Using the following start to a DM discription of a newly entered room within a "dungeon"; the DM's were asked to fill in the rest. Here is the opening statement...

"After opening the large oak doors you see that you (PCs) are on a ledge forty feet above the floor of the large circular room. In this circular room you see..."

And here are their responces...

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"...a large, bubbling kettle of what appears and smells to be soup. A trio of old hags is stirring the kettle and mumbling some kind of incantation. Two kobold slaves are piling wood around the kettle to keep the fire stoked.

One of the kobolds mutters something in common about a "missing ingredient", when one of the hags kicks him and points up without missing a syllable. It then runs over to a large windlass and begins to crank. Following the chain, you see that the next ingredient to be added is inside a small iron cage...it looks suspiciously like your long-lost pet cat, Fluffy! Fluffy notices you, ears perking, and meows as if to beg for help.

A man dressed in crimson robes sits at a table across the room from the windlass, banging his spoon against an empty silver bowl. "Where's my lunch?" he shouts over the clatter of tableware."

Scott Gigot

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"...what appears to be the interior of a great round room, like you are insidea great hallow ball. The roof is smooth and curves downward until itreaches the floor, the floor extends some 200 spans in diameter and isperfectly circular. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling is made of gray stone, streaked with white and polished by its long dead creators. The room is lit by some 20 or 30 braziers lining the outer circumference of the walls, and the smoke gathers and exits from the top of this room by what appears to be some type of circling metal blades affixed to a central hub. Ingenious!

Looking down from your balcony, you see at regular intervals, stone tables probably 4 or 5 spans long laid out in a circular fashion, so they too form a ring, and behind these tables stand or sit what appear to be influential or noble members of the Stone Elf community. Stationed at each table is an elf wearing chain mail under his tabard. At their sides hang a short sword and at their feet is a short bow. Since no weapons are allowed in the Gray Castle these guards, who number around 50, are noticed very quickly. They are also wearing the royal heraldry of the Stone Elves.

Hanging from the gray ceiling are what appears to be heraldry of bygone nobility, or possibly heroic members of the elven community. You are not sure exactly but the craftsmanship is exquisite with colors and stitching that make the slowly waving banners almost look alive. The smell of the room is neutral, though there us a hint of hickory. You do not smell anything usually associated with large groups of people. After scanning the circumference of the room your eyes are naturally drawn to the center of this great chamber. There you see what appears to be a throne made out of the same gray stone, carved in an exact likeness of the Gray Castle, except sitting in the throne like some undersized giant is the Graystone King, Haltha the Wise. The throne swivels on the dais so the King may address any in the circle and standing close to the King are two more guards. These two bear the same arms but wear slightly different clothes and the flowing epaulets signify their rank as being above the others.

A sound like a cross between a fog horn and a flute signals the gray Council is to commence, and you follow the nobles and selected members below by taking your seat and preparing for what you expect to be a council filled with intrigue."

The Dungeon Master

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"...in this circular room you see oil lamps along the walls, just about knee hight, spaced some thirty feet apart. The light is just enough to let shadows gather in the center of the room. Because of the light of your own torches, you cannot see more clearly, but it appears that the lamps are placed at the three exits. The floor appears to be polished granite, though the movement of the mountains over time has caused cracks to form. For such a large room, it is strangely devoid of any furnishings. The doors obviously lead somewhere, and the lamps have to be maintained.

(Perception checks DC 25 or so)
As you observe the room, it strikes you that the shadows at the center of the room seem darker than they should be.

(Eventually the characters crawl down)
A. If the characters check the doors and avoid the center of the room, they find the doors locked from the outside. They are barred and bolted. Guards have been placed on the other side of each door and will hear the players talking/messing with the door. It will take them several minutes to gather the courage to open the doors.

B. If a character moves to the center of the room with a light source, everything will appear normal (DC 25 to notice that the shadows move unnaturally). At the center is a deep crevasse, some 100 feet deep, but only a foot across. Any character that is not surrounded by light will be attacked. The shadow creature is partially etheril, and cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons. Also, a character's AC should be based on Magic and Dex only. Characters with infravision or lowlight can see the creature as a dark shapeless blob that moves with the passing of light. When it attacks, it forms a tentacle like appendage that can be launched up to 10 feet. The creature can attack up to 1d6 targets at a time.

