intermission

To both give me time to write more and as a holiday Treat, here is some of the products Mortis Operandi offers.


First though a brief breakdown of model numbers and stock numbers.


Traps are designated by various factors,


First letter is if the item is a Trap, Obstacle, Barrier, Misdirection, Protector.


Second Letter is if the item is designed to be placed in a Room, Hallway, or anywhere.


First number is ideal floor location, this can range from 0 to 9 with 9 being any location of sufficient depth or lower.


Second number is Complexity and if the item self resets, self resetting have an even complexity, manual resetting have odd complexity. 0 means it is a single use item, once trigger the whole room or trap will have to be reordered and/or rebuilt. Most people do not have a 0 due to the cost, it is reserved typically for traps or protectors that are at the very end and if they are bypassed the owner of the dungeon will be either dead or soon be threatened.


Third number is approximate magic level, 0 is mundane, no magic was used in creation. Odd numbers are pretty commonly accessible magic, even numbers are more rare to find. 1 is basic enchantment, most entry level casters could duplicate or create the magic needed for this. A 3 would be someone who is more knowledgeable in the magic arts. Traps R Us can create works that scale up to a 5 or a 6 in some cases, items that need higher require contractor for applicable magical creation. Items of a 8 or 9 require almost godlike power to create.


The 4th number is the revision number. Beta products will have a 0 and sometimes be followed by an a, b, or c. Most products end around revision 5 or 6 depending upon shelf life. Major revisions from there usually means a new product is created.


Also note, items can be custom built or modified for customers. Not everyone wants a cookie cutter trap or obstruction in their lair. A little flair or style can be added to items, there is a case of a creature of air that has a permanent fog created along the floor as an atheistic for his place. This fog hides much of the traps and makes them more difficult, but due to long patronage he gets the traps with the modifications at little to no additional cost.


TR1103


T = Trap.


R = Room


1= Ideally located near surface


1= Simple complexity and needs manual reset


0= No magic needed to create or use.


3= Third revision


TR1103


TR1103 is a trap door trap, the floor gives away to a 10 foot drop into spikes. There are also angled spikes along the walls. These spikes point both down and upwards to inhibit climbing out by a survivor. Jagged or barbed edges are an upgrade. There is one customer who pays to have the barbs and points to come out and stick in the target.


Revision number 4 is in the works, it is to add a shear edge in the flooring. The shear edge will fray or cut ropes rubbed against it. Clerkity Fizzleboom was awarded three month salary for this suggestion.


This is an inexpensive trap, most of the work is done by the dungeon owner as they create the hole within specifications.




OR-5651


OR-5651 otherwise known as the Bucket room was built by request. An elder customer was tired of adventures trying to kill him. He desired a room where they would pay tribute, then they would get access to some babbles he left there. He preferred the tribute to be paid in blood.


This room is a 15 x 15 room, in the center is a row of 5 buckets on a stone platform. Opposite the entrance doorway is a stone door. Etched on the stone platform in multiple languages is, “The average human body contains five buckets of blood. Fill the buckets.”


Once the five buckets are filled with 75% blood(to count for some races with higher water content). The door on the other side of the room will unlock and open. Typically leading to a small treasure room and a teleportation circle.


The buckets will once filled, drain the blood into a special holding chamber. This chamber keeps the liquid in stasis. Also the floor of the room is made from a very pourous rock. While only the blood in the buckets will unlock the door, any additional blood spilled will be drawn into the stasis tank.


This is a very popular item among customers who consume blood. Some request the writing be more vague, some have even went as far to use ancient languages that could be misinterpreted. The company does not require nor dictate the exact wording that is used.




MIS9210


MIS9210 is a 20 x 20 foot room. The height can vary, but the taller the ceiling the more difficult it is to install and craft. The room requires no resetting as the room doesn’t really do anything.


Six finger Tobias designed this room. There is only 1 in existence. Before he designed this room, he worked for a dragon Ventus Mattias Stormbringer who just wanted to be entertained. The dragon created a massive dungeon with the sole purpose of watching people trying to defeat or loot it.


The goal of the room is to distract and delay people. When placed deep within a dungeon or building, people that encounter this room tend to expect more than what is there. Between searching every inch for a secret or trying to disconcern magic, a group tends to waste 5 minutes of time for every group member. The more suspicious or experienced person in the party, the more time is wasted as they look for something not there.