Megadungeon: Booezor d100 Rumors Table

 This is the third post in my megadungeon dalliance, a great big d100 table of rumors to add flesh to the city and create some points of curiosity and tension.  You might want to read the first megadungeon post if you haven't yet.  Here are some other notes I haven't mentioned:

Well known factions...

the Children, all wizards to a person, with the gifts and biases inherent in such a homogenous group. Powerful factions within the Children are the primary students and chroniclers of history, metascience, and omnimagic theory, they have maintained control over the city for many hundreds of years.

Tyra's Capstone, devouted worshippers of the Goddess Tyrant. In one way or another each is a master of their field. Main competitors of the Children, whose primary goal is to achieve control over the city.

the Skywatch, a group who are myopically focused on their percieved threat of the Shem. They want genocide against the flying slaver race. Despise the philosophies and focus of the Delvers.

the Delvers Collective, who believe in the answers beneath their own feet for various reasons, and are the sponsors of 70% of the often ill-fated expeditions into the Foabeléth Ordirrex.

the Moonmythus, primarily wizards and others who value the hypermagic flesh of the moon (silver), and plots and magic based in the moon itself their great mystery-certainty.

(Cult of the) Black Sun, fanatical worshippers of devestating eclipse events.

Other points,

The deepest part of the megadugeon, the dungeon heart, the ur-dungeon within, is the
Foabeléth Ordirrex.

The Children Neovam are the high council of the Children.

Silver is highly magical in this place and very rare, all silver here comes from fallen pieces of the moon.

The Census Objex are the city's magipolice, primarily concerned with damage to the city and preserving order.

Sunhold and Stormseat are the two seasons, the dry and the wet.
 

Booezor Rumor Table (d100)

01 there are humans in the city from Damasc or Fortunal far across the Thousand Oceans, hiding in plain sight among the iele.

02 one of the hotels of the city is haunted, four schools of necromancers are dumbfounded, the site is a font of natural energy, and the spirits involved are nature spirits.

03 the Children have “planted” a three foot pyramid many miles to the south, it seems made of black stone, they hope to nurture it to grow into a great tower and take hold of the passage between the two jungles.

04 the fief farms scattered about the Cnatka Taer are some of the quietest and safest places on the continent, they are considered valued partner-assets of the Children, and are well guarded by them.

05 one of the fief farms scattered about the Cnatka Taer was totally destroyed by hostile druids, and the residents were all transformed into strange animals.

06 minor golem butlers with silver hearts have become oddly common while many rumors circulate around regular violent malfunctions.

07 occasionally a murderer will hide their handiwork in the hollow body of a newly constructed servant golem, and in even rarer instances this results in a very dangerous kind of new undead.

08 single flawless crystals of quite large size have become a controlled good recently, word amongst some of the loose-lipped arch-apprentices is that something from another world can see through them.

09 in the lower city tiers, a plentiful and cheap new kind of egg has become a household staple, only folks swear a few of each dozen always seem to go missing.

10 the Eidolon, a gigantic winged creature of unknown origin is one of the city's safeguards against aerial assault, the few who have seen it will not speak of it.

11 the Labrynthyne, the forever dungeon of Children, built for their lesser enemies has many connections to the megadungeon Foabeléth Ordirrex.

12 the Labrynthyne has opened, or ruptured, or malfunctioned, prisoners have begun to appear seemingly at random around the city.

13 hungry ghosts run a terrifying delicatessen where the most bizarre “meats” can be found.

14 a thick red mist has been seen among the high spires of the city's upper tiers, there have been several horrific incidents of mutilation and murder by household staff who speak only nonsense about whispers in the mist.

15 two groups in Cindiband vie for a Sky Child attended by strange monsters who are like stars and darkness.

16 caves are constantly opening, shifting and connecting under the encroaching ridgewaste near the city, new cave systems while unstable, can be rich in clearly exposed natural resources.

17 an oddly shaped part of the ever encroaching, barren, and wretched ridgewaste nearby has grown lush again, the devout of Immacula wish to possess the place, and many others are interested.

