Old Churchyard

Old Churchyard
Description
"You are in the catacombs beneath the forest. A staircase leads upwards, to the churchyard. A statue of a six-armed angel smiles down at you, cradling a lit brazier in its lowest hands."
Information
Area	Forest
Location	Forest
Opening Hours	Open 24/7
Role	Treasure-Hunting
Inhabitants	Smugglers, Spiders/ Spider-people

The Old Churchyard, also known as the Catacombs, is a treasure-hunting location near the front of the Forest. (Mostly) Untouched by human hands, many relics of a bygone era lay hidden in its depths. A player with a bit of Skulduggery knowledge may find themselves loaded with new treasures that belong in a Museum. An incautious player may find themselves in more danger than they know how to escape from.

How to Enter

The Catacombs can be found in the Forest. Moving two steps in will reveal the Old Churchyard and it's Sepulchre. To unlock the Sepulchre, the player will need a Rank C+ in Skulduggery. If the player doesn't have this rank, then it is possible to make up for it with the Cat, Fox, or Harpy/Bird transformations and/or skulduggery boosting outfits such as the Long Leather Gloves. Once the player picks the lock, they enter the Angel room, beginning the adventure into the Catacombs. The rest of the Catacombs keeps the same difficulty as nothing the player finds requires more than Rank C+ Skulduggery.

The Torch

Immediately after entry, the player is introduced to the Torch. The Torch makes it possible for the player to see in the dark, dank Catacombs and also scares away certain beings living down there. The torch starts off with 100 light and each step in the Catacombs removes 5 light. Plundering a room in the catacombs removes another 5 light. The less light the torch has, the more likely a random event is to happen as the player can't see what they're about to run in to. Once light hits 0, nonconsensual encounters become possible as the denizens of the Catacombs no longer have any fear of approaching the player. The player can tell how close they are to this point by the description of the torch.

Light 100: Your torch is radiant.
Light 99-80: Your torch blazes.
Light 79-60: The flame on your torch has lost some of its vigour.
Light 59-40: Your torch is burning lower.
Light 39-20: Your torch won't last much longer.
Light 19-1: Barely a flicker of fire remains on your torch
Light 0: Your torch is extinguished

Map

Entryway

The Catacombs are split into 3 sections, the first of which is the Entryway. As it is the first area, it's also the safest as it both has no nonconsensual and the Angel room, where the player begins and exits from, is an easy way to completely refill the brightness on the player's torch. This, like all sections of the Catacombs, has 5 parts, only 2 of which will be described as the others are fairly interchangable.

Angel room

The room the player begins in and exits from. It is one of the most unique rooms in the Catacombs, having many things within to help the player and return them to baseline. This is also the only room the player can't plunder.

• Small Statuette
  • A one-time antique found. The player can instantly grab it and, if they decide to wait until later, is not affected by the player being bound or unable to see.
• Burn through your bindings
  • If the player's arms have been restrained during their adventures in the Catacombs, they can burn the binds off in exchange for a little pain
• Light torch
  • Refills the light on the player's torch to 100
• Blindfold removal
  • If the player ends up with a blindfold during their adventures in the Catacombs, a warm breeze from the outside will loosen it and automatically cause it to fall free.
• Cocoon Removal
  • If the player passes out with Spiders enabled, they will end up in a cocoon. Making their way back to this room will see the statue's eyes flicker, automatically causing the player's binds to fall apart.

Yawning Chasm

Going east twice from the Angel room, the player comes across a yawning chasm. The player cannot see a way across, but they do notice something in the stalacites on the ceiling.

• Coax
  • A player with a Rank C+ in Tending can coax the being watching from the ceiling down. What happens next depends on whether the player has the Spiders toggle enabled
    • If Spiders are enabled, a Spider/Spiderperson will come down from the ceiling and allow the player to ride them across the chasm. A spider will put the player on their back and walk on a web across. A spiderperson will wrap some silk around the player's waist and use that to carry them across the chasm.
    • If Spiders are disabled, an orb of light will descend instead. It will show the player a hidden passage, then guide them through a maze of tight corridors until they find themselves on the other side.

Normal Plunder

In each of these rooms, the player is able to plunder the room for antiques. They may not find antiques all the time, but they will at the very least find something useful. Note: If the player has either of their hands bound, they will not be able to plunder a room. But since they will always be within a room or 2 of the Angel room, this isn't much of a problem here. Each plunder attempt takes 30 minutes and 5 light from the torch.

