Horror in the Sinks

91
 Richard Pett’s Crooked City

TB2: Horror in the Sinks

Credits
Author Layout and Graphic Design Cartography
Alistair Rigg Charles A. Wright Robert Altbauer
Based on original material
by Richard Pett. Front Cover Art Playtesters
Felipe Gaona Janicein Baker-Turley,
Developer Robert Baker-Turley, Tristian Sullivan,
Greg A. Vaughan Interior Art Jason Williams
Colin Chan, Andrew DeFelice,
Producer Peter Fairfax, Felipe Gaona, Special Thanks
Bill Webb Chris McFann, Terry Pavlet, Helen, for making
Richard Pett, James Stowe everything possible.
Editor Nadia, for expert advice on
Jeff Harkness Photography monstrous midwifery.
Richard Pett
5E Conversion Craig, for the space,
Anthony Pryor both physical and mental.

FROG GOD GAMES IS

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Creative Director: Lead Developer Zach of All Trades

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Creative Director: Chris Haskins Skeeter Green
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
Greg A. Vaughan

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 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

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2
 Horror in the Sinks

Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................... Pg. 5
Adventure Timeline................................................................................................ Pg. 6
Chapter 1: Sinks and Sources........................................................................................... Pg. 9
Deputies of the Watch............................................................................................. Pg. 12
Chapter 2: Welcome to Heaven........................................................................................ Pg. 13
Event 1: Burning in Bedlam.................................................................................. Pg. 16
Chapter 3: Who Watches the Watchmen?......................................................................... Pg. 18
Personalities of the Asylum Watch........................................................................ Pg. 21
New Weapon: Cosh................................................................................................. Pg. 21
Event 2: Monstrous Midwifery.............................................................................. Pg. 21
Chapter 4: Leading the Lost.............................................................................................. Pg. 28
Event 3: Molly the Murderess............................................................................... Pg. 30
Chapter 5: The Garden of Unearthly Dismay................................................................... Pg. 32
Fruits of the Obscene.............................................................................................. Pg. 34
Lamps and Candles................................................................................................ Pg. 37
Editor’s Note: Visharix’s Art................................................................................. Pg. 40
New Magic Item: Spying Pane.............................................................................. Pg. 52
Appendix A: New Monsters and Subtypes....................................................................... Pg. 54
Between Subtype...................................................................................................... Pg. 54
Al-Mir’aj................................................................................................................... Pg. 56
Assassin Vine............................................................................................................ Pg. 57
Basidirond................................................................................................................. Pg. 58
Caul Cuckoo............................................................................................................. Pg. 59
Caul Cuckoo Syre............................................................................................ Pg. 59
Caul Cuckoo Queen......................................................................................... Pg. 60
Syreling Slick.................................................................................................. Pg. 61
New Drug: Caulspawn.......................................................................... Pg. 61
Cobra Flower............................................................................................................ Pg. 63
Garden Ooze............................................................................................................. Pg. 64
Giant Leech............................................................................................................... Pg. 64
Living Disease, Bloody Flux.................................................................................... Pg. 65
Ooze, Canker............................................................................................................ Pg. 66
Sargassum Fiend....................................................................................................... Pg. 67
Serpent Creeper........................................................................................................ Pg. 67
Sirine Flower............................................................................................................ Pg. 68
Slime Mold............................................................................................................... Pg. 69
Tendriculous............................................................................................................. Pg. 69
Weedwhip................................................................................................................. Pg. 70
Xtabay....................................................................................................................... Pg. 70
Legal Appendix................................................................................................................. Pg. 88
3
 Richard Pett’s Crooked City

TB2: Horror in the Sinks

By Alistair Rigg

“…You’ve just entered the wrong side of town…”

Horror in the Sinks is a Fifth Edition adventure
for a party of four to six 3rd-level PCs. It serves as a companion adventure to
Richard’s Pett’s The Blight and takes place in that twisted city as revealed
in the campaign setting published by Frog God Games.

4
 Introduction
Lurking in the drowning folly that is the aristocratic enclave of the Sinks, him in succession, their secrets bared to his eventual indifference, until
the horrific Asylum — shunned by a citizenry terrified of the revelations finally his reputation preceded him and they began to reject his advances.
it may contain — is where the nobles of the City-State of Castorhage bury But Hobley’s desires had grown darker; he no longer cared for the
their secrets. But when too many overseers are killed, and in ways more honest attentions of girls. He sought out prostitutes instead, whose skills
gruesome than even the brutality of that location might evoke, someone and proclivities sent him into a spiral of compulsive habituation that
must enter to investigate. Those who do soon learn that life — if it can be almost left him destitute. But as his means dwindled, a chance encounter
called that — within its walls is even worse than they feared and the truths sent him on a different trajectory. One evening, he saw an officer of the
that nestle within its inmates are far more distressing than mere madness. City Watch leaving the tenement of one of his mistresses. Worried that she
had been arrested or worse, he cautiously entered, expecting the worst, but
was instead greeted by her as usual. She initially resisted his questions,
but eventually she explained that she and many of her counterparts
Warning! across the city entertained certain Officers of the Watch as payment for
their protection. She noted how it was useful for her to have a contact in
Horror in the Sinks is set in one of the darkest corners of the the Watch if she ever needed help, and how bad things could happen to
urban dystopia known as the Blight, and contains mature and women in her profession if they rejected such protection.
graphic content that may not be suitable for younger readers or Hobley applied to the Watch the following day. With his natural
players. It requires players to uncover a despicable operation in charisma and obvious fervor, he was soon inducted as a trainee. Smarter
an awful insane asylum, and explores horror themes relating to than average, and having a way with words and people, he navigated the
drug use and various forms of mental and physical abuse. While bureaucracy swiftly until graduation and, from there, further manipulated
not a historical accounting of the sorts of abuses once perpetrated the system into achieving some measure of autonomy. Hobley exulted in
upon “patients” of asylums and sanitariums in centuries past, this the influence and authority the uniform of a Queen’s Man afforded him,
adventure does evoke such past real-world horrors in the context and he did not hesitate to abuse his position for his own ends.
of a fantasy setting where monsters and magic are real and the Freed from the need to pay for the services of select working girls and
boundaries of reality can be pushed by anyone with the power to exposed to the mechanisms of the city’s dark underworld, he discovered
do so. However, it also places the players characters in the pivotal a predilection for exotic drugs and their enhancement of his pleasures. He
role of not only being able to expose the evils being conducted but found new thrills through the effects of a narcotic honey-like substance
gives them the opportunity to truly do something to stop them, all that, rumor had it, was otherworldly in origin and available only from
in a manner that explores the multidimensional aspects of victims a single, highly secretive supplier. Watch Officer Hobley investigated,
and predators. Be warned; it is not for the faint of heart, but those working his way along the supply chain, paying ever-increasing prices for
of truly stalwart courage can prevail against the darkness. the strange elixir until he finally located its source.
Our purpose at Frog God Games is not to make tasteless products At an exclusive party in a sinking art museum/mansion near the Street
or violate the Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game  Compatibility of Echoes in the Sinks, a man dressed in rags held court. They called him
License that requires publishers to create products for the general the Honeyman: he who sat upon a golden high seat and watched as the
public that would not be classified as “adult content,” offensive, celebrants below ate the substance that steadily dripped from a spout in
or inappropriate for minors. But we do intend to make thrilling his elevated chair; he who smiled as his subjects degraded themselves into
adventures in the style of old-school game play that test the debauchery and decadence; he who descended from his throne and parted
players’ stalwartness and bring difficult and layered nuances to his ragged robe to reveal glistening, pale flesh beneath, flesh riddled with
their game. Simulating and navigating the horrors of real life large pores from which the honey oozed…
(and/or their fantasy equivalent) with exceptional powers and As Hobley passed into and out of ecstatic consciousness, the Honeyman
skills as characters while freeing players of the prospect of actual whispered to him and spoke of the bliss of cruelty, of transcendent
consequences is one of the great draws of roleplaying games, and enslavement, the art of insanity, and the power of desire. And Hobley
we always strive to create that experience in our products. listened to his whispers.
The next day, Hobley requested transfer to be stationed with the
Asylum Watch post in the Sinks. His superiors were curious at his odd
request but readily agreed, for the assignment was commonly regarded as
a punishment, and staffing the post was difficult; a volunteer was virtually

Adventure Background unheard of. Hobley’s carefully convincing explanation, of “making a

difference” and “meeting the challenge,”’ wasn’t even sounded by those
in authority; what did they care why the fool sought the position? The post
Murn Hobley had always been obsessed with the salacious and obscene. was his for the taking.
Even early on, he had secretly watched women, peering through the gaps Life in the Asylum’s Watch Station, a tower built into the Asylum
of shuttered windows in the darkening hours to witness them in their most itself, was awful at first. The isolation and endless screams from the yard
private moments. In public, he watched how they moved and how they below relentlessly reminded Hobley that his sanity was never assured,
talked, how they interacted in groups and how they reacted to men. He but he remained focused on his task and steadily increased his influence
noted their manner of dress and how the way they styled their hair changed among his colleagues, all of whom, as befitted their assignment, proved
over time. And, when his body crossed the threshold of adulthood, he saw weak of will or wicked or both. When, finally, the Honeyman’s ragged
how they started to notice him, too. For not only was Hobley handsome, form emerged from the gloom, Hobley was ready to receive him, and his
he was eloquent. Other boys seemed afraid of the fairer sex and stumbled colleagues were likewise ready to receive his gift. Honey poured forth
over their words, ridiculous in their flailing attempts to relate to them, but from beneath the Honeyman’s robe until it formed into a huge, writhing
when Hobley spoke it was with the knowing confidence of having secretly serpent, and the men ate of its substance. The addiction took hold swiftly
studied them for years. As he observed how they connected with his and, with them, a descent into transformative dream. When they awoke, it
words, he soon realized the power it gave him. And Hobley didn’t hesitate was as though from an endless nightmare, but Hobley explained that they
to use that power, moving from girl to girl as they enticed and then bored had passed through a dream trial and that the Honeyman had chosen them
5
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
district’s powers. In a moment of clarity — a temporary release from the
drug-induced psychosis that had enslaved him to its supplier — terrified
of what might happen to them all once the misbegotten children had been
delivered, Yonas secretly sent a note to his father requesting an external
Investigation into the Watch Station deaths. Reading between the lines,
the District Commander suspected that his son was in trouble and that
the matter needed to be handled delicately and in private. Unable to act
directly through the Watch because he did not wish to be seen to interfere
with Durmast’s punishment of his son, Ghall contacted a friend in another
district who owed him a favor and asked him to locate trustworthy,
independent contractors who might be able to provide some discreet
assistance in looking into the matter.

Adventure Timeline
35 weeks ago: Murn Hobley posted to Asylum Watch.
32 weeks ago: Honeyman visits.
31 weeks ago: Watch officer overseers addicted to caulspawn.
30 weeks ago: Watch officers succumb to caulspawn psychosis.
28 weeks ago: Female inmates abducted.
26 weeks ago: Caul cuckoo syres corrupt first pregnancies.
23 weeks ago: Eleanor miscarries.
14 weeks ago: First 4 caul cuckoos born.
13 weeks ago: Lomen Ashdown killed by syreling slick.
12 weeks ago: Caul cuckoo syre corrupts Eleanor’s second
pregnancy.
4 weeks ago: Caul cuckoo syres corrupt other inmates’ second
pregnancies.
1 weeks ago: Murn Hobley killed by Orpha.
Current week: PCs recruited by Inspector Muncy.

to father his holy children. Eager to serve, and to continue to eat the honey
Adventure Summary
of the “serpent” that the Honeyman had left under Hobley’s control, they Inspector Hogan Muncy of the City Watch informs the PCs that they
readily agreed. have been brought to his attention as potential private contractors.
Over several days, these compromised Watch overseers abducted Impressed by word of their talents, he would like to introduce them
female inmates from the general population of the Asylum and imprisoned to someone interested in offering them a job: the identity of whom
them within cells in the Watch Station tower. Then, through drug- and the details of which are to be discussed at a meeting in the Sinks.
fueled encounters orchestrated by Hobley, their horrific work for the Muncy guides the PCs to the Bridge House Tavern and Birdcage, a
Honeyman began. It was only a few weeks before the first pregnancies Sinks’ institution on the Passage Canal, where they meet in secret with
became apparent and only a few months before the first births occurred. the Sinks District Commander, Insian Ghall. Ghall requests their aid
Unbeknownst to the other men of the Watch, Hobley had corrupted their in the Investigation of deaths among the Watch officers overseeing the
unborn offspring with foul worm-like creatures that had slithered from the Asylum. Concerned that the number of legitimate overseers has grown
Honeyman’s orifices. The results of these unions were monstrous. too small to continue to ensure the security of the facility, Ghall wants
At first, the Watch Officers made demands and threats when Hobley them to work out what is happening quickly, without putting more
refused to allow them to see their offspring, and even more so when he members of the Watch at risk, and ultimately to fix the problem —
told them that the Honeyman had taken them. But their opposition proved whatever it may be.
short-lived when Hobley called forth the honey serpent to engulf and The PCs travel to the Asylum where they experience the horrible
suffocate the most vocal among them. So the cycle of atrocity continued, reality of “mental care” in the Blight. In the Watch Station tower, a
the men cowed or convinced by their complicity, and the inmates powerless meeting with Overseer Wedgewood and the other surviving Watch
to prevent it. Or so it seemed until one morning they found Hobley dead in officers reveals that the situation in the Asylum is somewhat different
the cell of one of the women. Understanding the depths of her plight, the than what they have been told. The inmates themselves primarily run
prisoner Orpha had spent several months carefully convincing Hobley that the Asylum’s security under the authority of the Sanatorium, an internal,
she was utterly compliant and devoted to him until, when finally he made opaque institution run by the Sisters of the Devout Resurrection and
a mistake and fell asleep alone in her presence, she strangled him to death Rebirth. After discussing the reason for their visit with the Watch officers
with one of her own manacle chains. — all of whom are opposed to the “outside interference” — screams
It was not long after the Watch Officers discovered Hobley’s corpse from the basement attract the PCs to cells housing pregnant female
that the true tyrant — the Honeyman — appeared again, promising them inmates, one of whom is in labor. To everyone’s horror, the newborn is a
a continuing supply of honey in return for continuing their work. Fully slug-like thing that, sensing a threat, swiftly shapechanges into a child-
controlled by their addiction and the damage it had wrought upon their like monster and attempts to escape. The event is further complicated
minds, the men renewed their devotion to the Honeyman and agreed when, attracted by the calls of the creature (a young caul cuckoo), the
to deliver the next offspring to him. But with Hobley gone, one of the honey serpent (the Honeyman’s syreling slick) slithers into the fray to
officers had secretly begun to panic. defend it. PCs who attack the ooze enrage the psychotic Watch officers,
Watch Commander Durmast had assigned Yonas Ghall to the Asylum who likewise enter the melee.
detail, ostensibly as a punishment for cowardice but in truth as an expression Following the chaos, interrogations of surviving overseers and the
of defiance and retribution to the young Watch Officer’s father, the Sinks inmates reveal that the Watch overseers are heavily addicted to the honey-
District Watch Commander who had been agitating for increasing the like substance of the ooze serpent, a drug that they were introduced to by
6
 Horror in the Sinks
Hobley, the first overseer to die. Now that they have no source, it becomes
apparent that they do not know anything about how to find their supplier
or the children born to the captive inmates. One of the women, Orpha,
who killed Hobley, reveals that she is actually a noblewoman and that
Hobley told her where to find the Honeyman and the children. She offers
to pay the PCs handsomely to arrest the surviving Watch officer overseers,
free the imprisoned women, kill the Honeyman, and rescue their children
before it is too late. The PCs can escape the Asylum via a subterranean
supply canal to free the imprisoned women and deliver the corrupted
Watch officers into custody.
Orpha is true to her word and tells them about the Dimora
Boszaroza, the Honeyman’s lair. The lair, a moss-covered, partially
flooded mansion just off the Street of Echoes, conceals within its walls
a nest of addicts, undead, and carnivorous plant life, as well as the
caul cuckoo offspring of the Asylum women and the Honeyman: a
caul cuckoo queen. Likewise, in an attic room they can find a vine-
clogged swamp pouring through an impossible window leading to the
Myre-Between, from whence the caul cuckoo spawn have come. By
destroying this window, the PCs can stem the flow of unreal invaders
and end this surreptitious invasion of Castorhage.