The shadow creature is only 3 HD, but it moves with complete silence, and only from the dark side of a light source. It is capable of moving twice as fast as a human (don't have the stats). Spells of light will cause the shadow to retreat into the crevasse, but do not cause damage. Magical fire, or lighting, or other damage spell that
includes a light source will cause 1 point of damage per die rolled.

The creature does 1d6 damage on a successful attack (only magical effects can reduce this damage), and the character must make a Willpower check or become possessed by a 1 HP shadow. Characters will suffer massive pain in their head and throughout their bodies, as if their bodies are on fire. If the willpower check succeeded then the character remains "normal", but if it fails, the character is unknowingly the host of this darkness. If the entire blob is destroyed, it will still live in a character. Each tentacle represents 1 HP worth of creature, so a fully pumped mass can possess 24 creatures.

Possessed characters will avoid light but are not harmed by it, lose its appetite, become less social etc. as if coming down with a flu or other illness. The sudden desire to leave the room will become the strongest urge to the character, almost like claustrophobia. When the time is right, the creature will separate and attack others in the
group. Afflicted creatures will begin to lose Constitution and Strength at a rate of 1 point per month from lack of eating. The creature simply wants to survive and multiply and does this through a living host. The tentacle grows within its host at a rate of 1 HP per week. If there is more than 1 HP, the creature can have a tentacle leave the host and attack another creature.

The oil lamps are actually refilled from another place through a tubing network. The oil has been blessed to prevent the shadow creature from escaping and will cause it harm if it does not exit through a host. The guards have heard the stories of the shadow, but are too young to have seen it. The entrance they came through was and observation tunnel to ensure the lamps remained lit.

This is part of an ancient evil that griped this culture for some hundred years. The original captors are long dead, but text exists on how to purge the evil. Low level bless spells will cause 1d6 damage to both host and creature as the creature tries to maintain control and escape (several people died trying to purge the shadow). This
will result in Exorcist like behavior, screaming, gnashing of teeth, cursing in other languages, etc. If the shadow thinks it cannot escape with the host, it will leave, and try to find darkness or another host."

Sunderedepoch

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"...a well-manicured classical garden, lit by a soft golden light that shines from the ceiling. Terraced marble stairs lead down from your perch to a grassy lawn. A flagstone path wends its way about the garden. From your height you can trace its path: first, it meanders by a rose arbor with a white bench set under it; then, through a
collonade of sweet-smelling trees. Beyond the trees (off the path) are what appear to be low beds of flowers and herbs, and the rich, spicy perfume reaches you even here. Beyond the double row of trees, the path continues to an elegant fountain of green marble. Water cascades down a small artifical waterfall - you think it may be
coming out of the far wall, but it's hard to tell. The walls are painted with more nature scenes, making it difficult to tell where the garden ends and the walls begin. A woman in a white sleeveless dress, her dark hair piled high onto her head, lounges at the side of the fountain, playing idly with the water.

If you're feeling particularly nasty and not too logical, shorten the white dress, lay a bow and arrows by the side of the fountain, and let a few nude young women be running through the collonade. The lounging woman is preparing to bathe."

SCA Bard

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"...that chaos reigns supreme. As you were warned, if you did not reach the central chambers in time, your very world of existence would be in peril. As you look down to the main floor you can see where magic has gone awry. Someone has miscast spells all over this room. From the bizzare colors of flowers growing out of the stone walls to the bubbling puddles of much belching forth lightning to the spot on the far side of the chamber where a fireball seems to appear and explode every minute. Magic has definately gone off of the deep end...

As bad as the chaotic effects of magic appear to be, you notice one other feature in the room that raises the hair on the back of your neck. Seven portals lay scattered throughout the room at various intervals. Achelerone has been very busy. He has used the Shifter artifact to open rift portals to the other planes. Nothing has stepped though them yet, but that could change at any moment. You know the only reliable way in which to close the portals is to go through them, one at a time, until you locate Achelerone and wrest the Shifter from him to close the portals. No other form of magic can close them. If only you can find him in time. If your group works quickly, you can easily prepare and enter one of the portals in minutes..."

