A Practical Guide for the Soon-to-be-Entombed
Stonehell doesn’t welcome visitors. It devours them. But if you insist on venturing into that festering wound of the western borderlands, you'd best go prepared. This is no gleaming ruin of lost elven lore. This is a death trap carved by the damned for the damned.
Essential Gear: What You Must Bring
| Item | Why It's Essential |
|---|---|
| 10-foot pole | Trust no floor, ceiling, or wall. Tap every flagstone like it owes you money. |
| Iron spikes & hammer | Wedge open those heavy, stubborn doors before they wedge you in. |
| Torches (lots of them) | Half the dungeon’s blind. Don't join it. Also scares off some vermin. |
| Lantern & oil | Longer burn time than torches. Oil can also be weaponized. Creative fire is encouraged. |
| Rations (at least 7 days) | You will get lost. Stonehell has a way of swallowing time as easily as it swallows men. |
| Waterskin(s) | Water sources are rare and rarely safe. Filtration if you can afford it. |
| Chalk or charcoal | Mark your trail. The walls shift less than your memory does. |
| Rope (at least 50 ft.) | Pits. Ledges. Prisoner-led ambushes. The occasional need to hang someone. |
| Crowbar | For doors, crates, chests, skulls. Multi-purpose brute persuasion tool. |
| Mirror | Spot around corners. Check for illusions. Signal for help you’ll never get. |
| Holy symbol or relic | Even if you’re not pious, the things down there sometimes are. |
| Antitoxin or healing salves | Disease and poison abound, and clean air is rare. Bring a cleric or die creatively. |
Tactical Wisdom from the Borderland's Madmen
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"Light is life." Keep torches lit and lanterns fueled. When the light dies, so do you.
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"Talk to kobolds—but never trust them." They'll whimper and fawn, but they’ll also sell your spleen to a hobgoblin for a crust of bread.
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"Avoid the berserkers if you like your limbs attached." They're fast, strong, and hungry. And they eat people.
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"Never descend deeper unless you must." Each level down is a level closer to madness, mutation, or something worse.
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"Stonehell listens." There’s something... not right. You’ll feel it. Sometimes the dungeon shifts behind your back.
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"Map everything, trust nothing." Rooms connect in maddening ways. Walls lie. The map is your best hope—and maybe your last.
Final Tips from the Almost-Dead
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Leave a letter with someone you trust. Odds are you won’t return.
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Name your weapons. Not for magic. For morale.
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Bring a novice adventurer. The traps like fresh meat. Keeps the veterans alive longer.
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Don’t touch the glowing rocks. That’s vaedium. If it doesn’t kill you now, it will mutate your bones later.
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Always ask: “What does this smell like?” If the answer is burnt meat, rot, or old coins, leave.
They say those who enter Stonehell are either brave, desperate, or
cursed.
But they all end the same—with dirt under their nails and madness in their
eyes.
Good luck, adventurer. May your torch burn longer than your breath.