Beginning the
Adventure
Early one morning, Inspector Hogan Muncy of the Watch (LN male
human expert 8) approaches the PCs in the Artists’ Quarter. Impressed
by word of their talents, the inspector is interested in their potential
as independent contractors and wants to talk to them about a job. The
inspector buys them breakfast at a nearby eatery and makes his offer.

The Watch inspector sizes you up. “You don’t look up to

much, but word is you have some talent and a need for some
gainful employment. If that’s true, this may be your lucky day.”

•
The inspector’s hands are thrust deeply into the pockets of
his coat and his eyes — eyes that look like they’ve seen their Who are we meeting with? I’m not at liberty to reveal that at this
share of things — stare coolly from beneath the brim of a time. You’ll find out soon enough. Suffice it to say that the party
brown bowler hat. A polished City Watch shield pinned to his

•
involved wishes to keep the meeting private.
lapel twinkles with the dying light of a pyrebeetle lantern that
dimly illuminates the interior of the dingy eatery and the plate What is the meeting about? It’s about a job. You’ll discuss the details
of greasy breakfast in front of you. with the other party. I’m just sourcing you for them as a favor. You are

•
“I’d like to introduce you to someone in need of services looking for paying work, right?
that I think you should be able to provide. The job will be well What do we need to bring? Yourselves and the usual gear you’d take
worth your time and effort, not only in coin, but also, I believe, on a job. I get the impression that there’s some time sensitivity to this,
in earning influential friends and future work — assuming you so don’t be assuming you can come back right away for anything you

•
live up to expectations, of course.” leave behind.
He places his bowler on a nearby table and looks thoughtful
What if we don’t want to come? Then I’ll find another group and
as he scratches his balding head and taps out his pipe onto the
take them instead. Your disinterest in assisting the Watch will also be
floor. Heavy brows, a bushy moustache, and thick sideburns
noted, of course.
frame his thick face. Muncy, he said his name was. Inspector
Hogan Muncy.
“I can’t tell you much else at this stage. You’ll have to come
with me if you want to know more. From where I’m standing, Int (Investigation)
though, you don’t have much to lose, so eat up, grab your gear,
Based on the results of a Int (Investigation) check, the PCs might
and we can get going.”
already know about the Sinks district and the Asylum. Each PC recalls all
the information whose DC is less than or equal to the result of her check.
The PCs do not have time to gather information but, if he is asked, the
The PCs likely have questions for the inspector, and some of Muncy’s
inspector relays all the information below on a Cha (Persuasion) check

•
answers follow:
with a –5 penalty. Muncy reveals this information gradually, however,
Who are you again? Inspector of the Watch, Hogan Muncy. Toiltown over the course of their journey to the Sinks, and primarily in response to
District, Third Ward. Who I am isn’t important, though, other than to direct questions. While he has heard the typical rumors that monsters and

•
assure you that this is a genuine opportunity to help the Watch. magic infest every city district, he knows nothing about the information
Where is this meeting? In the Sinks. That’s all I can tell you right indicated in the results of DC 18 or above and expresses simple ignorance
now; you’ll learn more when we get there. I have a boat ready and or skepticism as appropriate if any of the PCs know that information and
waiting to take us there. question him about it.

7
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
DC Result
The Sinks, also known as Branner’s Folly, is a district of
Castorhage that skirts the north bank of the Lyme
across from Festival, between BookTown and the
Hollow and Broken Hills. It is a maze of canals that
5
surround partially sunken buildings, some of which
are the grand mansions, towers, and cathedrals
of the nobility. It is also home to the city’s insane
asylum.
The district was created hundreds of years ago by
Branner, a child-king, who wished to create an en-
tirely new district for artists and the avant-garde.
Unfortunately, he chose boggy, unstable land to
build it on and the district began to sink almost im-
mediately until it became as it is today, a twisted
10 wreckage of leaning walls and towers, slumped
buildings, and dislocated arched bridges over
a myriad of canals. Visitors can find the chaotic
geometry quite unsettling, and are often prone
to dizziness. The Asylum is in a guarded section of
the district surrounded by high walls and moat-like
canals.
The marsh beneath the Sinks harbors a poisonous
fog called Jack’s Candle. This gas can seep up,
seemingly at random, and kill within a matter of
minutes, and so most locals keep canaries in their
homes to help detect its intrusion. Some nobles
keep entire aviaries of the birds, some of which
have escaped to form large colourful flocks that
12
swoop around the district’s dilapidated architec-
ture. While it can appear as an enclave of re-
spectability, the Sinks has a reputation for excess,
depravity, and cruelty. Fortunes can be made by
artists talented — and brave — enough to appeal
to a decadent local aristocracy that relishes the
shocking and the suffering.
While the local nobility presents the Sinks as an elite
domain of extreme art, in truth the Capitol uses
it to exile their outcasts: the mad, the inbred, the
criminal, and the illegitimate. But the nobility is
15
still rich, and the Sinks is infested with hangers-on,
traders, priests, and others greedy or mad enough
to live in the shadows of an aristocracy shunned
for its shocking proclivities.
Stories persist that sea-devils brazenly walk the
streets of the Sinks by night, and that worship of
their foul gods is conducted behind the gilt doors
18 of the aristocrats. Indeed, similar stories claim that
many of the noble families are infected with vam-
pirism, and that their patronage, parties, and ga-
las are actually opportunities to abduct their prey.
It is claimed that some lidos and pools are bottom-
less pits that harbor huge, slumbering sea monsters
20
and that some waterways carry lonely travelers to
streets that can never be found again.

8
 Horror in the Sinks

Chapter One:
Sinks and Sources
Once the PCs finish their breakfast and grab their gear, the inspector
leads them through the northern streets of Little Xi’en toward where the
Watch riverboat he has commissioned is moored on the Lyme.
• The confusion of structures and scaffolds that precariously protrude
overhead like cancerous growths from the sagging iron and timber
arches of Town Bridge all seemingly staring down in anguish at their
imminent collapse into the churning toxicity below. Or they cling
to the broken remnants of dead ships lashed to the piers underneath

To the Sinks that are somehow weirdly illuminated in a way that casts the colossal
structure above in shadow and creates an impossibility of angle and
intrusion in the midst of timber islands and broken boats connected by
The public wharves are bustling with business but the Watch has its own umbilicals of rope and chain. The pervading odour is of ripe fish and

•
private dock at which an official Watch riverboat is moored. The inspector salt spray.
wastes no time in getting everyone aboard and underway. The riverboat The Jumble’s vast decks, platforms, gangways, stairs, and ladders sit
is a 40-foot fleshgine-powered sidewheel paddleboat captained by Lyme within a web of rigging at the centre of the piered maze of nameless
Constable Eckers. The PCs are free to enjoy the journey to the Sinks,

• •
streets known as the Cat’s Cradle on the right of the clock turn.
which takes them more than 2 miles downriver to the Passage Canal.

•
Notable sights along the way include: The abandoned folly of Skum Point extruding toward their destination.
The imposing, granite walls of the Capitol, looming over the counter The row upon row upon row of rooftops that stagger upward from the

•
turn in the Lyme. rickety arched piers and garishly painted wooden buildings of Candy
Spine, all strangled by bright flags and gaudy signs as they rise to the
The stacks of towers of BookTown, and the innumerable bridges of
Great Fayre at Festival’s summit where a huge fun wheel and twisted
wood, rope, and stone that span the canyons they form, farther along
towers sit like a dazzling crown.
the left bank.

9
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Business sculptures jostle for attention among more mundane offerings

such as fruit, cured meats, home remedies, and boat supplies.
Between and beyond the trader’s pitches, whose waves and

in the Birdcage cries for attention blend with the flapping of their colourful
awnings and banners, the caws of the ubiquitous gulls, and
the curses and songs of the punters. Tilting townhouses with
When the riverboat reaches the edge of the Sinks district, read the following: walls of faded frescoes patched with dark, chartreuse moss and
suspended wrought-iron balconies cant over the edges of the
waterway as though continuously threatening to collapse and
The riverboat finally reaches the anarchic disarray of the crush the commerce beneath.
Sinks, where every moss-covered, leaning building seems Several hundred feet along the Passage from where it joins
to rely on another to remain standing, like a house of cards the Lyme, a massive building bridges the canal. The riverboat
perched between a riddle of stinking canals and vast flocks of pulls alongside its dock, sending a drift of black swans gliding
colourful water and songbirds that swoop over its mansions away across oily, dark waters.
and cathedrals. From a collection of old, dilapidated shipyard “Here we are,” states the inspector as he hops off the boat, a
docks, past a spire-like church blistered with raven-headed couple of halfling lads hurriedly looping its ropes around the
gargoyles, to a huge statue of a bloated devil sheathed within dock cleats. You collect your gear and follow the inspector into
a many-windowed tower from which naked men and women the building that declares itself, via a painted sign high on the wall
hang from manacles, the riverboat makes its way toward a above the dock, “The Bridge House Tavern and Birdcage.” Inside,
wide waterway that cuts through the district’s heart. the inspector leads you up a flight of stairs and through a series of
As you enter the great Passage Canal, which bisects the interconnected bar areas that, despite the relatively early hour, are
Sinks from Sister Lyme to the Bath’s grand confluence more all well attended. Laughter and chatter fill the air along with trails
than a half mile away at the far side of the district, the smell of of pipesmoke and the aromas of dark ales, black rum, and baked
sewage begins to underpin a scent of decay, and the rubbish- bread. Halfling servers in dark clothes and yellow aprons hustle
strewn waters take on a sheen of putrescence. barefoot across her polished dark-wood floorboards, delivering
The Sinks’ main street of trade is a constant hubbub food and drink to customers who sound remarkably polite and
of activity flanked by a mishmash of shops, stores, and thankful regardless of their walk of life or state of sobriety.
warehouses, many stacked upon one another, with upper The sound of birdsong grows curiously louder as you pass
storeys accessible only by rickety ladders or winched baskets deeper into the tavern until its source is revealed as a flock
or cages. Locals and visitors paddle, push, or guide canoes, of canaries housed in a massive cage that passes through
rafts, kayaks, narrowboats, flat-bottomed barges, gondolas, both ceiling and floor to levels above and below. A circular
and sandolos every which way to access stalls and façades that bar surrounds the wrought-iron structure, and a statuesque
display a cornucopia of goods for purchase. Ornate ornaments, middle-aged woman with curly red hair, a long black skirt, and
carven furniture, fine clothing, abstract paintings, and risqué a tight-fitting yellow bodice stands nearby.