18 some of the edges of the ever encroaching ridgewaste have formed into strange rocky crystalline structures, which new creatures have issued from, razing at least one far-flung fief farm.

19 wealthy citizens currently enjoy the Dreambox fad, a kind of terrarium or shadowbox, kept in a room for entertaining and occasionally moved to the bedroom to be filled with some of its owner's dreams.

20 no normal weapons originate in the city, everything has a subtle and specific magic whether intended or not.

21 there is a respected Blue Naga in the Precious Pillars attempting to sell certain debts she owns of her people for vast sums or moonsilver, Naga Spirit Debts give one conditional ownership over a Naga.

22 the merchant guilds are currently powerful, prices have grown high and homogenized.

23 a new merchant guild has appeared offering fantastically low prices and a wide array of goods, this is sowing chaos and bloodthirsty resentment among the other guilds while delighting the citizenry.

24 to the north of the city is a Pillar Garden, a place where great natural stone columns hang in the air unconnected to the ground, one of the mage elite seeks to fell one of the pillars and return it to the city to be installed as their new residence.

25 the city is full of magical creatures and enchanted animals being used as messengers and spies, assume any public conversation has been overheard.

26 there is a species of hummingbird only found among the hybrid orchids kept by the nobles of the Precious Pillars.

27 a plague of green boils that leak gas rather than pus, ravages the poor residents of the Weave, or a village of Bottomshelf, the area has been quarantined by city officials.

28 one of the public arena spheres has had six consecutive bouts end in execution, the winning mages, many uninterested in the technical magics, have all applied themselves with great effort to the study of new strange summoning spells.

29 one of the public arena spheres is badly malfunctioning, magic cast within will have a 50% chance to have between 10% and 1000% the normal effect.

30 one of the public arena spheres is inert but retains a functional anti-magic shell, a gang of enterprising young mages have taken the area, and have weaponized the dilapidated structure in several ways.

31 resurrection insurance has become popular with the super rich, assassins have become less dangerous than a well paid lawyer.

32 across the continent people of every type see Booezor as their goal, even those who have one of the other brands of civilization at their very fingertips.

33 one of the Children is, contrary to all reason, selling verified teleportation magic, the sum is the most outrageous ever asked for a single spell.

34 there is an outsider in the city with working teleportation magic, many separate forces are searching for this individual to buy, steal, or enslave their power.

35 Red Glass from an unknown interior desert is the most popular narcotic in the city right now, but the byproduct created after use becomes more toxic and mutative the more that is collected together.

36 Sour Stones from the ridgewaste caves are the most popular narcotic in the city right now, but an abundance of missing people and a lack of bodies propel the rumors that those who overdose are transformed and seek lairs underground.

37 Purple Lotus from the Quus mire is the most popular narcotic in the city right now, but some children who are exposed become powerful oracles only able to see the future, reports of missing children are the highest ever.

38 Brightgrape Wine from along the Pofft Coast is the most popular narcotic in the city right now, three powerful trading families have been brutally fighting for sole control of the grapes.

39 a pod of creatures called Azure Lumpish, a sort of large flying dolphin, are approaching the city in their annual migration, they come to trade their strange psychic powers for the city's magical auguries.

40 the lower tiers of the city are home to many feral and domestic spidercats, and the abundant resources available mean brooding females can grow far beyond the two foot “pet size” and into maneater range within a season.

41 people's pets are running away from home in droves, while all kinds of animals have been seen flocking to a certain entrance of the sub-city.

42 Greedy Ants are found only in the city, they appear like other small brown ants but are drawn to caches of gold, which they are able to shave pieces from with their strange mandibles.

43 the lower tiers of the city suffer first as Sweepers, large hairy snail-like animals, go missing in droves, killing them is oppressively outlawed and their meat is universally poisonous so confusion runs rampant as the filth piles up.

