Auan (ah-wahn)

Design

Tetrahedron

From the outside, Auan is a triangular pyramid with a dark and decaying exterior that might have been marble at one point.

Entries

Most of the structure is buried deep beneath the ground. The tiny part that juts a modest height above the surface prominently displays a triangular hole that opens to the outside.
Upon entering, the floor immediately drops a step into a shallow pit of modern garbage. The attached hallway also begins slanting to the left not-too-long after walking down it.

Sensory & Appearance

Dark

The air is heavy with the scent of damp earth and the distant sound of rushing water. Strangely, the surface water in certain chambers shimmer with a translucent blue hue for a ghostly atmosphere.

Contents & Furnishings

Rotating Canals

PCs must rotate channels to direct water flow toward a hole to activate a door.

Weight Puzzle

PCs must figure out how to press 6-12 lbs against a scale.

Waterfall Entrance

Requires for PCs to simply explore or notice an unguarded opening behind the falls.

Rushing River

PCs who understand water can navigate it easier than those without.

Contamination

A pocket of gases perilously trapped behind a wall of water.

Underwater Door

At the bottom of a well or pool, PCs must swim down, figure out a door mechanism and escape before running out of breath.

Pipe Puzzle

Rooms act as pipes and doors function as valves. PCs manipulate the flow of water to explore different areas, while enemies gain access based on the diverted flow.

Mirror Room

Mirrors surfaces reflect water flooding in various directions, leading to confusion in finding the exit.

Well within the maze, rising water levels is a common threat creating many time-sensitive encounters before drowning.

Valuables

Bandits of the infamous Smiling Order hide their stolen gains in secret compartments inside the pyramid.

Hazards & Traps

Rain is cursed. And that curse has been collecting in the deep basins, hidden grooves and winding channels throughout it all.

Water Traps

Auan lies on a plain that is particularly rain prone. Consequently, water has filtered in over many years. Because the interior floors tilt more and more the deeper into the spiral one goes, large pools became trapped in vertical and twisting pockets.
The interior resembles a complex mechanical maze. Trick doors and whole passages will suddenly move without reason and tip waves onto unsuspecting inhabitants or drain away for clearer options.

Architecture

Cubular Spiral

Inside, Auan consists of winding corridors that starts from the outer walls and is constantly turning inwards, with sharp corners. The walls themselves are covered with uncommonly smooth grooves that have been described as both hard and soft when observed with a light. Although, they have also been useful for holding on when the hallways turn.

Alternative Names

Buried Pyramid

Type

Hideout

Environmental Effects

Warming effect on the surrounding soil that ironically makes it suitable for classical farming

Owner

Verdigris