10
 •
Horror in the Sinks
One of the sights of the Sinks, the Bridge House Tavern and Birdcage is Why are you meeting us here? It is best that we have these
the size of a small village that spans the Passage Canal. It is easy to get lost discussions in private and on neutral ground.
in, particularly if you take one of its rooms, which tend to be nearer the canal Until he understands the truth of what has been happening, Ghall
level. Food is plain but plentiful, and the drink of choice is rum, although wants to avoid his involvement becoming known by watchmen who
there are many fine wines behind the bars as well. Ellie arranged for the

•
may report directly to Watch Commander Durmast.
canary cage, which rises somewhat clumsily through the centre of the entire
building, to be installed after the tavern’s entire clientele was poisoned by a Why do you need independent contractors for this job?
seep of odorless marsh gas many years ago (i.e. Jack’s Candle). The Watch is quite prepared to employ independent specialists
The woman in the black skirt is Miss Ellie (LN female Bandit when it deems necessary, and I deem it necessary in this case. In
Captain), the surprisingly foul-mouthed owner of the establishment. addition, and as I have already mentioned, I require discretion. I’d
Ellie greets Inspector Muncy by name before welcoming everyone to rather not involve other branches of the Watch at this stage, so you
the Birdcage and asking them if they’d like to order something from the are not to disclose the nature or results of your Investigation to

•
bar. The PCs have a chance to chat with Ellie for a short while and also anyone but myself.
to purchase some drinks. Although she won’t make the offer, if any of Who has died? “Watch Officers Murn Hobley and Lomen Ashdown.
the PCs happen to make her laugh (DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) or DC 12 Both serving as underoverseers within the facility and both within the
Cha (Perform) to succeed), she’ll buy the round. Both she and Muncy are last few days.
quick to dispel any PCs’ assumption that she is whom they have come to Though Wedgewood’s letter stated this, in truth, Ashdown has actually
meet. After serving any ordered drinks, Ellie directs the group to a private

•
been dead for more than 2 months.
upstairs meeting room, mentioning to the inspector that the other party is
already waiting. For more information on the Birdcage and its proprietor, What do you know about these deaths? Deaths in the Asylum
including her true identity, refer to location SI11 in The Blight: Richard rarely call for an Investigation, even when they occur among the
Pett’s Crooked City. overseers. The post is considered one of the most dangerous in the
*See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games city and with good reason. It is severely underfunded and under-
for details. resourced — a reprehensible situation that I have been fighting to
rectify for some time. The deaths you are investigating both seem
to have occurred in the overseers’ tower, which is in itself a cause
District Commander Ghall for concern since it is a veritable fortress designed to keep those
officers stationed there safe while within its confines. That’s all I can
When the PCs enter the meeting room, read the following: tell you at this time. Further details will be available from Overseer

•
Wedgewood of the Asylum Watch.
What is the role of the City Watch at the Asylum? We are tasked
In the meeting room, a solemn, middle-aged man dressed with the security of the facility since the institution has been deemed
in the dark blues of a high-ranking Officer of the Watch sits too important and its inmates too delicate to trust to any private
at the head of a long table. He stands as you enter and looks enterprise or outside organization.
expectantly at the inspector who shakes his hand and nods in
If the PCs specifically ask for information on how the Watch
affirmation to the unspoken question before excusing himself
implements security, the party must succeed on a DC 18 Cha
and closing the door behind him.
(Persuasion) check to receive the following extra information.
“Please take a seat,” says the man in a confident voice clearly
accustomed to issuing orders. He gestures to the chairs that Due to the lack of funding, we have little option but to partner with
surround the table, waiting as you arrange yourselves, and the internal sanatorium, which assesses inmates for their suitability
regarding you all with keen interest, before continuing. as additional resources. Your authority in this matter does not extend
“My name is Insian Ghall, and I am the District Commander to interfering with that institution nor of the internal prison. Do not

•
of the Watch for the Sinks. I have a current and pressing need escalate this matter by interacting with either of them.
for competent and trustworthy independent contractors. This sounds dangerous. Can you increase the pay? At this, the
Inspector Muncy highly recommends you for this job or else district commander sets his jaw and considers your question before
you would not be here. I require you to investigate two deaths sighing and adding that he’s prepared to double the pay rate but
among the Watch officers serving as overseers in the Asylum. expects the Investigation to be conducted swiftly and professionally
You will be provided with all the necessary authorizations and as his personal agents in the matter. If the PCs press for more pay, the
will each be paid the standard stipend of 1 gold shekel per day. party must succeed on a DC 16 Cha (Persuasion) check before Ghall
This assignment will also grant the right to requisition materiel goes any higher:
as usual for a Watch contractor but I require your utmost “Three gold shekels per day. That’s as high as I will go. If it’s
discretion as to the nature and detail of your investigation. You insufficient, then I shall seek another group.”
will report to me, and only me. Are these terms acceptable?”

District Commander Insian Ghall (LN male human Veteran) is Int (Investigation)
the head of the Watch in the Sinks. Recently, he received a letter from Based on the results of an Int (Investigation) check, the PCs might
Overseer Wedgewood of the Asylum Watch that announced deaths among already know about the Asylum. Each PC recalls all the information
the Watch officers serving as underoverseers there. While this would not whose DC is less than or equal to the result of her check.
normally be anything of particular interest to Ghall — the Asylum Watch is The PCs do not have time to gather information but, if he is asked,
a dangerous post — his son is currently posted there, and hastily scrawled the district commander shares all the information on the table below up
on the back of Wedgewood’s letter was a note in his son’s handwriting to a DC 12. If the asker succeeds on a DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) check,
requesting an external Investigation. Ghall wants to engage the PCs in the he shares up to DC 15 and up to the DC 18 result if the asker succeeds
Investigation but does not want to reveal his true cause for concern. on a DC 18 Cha (Persuasion) check. Keen to ensure the PCs take the
The PCs likely have questions for the district commander and he job, he does not share the information contained in the DC 20 result and

•
answers them as described below: downplays the relevance of that information should any PCs know it and
Who are you again? My name is Insian Ghall. I am the District question him about it.
Commander of the Sinks Watch. That means that I am in charge * See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games
of the Watch for the entire Sinks district and that I report to Watch for details.
Commander Durmast himself.

11
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

To the Asylum
DC Result
The Sinks is home to the city’s insane asylum, simply
5
called the Asylum.
Ghall finishes the meeting by issuing the PCs their writ of authority and
The Asylum is in a guarded section of the district sur-
10 requesting that, once the PCs have completed their Investigation and are ready
rounded by high walls and moat-like canals.
to deliver their report, they ask Miss Ellie to arrange a meeting, though they
The Asylum wall has a single huge gate and guard should avoid seeking a meeting with him at a Watch Station. He then excuses
12 towers with inward-facing siege engines to pre- himself and leaves, shaking Muncy’s hand outside before departing.
vent escape attempts. When the PCs are ready to head to the Asylum, the inspector
The Asylum contains exiled nobles who are too accompanies them back to the dock where Lyme Constable Eckers waits
dangerous — either through genuine insanity or with the riverboat. The journey to the Asylum is relatively swift and direct
simply by virtue of who they are or what they know along a canal that stretches from a junction just farther along the Passage
15 from the Birdcage straight to the Asylum Pool.
— even for exile to the Sinks. The Asylum contains
a sanatorium and a prison, along with the Watch Along the way, the PCs may be struck by the beauty and detail of
Station tower. the architecture, notwithstanding the fact that it is all partially sunken,
covered in moss, and leaning at haphazard angles, usually onto nearby
The Watch actually maintains a minimal presence buildings. Among these structures, walkways of corroded iron and wood
in the Asylum and that, in fact, the vast majority have been erected so that people can climb and walk from building to
of “guards” are actually inmates selected by a building over the ubiquitous canals with nary a solid street in sight. The
18
dedicated order of nuns called the Sisters of the number of “prahu punters” — boatmen in colourfully striped attire who
Devout Resurrection and Rebirth who run the san- sing emotionally expressive songs in loud, melodic voices as they pole
atorium. gondolas every which way, transporting people around the district — seem
The true authority figure in the Asylum is an inmate nearly matched in numbers by the City Watch kayaks whose occupants
known as the Judge, an ex-Justice sentenced to watch the crowds with evaluating eyes.
20 life in the Asylum for committing a horrific series of The PCs also smell the raw stink of sewage that occasionally assails
murders, and the nuns of the Sanatorium are a Lu- them, along with catching sight of patches of excrement that float on the
ciferan order. surface of the canal. And they’ll occasionally catch a strange scent in the
air that makes them feel momentarily dizzy and disoriented, as though
momentarily gripped by a sea sickness that compels them to steady
themselves against a boat rail lest they topple into the black waters.
But most of all, the PCs notice a susurrus of sound, even beneath the
Deputies of the Watch songs of the boatmen, the ubiquitous bird calls, and the grunts and sighs of
the fleshgine running their riverboat paddler, that slowly rises in volume
Each day that the PCs spend on the Investigation earns them a 1 as they approach the forbidding 60-foot-high walls of their destination.
gp stipend apiece, unless they negotiated a higher rate. In addition, And as they get closer, they are finally able to discern that the susurrus is a
District Commander Ghall gives them a writ deputizing them as seemingly endless, composite scream — a scream of human anguish and
investigators for the Watch that they can use as credentials but suffering from many voices overlapping one another in their cacophony
warns them that this status does not confer any authority over that issues from within the Asylum. The PCs may also wish to question
other members of the Watch, and that they must work with the Inspector Muncy regarding their destination. If asked, Muncy shares up to
Watch officers they will be investigating. He asks them to avoid the DC 15 result in the table above, but also adds the following:
discussing the reason for the writs with other members of the Watch
but notes that they can requisition mundane equipment worth 100
gp or less from the Watch once per day. Doing so requires that they “I don’t envy you, heading into that place. I’ve heard it’s a
go to a Watch Station with their credentials and succeed at a DC 10 living hell, where the inmates prey upon each other and the
Cha (Persuasion) check (the Asylum Watch Tower counts as such guards barely keep the upper hand. But don’t forget: It’s
a station). If they are successful, any item of 20 gp value or less where the nobility send their own, and to kill a noble has dire
can be had immediately (at the GM’s discretion, since some items consequences. Any murderous madman in there might have
may be harder to come by and require a day to procure). Items connections that will get your necks stretched if you put him
worth more than 20 gp require a day to procure, and the PCs must down. You want my advice? Whatever you’re going in there to
return to pick it up. Unless the item would be consumed by its use do — and I don’t want to know what — keep your heads down,
(holy water, etc.), it is expected that the PCs return it within one get the job done, and get out as fast as you can.”
week. If they fail to do so, the Office of the Watch charges them
double its list price in order to replace it.

12
 Horror in the Sinks

Chapter Two:
Welcome to Heaven
When the riverboat reaches the Asylum Pool, read the following: Wall Towers: At six of the wall’s eight corners, a timber guard tower
holds a defense platform for 3 light ballistae with 10 ballista bolts each.
The towers each also hold a rack of 12 heavy crossbows and 20 bolts for
A 60-foot-tall wall constructed of huge blocks of smooth each. A single Asylum trustee wall guard is typically stationed at each
grey stone looms over the surrounding buildings. Stretching tower, which can be reached from a spiral stair within the wall that is
approximately 550 feet along the Asylum Canal before turning accessible through a reinforced wooden door with an average quality lock
at the Asylum Pool to join another length of wall that runs from (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 15) and an internal bar (2 in. thick; AC 19;
the Bedlam Canal. The walls on this side of the compound have hp 12; Immunity cold, fire, lightning, poison, psychic; Resistance thunder,
guard towers at three corners and run through a gatehouse. weapon damage; Break DC 30 Str).
Guards walk slowly along the wall or stand atop its gatehouse
or towers where mounted ballistae point into the interior. Asylum Trustee Wall Guard, male or female human: AC
16; HP 11 (2d8+2); Spd 30ft; Melee shortsword (+3, 1d6+1
piercing); Ranged heavy crossbow (+3, 100ft/400ft, 1d10+1
Inspector Muncy drops the PCs off at the Asylum Pool dock (near A1) piercing); Str +1, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0;
and wastes little time hanging around. He wishes the PCs luck before Skills Perception +2; Senses passive Perception 12; Traits
ordering Eckers to head back to the Passage. The Asylum was built on insanity; AL N; CR 1/8; XP 25.
a large island of dry ground in the district. An area of this land extends
beyond the walls and is enclosed by the Asylum and Bedlam Canals. To Insanity: The guards suffer from an irrational obsession with a
the left of the Asylum Pool, slovenly buildings that seem to cower on the particular object or situation (GM’s discretion). If directly confronted
edges of these canals house some of the workers who provide services to by her obsession, she must succeed on a DC 12 Wis save or become
the institution beyond, but between the pool and the gatehouse the land fascinated by the object or situation for 1d6 rounds).
forms a large courtyard for arrivals. Wells: All wells are covered by iron grilles at the top through which
chains are attached to a bucket. Their brick-lined shafts typically descend
20 to 30 feet to the groundwater. Frequent disease outbreaks in the Asylum

A. The Asylum are linked to these wells and the poor sanitation of their surroundings.

A1. Heaven’s Gate

and Surrounds (Difficulty varies)
The Asylum is more than a single structure; it is an entirely enclosed
community within the Sinks and is considered its own parish within the
The gatehouse is constructed of the same blocks of grey
bureaucracy of the city. A 60-foot wall encompasses its entire area to
stone as the surrounding walls and frames a massive, 20-foot-
keep prying eyes out as much as to keep inmates in. Several areas of the
square door of heavy ironbound oak. To the side of the gate, a
Asylum get their own description, but a general description of the area’s
barred window reveals a dim chamber within the gatehouse.
features is provided below.
Above the gate can be seen the bas-relief of an angel, its
limestone features deteriorated by long years of exposure and
Features of the Asylum weathering to form a gruesome melted mask. The shrieking
from within the Asylum is more muted this close to the walls,
Hovels: Most of the buildings within the Asylum are partially collapsed and yet distinct sobs and screams can now be heard over the
and dilapidated hovels with few, if any, pieces of furniture. They are typically horrible hum. A wooden sign mounted to the wall beside the
single-storied, with stone foundations and crumbling exterior walls of wood gate bids all comers “Welcome to Heaven.”
and plaster, wooden interiors walls, and roofs that bear multiple holes. In
practically all cases, the doors and window shutters have been removed so
that guards can also gain access, and the interiors are frequently daubed in A lone guard, dressed in a chain shirt and the dark blues of the Watch,
human filth or have collections of rubbish and debris. sits in the chamber beyond the iron-barred window. The chamber is small,
Streets and Squares: The streets and squares are compacted earth that contains a table and chair, and is only accessible by a spiral staircase
frequently churns into a sucking bog in heavy rain. The dark mud clings that runs up to the top of the gatehouse; there is no door. Underoverseer
to everything, giving the place a filthy appearance. Simeon Kaylock (see Personalities of the Asylum Watch in Chapter 3
Wall: The Asylum wall is 60 feet high, 10 feet thick, and, at almost for more information on this guard) is startled by the arrival of the PCs
3,400 feet long, encloses an area of more than 11 acres. While the external at his window and quite flustered as he requests to know their business at
side of the wall is a smooth surface of superior masonry (Str (Athletics) the Asylum. He refers to a logbook that clearly indicates that no visitors
DC 17), climbing the surface of the internal side also requires negotiating were expected today. The PCs have to show Kaylock the writ of authority
broken glass, barbed wire, and downward-pointing iron spikes that have they received from Ghall before he authorizes admission. PCs who watch
all been mortared into place (Str (Athletics) DC 15, any failure of 5 or Kaylock examine the document may make a DC 12 Wis (Insight) check.
more results in 1d4 damage). Those who succeed get the impression that Kaylock is quite worried about

