[Early Worm Campaign] The Backstory of the Castle Automatic

In case you missed it, I'm currently running a direct pre-order campaign for my upcoming 100+ room, 5 level dungeon The Castle Automatic. 

Become an Early Worm now!

But what's the story of the Castle Automatic? What makes it an interesting place to explore?

Here's the deal

Long ago, in the confluence of history and mythology, a conquering giant declared himself the Emperor of the Wide World—the king of kings. He gathered four treasures to himself: a sword that could defeat any weapon, a coin that could pay for anything, a cup that granted immortality, and a wand that opened doors in thin air.

In this time, a certain dwarf named Taitale was widely considered the smartest person alive. The Emperor of the Wide World commissioned Taitale to build him a castle populated entirely by mechanical golem guardians to hide these four treasures. It was called the Castle Automatic. Then, the Emperor placed Taitale in the Castle, a prisoner in a prison of her own creation, so that she would never tell anyone how to defeat its many traps and puzzles. 

Taitale's son sought to free his mother and meddled with forces beyond his understanding, playing a discordant melody not meant for mortal minds. Vampiric spirits from the far realms rushed into the world, eager for their fill of blood. They overthrew the Emperor and broke the mechanisms that controlled the Castle Automatic.

For an age, the Castle Automatic has been lost in the Underworld. But now, its gates have been reopened…perhaps by His Majesty the Worm?

Why do you explore the terrible castle?

You can use the Castle Automatic as a dungeon in your Underworld. In His Majesty the Worm, adventurers are primarily motivated by their quests. The GM can add any quest objective into the Castle, integrating their ideas and plots into the factions, treasures, and characters of the dungeon. Because of the powerful artifacts housed within, consider placing it deep in your Underworld where it is not directly connected to the surface. 

You can also use the Castle Automatic as an independent adventuring location, basing a small campaign around finding and exploring the Castle. In this case, the GM can suggest a player (or the entire guild) take a quest specific to the published information from this dungeon.

This dungeon has stats and references to the procedures of His Majesty the Worm. It is still appropriate for use in the OSR game of your choice (with a little adaptation). 

Here are likely personae, treasure, or occurrences in the Castle Automatic that you can tie to your players' quests. 

Find the Four Treasures

There are four powerful magic items in the Castle Automatic: 

• The Perfect Sword, which can defeat any weapon 
• The Coin of Pentacles, which can pay any debt 
• The Chalice of Life, which can extend mortal life 
• The Wand of Power, which can fold space 

Note: The four treasures significantly change the balance of the game, and we recommend against letting the guild continue to adventure outside the Castle Automatic after obtaining any of them. Acquiring the four treasures should either be the capstone of a campaign (followed by blissful retirement), or the triumphant adventurers should become rulers of the Castle, replacing one of the other factions. 

Rescue Taitale

Perhaps the guild has been tasked with rescuing the mythical Taitale from her imprisonment. She is an important figure in underfolklore. 

Rescuing a figure out of the mythic past would be enough to win any underfolk fame and renown. Even the most recalcitrant dwarven lord would surely acquiesce to a request from an adventurer who accomplished such a task. 

Taitale could also bring knowledge out of the past to the present. She could explain processes long forgotten, repair machinery long since broken, or even invent new technologies.

Slay the Hierophant

Perhaps the evil depredations of the Hierophant threaten the City or the guild's allies in the Underworld. Perhaps someone from an adventurer's past has fallen victim to the curse of vampirism, and slaying the Hierophant is the only cure. Perhaps the blood of a vampire lord like the Hierophant is the only reagent powerful enough to power a magical ritual that allows the guild to fulfill one of their quests.

Some example spreads

The development is complete! Copyediting and layout are the next steps. I think it's turning out awesome. Check it out. 

The GM map is the most complete version; there's also a minimap and maps for the players

Taitale and her son, Vorte, have been trapped in the castle for an age

Each room in the castle has traps, new monsters, and new treasures for players to uncover

There are five separate levels, all connected through magical mirrors

Become an Early Worm

New to His Majesty the Worm? Want a ready-made dungeon to get started with? The Castle Automatic is for you! Join now and receive an exclusive map with your order.