Megamall23, week 1: The Avenue

Here's the start of my Dungeon23 project. I don't think I'll be able to post an update here every week, but I wanted to start out with an update. 

I stole the layout of the real American Dream mall and cut it into rough dungeon sections to get me started. I decided a horizontal layout would be best. Not only does it evoke an actual Megamall better, it also helps make sure the space is naturally jacquayed. This space automatically has a lot of entrances and connections between sections. The players immediately have a lot of choices about where they want to go. 

The sections will go up in difficulty / level as I go on - section 1 is the easiest, then 2, etc. Section 12 in the center will be sealed off from the rest of the dungeon and hard to get into. It'll be the most difficult section, where the CEO and seven founders all meet together.

The first section for january will be The Avenue. This is the ritzy, luxury, art deco section. High fashion, jewellery, expensive homewares, cafes, etc. It's ruled by the Head of Apparel. The entrance lies through a luxury hotel with it's own golf course. This first week detailed the first floor of that hotel. 

Here's the random encounter table for this section. Apologies that my writing is atrocious. I've decided not to spend too much time cleaning things up to avoid burnout. Maybe once a month I can clean up the section into something more readable - we'll see how I go. 

The entrance in the hotel leads up to the guest rooms. I've decided to make this the last space I write. These rooms can be where a lot of the notable NPC's in the dungeon actually live. I want to have that feeling like the beginning of Deus Ex where you can sneak through everyone's offices and read their emails. So this space will be a huge source of foreshadowing and information - you can sneak in, go through everyone's stuff, read their emails, and get info on all the major NPC's of the dungeon. The basic map template is from Silent Hill 2.

The Head of Apparel

This section is run by the Head of Apparel, an Art Gorgon. Everything they look at turns to art. They wear big mirrored circle shades. When they remove them, their eyes are pure white and blinding. The sun appears behind their head. Doves may be heard. Whoever they look at is instantly transformed into a gorgeous work of avant-guarde art.

1. A living 2D mosaic, smashed into the floor. Can navigate 2D planes. 
2. A statue of glass, still alive and can move but easily broken.
3. Jewels that quickly fall apart and scatter across the floor. Ruby lips, diamond eyes.
4. A frozen marble sculpture with veins of black gold running through it.
5. An abstract picasso-esque painting blasted onto the wall. Can navigate 2D planes. 
6. A living outfit, still sentient, can move but can do little without being worn. Wearable art.

They used to be the assistant to the old head of apparel, who was a Devil Wears Prada figure. They plotted against her and overcame her in a coup, transforming her into a living mosaic who now slides across the floors and walls in the dark places of the avenue, devouring consumers and plotting revenge.

They've been faking it until they make it for so long that they don't really know who they are anymore. They just keep going, burnt out, exhausted. How did they end up this way? They had all the warnings. Everyone told them about the rat race. The corporate machine. Now they're immersed in the rat race up to their neck. The machine got them in the end, and they are being processed. Nowhere to go but forward. Nothing to do but keep going.

I'm thinking their outfit is a bound demon, traitor to it's kind. The two are locked in a toxic relationship and the demon constantly pushes them to gain more and more power.