13
The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

14
 Horror in the Sinks
or situation for 1d6 rounds), with padded clubs continue to beat back
around 20 inmates (N human male or female, Commoner, Insanity:
The inmates suffer from an irrational obsession with a particular object or
situation (GM’s discretion). If directly confronted by her obsession, she
must succeed on a DC 12 Wis save or become fascinated by the object
or situation for 1d6 rounds) but, for a few rounds, it is a losing battle.
Several manage to reach the PCs. PCs who succeed on a DC 12 Wis
(Perception) check realize that, while these guards are better dressed than
the inmates (typically wearing some form of padded armour), they do not
wear uniforms. Unless the PCs defend themselves (easily accomplished if
the PCs wish it), external items such as cloaks and backpacks may be torn
away by inmates who reach them, and the PC takes 1d4 points of nonlethal
damage. An item can be easily recovered if the inmate is injured, but if the
PCs deal lethal damage to any of the inmates, Kaylock immediately orders
them to desist lest they risk killing a noble.
Throughout this time, the PCs are assaulted by the almost overpowering
stench of human waste and rank body odour that emanates from the
inmates. This is joined by the stink of rotting refuse that rises from the
dirt itself. Some of the inmates question the PCs, asking them who they
are and why they have come, if they know them or their families, and if
they have come to take them away. After a few rounds, the frenzy abates
and the remaining inmates either disperse or lay on the ground groaning
and sobbing. Some of the inmate guards zealously continue to beat a few
inmates until Kaylock yells at them to stand down. Kaylock then offers to
something but, if questioned on the matter, he states that he is unaware escort the PCs to the watchtower (A5).
of the protocol for unscheduled visitors and must consult his superior.
He asks the PCs to wait and disappears up the spiral stair, taking the writ
with him. A1a. Gatehouse
The gatehouse is 60 feet high and forms a 50-foot-by-40-foot platform
UNDEROVERSEER SIMEON KAYLOCK CR 1/2 around which a 4-foot-high wooden battlement has been erected. On the
XP 100 platform, two light ballistae are mounted at the interior corners, each with
hp 16 (See Meeting the Watch, Chapter 3) a rack of 20 bolts. Chains from a large winch secured in the centre of
the platform descend down through holes in the platform to attach to the
Development: In truth, Kaylock is worried about what the PCs will Asylum gate. A steep and narrow spiral staircase cuts through the western
discover at the Watch Station tower and wants to warn his colleagues that wing of the gatehouse from within a small chamber at the base of the
they have unexpected visitors. He dashes to the top of the gatehouse where gatehouse that has a strong wooden door with an average quality lock
he hurriedly discusses the situation with Overseer Wedgewood, and hands (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 15) and interior bar (Break DC 19). A barred
him the PCs’ writ. A quick plan formed, Wedgewood hurriedly heads to the window looks out of this chamber over the grounds approaching the gate.
tower, and only once he can see his boss entering the Watch Station tower The stair climbs to a locked wooden trapdoor (Dex (with thieves’ tools)
does Kaylock authorize the Asylum door to be raised and descend from the DC 15, Break DC 17) that accesses the parapet.
gatehouse to meet them. When the PCs gain entrance, read the following.

The great gate to the Asylum slowly begins to rise and, with
A2. Asylum Yard
it, a cacophonous crescendo of pain and anguish, pleading and Immediately beyond the gatehouse is Angel’s Court, which adjoins
rage, fear and confusion. It washes under the door like a wave Bedlam Square, commonly referred to as “the Yard.” The Yard, which is
and spreads beyond, echoing from the walls that confined it to bounded by dilapidated hovels of stone and wood without doors or shutters
fill the area with its awful, ceaseless din. to close off their darkened interiors, is filled with inmates either huddled
Beyond, men and women wield clubs to threaten others around a central dried-up fountain or engaged in running, screaming,
who, seeing the door rise to reveal the outside world, begin rocking back and forth, fighting, or defecating. In addition to the inmates,
to converge upon it. More yells and screams add to the noise other people can be seen throughout the Yard and elsewhere, including
as they are beaten back or to the ground, attracting yet more plenty of trustee guards with padded clubs and armour, and groups of nuns
from farther within the compound who start to run en masse in black and gray habits. The occupants of the yard generally ignore the
from a large open area toward the sight of freedom. Most PCs after the initial rush at the gatehouse.
are dressed in rags and covered in filth, with wild hair and
emaciated, gaunt bodies, barefoot, and cut and bruised. Some
cry and some dance naked; some point at the exit and laugh A3. Sanatorium
hysterically, while others openly scream at the sky, rending
their clothes and hair. The Sanatorium is a two-storey stone building with barred windows
and a set of main double doors made of iron. It is where the Sisters
of the Devout Resurrection and Rebirth confine and tend to inmates
Kaylock stands on the other side of the door and quickly ushers the considered too dangerous or too special to be allowed into the general
PCs inside, berating them for any hesitation, before signaling to the top of population. The PCs will not be permitted inside the building under any
the gatehouse. The door drops heavily once the final PC is inside, and the circumstances, with the Sisters (NE female human Ftr3) citing the need
crowd of inmates begins to disperse. Some remain intent on reaching the to carefully control the environment of inmates whose insanities can wield
door and the PCs, however, and continue to push forward. Five Asylum spontaneous, magical violence. Any attempt to force entry will be met by
trustee gate guards (N male or female human, Guard, Insanity: The considerable opposition. Further details on the Sanatorium and the awful
guards suffer from an irrational obsession with a particular object or truth about its inhabitants can be found in the Sinks and Asylum chapter
situation (GM’s discretion). If directly confronted by her obsession, she of The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City but are otherwise outside the
must succeed on a DC 12 Wis save or become fascinated by the object scope of this adventure.

15
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
inability to manage his affairs combined with the fear of another episode
A4. Prison resulted in his family exiling him to the Asylum where he has since
languished, a confused but passive man in his middle years.
An old prison that forms much of the southeast corner of the Asylum In truth, Greville had the ability to create and control fire with his
has been extended to run half the length of the south wall through the mind, which he had discovered several years before the incident and had
incorporation of rows of old tenements and hovels until it has become been working in secret to refine. Unfortunately, political manoeuvrings
one massive structure riddled with barred windows and iron spikes. within the Capitol that exploited and humiliated him sent him into a deep
The screams that emerge from within its depths are some of the most depression and then a manic rage that permanently unhinged him. The
bloodcurdling sounds in the entire Asylum. Practically everyone avoids violence that resulted ended with a mental retreat that locked his ability
the place. The true ruler of the Asylum, the man known as the Judge (LE away, along with his new chaotic and evil pyromaniac personality, but
male human Clr4, Mathrigaunt*), presides over a private Abyss within something about the appearance of one of the PCs has unlocked it with
and, thankfully, will not emerge throughout the PCs’ hopefully brief stay potentially fatal consequences.
in his domain. Further details on the Prison and its inhabitants can be
found in the Sinks and Asylum chapter of The Blight: Richard Pett’s Ephraim Greville, Pyromaniac, human male Sor6: AC 10; HP
Crooked City but are otherwise beyond the scope of this adventure. 32 (6d6+6); Spd 30ft ; Melee unarmed strike (+3, 1 point
* See The Lost Lands: Borderland Provinces (page 121) by Frog God bludgeoning); Str +0, Dex +0, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha
Games +0; Skills Deception +3, Insight +3; Senses passive Percep-
tion 10; Traits empowered spell, font of magic (6 sorcery
points), heightened spell, insanity; AL CE; CR 4; XP 1,100.
A5. Asylum Watch Station Spells (slots): 0 (at will)—blade ward, fire bolt, light,
shocking grasp, true strike; 1st (4)—burning hands,
Tower and Grounds mage armor, witch bolt; 2nd (3)—crown of madness,
scorching ray; 3rd (3)—fireball, protection from energy.
To the right of the gatehouse more hovel-lined streets lead to another
open area, but this one has been formed through the demolition of Insanity: Ephraim is a pyromaniac who obsessively sets objects
buildings, the shells of which surround a watchtower of stone and wood and creatures on fire with fire bolt, burning hands or other fire spells.
that bristles with spikes. More inmates wander these debris-strewn streets. Whenever Ephraim sets someone or something on fire, he must succeed
Refer to Chapter 3 for more details on the Watch Station tower. on a DC 12 Wis save or be fascinated by the flames for 1d6 rounds. Other
ongoing sources of fire may have the same effect on Ephraim at the
GM’s discretion but instantaneous fire effects cannot. Ephraim’s insanity,
Event 1: Burning in Bedlam including his resultant lack of gear, reduces his CR by 1.
Tactics: PCs who succeed on a DC 15 Wis (Perception) check notice
(Difficulty Hard) Greville creeping toward them from around the nearest hovel and may
act in the surprise round. Any PCs who respond to the young woman’s
As Kaylock leads the PCs to the watchtower, an incident occurs as apparent plight, however, are distracted and receive a −5 penalty on their
described below. Wis (Perception) check. PCs who spot Greville notice only an emaciated,
middle-aged man dressed in dirty rags with wild, greying hair and an
unkempt beard. A successful DC 12 Wis (Insight) check reveals that he
From the continual clamor of the Yard, a piercing scream is strangely fixated upon one of the PCs, though a result of 15 or higher
emerges. From a nearby hovel on the edge of Bedlam Square, convinces the PC that the man intends violence.
a group of nuns in black and grey habits emerges carrying a Greville spends the surprise round gathering power before targeting a
struggling young woman between them and heading toward a random PC with an empowered scorching ray. He then focuses his flames
nearby handcart. One to each limb and one at her head, they on any who attack him, accepting burn to increase the power of his attacks
fight to restrain the woman who kicks and spits and yells, at every opportunity in a display of manic murderousness. Kaylock
wrenching her body this way and that in a furiously desperate screams at any PC who responds with lethal force to subdue and not kill
attempt to escape. The young woman looks injured, her ragged the man lest they all be hanged.
dress and dirty face spotted and smeared with blood. Development: Kaylock and the inmates run for cover when Greville
attacks, and the nuns hide in the hovel from which they took the woman,
but a zealous guard on the gatehouse moves to quell the uprising.
The young woman is thoroughly insane and, apart from the usual Unfortunately, the guard is used to indiscriminately applying force against
cuts and bruises, is uninjured. The Sisters discovered the woman in the the inmates and, on the 3rd round of combat, he eagerly fires a light ballista
process of eating the remains of another inmate whose corpse lies partially into the melee, overjoyed at sensing an opportunity to use the weapon.
consumed within the hovel, and they are in the process of transporting her The guard targets a randomly determined participant with a +3 ranged
to the Sanatorium for “treatment.” The young woman seems remarkably attack that deals 3d8 points of piercing damage. Whether the attack hits
lucid, however, as she spots the PCs and screams out to them to help her, or misses, shortly thereafter a figure in spiked armour grabs the arbalist
saying that the nuns are devil-worshippers who are going to torture her in and pushes him off the wall, whereupon he plummets, screaming, to his
the Sanatorium — an assertion that is, actually, not very far from the truth. death at the base of the gatehouse (unless the PCs somehow intervene,
When the woman calls to the PCs for help, the Sister at her head scowls such as by using feather fall). A PC notices this occurrence with a DC 16
in obvious displeasure and, with a sinister, claw-like magical gesture, puts Wis (Perception) check.
her to sleep. The woman subdued, the nuns begin to strap her into the When the PCs have defeated Greville, Kaylock urges them to hurry
handcart before taking her to the Sanatorium. While the incident may be to the Watch Station tower as their presence is causing too much of a
concerning for some of the PCs, it is a distraction from a real threat. The disruption in the Yard. The PCs may wish to investigate the young
appearance of one of the PCs has triggered the temporary recovery of an woman’s situation, however, and talk to the nuns. The Sisters calmly
amnesiac whose real identity is a homicidal pyromaniac. explain what they had discovered and show the PCs the evidence. Any
Ephraim Horat Cantabulaxe Greville hails from a family of minor accusations that the woman’s assertions were correct are met with simple
nobility in the Capitol who, for many years, was a gentleman scholar smiles, assurances that the woman will receive the appropriate treatment
with a keen interest in the history of Castorhage and its aristocracy. No for her terrible affliction, and invitations for the PCs to confine their
one knows quite why, but one day he suddenly set out on a rampage of interests to their appointed responsibilities. If Greville is unconscious, the
arson that destroyed several libraries and many more lives. Greville had nuns swiftly stabilize him before lifting him onto their handcart next to
no recollection of his actions nor of his identity after the terrible events the woman and transporting him to the Sanatorium as well. They order
and drifted into a personality of indifference and incomprehension. His
16
 Horror in the Sinks
guards to bring any dead inmates, including the remains in the hovel, to
their morgue. If the PCs attempt to interfere, Kaylock exhorts them not to
oppose the Sisters and to accompany him to the Watch Tower. If the PCs
continue to intervene, however, the nuns are quite capable of defending
themselves.

Sanatorium Sister, female human War3: AC 11; HP 24

(3d8+6); Spd 30ft; Melee dagger (+3, 1d4+1 piercing),
mace (+1, 1d6–1 bludgeoning); SA eldritch sight; Str –1,
Dex +1, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +0, Cha +3; Skills Arcana +4,
Deception +5, Intimidation +5, Persuasion +5; Senses pas-
sive Perception 10; Traits dark one’s blessing, pact of the
chain; AL LE; CR 2; XP 450.
Spells (slots): 0 (at will)—chill touch, eldritch blast; 1st
(4)—charm person, command, find familiar (at will,
pact spell); 2nd (3)—blindness/deafness, hold person.