L Scott

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"...a squad (10-20 individuals) from the special forces unit of the most powerful kingdom in your campaign, racing out of a tunnel on the other side of the chamber. In the center of the chamber, a mage is keeping a glowing portal open and waving the soldiers through it.

An officer skids to a stop next to the portal and begins yelling at his troops, "Come on people! Move! Move! Move!"

After the last soldier enters the portal, the officer & the mage follow, at which point the portal vanishes."

lfnotter

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"...the five individuals we have been seeking. At last after great battles with foes beyond description, traveling through the labyrinth of time and space itself. My four other companions are as excited as I am at the thought of finally doing them in.

After years of their manipulation, their insatiable desire to control us, sending us into situations where we must continually fight for survival. Sometimes forced to take actions we know are foolish, yet unable to resist the compulsion of their will.

Now the moment is here. We will kill them without mercy. We will be the first of our kind to do so...

I turn to my fellows and say, "You do as you will but save the short one with the glasses for me. He has seen his last day as my master."

The others make similar agreements and we turn as one to fall upon our hated, defenseless prey.

The Players..."

Thrandorian

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"...the light here is indistinct except...Upon a stand in the center of the room is a Smapp sphere it has panels rotating slowly in its center is a glowing gem this causes the shadows to move in eerie patterns. You look about the room it seems to be smooth and featureless save for other ledges at doors around the room iat various heights. As your ingenious "Acess Specilast" manages to set up a rope hooked into the door you all can climb down to the floor. As you approch the glowing object you (the magicians expecally sorcerers) note a feeling here as if you are replenished your spells feel right and all there despite th efights you had erilyer The Rouge reaches out to touch it. "Don't cries teh sorcer as the Rouge recoils the lightning flash makes you all blink. As you blink away the tears you notice a form coalessing over the slowly
spinning object. He is a warrier of mage? both you think. Suddenly he speaks.

Ok I liked many of the ones I saw by the way. The spinning object is a Drexil from Rolemaster it helps to detect and utilize places of power which this so obviously is. What teh anchient warrior mage is going to say? probably your quest And so it goes."

Jim Elanidil

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"...a table that seems to span the room, only floating above your heads. Seated at this table are 4 semi-transparant sperits, they are chatting idly about things you cant seem to understand, and odly enough over a hand of poker:

1: so when do you think the Choson will arive?
2: You have been asking that question every night for the last 300 years, have we ever had an awser?
1: No, but why should that stop me?
2: I wish we where corpreal, so I could kill you again.
3: Gentalmen. please, lets not bicker, Who has the bet?
1: I do, 4.
2: To ritch for my...whatever, im out. At this point the ghost seems to turn and spots you.
2:well, we have visiters., perhaps they are the chosen whe have awated for so long? If so, I already fell sorry for them."

Array

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"...that the ledge you are standing on goes around the circumferance of the circular room. The door you have entered is but one of twenty such oak doors along this ledge.

The circular room narrows at the bottom, while it widens at the top. Every ten feet there is another ledge and another series of twenty oak doors. This place you on the fourth level above the ground floor, and there are six more levels above you... indicating ten levels, with 200 doors total.

To each side, of each door, is a small torch holder. Although most no longer have torches in them, and very few of them that do, are lit. The primary sorce of light within this cylindrical room is coming from a small bonfire on the bottom floor.

This bonfire sits next to a small stone hut, which itself sits next to a series of canals. Five canal enter the bottom of this room from five stylized, square caves. These canals meet in the center, forming a star pattern of water, as seen from your location. Near the stone hut, in the canal rests a small, flat-bottom boat with a push-pole laying across it.

Sitting around the bonfire, at this intersection of canals, are two armored goblins with spears in their hands, and small crossbows across their backs. They both are looking up at you, as the noise in opening the door drew their attention. Now with eye contact made they both start to scream an alarm. You then hear a hurried rustling of noises coming from behind many of the doors up and down this cylindrical room..."

Von Romig