Lair of the Begotten

This encounter marks the penultimate encounter of the Horror of the Old Ones adventure.

1 Entrance
The walls run with a dark mucous that pools along the floor, making it difficult to navigate the space without it oozing or dripping all over. Nose hairs curl as the bile-like smell grows rises in visible clouds above the pools.

Characters failing a DC 10 Balance check will likely fall into one of these acid pools over the course of their traversal. They are denoted on the map. Above each pool is a stinking cloud. In addition, characters will inevitably walk into an area that rapidly fills with the equivalence of a weak stinking cloud, and if they fail saves, will double over in pain, and can suffer the effects very much like the spell. These encounters increase the tension and raise the stakes.

Heading up the steep passage takes the party to the Pirate Cove, though this is not likely to be an available travel option, as the passage only opens for a brief few seconds, during which thousands of gallons of water and other refuse flow into the tract. That is the only way out, save the passage behind 11.

In addition, every two minutes a new gush of water, complete with flotsam and jetsom, enters from here and passes through the tract, quickly dissipating as the water is absorbed by the walls. As soon as the party feels they will drown, the water retracts in to the walls.

2 Homes of the Begotten

Translucent sheets dominate the space, hanging in the way of the passage. The profiles of humanoid shapes amble behind them.

The begotten have taken up refuge behind little membranous tent-flaps, where they take rest here in the tract. They will attack the party if they are awakened.

Primitive tablets with indecipherable, outerworldly script litter the floors of some of the homes. The characters will only find them if they search for them though, as they are below the murky steamline. Some of these will also wash ashore after the party defeats the old one, to help bring to closure any final mysteries.

3 Begotten Warrens

Tiny begotten spew forth from slimy mounds, slithering across the acidic floor.

These young pose no threat to the party, but if attacked, twelve begotten will swarm the party from each direction down the hall.

4 Equipment Cache

In a drier spot in the tract, there is a small mound of moldy leather equipment in the far end of the chamber.

This consists of leather armor, shredded backpacks, a few rings and other adornments of the begotten, largely necklaces that they wore to hide their gills when they lived in the human colonies to avoid being outcast. There is also an amulet of water breathing among the loot.

5 Packed Bulb (Pack'd in Like Sardines)

This bulb is packed with a strange, pus-colored mucous. Within the gelatin are the compressed bodies of men with fish-like heads.

This is a diseased part of the Old One. This god has a tumor, which has spread to other parts of its colossal body. This is what makes a 10th/11th level party able to challenge it. A gelatinous blob has filled the chamber.

6 Antechamber

There are multiple mutilated skeletons of fishmen here in at the end of the chamber.

The bodies are eaten by the begotten, then cleaned off by the gelatinous rug at 7. Buried in the corpses of the fishmen are a ring of acid resistance and a wand of paralyzation.

7 Gelatinous Rug

This chamber dead ends in a gelatinous bulb, or rather a gelatinous rug, that spreads out into the corridor. Boots begin to stick to the floor.

The gelatinous rug attacks immediately, or as immediately as a rug is capable. The rug is actually spread across the floor, and curls up to trap its prey.

8 Cool Opening

The passage opens here into a swampy drum. The sounds of chewing resound against the cylindrical walls, rounded at the top and bottom of the chamber. The low chewing gives way to a rising crescendo of ululating, mud-encrusted bodies of half men, half-fish which rise out of the muck. Their rows of razor-sharp teeth chomping at the bit.

The fish men have been sucked in by the god, and what few are left are standing up for themselves, fighting off the begotten. They serve as an analog to the tumor which ails this elder god. they do not attack the party, as long as they are shown an alternative. Some of these fish-men will follow the party into battle against the Old One once the party passes through 11.

9 Fleshy Flap

A large, pink, fleshy flap opens and closes at regular intervals, and dung slides from the heaps and shoots out an opening.

This flap, unfortunately, blocks the only way out. Luckily it does open, and can be slashed open as well, causing internal bleeding and hemorrhaging of the body the characters are spelunking.

10 Dung Heaps

The piles of dung here seem to move.

In the dung heaps are six otyughs which attack as the players draw near, their flailing arms covered in feces.

11 Dank Passage

The players will pass very quickly through this passage on their way out the poop chute, which opens of its own volition overy ten minutes or so. Thousands of tiny cilia line the walls, and help force solid objects out to the Old One.

This passage leads to the final encounter with the Old One (add link here).