17
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Chapter Three:
Who Watches the Watchmen?
When the PCs approach the Watch Station tower, read the following
description.

A squat watchtower stands in a large area of broken ground

cleared by the demolition of rows of tenement and other former
structures. The shells of these buildings now form a makeshift
curtain wall, with windows, doorways, and alleyways blocked
by mounds of rubble riddled with broken glass and rusting iron
spikes. Three 15-foot-wide gates of thick iron bars are situated
on the western, eastern, and southern sides of this perimeter.

Kaylock leads the PCs across Angel’s Court and up the gradual rise
of Monk Road to the tower yard’s west gate. He unlocks a padlock and
ushers them into the Watch Station tower grounds before securing the
gates behind them. From within the grounds, the PCs can see that the
shells of the buildings that surround the Watch Tower mostly consist
of only the outer façades reinforced with rubble and large timbers. The
mounds of broken stone that block the former alleys between the buildings
descend into nests of more iron spikes in the interior.
Kaylock leads the PCs straight to the Watch Station tower. Upon first
reaching the tower, read the following:

The Asylum Watch Tower is a total of 40 feet high. The

lower 20 feet is constructed of stone and topped with a
crenellated parapet. From the top of this tower extends
a smaller wooden turret structure that, along with thick
wooden columns, supports a second wooden upper level that
is wider in dimension than even the stone tower beneath it.
Another crenellated parapet protects this expanded floor’s
roof. While the entire structure looks solid and imposing,
with downward-pointing spikes lining its walls to prevent
climbers, its stone and wood construction nevertheless looks
patchwork and is clearly born from materials scavenged from
the surrounding destruction.
A single door leads into the base of the wooden extension
atop the tower’s parapet, but there is no such entrance visible to
the stone tower itself, which is pierced only by tiny ventilation
Asylum Watch
holes 9 feet up and by arrow slits 12 feet up. Yet more arrow
slits line the walls of the upper level and ballistae point from
the corners of its roof. Station Tower
The Watch Station tower has two floors in the main stone portion of the
structure topped by a stone parapet 20 feet high, as well as two more floors
in the wood turret, topped by an additional wooden parapet 40 feet high that
overhangs the tower beneath by 5 feet on all sides. This wider wooden parapet
is supported by thick wooden stanchions set into the lower parapet as well as
the wooden turret built in the centre of the tower’s roof. The only access into
the tower is by way of a door in the wooden central turret, so visitors must first
climb the clockwork ladder to reach the stone parapet 20 feet above the ground.
Most of the time that the PCs are in the tower will be spent questioning
the constables stationed there, so no map of the tower’s interior is
provided or necessary. The only real room of note in the tower itself is the
watch room, the second floor of the wooden turret that, like the parapet
it supports, is actually wider than the tower itself, overhanging the stone
tower beneath by 5 feet on all sides.

18
 Horror in the Sinks
When the PCs enter the tower (as described under Meeting the Watch the key to the supply stair (B11) and a set of station logs that are woefully
below), it is to this watch room that they will be escorted and the constables out of date and convey a lack of care and engagement.
assembled for their questioning. Treasure: On the wall above the bed hangs Wedgewood’s treasured
portrait of Marlies Fan, a high-class prostitute who, in her heyday some 40
years ago, was a famed beauty who catered exclusively to the city’s elite.
Watch Room It is a rare 1ft-by-2ft portrait of Fan who, once activated by a command
word (inscribed on the back of the frame), engages the viewer with lewd
conversation as she undresses. It would bring 3000gp from a collector or
The top level of the tower is a single 50-foot-square watch admirer. The chest contains a suit of leather armour in City Watch blue.
room that, due to the elevated ground it sits upon, almost
reaches the height of the Asylum wall. Wooden columns support
the roof to which a staircase ascends to a trapdoor. The open Upper Guard Quarters
stairwell that descends into the turret beneath has a simple The door to this room is locked (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 20);
bannister. Each wall is lined with wide windows, most with their Birdy has the key. This guard quarters contains five simple beds, each
shutters closed, and covered murder holes line the perimeter with numerous blankets, a single pillow, and an upright cabinet with
for dropping rocks or other substances on any attackers that an inset simple lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 15). The cabinets
threaten the tower walls below. Racks of heavy crossbows, bolts, contain Constable of the Watch uniforms, padded armour, and personal
and other weaponry surround the room, in easy reach of most belongings, including a mirror and kits for gear maintenance, grooming,
of the windows, and cauldrons sit on unlit stoves in each corner and mess. An oil lamp stands on a table near the door. Birdy and Kaylock
near crates full of red and black ceramic flasks. An assortment of sleep here.
tables and chairs stand around the centre of the room, some of Treasure: Each cabinet contains a suit of dark blue leather armour.
which are strewn with maps, others with bottles, tankards, and Birdy’s cabinet contains a gold and silver hip flask engraved with the
platters holding only the remains of meals. Firewood is stacked name “Bax” worth 50gp, and a set of loaded dice.
near the stairs where the metal chimney of a wood-burning
stove forms its central column.
Lower Battlement
A crenellated parapet that alternates between 4 feet and 3 feet tall protects
The watch room overhangs the lower tower by 5 feet, enabling anyone the roof of the stone tower. The central wooden turret leaves a 7-foot-wide
climbing its walls or around its base to be attacked through the murder walkway around its perimeter. At regular 10-foot intervals, 2-foot-square
holes around its perimeter. Among the mundane items around the room are wooden stanchions help support the floor above. The turret door is a strong,
4 bullseye lanterns, 4 hooded lanterns, a teapot, a samovar, 4 cauldrons, an ironbound wooden door with a good lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 20)
hourglass, 4 oil lamps, 5 lbs. of rough shag tobacco, partially empty bottles and a heavy wooden bar; Wedgewood carries the key.
of spirits and wine, a signal horn, and the key to the tower’s armoury. On Attached to the parapet in front of the door to the turret is a clockwork
the table are maps of the Asylum and its surroundings (see The Asylum ladder. When activated, this device extends or retracts a ladder that it
and Surrounds map), and a spyglass. Each crate in the corner contains assembles from lengths of iron attached to spools of cable within. This
15 black flasks of oil and 5 flasks of alchemist’s fire. A total of 16 heavy process locks the pieces together to form a rigid ladder that can reach to
crossbows, 320 bolts, and 8 longspears are in the weapon racks. the ground. The clockwork ladder’s activation switch is locked (Dex (with
thieves’ tools) DC 17); Wedgewood has the key.

The Rest of the Tower

Guard quarters, weapon and food storage, a kitchen, garderobes, an
armoury, and Overseer Wedgewood’s quarters occupy the rest of the
Asylum Watch Station tower. For the most part, these hold only mundane
Meeting the Watch
furnishings and accoutrements (universally in poor shape). A stairwell in When the PCs reach the Watch Station tower, Kaylock calls up to the
the centre of the tower accesses all of its levels as well as descending into occupants to let them in. A short time later, Overseer Wedgewood (who
the tower basement (area B). left the gatehouse at A1a upon the PCs’ arrival at the Asylum) emerges
If the PCs take the time to thoroughly search the tower, the only areas of through the upper doorway. After a cursory inspection of the area below,
any interest will be the armoury, Commander Wedgewood’s quarters, and he activates some sort of clockwork contraption attached to the parapet
the upper guard quarters that are all located on the second floor of the tower, that, over the course of a full minute, extends an iron ladder down to about
and the lower battlement located atop the stone portion of the tower. a foot off the ground. Wedgewood surveys the area, a heavy crossbow
at the ready, as Kaylock and the PCs climb the ladder. After a nod from
Wedgewood, Kaylock leads the PCs inside while Wedgewood uses the
Watch Station Armoury contraption to retract the ladder before joining them.
The door to this room is made of iron and has a good quality lock (Dex Inside, Kaylock introduces the PCs to the Constables of the Asylum
(with thieves’ tools) DC 20), though a key to it can be found in the watch Watch as described below.
room (above). The armoury contains racks of armour and weapons, and Overseer Wedgewood: A thickset man in his early forties whose once-
other defensive supplies including: 10 suits of chainmail, 10 light steel muscular build is going to fat and starting to hang off a thinning frame.
shields, 10 longspears, and 10 longswords; 2 of each are of masterwork He has greasy black hair, a thick moustache, and several days’ stubble that
quality, and all are Medium size. In addition, padded crates contain 20 red- highlights a scar that runs from the corner of his left eye down to his chin.
coloured flasks (alchemist’s fire) and 60 black flasks (oil). Wedgewood is the parish commander and serves as the overseer in charge.
Birdy: A short, wiry man in his late twenties with crude tattoos
running along both arms, sunken eyes, a prominent chin, and a prominent
Commander’s Quarters gold tooth. His head is shaved to a short stubble, revealing a port-wine
birthmark on the back of his head that resembles a bird in flight.
Not only is Wedgewood the overseer of the Asylum, he is also the
Cullen: A tall man of slim build in his early thirties with long brown
parish commander of the City Watch for the Asylum parish. As such, he is
hair, heavy-lidded eyes, and a thin moustache. He speaks little but seems
afforded considerably more luxuries than are his subordinates. He keeps
always to be watching everything.
the door locked with an average lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 17)
Kaylock: A hook-nosed, beady-eyed man in his early thirties with a
and carries the key to it on his person. The chamber contains a large bed
nasally whine for a voice. He tends to wring his hands together when
with a feather mattress, a long writing desk with a padded chair, a chest of
speaking.
clothing and a cabinet. An oil lamp stands on the desk. In a desk drawer is
19
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
(6d8+6); Spd 30ft; Melee cosh (+4, 1d4+2 bludgeoning) or
shortsword (+4, 1d6+2 piercing); SA multiattack (cosh x2 or
shortsword x2); Str +2, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha
+0; Skills Athletics +4, Perception +3; Traits caulspawn ad-
diction, caulspawn psychosis; AL varied (see below);
CR 1/2; XP 100.
Equipment: chain shirt, cosh*, short sword, dagger,
manacles, signal whistle, briar smoking pipe, key to pe-
rimeter gates

What the Watchmen Think

The Asylum is a dangerous place and deaths among its overseers are not
an overly rare occurrence. So when Overseer Wedgewood submitted a report
a few days ago stating that two of their number had been killed by inmates,
the Watch officers expected nothing more than a burial order or a cadaver
collection as a result. With the PCs turning up with their writ of authority to
investigate the deaths, the constables are both surprised and confused. They
are unaware that one of their number — Yonas — is the son of the Sinks
District Commander or that Yonas contacted his father to request an external
Investigation into those deaths. Yonas doesn’t know if the PCs are aware of
who he is, and he is not prepared to identify himself — at least not yet.
At this stage, the overseers have no idea why the investigators have
been sent, as the report on the deaths that they saw did not indicate
anything unusual. And while they do not trust each other, they do not
suspect each other either as calling for an Investigation, as they are all
complicit in the crimes that have been committed. They are concerned that
they have not had time to “clean up” the current situation and are anxious
for Wedgewood to work out what’s going on.

The Investigation
Begins
After introductions, Wedgewood informs the PCs that he has not been
given any forewarning of their arrival and asks them to explain why they
have been sent since he was unaware that an Investigation was warranted.
Yonas: A gaunt man in his mid-twenties with a mop of dirty blonde
He demands to know who authorized the Investigation and why. He does
hair. He tends to stare with a vacant expression much of the time as if lost
not offer the PCs their writ back, but returns it if they ask for it.
in thought.
The PCs doubtlessly have questions for the Watch officers, and
PCs who succeed on a DC 12 Wis (Medicine) check notice that all of
Wedgewood fields them all, having instructed the others to defer to him
these Constables of the Watch appear pale, unfit, and unhealthy, as though
and his story. If the others are asked direct questions, they either repeat
they’ve not been exercising or eating well. The cause is not obvious,
what Wedgewood has already said or just shrug and refuse to add any
however, and if asked, the overseers explain it away as “what you get for
comment. Likely questions and Wedgewood’s answers follow. Information
livin’ in this hellhole. Bad sleep and worse food.”

•
in parentheses will not be given to the PCs.
In reality, the Constables are all suffering from the following conditions: Who has died? Like I said in the report, two of my Watch officers:

•
Caulspawn Addiction: The sufferer has sufficient penalties to reduce Lomen Ashdown and Murn Hobley.
both Con and Cha scores to 1. As the Constables are currently benefiting When did they die? Hobley about a week ago, Ashdown a bit before
from the effects of caulspawn, however, these penalties are currently that. A few weeks before. (Actually, Lomen Ashdown died 12 weeks
suppressed. before Hobley, as his body’s advanced state of decay suggests if
Caulspawn Psychosis: The sufferer is currently chaotic evil and

•
examined.)
obsessed with caulspawn and serving caul cuckoo queens. He or she is
immune to caul cuckoo lullabies and Wisdom damage from caulspawn. Why was Ashdown’s death not reported earlier? It was. Hobley
reported it. Didn’t he? Was it not received? Well, if not, that’d
Overseer Vern Wedgewood, male human: AC 18; HP 78 explain why we’ve not heard back ’til now. (This is an outright lie;
(12d8+24); Spd 30ft; Melee flail (+5, 1d8+3 bludgeoning) Wedgewood knows that Hobley didn’t want to submit the report until
or shortsword (+5, 1d6+3 piercing); Ranged dagger (+4, the true cause of death, and remnants of the caulspawn that engulfed

•
20ft/60ft, 1d4+2 piercing); SA multiattack (flail or shorts- Lomen, could no longer be detected.)
word x2); Str +3, Dex +2, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +1; How did they die? Inmates, ’o course. Lomen, he was, ah, beaten to
Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2; Traits caulspawn addic- death by a mob of ’em ’fore we could get to ’im, and Hobley, he was
tion, caulspawn psychosis; AL CE (NE); CR 3; XP 700. dragged into an ’ovel by a big ’un and strangled ’fore we knew what
Equipment: breastplate, dagger, flail, shortsword, signal was ’appenin’. Inmates. It’s always the inmates. Dangerous job this.
whistle, briar smoking pipe, keys (ladder, upper tower We do our best but, well, sometimes, it just gets outta’ hand. Shame.
door, perimeter gates, and officer’s quarters). Good lads, they were. (This is also an outright lie; Lomen Ashdown
was killed by the syreling slick when he tried to stand up to Hobley
Addicted Underoverseers, male human (4): AC 16; HP 33 regarding the “children”; Orpha strangled Hobley in his sleep.)
20
 Horror in the Sinks
are not convinced by several aspects of his tale. If challenged on these
suspicions, Wedgewood just shrugs and says it’s all the truth, gesturing
Personalities of to his men, who nod and state their agreement with his account. The PCs
may also ask questions about the Asylum and the Watch’s role within it.
the Asylum Watch Likely questions and Wedgewood’s answers follow.