• 20% chance of finding some old rags, increasing the torch's light by 10. If the player is blind, they won't bother as they can't see anyway.
• 20% chance of finding a Silver Blade antique, worth £60 and increasing Crime by 60.
• 60% chance of finding a Copper Coin antique, worth £10 and increasing Crime by 10.

Events

The events unique to the Entryway are fairly nonthreatening as there isn't a chance of running into a nonconsensual encounter. All events depend heavily on the player's Torch light to allow them to see the danger coming and avoid it. A random number between 1 and 100 is generated. If the player's torch light is higher than the number, then they succeed. Otherwise they must face the consequences.

• A rope hangs at knee height.
  • If the player sees it, they step over it
  • Being unable to see it causes the player to hit the trap, launching a dart into their arm. They pull the dart out, but feel a warmth spread throughout their body (currently bugged. This doesn't actually do anything). Players with both their arms unbound and a Rank S in History will be able to tell that someone in the underworld might find the used dart interesting ( £10 in stolen goods).
• A stone slab is raised slightly higher than the rest of the floor.
  • If the player sees it, they step over it
  • If the player steps on the slab, there's a 75% chance of the player being stuck in place as a paddle drops from the ceiling, hitting them in the butt (+ Pain, + Trauma, + Stress). Otherwise, the player will find themselves with a new pair of ankle shackles. The player should keep an mind there isn't a place to remove ankle bindings in the Catacombs. While this (mostly) isn't a problem while in the Catacombs, it may cause some when they leave.

Barrows

Going west twice from the Angel room, the player has the option to climb down. Doing so leads the player to the Barrows, a wet, muddy section of the Catacombs. Now further from the light of the outside, critters roam and things become a bit more dangerous now that they are out of easy reach of a torch refill. The rooms of the Barrows are fairly interchangable, save for one.

Mound

The Mound itself isn't much different than the rest of the Barrows except for a one-time room, the Cairn. Entering this room allows the player to take the Silver Crown antique (£1200, +1200 Crime). Upon doing so, the Cairn collapses, making the Mound no different than the surrounding areas.

Barrows Plunder

Much like the Entryway, the player can search each room for valuables. Having arms bound once again prevents the player from looking, but it's a bit more annoying here since the player will have to make their way back to the Angel room in order to free themselves and begin plundering again. Each plunder attempt takes 30 minutes and 5 light from the torch.

• 20% chance of finding some old rags, increasing the torch's light by 10. If the player is blind, they won't bother as they can't see anyway.
• 20% chance of finding a Silver Goblet antique, worth £60 and increasing Crime by 60.
• 60% chance of finding a Strange Fetish antique, worth £15 and increasing Crime by 15.

Events

Events unique to the Barrows are a bit more dangerous than the ones in the Entryway simply because there are nonconsensual encounters, making the possibility of passing out due to Stress much greater than it was above. It just as safe as the Entryway by disabling Lurkers, removing the encounter. Like before, the player's torch light levels play a major part in avoiding misfortune.

• The player hears movement in the dark all around them. They all seem to be getting closer.
  • Succeeding sees the player scare the things around them off with their torch, the light and heat keeping them at bay.
  • If the player has lurkers enabled, then they will be forced into a nonconsensual encounter with 3 lurkers. Having lurkers disabled will cause the player to run blindly through the dark until they escape the creatures, but not unscathed (+ Pain, + Trauma, + Stress).
• The player comes across a pool of white fluid
  • Success has the player see masonry floating in the fluid, allowing them to use it to pass without issue
  • Failure gives the player the choice of either finding another path or wading through the goop. Finding another path will cost the player 10 minutes of time and 5 light from their torch. Wading through saves time, but covers the player in slime from the waist down, increasing Allure. While not much of a problem in the catacombs themselves, the heightened allure could pose a problem for the player once they exit. Especially if it's night.
• Gems glitter in the ceiling above
  • Success allows the player to see them and use them to orient themselves (- Stress).
  • Failure simply has the player fail to see them.

Catacombs Compound

The final section of the Catacombs, the Compound, is an odd mix of pipes and cables running through the usual ancient, crumbling stonework that has made up most of the rest of the place. Combined with machinery and cameras that can be seen in this area and it's very obvious that this is a hub for smugglers. Because of this, it is easily the most dangerous part of the Catacombs as it is the only place the player must worry about human interference. That said, like the Barrows, most of the Compound is interchangable save for one location.