44 the most delicious dishes and the most amazing culinary delights are found in Stoneforest, prepared by perhaps a dozen of the most masterful gourmets on the continent, one is even said to have been an apprentice to one of the fabled Cauldron Hags.

45 it is said that within the Egg, the palace or campus of the Children, the greatest library in the continent is kept.

46 the Foabeléth Ordirrex has forced itself upward into the connective dungeons, decreasing the depth to reach it.

47 the Foabeléth Ordirrex has condensed, folding deeper into itself, and increasing the depth to reach it.

48 the Foabeléth Ordirrex has extended a Thorn through the miles of normal dungeon-space that lie between it and the city, appearing in a public square it is a door into the heart of the megadungeon and will be pruned back soon by the Children for the common good.

49 a black floating tower has been seen far to the east on the ancient path to Ig, no one has dared approach within a mile.

50 one the daemantine keys of the Children, the ones that unlock the Egg and are storied to protect themselves and return to their owner, has inexplicably gone missing and lies discovered or not somewhere within the city.

51 it is said that the Grand Stair, the enchanted road that leads to the city, has its own guardian creature which none have seen, it is called the Passage and stretches the length of the stair.

52 the Fasinaa of the Third Realm to the south, commonly called the Floating Forest, have become more and more aggressive toward caravans passing by, the other three of the Four Realms remain quite about their intraspecies politics and offer no aid.

53 many levels into the Tomb of the Mountain Heart, the most expansive and aged catacomb in the city, sits the necropolis known as the Alabaster Vault, a village of the living and undead.

54 the Delvers' Collective is sponsoring a Mass Descent 1d4 weeks from now into one of the deepest known parts of the megadungeon, their target five filigreed gold rods, their nature is unknown.

55 the Cult of the Black Sun maintains their position in the city to finance research of powerful magics, they seek the power to put out the very Sun.

56 the varied members of the Moonmythus value silver, the magical flesh of the moon more than any amount of wealth, they amass their small hordes of silver hoping like will attract like and the the moon will be drawn to the city.

57 the meritarchs of Tyra's Capstone will never be satisfied until they have wrested control of the city from the Children one way or another.

58 the Skywatch have been very vocal of late in their campaign to crystallize the threat of the Shem, Booezor is safe from all things but those horrors, they say, they began this city and they will be back for it in force one day.

59 a lost giant/magical “pet” encountered in streets, its owner is a richly mad and madly rich little child whose parents are completely cowed.

60 a strange iele child offers to sell you a small creature in a jar, the child promises wonders and you have never seen the thing's like before.

61 a miasmic former drug house is tainted with dangerous magical contaminates and the effects are spilling over into other houses.

62 there is a riot unfolding in the Beastmile at the bottom of the city, strange and common animals captured across the continent are escaping back to the wilds and into the city itself.

63 there is a riot unfolding along the Luminous Bridge from Cindiband to Lighttown, foot passage to the higher tiers of the city is currently blocked.

64 youth gangs in the Fruitbasket/Waspnest area mark their territories with magical graffitti, these patterns, images, and slogans can have surprising effects on those who see or approach them.

65 a hawker in Fruitbasket sells strangely spoiled potions that are discounted but still functional, they often have bizarre, unintended effects.

66 there is a seller of magical scrolls in Waspnest, their works are unique and top notch, but no matter which spell you buy the scroll always contains a different one.

67 long before was a time when the city was controlled by the Autarch, the greatest iele wizard there ever was, their remaining magics and treasures make pale imitations of modern works.

68 long before was a time when the city was controlled by a mad pantheon of seven demigods, once legendary heroes, three hailed from other worlds.

69 long before was a time when the city went through a Cryst Ziel (lit. “Crystallized Soul”) fad, many inert and still reactive Crystals still lie beneath the city.

70 long before was a time when the city was built as a hive of the dreaded Shem, no one knows what can be found in the alien places far below that still bear their touch.

71 long before was a time when the city traded with and was in communication with Ig the City of Outcasts, now the Chrichoral say that city has “moved”.