All of these Watch officers are caulspawn addicts suffering

from caulspawn psychosis but they are unaware of this latter fact.
• What are your duties in the Asylum? Security. We’re ’ere to make
sure no one escapes ’n to stop any violent outbreaks. We do the best

•
On the day the PCs arrive, three are in the grip of their insanity we can wi’ what we got.
and, as a result, are both chaotic evil and obsessed with protecting Who are the guards without uniforms? Inmate trustees. Usually
their store of caulspawn (the syreling slick) and the women who they’re the least crazy ’uns what can ’andle the’selves. No choice. Not
are currently pregnant with caul cuckoos. As per their psychosis,

•
enough o’ us ta keep the place runnin’ quiet, otherwise.
however, they keep their true natures well hidden. These constables
are keen to encourage the PCs to conclude their business, take the Who are the nuns? Sisters from the Sanatorium. They’s the ones what
bodies, and leave as quickly as possible, but they are ready to act treat ’em. Them ’n’ the physikers. Off limits. Don’t interfere. There are
if the PCs begin to uncover the truth of what has been occurring. some others what come in from outside, as well, ta help. They’re all

•
While Birdy’s own violent tendencies are currently suppressed, he sanction’t by the Cap’tol, so don’t be stickin’ yer noses in it.
is a violent and evil man who will not hesitate to act in accordance What is that building to the south? That’s the prison. You don’t go
with the others. there. Ever. That place, well, we’re not in charge, right. The “Judge” is,
Only Yonas is currently non-evil, just as he was when he ’n that’s where he is and ya don’t want to ever be meeting ’im or else
decided to send the letter asking his father for help. While this you’re in for a long and unpleasant stay.
“clarity” does not result in Yonas wishing to confess to anything
(he doesn’t think of himself as being any “different” to the times
In the process of questioning the constables, if the PCs try to exert
when he’s psychotic), it does result in a desire to extricate himself
authority that they don’t have, such as by trying to divide them up to

•
from the mess he’s in, and he thinks he can use his father to do so.
question them in isolation, the officers refuse to comply. Similarly, if the
Overseer Vern Wedgewood (CE [NE]) is a vile, seedy man in PCs use magic on any of them, they react angrily, drawing weapons and
his early forties who abuses his authority at every opportunity preparing to attack the PCs unless they back down. If any of the Watch

•
and habitually bullies those beneath him. officers is enchanted, the rest of the Watch do not permit the PCs to
Underoverseer Bax “Birdy” Gedge (NE) is selfish and amoral, interact with him, accusing the PCs of undermining the integrity of the
with a very short temper and a tendency to scratch his head Watch and acting above their authority. If a fight threatens to break out,

•
vigorously when he feels frustrated or under pressure. the constables remind the PCs that they are breaking the law by assaulting
duly appointed Officers of the Watch and that recriminations are sure to
Underoverseer Cullen Halbard (CE [N]) is lazy, vain, and just follow. The Watch officers warn aggressive PCs that they will be arrested
wants an easy life. He’s more than willing to look the other and subject to the full extent of the law if they carry out any threats. A PC

•
way if it saves him work. making a DC 10 Int (Investigation) or DC 5 Wis (Insight) check can tell
Underoverseer Simeon Kaylock (CE [LE]) always seeks to that they’re telling the truth. If combat starts, the Watch officers defend
ingratiate himself with those in authority, and is quick to assess themselves to the best of their ability, using lethal force if necessary.
changing social dynamics and align himself with those he
perceives as wielding the power. When given authority, he is
petty and cruel to those beneath him. Having aligned himself
quickly with Hobley, he is now trying to win Wedgewood’s
favor but, in reality, he is waiting for the opportunity to become
New Weapon: Cosh

•
the Honeyman’s new agent. A cosh is a bludgeon used by Constables of the Watch in the City-
State of Castorhage and by many officers of the law throughout the
Underoverseer Yonas Hall, aka Yonas Ghall (LN), is the son
Lost Lands. Shorter and lighter than a club and fashioned with a
of the district commander, but this is not known by the other
grip and a loop that can be wrapped around the wrist to prevent it
Watch officers. If left to his own devices, he usually does the
from being dropped, a cosh functions as a light club.
right thing but he is weak-willed, easily influenced, and tends
If the wielder of a cosh places the handle’s loop around his
to associate with those who would lead him astray. He idolized
wrist (a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity), it
Hobley and his great charisma, and yearned for his approval.
cannot be disarmed.
Now, he is scared of Wedgewood and Birdy and is growing
paranoid that he’ll soon meet the same fate as Lomen.
Melee Weapon

•
Name Cost Weight
Damage Properties
Where did they die? Out there. In ’Eaven itself, o’course. Where
1d4
d’ya think? (Another lie; both were killed in the Watch Station tower’s Cosh 5 gp 2 lb. Light
bludgeoning

•
basement.)
Where are their bodies? We’ve stored ’em in one of the cells down in

•
the basement. Pendin’ orders ’n all that rot.
Why are you refusing to answer our questions? (This question is
likely to be posed to the other guards who all continue to defer to
Event 2: Monstrous Midwifery
Wedgewood; it is his answer that follows.) All due respect but yer
not Watch, are ya. And I’m answerin’ yer questions. We don’t know
(Difficulty Hard)
what this is all about, and so I’ve told the lads to let me deal with all Eventually, the PCs either request to inspect the dead bodies or else the
this. I’m in charge here as parish commander, and I’ll be the one what overseers offer them up for removal. Keen to ensure that nothing happens
cooperates. They’ve got nuthin’ to say to ya. You can talk to me. to the women or the syrelings, Cullen and Kaylock join Wedgewood in
leading the PCs down to the basement. The description of the basement
Wedgewood is a good liar and has had some time to work up a believable is included below. Birdy elects to stay behind with Yonas to keep watch.
account of events but PCs who succeed on a DC 16 Wis (Insight) check As the group approaches the basement door, however, they hear muffled
screams from beyond. The three Watch officers are obviously concerned
21
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
as Wedgewood quickly unlocks the door to the basement and hurriedly made and only a single PC can attempt this check with no more than two
leads the group down to the lower cellar (B6) from which the screams others providing aid.
emanate. Hearing the screams, Birdy likewise descends to investigate, Whether the PCs gain her cooperation or not, they must manoeuvre
leaving Yonas behind alone in the tower above. At the base of the steps, her baby into a position from which it can be born. This process takes 1
a short corridor leads to the lower cellar past several open archways to minute and requires a DC 15 Wis (Medicine) or DC 17 Wis (Perception)
chambers beyond. As well as in the dungeon (B2), an oil lamp dimly check. These DCs are reduced by 5 if the PCs have gained the cooperation
illuminates the kitchen store (B5), enabling PCs with low-light vision, of Eleanor/Elspeth. Again, only one check can be made and only a single
darkvision, or who those with normal vision who succeed on a DC 12 Wis PC can attempt this check with no more than two others providing aid.
(Perception) check to see Iris huddled against the southwest corner (see If successful, the PCs help Eleanor/Elspeth to deliver her baby, but if the
B5 for more information). When the PCs enter the lower cellar (B6), read check fails, the baby decides to help itself. Whatever the case, the baby is
the following: not quite as expected.
Award the PCs XP for a CR 1 encounter for successfully overcoming
this complication.
An oil lamp placed on the floor in the north corner dimly The Third Complication: This complication actually occurs during
lights this rectangular chamber. Open archways exit the room “Newborn Nightmare” below. In the surprise round following the birth,
from the north and south walls. A wild-eyed and heavily Eleanor/Elspeth passes out and begins bleeding profusely. Each round,
pregnant young woman, chained by an ankle to a heavy iron any PCs in the room who succeeds on a DC 17 Wis (Perception) check
ball, lies on a bedroll, her knees up and her hands clenching notice the bleeding; a PC who specifically examines Eleanor/Elspeth’s
the blankets with white knuckles. Her dark hair is stuck to her status gains a +10 bonus on this check.
face with sweat as she looses yet another scream of pain. If the PCs successfully treated both of the previous complications and
delivered the baby, the internal damage caused to Elspeth is light; she
is unconscious at 0 hit points and will immediately begin making death
The young woman is Eleanor Courtley (LN female human saves. If the PCs failed to successfully deal with one of the previous
Commoner), a sufferer of multiple personalities who just entered what complications, Elspeth is considered to have failed her first death save,
will be an unnaturally swift, yet complicated labour. Upon seeing Eleanor, and if the PCs failed to successfully deal with either complication, then
the constables are dumbstruck and look at each other in panic, realizing Elspeth suffered significant internal damage during the difficult delivery
they have no idea what to do to attend to the young lady. Finally, they and is considered to have already failed two death saves, dying on the next
exhort the PCs to help her give birth. As Constable Hobley was the only failure unless she is successfully stabilized. A PC can stop the bleeding
one of them to attend the first births, none of these watchmen has any with a successful DC 10 Wis (Medicine) check or by using healing magic
experience with a birth or knows what to expect. The PCs must help and effects as normal.
Eleanor through her labour to save her life and, as far as they know, that Award the PCs XP for a CR 1 encounter for successfully overcoming
of her baby. this complication.

Labor Pains (Difficulty Medium) Newborn Nightmare

The First Complication: Shortly after the PCs enter the room, Eleanor
loses consciousness and begins convulsing in a massive seizure. Unless
(Difficulty Varies)
treated, the seizure lasts for a full minute. PCs who succeed on a DC 15 The newborn infant is a young caul cuckoo that has been growing
Wis (Medicine check recognize the seizure as stemming from eclampsia, distressed at the difficulty of its birth. At the moment of its delivery,
an occasional complication of labour that can endanger both mother and it shapechanges into its horrific natural form in order to escape the
baby, and that it can be treated by increasing the mother’s Strength or constricting confines of the birth canal. PCs involved in successfully
Constitution, or by effects that help her to recover from imposed physical delivering the baby using Wis (Medicine) who also succeed on a DC
conditions. If cast on Eleanor, the following spells end her seizure 15 Wis (Perception) check detect something unnatural in the baby’s
immediately: enhance ability (bear’s endurance or bull’s strength), calm movement just before its birth and can act in the surprise round after
emotions, greater restoration or lesser restoration. Similar spells or rolling initiative normally.
effects may also work at the GM’s discretion. In the surprise round, all PCs within 30 feet who witness the caul cuckoo
If the PCs end the seizure, Eleanor regains consciousness but she has in its natural form must make a Wis save versus its horrific appearance.
temporarily forgotten about her situation and surroundings. If the seizure Upon witnessing the horrified reactions of those around it, the caul cuckoo
is untreated and takes its full course, on the following round, Eleanor quickly starts singing its lullaby in the surprise round. It then severs its
regains consciousness but she has transitioned into a different personality. umbilical cord with one of its tongues and begins looking for an escape
Eleanor now identifies as Elspeth Harcourt (LE female human Noble) route, moving into each room to try to find a way out of the tower’s
who is furious at the awful surroundings and indignity of her situation. basement. If it discovers the privy (B9), it slithers down the privy chute
She imperiously yells at whoever is attending her that they had better be and into the sewer channels; it is interested only in escaping to safety and
competent midwives or else she’ll have them drawn and quartered; she attacks only with its tongues if prevented from doing so.
screams at anyone else in the room to get out.
Award the PCs XP for a CR 1 encounter for successfully overcoming Newborn Nightmare, young Caul Cuckoo: AC 13; HP 45
this complication. (10d6 + 10); Spd 10ft, burrow 5 ft, climb 10ft, swim 10ft; Me-
The Second Complication: Shortly after Eleanor/Elspeth regains lee +5 (tongue, 1d4+3 piercing plus 1d6 acid); Immunity
consciousness, she begins pushing and soon delivers the baby’s head, acid damage, prone; Resistance bludgeoning, piercing
but it becomes immobile and further pushing has little effect. PCs who and slashing from nonmagical weapons; SA lullaby (300ft,
succeed on a DC 15 Wis (Medicine) check identify that the baby’s DC 15 Wis, confused as spell on fail, duration 1 min or until
shoulder is caught against the mother’s pelvic bone and that the baby is at cuckoo stops singing); Str -1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int -1, Wis +1,
risk of death from compression of its umbilical cord. The baby needs to be Cha +4; Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6; Senses darkvision
manoeuvred into a position from which it can be delivered, but Eleanor/ 60ft, passive Perception 14; Traits change shape (can shift
Elspeth is also clearly in considerable pain and is likely to be of minimal between sluglike and humanoid form as a bonus action),
assistance if her cooperation cannot be gained. distorted (critical hits inflict normal damage +1), horrific
To quickly gain Eleanor’s cooperation, a PC needs to succeed on a DC appearance (30ft, DC 15 Wis save, poisoned on fail, ends
16 Cha (Persuasion) or Cha (Intimidation) check. However, to quickly with successful save on creature’s turn), salt vulnerability
gain Elspeth’s cooperation, a PC needs to succeed on a DC 21 Cha (handful of salt inflicts 1d4 fire damage); AL N; CR 4; XP
(Persuasion) or DC 18 Cha (Intimidation) check. Only one check can be 1,100. (Appendix)
22
 Horror in the Sinks
Development: If the syreling slick in the east store (B10) hears the caul
cuckoo’s lullaby (to which it is immune), it immediately begins to move
to defend it. It does not attack the Watch officers but, without Hobley,
it does not follow their orders either. In this encounter, the PCs earn the
full experience award for defeating the syreling slick, regardless of its
status as a summoned creature. The syreling slick instinctively moves to
defend the young caul cuckoo, focusing its slams on those who attack it. It
fights to the death and, if killed, dissipates, leaving no trace. Although the
Honeyman senses through their link the damage the slick sustains, unsure
of what is happening, it chooses to allow the slick to be sent back to
Between rather than sacrifice hit points to allow it to remain in the tower.
If this occurs, the Honeyman immediately starts casting clairvoyance.
As caulspawn addicts and psychotics, the constables are all immune
to the caul cuckoo’s lullaby. Nevertheless, they have never seen such
a creature and, repulsed, they stand back to avoid it and move away if
it approaches them. If the syreling slick arrives, however, they warn the
PCs not to harm it. If the PCs attack the syreling slick, the constables
draw their weapons and retaliate, focusing their attacks on any
PCs who continues to attack the ooze. The constables took
doses of caulspawn soon after Wedgewood arrived back at
the watchtower; the effects are included in their stats. The
watchmen first attempt to demoralize the PCs, screaming at
them to stand down and drop their weapons, which Wedgewood
combines with his Enforcer and Power Attack feats. (Remember that
Yonas is still up in the tower and is not present for this battle.)
Unless the PCs stop attacking the syreling slick, they then focus
lethal attacks on such PCs. If the syreling slick is killed, the Watch
officers cry out in despair when their source of caulspawn dissipates,
and renew their attacks against all the PCs in a murderous fury.
Caught in the grip of caulspawn psychosis, all but Birdy fight to the
death. If Birdy is reduced to fewer than 6 hit points, he attempts to
escape the melee and lock the PCs in the basement before running
back to the watch room where he and Yonas arm themselves with
heavy crossbows and watch the stairs. Here, Birdy makes a last stand,
but if further injured, he immediately surrenders.

