Jari brings you to a dark corner of the underground camp. His own personal bedroll is here, laid out in the entrance to a long passageway. The few others that are camped further than Jari are sleeping fitfully.
He lights an oil lamp, and rolls out a scroll.
"This is where you entered the dungeon. Here is the maze you encountered, and here is where we are now. See all these paths? It isn't the half of them. Each of these tunnels branches at least once, and I've heard talk of a faraway hub that resembles this one. The dungeon is immense."
"The story goes, a group of prisoners came to this intersection after having been confused and battered by the traps they encountered along the way. Relieved by the apparent lack of traps and monsters, and unable to decide on a further direction, they rested here. Just a few hours later, another small group of prisoners arrived. Before too long, it turned into this."
"The early efforts to explore the dungeon have been fruitless. The few maps that have been made are confusing, badly scaled, or just plain wrong. My scroll only contains the areas that I'm positive about; as you can see, it isn't much."
"A lot of people went back to the 'entrance.' There's no sign of that trap door. The ceiling there is solid rock. And nobody who goes the wrong way down that hall has returned. Ever since I etched that arrow into the wall, the population here has grown rapidly."
"Now, of course, there is the question of where to go from here. Opinions differ on our ultimate goal, but everyone agrees that we require accurate maps and information. You fellows seem better qualified than most for this work. We can provide you with a little help, in the form of food and equipment."
"The very nature of the dungeon is a total mystery; perhaps you can help us figure it out. In the meantime, be on the lookout for sources of food or water; in fact, firewood or coal would be wonderful. The settlement is fast outgrowing its means."
-------------------
After a few hours of haggling and scrounging, Jari returns to you with the following equipment:
Cloak of Resistance +1
(+1 to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses.
Power (Daily): Minor Action. Gain resist 5 to all damage until the start of your next turn.)
Amulet of Protection +1
(+1 to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will defenses)
Magic
Rod +1
(+1 to attack and damage rolls, +1d6 to crits, magic implement users only)
A scroll of Magic Armor +1
(+1 to AC of someone's armor)
A scroll of Vicious Weapon +1
(+1 to the attack and damage of someone's weapon, +1d12 to crits)
Necrotic Attack Ring
(Power (At-will): Immediate Reaction. When you hit an enemy, you may spend a healing surge. You do not heal any hit points; instead, add 1d6 necrotic damage to your damage roll. You may do this more than once per hit.)
Two scrolls of Detect Secret Doors
Two Potions of Healing
Two days worth of food and water
--------------
In exchange for this, you must agree to explore a branch of the dungeon and return with an accurate map. (You don't actually have to draw a map, but you should try to find every nook and cranny of the path you choose.)