Pillar Room

The final room of the Catacombs is a room with pipes and cables all snaking around half-ruined pillars, all running towards the same direction: a humming machine. In the center of this machine is a glowing white crystal, a one-time antique that the player can take to the museum. Taking it gives the player (£2000 in antiques, +2000 Crime), and the Dark Delvings feat. Immediately after taking it, the player sets off an alarm that chases them out of the room.

Compound Plunder

As per usual, the player can search the room they're currently in for plunder. Having their arms bound in this room is severely irritating as the player will have to travel through the entirety of the Barrows in order to make it back to the Angel room and then make the trek back to the Compound in order to begin again. By the time the player makes it this far, monitoring their light also becomes a concern since it would be smart to preserve enough for the trip back to the Entryway. Plundering takes 30 minutes and 5 light.

• 20% chance of finding some old rags, increasing the torch's light by 10. If the player is blind, they won't bother as they can't see anyway.
• 20% chance of finding a Gold Coin antique, worth £100 and increasing Crime by 100.
• 60% chance of finding a Silver Coin antique, worth £20 and increasing Crime by 20.

Events

Events unique to the Catacombs are the most dangerous to the player for the simple fact that one of them absolutely cannot be avoided, even by changing their settings. Therefore there is always a chance for the player to get into a nonconsensual encounter and during this encounter, it is possible for the player to be knocked out, leading to a whole new set of issues. As throughout the Catacombs, the player's torch light levels is key to avoiding bad encounters.

• The player can hear a pair of human voices ahead of them, having a conversation. If the player has any light at all, they can see that strangers are wearing a uniform.
  • Passing the check has the player sneak past the smugglers with no issue
  • Otherwise, the player will step on broken pottery while trying to avoid the smugglers, cluing them in to the player's location. The player can now run (Athletics A required for guaranteed success), fight, or allow themselves to be caught. Being caught is the same exact thing as fighting and losing via being overwhelmed by pain.
    • If the player successfully runs away, they escape the encounter without further issue. Failing to run away forces them into a nonconsensual encounter
    • If the player fights or is caught running away, they will be forced into a two person nonconsensual encounter. Causing both enemies to orgasm or maxing out their pain will allow the player to end the encounter and get away without further issue.
    • Losing the fight or allowing themselves to be caught will cause the smugglers to place a blindfold on the player. If the player already has a blindfold, then the player will be knocked out via chloroform. Being knocked out is not advised, so if the player is blindfolded because of a prior encounter, it is advised to go back to the Angel room to have it removed.
• A camera hides in the gloom of the Compound
  • If the player sees it, they can avoid being in the path of the camera and carry on without problem.
  • If the player fails to spot it and tentacles are enabled, the player will have metal tentacle coil around them, forcing them into a nonconsensual encounter. If tentacles are disabled, then the player runs as a whirring roar fills the room. They stumble a few times in their escape though (+ Pain, + Trauma, + Stress).

General Events

Sarcophagus

A player who is blindfolded will still this entire event. They will bump into a hard corner (+ Stress, + Pain) and that will be that

Otherwise, the player will pass by an open sarcophagus in their path and think they see a figure inside. Passing the Light check will case the player to see inside with no problem with a 25% chance of finding some cloth to feed to their torch (+15 Light).

Failing will cause the player to have to either walk by with their eyes shut or find another way around.

• Walking by with their eyes closed causes the player to stumble their way past the sarcophagus, falling on their ass in the process (+ Trauma, + Pain). By the time they open their eyes, the sarcophagus is far behind them
• Finding another way around causes the player to do just that, trading 5 minutes of extra time and Light for safety (-5 Light).

Whispers in the Dark

The player hears whispers in the dark calling out to them. Their breath quickens. If the player has light left in their torch, they can investigate the noise. Otherwise, they're forced to try ignoring it

• Investigating the noise allows the player to see it was all in their head, though they had to use Light to do it (-5 Light,- Trauma)
• Trying to ignore the whispers causes a Willpower skillcheck that the player needs a S Rank to guarantee success.
  • Success causes their anxiety to pass without issue
  • Failure causes them to hear a snap and run in a panic. They eventually trip and curl up, but nothing happens. Whatever was chasing the player is gone (-5 Light, + Pain, + Stress, + Trauma)

The Web

If the player passes the Light check, then they will see a large spiderweb covering the passage they're walking towards. They'll burn it away with the torch and continue on their way.