SYRELING SLICK CR 3
XP 700
hp 104 (See Appendix A) questioning, this room no longer sees much use, but its existence is a
reminder to the women of what may happen if they cause any trouble.
OVERSEER VERN WEDGEWOOD CR 3
XP 700
hp 78 (See Meeting the Watch above) B2. Dungeon
ADDICTED UNDEROVERSEERS (3) CR 1/2 An oil lamp on a small table near the north door dimly
XP 100 illuminates four iron doors with small, barred windows
hp 16 (See Meeting the Watch) that line the south wall of this chamber. The shutter in the
southernmost door is shut, but the others are open, revealing
a dark interior. A leather case and a ring of four keys sit on the

Asylum Watch table.

Station Basement
The iron doors are fitted with good quality locks (Dex (with thieves’
tools) DC 20). Beyond each iron door is a small cell. Iron shutters can be
slid across the doors’ windows but only cell d’s shutter is currently closed.
The basement is reached via the central stair from the first floor above The keys on the table open the cells. In addition to an occupant, cells a,
or via the secret stair (B11) from the subterranean canal below. b, and c contain a bedroll, several thick blankets, a wooden water bucket,
a privy pail, and iron fetters on chains bolted to the back wall. Lilann
Borr (N female human Commoner), a schizophrenic, is shackled in
B1. Interrogation Chamber cell a. Molly Seddle, a psychotic murderer, is shackled in cell b. Orpha
Pickergill, aka Orpha Furey Alaminous Pickergill-Shrive, a recovering
homicidal maniac, is shackled in cell c.
Long tables line the north and south walls of this chamber.
The women look clean and well-cared for, but they are barefoot, clothed
At the east end, a chair with metal restraints affixed to the
in rags, and visibly pregnant; a successful DC 12 Wis (Medicine) check
front legs, and the arm- and head-rests, is bolted to a wooden
assesses the length of their pregnancy at around 3 months. The women
base. Crude torture implements lie on the tables nearby.
have, in fact, been pregnant only for around 1 month, but the accelerated
development process of their corrupted foetuses makes it appear as though
they have been pregnant for three times as long.
This room is used to extract information from inmates when required.
Anyone who approaches within 5 feet of the door to cell d may make
As the security of the Asylum is now mostly handled by the Sanatorium,
a DC 12 Wis (Perception) check; characters who have a keen sense of
which has its own not-entirely-dissimilar methods of inmate control and
23
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

smell or the scent ability automatically succeed on this check. Those who
succeed detect a foul odor from beyond the door. If the door or hatch is B3. Dungeon Guardroom
opened, the overpowering stench emanating from the decomposing bodies The room contains two chairs, a table, a stack of empty bottles, and an
in the cell beyond causes anyone within 5 feet of the cell to make a DC empty weapons rack.
11 Con save or be nauseated for as long as they remain in the area and
for 1 minute thereafter. If the door or shutter is left open, the awful stink
spreads at 10 feet per round until it fills the dungeon (B2) and questioning B4. West Store
chamber (B1). Anyone in these areas must succeed on a DC 11 Con save This storeroom has a vaulted ceiling supported by two pillars. It
or be sickened for as long as they remain in the area and for 1 minute contains barrels and crates of preserved food and drink.
thereafter. The stink persists in the areas it has reached for as long as the
door is open and for 10 minutes thereafter.
The decomposing naked bodies of two human males are laid on the B5. Kitchen Store
floor in d. The body in the middle of the floor is bloated and has skin Iris Fanning (N female human Commoner), a paranoid schizophrenic,
that has turned a blue-green, patched with red splotches, and blistered is kept in this room which is dimly illuminated by an oil lamp. Like the
around the abdomen. The man’s tongue protrudes several inches, and a women kept in the dungeon cells (B2), Iris is visibly pregnant; a successful
dark fluid has oozed from his mouth and nostrils. A harmless swarm of DC 12 Wis (Medicine) check assesses the length of her pregnancy as 3
maggots and beetles feasts on the corpse, and masses of fat black flies months also. Iris is clean but clothed in a dirty, ragged white dress, and
crawl over it and the walls of the cell, with several swarms flying out into one of her bare feet is shackled to a heavy iron ball. She sits on a blanketed
the rooms beyond. This is the corpse of Murn Hobley. A PC who succeeds bedroll in the southwest corner, with a water bucket nearby and a used
on a DC 12 Wis (Medicine) check concludes that the body has been dead privy pail in the southeast corner.
for around a week, but the cause of death is not apparent. If the body is
disturbed, the flies buzz up in a snarling swarm around the room.
The body toward the back of the cell is in an advanced state of B6. Lower Cellar
decomposition, mostly dry skin, bone, and cartilage. If the body is Eleanor Courtley (N female human Commoner), a sufferer of
disturbed, a swarm of light brown moths, barely visible on the corpse, multiple personalities, is kept in this room, which is dimly illuminated
takes to the air. This is the corpse of Lomen Ashdown. A PC who succeeds by an oil lamp. Eleanor is heavily pregnant, and a successful DC 12
on a DC 12 Wis (Medicine) check concludes that the body has been dead Wis (Medicine) check assesses the length of her pregnancy at around 9
for at least 2 months, and quite possibly much longer, but the cause of months. Like the other women, the accelerated developmental process
death is not apparent. of Eleanor’s corrupted foetus makes it appear as though she has been
Treasure: The leather case on the table contains Hobley’s child-birthing pregnant for longer than she has. Eleanor has been pregnant only for
tools, 6 potions of healing, and 2 potions of vitality. around 3 months, but she is due to give birth shortly after the PCs arrive
(see Event 2 above).

24
 Horror in the Sinks
B7. North Store Initial Attitudes of the Overseers
This storeroom has a vaulted ceiling supported by three pillars. It Wedgewood, Cullen, and Kaylock: Each has a hostile starting attitude
contains large piles of coal and wood, along with a shovel and a wood axe. and, due to their caulspawn psychosis, this attitude can be improved only
to indifferent with a skillful use of Cha (Persuasion) (DC 18). They gain
a +5 bonus if they play to their obsession for obtaining more honey. They
B8. Privy Store cannot be intimidated into acting friendly. Their responses are dominated
This area contains barrels of stale water intended for cleaning out the by extreme anxiety at the loss of their supply of honey and terror of
privy chutes. A 5-foot-long wooden pole used to unblock the chute stands what will happen when their current dose wears off. They make frequent
in one corner. desperate pleas to the PCs to find them more honey.
Birdy: Birdy also has a starting attitude of hostile but, as his psychosis
is currently suppressed, he can also be intimidated, although this is not
B9. Privy easy (Cha (Intimidation) DC 18). His responses are not characterised by
This chamber contains two privies separated by a narrow wooden wall. the same level of anxiety as the psychotic constables, but he is clearly
The privies empty into a chute that empties through the ceiling of the worried about the disappearance of his honey supply. He responds well
subterranean canal (Chapter 4). Lids to the wooden seats do little to (+5 bonus) if the PCs agree to say that he and the others were forced into
manage the room’s stink. their situation through a terrible addiction.
Yonas: When the PCs return to the watch room, Yonas is trembling
in a far corner armed with a loaded heavy crossbow that he levels at
B10. East Store them. He does not fire unless attacked, and if he is convinced (DC 12
This storeroom has a vaulted ceiling supported by a central pillar. In Cha (Persuasion) check) that the PCs mean him no harm, he puts down
the west corner of the north wall is a locked iron door (Dex (with thieves’ the crossbow and becomes helpful, voluntarily revealing what he knows.
tools) DC 20), barred (on this side) with a thick, wooden plank. The key is Otherwise, his starting attitude is unfriendly. If he feels it is safe or
in the Officer’s Quarters. If the PCs move to open this door before learning advisable to do so, such as if the other constables are under the PCs’ control
about what is beyond, the constables warn the PCs that it leads down to a or if he needs to establish a reason for his protection, Yonas also reveals
disused, subterranean supply canal infested by swarms of aggressive rats that he is the district commander’s son and that he secretly requested an
(see Chapter 4). external Investigation. He lies and says he was forced to take the honey,
Unless attracted elsewhere in the basement due to Event 2, a syreling and asserts that everything that has happened is Hobley’s fault and a result
slick lurks in this chamber, covering the iron door and wall in the north of the addiction to the honey. He further claims that his father will reward
corner. The door cannot be opened while the ooze covers it. While the the PCs if they ensure his safety and recovery.
ooze has a hive mind intelligence capable of understanding a few basic
words of Aklo, it has become used to being harvested by the constables
and is not smart enough to recognize the PCs as a threat unless they injure What the Overseers Know
it. The syreling slick is farther than 500 feet from the Honeyman and so The constables know that they are addicted to a substance they call
it has lost its Between temporary hit points as well as 12 more hit points “honey” which they have been taking every day for months. Their source
through its harvesting. Unless harmed, it remains motionless on the wall. of “honey” was the serpentine ooze that was made from it, and which
Hobley, and then Wedgewood, were given the power to control by the
SYRELING SLICK CR 3 “Honeyman,” a man dressed in a ragged robe whom Hobley brought to
XP 700 the tower soon after they had all agreed to try it.
hp 104 (See Appendix A) They know they ate so much of it initially that they slept for a full day.
When they awoke, the Honeyman had gone but Hobley told them that
they had passed through dream into enlightenment and that the Honeyman
B11. Supply Stair had chosen their offspring to receive holy powers. They abducted women
A 3-foot-wide stairwell of stone steps descends 20 feet to a small room from among the inmates and imprisoned them in the basement of the tower
with a 10-foot-high ceiling. A stone door in the east wall, barred with a thick where, over several weeks, Hobley orchestrated “holy unions” when the
plank of wood, can be opened via a central iron ring that allows it to be pulled men had eaten honey that before long resulted in pregnancies that Hobley
inward and slid to one side. The stone door leads to the disused, subterranean proclaimed as proof of the “blessed” nature of the acts.
supply canals (see Chapter 4). If Orpha is with the PCs, she warns them that When Eleanor miscarried a few weeks later, Hobley declared her as
aggressive swarms of rats lair in the tunnels beyond the door. unfit to bear a holy child and considered sacrificing her for her failure.
Hobley summoned the Honeyman again and offered her life in payment
for the child’s, but the Honeyman was merciful and gave her a chance to

