McGuffin/artifact stole or destroyed they would be significantly easier to defeat. Suggest that there might be items and other tools in the tower(s) that could allow them to do just that. Personally, I would provide the PCs with a bunch of 1 time uses items a few levels outside of their pay grade. Maybe a Shield Guardian amulet or two. The amulet's corresponding golem is still around, but badly damaged. Basically good enough to tank a few big hits before shattering.

You could have the 3rd floor be some sort of "processing" plant to provide the wizards McGuffin/artifact with it's power source. Between adventures coming in, murdering the inhabits of the dungeon working here and said inhabits do not really remember why they're even doing this any more, the power supply has been slowly dwindling.

 

[Eltab]

The wizards set up portals to their sealed towers from the 3rd floor of the dungeon, then hid the portals behind illusory walls, bricked in the end of a hallway like Fall of the House of Usher ("For the love of God, Montesqueue ... for the love of God."), placed Maze and Mirage Arcane spells all over the hallways.

The towers all have the same floor plan because they are part of a magical symbol; this makes your job 1/3 the difficulty, and gives the PCs a neat 'cookie' when they figure it out.

How to seal the towers from outside entrance? Build like normal, then dump a HUGE pile of dirt next to it. Move Earth to create a shell around the building. Transmute Mud to Rock. Voila: sealed tower. (No windows alas, but if you can cast the Transmute spell you can also cast Permanent Light on a lantern wick or eight.)

 

[Gilladian]

Thanks! These are both great ideas and I will be stealing parts of them. More is always welcome!