Basics, Part 2

Air

The Ring Vaults are mostly well ventilated and the air, even in the deepest vaults, is, at worst, stale, rather than toxic. Gas traps, natural and deliberate, do exist, however, and those rooms associated with deliberate traps seem to have some sort of ventilation system that stops the flow when the gas trap is tripped.

The natural gas traps are more problematic. Perhaps the ventilation system has failed in those areas, which, while not unheard of, presents just another danger any enterprising explorer needs to deal with.

A side effect of this ventilation system is that sounds and smells waft through the vaults with regularity. Often, the sounds are from other parts of the dungeon, sometimes even from different levels, and all are distorted in some way. A number of adventurers have reported sounds from the exploring party itself, either from an earlier area in the dungeon or even a future (or possible future) encounter. All the sounds range from creepy to disturbing, loud and soft. The worst, by far the most horrifying, are the magnified death sounds.

Light

Most of the Ring Vaults are lit, with some exceptions. Torch-filled sconces are placed every 10 feet and on both sides of most dungeon corridors. The sconces are within arms reach, about 7 feet up the wall and the torches in them don't seem to burn out. These torches can be easily removed from the sconces, once they are, however, they become regular torches and burn-out after an hour.

Removed torches are replaced by some magical or mysterious means when the sconce is out of sight. Damaging the sconces is possible, but they eventually are repaired, perhaps by the same mysterious powers that supplies and lights the torches.

On occasion, the torches disappear in sections of various dungeons, so most denizens keep stocks. Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often nor for very long.