The Traitors’ Pit
The previous doge of the Shuttered City was mad and vindictive. To punish his enemies—real and imagined—he constructed the Traitors’ Pit. The five layers of this construction were connected by chutes and ladders and populated with vicious and hungry snakes. Prisoners thrown into the pit are warned that the chutes are only for sliding down and ladders only for climbing up: indeed, if anyone attempts to climb down a ladder a handful of its uppermost rungs turn into snakes that lash out at the climber.
Prisoners are left with only a dagger, sturdy boots, baggy trousers and a tunic. Each prisoner is given the antivenom of one snake, chosen at random. If they can make it down to the pit’s lowermost level, they will be confronted by a giant pit viper with rubies for eyes. It guards the key to the pit’s exit along with treasure amassed over the decades.
Officially, the pit is no longer used. In practice, nobles find it a convenient way to dispose of their enemies without violating the taboo on committing murder within the Doge’s palace.
Connections
- It seems that someone replaces the rubies that are taken from the pit (29.14.23).
Hooks:
- What is the provenance of the rubies in the pit viper’s eyes? Do they have any effect? Where did the rest of the treasure come from?
- Who else has been thrown into the pit? Are they still alive?
The Rubies of the Traitors’ Pit
Enough have been thrown down the Traitors’ Pit that some have been skilled or lucky enough to escape, taking the rubies with them. This means that someone has the unenviable task of replacing the ruby eyes and good eye-grade rubies are hard to come by. The current pair were pried from an idol that sat atop the Black Ziggurat (18.26) soon after its appearance and were sold to Shuttered.
If examined, they will appear to be exact duplicates (right down to several minor flaws) of the rubies that Giles Chosard (09.06) took from the Green Ziggurat (06.10) and gave to Ilace (03.08.01).
Hooks:
- Who replaces the rubies once a “traitor” succeeds in taking a pair? Why bother?
- Why are the rubies exactly the same? Have the idols reacted in any way to having their ruby eyes pried out? Is there a third pair in/taken from the Temple of Seven Shadows (37.01)?
- Do these pairs of rubies have any special properties?