72 there is a summoning tournament being held in Lighttown, there are multiple categories to enter and prizes to win.

73 there is an artistic illusion tournament being held in upper Lighttown with many categories, Emotional Response, Pranks, Free Expression.

74 there is an aerial racing tournament being held in Stoneforest, participants may fly under their own power, use personal magical flight, ride a flying creature, or ride a flying magitech contraption.

75 the Census Objex have been extorting citizens in Cindiband, taking magical items, occasionally valuable jewelry and signets.

76 the Census Objex have their hands full with magical crimes threatening the peaceful operation of the city, they are half as likely to appear for non-critical incidents.

77 the Census Objex have the city under tight observation and control so magical crime is low, they are twice as likely to appear for non-critical incidents, and may anticipate critical ones.

78 the Census Objex have been unable to capture a serial bomber operating in Lighttown, frustrated club owners and wealthy hedonists are seeking outside solutions.

79 the weather is growing unnaturally cold, snow and ice have been seen in the highest tiers of the city, this occasionally happens in a place so rich in magic, but will grow worse and worse the longer it lasts.

80 Sunhold has brought such serious drought this year that the lower tiered communities have turned to priests of Immacula for sources of drinking water, as well as the sewers, hydromanders, even robbery.

81 this year's Stormseat has dumped so much rainfall on the city that not only have the sewers completely run over, several of the overbuilt lower tier neighborhoods have flooded as well.

82 one of the Children Neovam masquerades as a beggar, merchant, or messenger to experience common life.

83 one of the Children Neovam is a demon entity from a subwave plane.

84 one of the Children Neovam appoints a successor from a random nearby wizard if killed, and takes partial control of their life.

85 one of the Children Neovam is a power-hungry relic-seeker, already blacklisted by 1d4 mercenary companies.

86 one of the Children Neovam eats iele children to increase its lifespan.

87 one of the Children Neovam is the offspring of the goddess Naudde, a demigod who may never venture under the open skies.

88 one of the Children Neovam is a body-jumping parasite.

89 one of the Children Neovam is 5,000 years old, a natural magus born clutching a moonsilver nugget.

90 arch-magical relics have been found in the strata of the city's lower tiers, tunneling robbers move throughout people's basements and sub-cellars, causing many horrible incidents.

91 sealed towers exist in the city, some are larger inside than out, some connect eventually to the Foabeleth Ordirrex, some are still/newly occupied, some are not towers at all.

92 even the stones of many of the city streets have their own subtle magic, some can be harvested as there are many streets that have been plucked bare, others cannot be taken.

93 in this city of a thousand small streets, there are dead end alleys where the terminal wall ends in a relief of a mask or a face, each uniquely sized and patterned, they are the husks of nature spirits entombed in this manufactured place.

94 Chrichoral traveling from the Aika Aitat bring dire news about Centerscar, the Hive Mouth has opened wider, and those who fly over its blackness drop dead from the air.

95 Manifrond the debtmage has used a new spell to trade his familiar for another man's arm, now concerned that his ex-familiar's death might still impact him, he wants out of the deal.

96 the heat and moisture this year have been just right for the giant termites of the nearby mounds to birth new queens and winged drones, Booezor is always an attractive target for their new colonies.

97 slimy, hairless, single-eyed rats have been spotted all across the lower tiers of the city, they are stealing food, seemingly inedible magical components, and are the rumored cause of a vile new plague.

98 Ollgrad merchants have recently introduced to the city a rapidly growing creeper vine, whenever a patch of this plant hits a certain size it becomes a predatory people-eater.

99 the Shem have brainwashed slave agents in the city who seek to bring it down.

00 many seers and astrologers suggest a comet will strike the city in 1d100 days.





Now that was a beast!  I mean, encounter tables, sure I eat and breathe that stuff, but city rumors?  That took a month.  Anyhow, Happy New Year.  This will be the second real year of the blog and I feel pretty pleased about that... consider my resolution to post more, but still never till I have something good.  Thanks for reading!