Failing the Light check causes them to run right into the web. If the player's arms are already bound, they try to break free using their entire body and fail, causing them to be suspended and helpless. All they can do is try to struggle out. The check is entirely RNG and the player is stuck until they successfully complete it.

• Success sees the player pull themselves free
• Failure causes the player to fall, wasting 5 minutes of time (+ Fatigue, +++ Stress, -5 Light). The stress gain isn't too terrible (200 points out of a max of 10,000 stress), but the player should still be wary of this event causing them to pass out.

If the player's arms are free, then they get the safer route. Instead the web will get stuck just the player's extremities and they'll have the option to tear themselves free or save their strength. Tearing themselves free requires a very difficult physique skill check. Not even S Rank physique on a Large body character can guarantee success (this player would have a max of 16,000 physique and the check goes up to 20,000).

• Success sees the player free themselves and go along their merry way
• Failure causes them to free themselves except for their arms. They arms are now bound until they make their way back to the Angel room.

Saving their strength instead causes the player to calm down. They accept that their arms are bound and move on (- Stress).

Tight Squeeze

The player comes up to a pile of various debris, finding a collapsed tunnel. There are a few gaps here and there. A successful Light check allows them to find the widest gap they can and pull themselves through. Failure causes them to be unable to find a good gap. The player can risk it anyway or detour for a better tunnel. A tiny body player who decides to try squeezing through a gap will always succeed. Everyone else has a physique check that gets harder the bigger the player is. A large body player with max physique will always fail because of this.

• Success sees the player squeeze through the game without issue
• Failure causes the player to take clothing damage to all upper and lower clothing. If the player is already naked, they take a few scrapes instead (+ Stress, + Pain)

A player who decides to detour instead will lose 10 minutes of time and a bit of light, but otherwise have no problems (-5 Light)

Movement in Shadow

Note: This event will only happen if Spiders have not been toggled off.

The player heards something moving in the shadows overhead. A successful Light check will see them scare whatever it is away with their torch. Failure will have that something land on their shoulder. The player can then look at the object or simply brush it off. Brushing it off will have the player fling the obejct away without looking. It hits the ground and scuttles away (++ Stress). Choosing to Look causes the player to have to pass a Willpower check. Only max Willpower guarantees success

• Success sees the player look at their shoulder and see a spider on it as big as their fist. The player stays calm, grabs it, and throws it away
• Failure causes the player to go into a panic, jumping and hitting their shoulder blindly. By the time they come down, the spider is gone (- Control, ++ Stress)

Fallen Column

The player runs into a crumbled column in their path and must pass a light check. Success sees them spot the column and step over it. Failure causes them to miss the column and run into it knee first (+ Pain).

Broken Pottery

The player walks into a tunnel filled with shards of broken pottery. If the player is wearing shoes, then there is no danger in this event as the shard crunch underfoot. If the player is barefoot, then they need to pass a Light check. Success has them see the shards and step around them. Failure has them find the shards with their foot. (+ Pain, + Stress)

Passing Out

If the player passes out, via stress or otherwise, while in the Catacombs, they'll find themselves in the same spot they passed out (if Spiders are disabled) or in the Dark Chasm room (if Spiders are enabled).

• A player with Spiders turned off will find themselves suspended upside down by a thick rope around their ankles. They'll struggle until they get free then run away (20 minutes pass, + Pain, + Trauma, + Stress).
• A player with Spiders enabled, but bestiality and monsterpeople disabled, wakes up to chittering in the dark. They panic, covering themselves completely in web before it snaps and allows the player to escape (+ Pain, + Trauma, + Stress)
• A player without any of the above settings wakes up to a Spider/Spiderperson staring them down, a Spiderperson making disturbing conversation about a certain "meal" they'd like the entire time (++ Stress). They are very quickly spin into a cocoon and then blindfolded. A Spider will leave the player here, giving them time to escape. A Spiderperson will instead orally please the player, prioritizing the penis if the player has both, forcing them to orgasm. They mention saving the main course for later and then disappear, allowing the player to escape.

No matter how the encounter ended, the player is now cocooned, unable to see or use their arms. Depending on how far the player is from the Angel room, which can be quite some distance if Spiders are disabled, this can be a major problem as the player is almost completely unable to defend themselves and unable to Plunder any rooms they come across. The player is vulnerable to any nonconsensual encounter or just any bad event until they can make their way back to the Angel room to have the cocoon removed.