Windowless Tower
The Windowless Tower is a dungeon branch that appears in dNetHack and notdNetHack. It is a redesigned Vlad's Tower that is relocated from Gehennom depending on the variant, and is home to Vlad the Impaler among several other monsters.
Contents
dNetHack
In dNetHack, the Windowless Tower is reached from the Gnomish Mines.
Generation
The entrance appears as a a second up stair, located on the top floor of the Gnomish Mines, one level up from the mine's entrance level; level teleporting up from the top floor of the Mines will place you inside the Tower. Depending on the layout of the dungeon, the Tower may extend above Level 1. (e.g. the Tower's numbering skips from Level 1 to Level -1.
Level teleportation functions within the Tower as well - be aware that teleporting above the top floor of the Tower will result in a fall to your death.
Random monsters on this level are generated with the following frequency:
Description
Forest and ground floor
..#.......#..#.....#..#.}}}}}}..........
.....#...................}}}}}}......#......
--------------- ....#.......#....#...#......}}}}}.#.............
|.............| .....#....#.....#....#.........}}}}}....#...#.......
---.-----------.--- ..........................#......}}}}}#...............
|...|. ..... .|...| ..#..#...#..#......#..#.........#...}}}}}..............
|.---..Hall...---.| ..............#..#........#..........}}}}}..#..........
|.|#+. ..... .S#|.| .......#........................#.....}}}}}............
|.-----------+-S-.|....#......#.....#....#....#.......#..}}}}}..#.........>
|..<|#########|...|......#.#....#......#.................##}#}##...........
---S|#-------------..#............#........#..#......#...#}#}###..#...#....
}}|i##########+#}........#..#....#....#.............#......}}}}}...........
}}---+---+---+--###.....#......#...........#..............}}}}}..#...#.....
}}|..| |.| |..|}} ....#.........#..........#........#.}}}}}......#....
}}-.#---#---#--}} ........#........#...#....#.....#..}}}}}.#.......
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}. ....#.....#...........#..........}}}}}}...#...
}}}}}}}}}}}}}. . . .. .....#...#....#.........#..#.}}}}}}.#....
.... ....... . . .................#........}}}}}}.....
..
The upstair lets out into a sparsely populated forest, with several peasant and wolf zombies scattered across the area. The trees are normal trees that are special-cased to not bear fruit, and will only generate ravens when kicked enough times. A river of deep water runs through the forest area, with a small land bridge leading across to the larger portion of the forest. This section leads up to the ground floor of the Tower, which has undiggable walls and is blocked off by a raised drawbridge. A moat runs underneath the drawbridge and around the tower, with a strip of land on one side that is connected to the forest area by diagonal passageways; across from this land strip is a breach in one the southern walls next to a set of iron bars.
The drawbridge leads directly into the Tower, where a legion devil grunt, i, keeps watch over the front hallway from behind a set of iron bars - a secret door next to its position leads to an alternate path that bypasses much of the front hall. Within the inner halls of the tower are a werewolf, a nurse named Nyx, and a maid named Persephone.
Messages
- You are standing on the surface, albeit at the bottom of a shear ravine. You hear ravens croaking in the trees, beyond which rise a windowless tower.
- This message is printed when you first enter the branch.
First floor
|x| |x| |x|
---S---S---S---
|xS.........Sx|
-----.........-----
|...|........d+...|
|.---.........---.|
|.|xS.........Sx|.|
|.---S---S---S---.|
|...|x|.|x|.|x|...|
---.---.---.---.---
|.............|
---------------
The first floor of the Windowless Tower has two random i and four random monsters are generated somewhere on the level, and Cerberus lurks immediately inside the main door of the courtyard alongside two hell hound pups. Of the ten niches marked 'x', four of them will each contain a random trap and one of the following items:
Second floor
|x| |x| |x|
---S---S---S---
|xS.........Sx|
-S-.------+----
|!|......|..|
-S------.------
|xS......+..Sx|
---S---S---S---
|x| |x| |x|
--- --- ---
The second floor has ten niches marked 'x', which contain one of the randomly assigned monsters or items: two hell hound pups, a winter wolf, two random demons, an amulet of life saving inside a chest, an amulet of strangulation inside a chest, water walking boots, crystal plate mail, and a spellbook of invisibility. The niche marked '!' contains four bottles of holy water.
Third floor
|V| |V| |V|
---S---S---S---
|.......+.+...|
---+-----.-----
|VV...VV|.+.|
---+-----.-----
|.......+.+...|
---S---S---S---
|V| |V| |V|
--- --- ---
The third and top floor of the tower is where Vlad the Impaler dwells with the Candelabrum of Invocation, occupying the throne in the center; a magic chest is behind it. Vlad is accompanied by his three wives: Mina Harker (V), Carmilla (v), and Ilona Szilagy (V).
Each of the six marked niches contains a V in a coffin, in addition to another V inside the closet itself.
Strategy
Entering the Tower
Though far from a dire threat in comparison, the peasant and wolf zombies in the forest are still more difficult than the typical random monster in the early game; a vampire or horned devil may also generate here, which poses an even greater threat.
Despite the most "obvious" routes being safeguarded, it is still relatively easy to break into the tower. A player with the spell of knock or a wand of opening can gain entry by lowering the raised drawbridge, while a player with the force bolt spell or a wand of striking can destroy the iron bars with one zap, and the raised drawbridge can be destroyed with a second - be careful not to zap at the lowered drawbridge while standing on it. It is also possible to dig out the iron bars.
Once the door and drawbridge are destroyed, then you can walk right into the Tower. Alternately, a character with water walking, breathlessness, or a way to freeze the water (e.g. the cone of cold spell or a wand of cold) can enter through the southern breach. Characters with access to force bolt or a wand of striking can then break the bars and confront him directly, bypassing the front hall.
Of the monsters guarding the hall, Persephone is among the most dangerous for a low-level character, due to her 12 speed and strong weapons - otherwise, she can be easily dispatched along with Nyx and the werewolf.
notdNetHack
In notdNetHack, the Windowless Tower is instead reached from the magic portal to the adventure branches, which serve as the equivalent of the Gnomish Mines - the exact appearance of the Windowless Tower's base floor is modified depending on the adventure branch that you choose, which is done by talking to the traveling wizard in the village.