Illuminating redeem herself. Shortly after the first of the “blessed” children was born,
Eleanor became pregnant again.
When the women started giving birth 3 months later, Hobley ordered

the Darkness
the men to stay away, stating that they were not permitted to look upon
their holy progeny; only he was allowed to attend to them in their labour.
At first, the men complied but eventually Lomen Ashdown challenged
Following the attacks, the PCs can obtain some or all of the following Hobley and demanded to see the children on the basis that the pregnancies
information by interrogating surviving overseers and the imprisoned women. had only lasted three months and even he knew that meant something
wasn’t quite right. When Hobley said that the children had been taken by
the Honeyman, Lomen grew angry and attacked him, but Hobley had the
Questioning the Overseers “honey snake” engulf and kill Lomen in response.
Later when the first mothers had recovered sufficiently, Hobley arranged
All of the overseers know all of the information under “What the more honey-induced “holy unions” to produce more pregnancies. But a few
Overseers Know” below, however, they may not readily volunteer it. In weeks later, Hobley was found dead in the cell of Orpha, the woman who was
fact, it is possible that none of them other than Yonas Hall survived the carrying his child — strangled by her chains. Although the men were angry,
battle after the birth of the caul cuckoo. The overseers reveal information they decided that they could not harm her so long as she was carrying a holy
based on their attitude toward the PCs as indicated below, but only if the child but moved her into the cell next to where they placed Hobley’s body.
PCs gain their cooperation. Since Hobley’s death around a week ago, they have been wondering
if the Honeyman will return and what he will do if he does. They do
25
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
not know how Hobley summoned him to the basement or how he left helpful, Elspeth can add that the man in the ragged robe had the same
afterward, but they assume holy magic was involved. They have been sickly-sweet smell that was on the breath of each man who raped her and
focused on looking after the mothers but were also worried about what to that she saw him produce one of the horrible white worms from within his
do when Eleanor’s child arrived. It was during this time of concern and robe and give it to Hobley.
upheaval to their plans that Overseer Wedgewood wrote the letter to the Iris: For several hours after the sounds of Eleanor’s labor and the
district commander reporting the deaths of the two Watch officers and that subsequent melee, Iris’ paranoia is out of control and it is impossible to
Yonas, unbeknownst to the others, added a secret request to his father for get her to answer any questions while this state persists. She is virtually
an investigator. mute with terror and constantly implores any who approach her to leave
Note that the following attitudes may change on subsequent days as the her alone. Only with the help of magical assistance or 1d10+10 minutes
men fall into and out of their caulspawn obsession. of encouragement with a successful DC 12 Wis (Insight) check and a DC
15 Cha (Persuasion) check will she be in any shape to talk with an attitude
of friendly. Otherwise, the PCs have to wait 1d4+4 hours for her to calm
Questioning the Women enough on her own to do so. Iris does not have any desire to have the baby
back, as it forms too much a part of the trauma that she has endured.
Lilann: The stress of events has caused Lilann to fall into the grip
What the Women Know of her psychosis and repetitively bash her head against the wall of her
This general information can be gleaned from any of the women who cell. When the PCs visit Lilann’s cell, they find her unconscious (but
are coherent and whose attitude is at least friendly. Specific knowledge stable) with a bloodied forehead and bloody marks on the wall nearby.
for each of the women individually, including their initial attitudes, is Any application of healing magic revives her, and her starting attitude is
included in the following section. indifferent. If made helpful, Lilann also reveals that Hobley used to keep
The women were abducted from the general population of the Asylum all the white worms in her cell and that they would sing her to sleep every
many months ago and imprisoned in the Watch Station basement. They night until they turned into white moths and flew away out of the bars of
were washed and well fed by the guards who treated them with care and her cell. Unfortunately, this is just one of Lilann’s many hallucinations.
who, strangely for a dismal posting like the Asylum, always seemed to be She fully believes it, so neither Wis (Insight) nor magically detecting lies
happy. Shortly after being moved to the basement, the men began to make reveals it as a falsehood. However, a suspicious PC can sense the nature of
unwanted visits to them nightly and always had a sickly-sweet smell on her mental condition with a successful DC 17 Wis (Medicine) check and
their breaths on these occasions. The following morning, Hobley would reason the nature of the delusion.
visit each of them, always carrying a large white worm with a horrible Lilann also wants to know what Hobley has done with her baby. Even if
human face. This would continue until on one of those mornings, the she is told that Eleanor’s baby was a monster, she and the other women are
worm began to sing and the woman fell back asleep to its strange lullaby. convinced that their own was not. Lilann saw her own child before Hobley
When the woman awoke, Hobley announced that she had passed through took him away, and he was a healthy baby boy.
dream into holy sanctity. The next morning, the sickness came and she Molly: Molly is calm and collected, but visibly angry about recent
realized she was pregnant. event. She has an initial attitude of helpful. She tells the PCs everything
The pregnancies developed quickly, and all but one carried to term in she knows about what has happened to her and the other women. If asked,
only 3 months. Eleanor, however, miscarried after a few weeks. Hobley she tells the PCs that she was sentenced to the Asylum after she killed
was furious, and everyone thought he was going to kill her, but a strange some men who were trying to hurt her (a true story), and that she is not
man clad in a ragged robe told him to give her a second chance. Eventually, insane, and hopes they can help her escape and find her baby. She also
the worm sang to her again, but not before the other women had already wants the constables punished for what they have done. In truth, Molly is
given birth to their progeny. Hobley ordered the other men away from the a murderous psychotic who has spent most of her life stealing and killing,
basement when the births started so that only he was present. When the and this is a ruse to win the PCs’ trust. She is currently focused on biding
child was born, he took it away, and the mother never saw it again. The her time until she can steal a weapon and begin exacting her revenge on
women are desperate to know where Hobley took their children. They any of the surviving Watch or anyone else who gets in her way (see Event
overheard an argument shortly after the births began between Hobley 3 in Chapter 4).
and another overseer called Lomen. Lomen was also demanding to know Orpha: Like Molly, Orpha also has an initial attitude of helpful,
where the children had been taken, and threatened Hobley. There was a but she is anything but calm and collected. Instead, she is sickened by
fight, and Lomen started screaming to Hobley to “call it off,” but then her experiences and begins to border on the hysterical if she becomes
Lomen’s screams were muffled and finally stopped completely. The convinced that the PCs may save her from her current circumstances.
women never saw Lomen again and assumed the worst. They decided Amid floods of tears and anger, she freely tells the PCs everything she
to stop asking after the children after his apparent horrible fate. After the knows about what happened to her and the other women. If asked, she
women had recovered from the births, the nightly visitations began again, tells the PCs that she used to suffer from an uncontrollable anger that led
always followed the next morning by Hobley with a white worm waiting her to kill members of her family, but that she has since learned to cope
for it to sing. with it and channel it into nonviolent outlets (which is true). Nevertheless,
Then everything changed when they heard that Orpha had killed Orpha also freely admits that she killed Hobley, but that she willingly did
Hobley. The men argued at length about what to do because Hobley had so in self-defence rather than as some manifestation of her old anger. She
taken care of everything for them before. They considered killing Orpha, had remained compliant until he finally let his guard down and fell asleep
but as she was pregnant with another “holy child” — Hobley’s no less — in her room while “high on honey,” and she strangled him with her chains.
and they decided they shouldn’t. They moved her from Hobley’s favored She adds that “it felt good to be rid of him.” If the PCs pick up on her use
room into Eleanor’s cell in the dungeons. Eleanor, who was reaching term, of the past tense (or makes a DC 16 Wis (Insight) check) and asks what
moved into Orpha’s room in preparation for the birth. That was a few she means, she simply adds, with a look of disgust, “I just can’t get his
days, maybe a week, ago. Then the PCs arrived. face or his voice out of my head, and I don’t know if I ever will.” This is a
veiled reference to her current haunting, something she is not yet ready to
reveal (see Orpha’s Haunting below).
Initial Attitudes of the Women Orpha adds that Hobley gave their babies to someone called the
Eleanor/Elspeth: If Eleanor/Elspeth survived, the ordeal of her labor “Honeyman” whom he would meet “beneath the watchtower.” She goes
combined with the horror at what she gave birth to has caused her to on to reveal that her true identity is Orpha Furey Alaminous Pickergill-
transition into Elspeth. Elspeth is a no-nonsense aristocrat who declares Shrive, a noblewoman of considerable means who rewards the PCs
that she does not wish to see the “monster” she unwillingly bore for that handsomely if the PCs arrest the offending constables, help her and the
rapist, and demands that her “midwives” burn it. Elspeth’s starting attitude other women escape the Asylum, and then rescue their babies from the
is unfriendly, but PCs who treat her with the deference and respect due a Honeyman. She says that she knows where the Honeyman lives and
noble gain a +2 bonus on their Cha (Persuasion) checks. If she is made shares this location with the party when she and all the other women are
26
 Horror in the Sinks
safely on the outside. If asked how she knows where the Honeyman is all-consuming lust that now defined him, he occasionally wondered what
located, she reveals only that Hobley told her but not when or why (see he had become and why. They eventually began to communicate. Over the
Orpha’s Haunting below). last few days, Orpha discovered much about Hobley and what he knew
While it may seem strange to the PCs that Orpha does not immediately about the Honeyman. But she has kept his presence a secret, waiting to
share the Honeyman’s location — given that she wants him brought to use it to her advantage.
justice and the children saved — Orpha knows that she doesn’t have a Orpha’s haunting has given her the ability to speak with and control the
lot to bargain with. She hopes that the PCs’ own motivations for wanting dead, but she is not aware that Hobley is, in fact, a phantom. She simply
to bring an end to the Honeyman’s plot is as strong as her own, and she believes she is haunted and sometimes inhabited by Hobley’s ghost, with
tries to use it to bring about an end to the women’s suffering as well. which she can mentally communicate and which sometimes manifests
If questioned about this, she explains that the women need to be free to when they are alone. She knows that she can force Hobley to do things,
look after their children. She will arrange for all the rescued women and but she is unaware that sometimes this is actually herself casting a psychic
children to be cared for properly once out of the Asylum. Even though spell or manifesting his phantom, believing instead that Hobley produces
holding out on them for now, ultimately Orpha does want the characters the effects in response to her requests. Orpha’s ability to control Hobley
to know how to find the Honeyman and, if at any point during the escape and manifest her own psychic powers are still forming and, as a result,
she feels that she may not survive, she does her best to grab a character to Hobley has increased autonomy with the ability to enact his own swift
quickly tell him (see Asylum Aftermath in Chapter 4 for details of this manifestation and control its form.
information). Orpha cannot stop his whisperings in her mind, and she occasionally
looks distracted or angry and may vocally respond before catching herself
— and thus occasionally seeming quite mad — but she is learning to cope.
Orpha’s Haunting Her subconscious spellcasting also “haunts” her: doors open and close,
small objects float or fling themselves at people who threaten or anger
To Orpha’s horror, on the night following that in which she killed Hobley, her, and she occasionally leaves a “ghostlight” on something she touches.
his spirit returned to haunt her. Compelled by its former lust, it attempted The lustful phantom of Hobley spends the majority of its time sharing
to subject her to the same nightly assault that Hobley had done in life, Orpha’s consciousness, but he swiftly manifests in response to anything
whispering the same vulgarities and obscenities while seemingly unaware that threatens her. He looks much as he did in life, but as a spirit of deep
of the fact that she had quite literally made an end of him. At first, she gold that suffuses the air around it with the sweet, honey-like scent of
thought she had slipped back into madness but, in the depths of her terror caulspawn. When manifested, Hobley is frequently distracted by the lust
and revulsion, she rediscovered the mental strength that had enabled her that tethers him to Orpha, subjecting attractive females to vulgar, sexual
to endure her torments, and ordered him away. Hobley was flung back and comments, empty promises of what he will do to them when he visits them
tried to renew his attack, but they soon both realized that she could control in their sleep, and attempts to touch them inappropriately. Orpha chastises
his manifestation. She dismissed him, only to discover that he inhabited him and sternly dismisses him back into her mind when he gets out of
her mind. She tried and tried to cast him out of her head, but found she hand, which he reluctantly obeys. Statistics for Orpha and Hobley can be
could not. Hobley, however, was chastened and confused, struggling to found in Event 3 in Chapter 4.
understand and accept the reversed power relationship. In between the

27
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Chapter Four:
Leading the Lost
When the PCs are ready to leave the Asylum, they have two choices: Thatchery Crab, male human Pal7: AC 22; HP 53 (7d10+7);
either they attempt to leave through the main gate or they find some other Spd 30ft; Melee +1 trident x2 (+7, 1d6+4 piercing); Ranged
way to sneak out. If the PCs agree to take the women with them, any +1 heavy crossbow x2 (+5, 100ft/400ft, 1d10+2 piercing);
surviving constables inform them that Thatchery Crab, an overseer who SA channel divinity (abjure enemy (DC 14 half/Wis), vow
works for the Sanatorium, is in charge of the gate and he will not allow the of enmity), divine sense (4/long rest), divine smite, lay on
inmates to leave. They say that unless the PCs intend to start murdering hands (35 damage), relentless avenger (4/day), spells
city officials, they need to find another way out for the women. If the (Cha +6, DC 14); Immune diseased; Str +3, Dex +1, Con +1,
PCs ask for suggestions, Orpha recommends that they try to find where Int +0, Wis –1, Cha +3; Skills Intimidation +6, Persuasion +6;
Hobley used to meet the Honeyman “beneath the tower.” Any surviving Senses passive Perception 9; Traits aura of protection (+3,
constables warn that the areas beneath the Asylum are disused supply 10 feet), oath of vengeance; AL LE; CR 6; XP 2,300.
canals — now little more than sewers and nests for vermin — that have Paladin Spells (slots): 1st (4)— bane, command, hunt-
been blocked off for decades. They admit, however, that they’re not sure er’s mark, shield of faith, inflict wounds; 2nd (3)—aid,
where Hobley met with the Honeyman, and that they haven’t ventured branding smite, hold person, misty step.
down since Wedgewood went to investigate after Hobley died. But he Equipment: potion of greater healing, +1 spiked plate,
found nothing of interest apart from a large swarm of water rats rushing +1 trident, +1 heavy crossbow, , 20 cross bow bolts, sig-
toward him. nal whistle, signet ring, silver unholy symbol of Lucifer,
While the canals were, indeed, home to swarms of rats, unbeknownst bone snuffbox containing 10 pinches of tobacco snuff.
to the constables, they have now all fled thanks to a dangerous ooze that
recently moved in. If the PCs remain intent on exploring the area, the Development: Crab’s starting attitude is unfriendly, and he will not,
Watchmen direct them to the iron door at B10. under any circumstances (barring being magically compelled to do so),
permit inmates to leave the Asylum. Additionally, he denies any request
for the gate to be opened within the first 3 days of the PCs’ arrival unless

Through the the PCs first succeed on a DC 16 Cha (Persuasion) check to improve his
attitude. Crab’s attitude cannot be improved beyond indifferent unless
the PCs do not detect as good and they convince him that they are on

Main Gate
Sanatorium business or are worshippers of Lucifer (although Crab’s
allegiance to the latter is certainly not advertised) by succeeding on an
opposed Bluff check. If Crab becomes indifferent, a successful DC 14
Cha (Persuasion) check is required to convince him to consider opening
(Difficulty Deadly) the gate but he also demands a large bribe. He examines the PCs’ gear
and points out an item of high value on each who wishes to leave, such
as a magical or masterwork weapon or wondrous item, and demand that
If the PCs head back to the main gate, they are accosted by the man as the “gate tax.” If the PCs refuse to pay up, he’ll deny their request and
dressed in spiked full plate whom they may have witnessed push an tell them to come back another day. If Crab becomes friendly, a successful
arbalist from the wall in Event 1. Eight inmate gate guards and four DC 11 Cha (Persuasion) check convinces him to open the gate, no bribe
inmate wall guards stand nearby and more are stationed on the wall and necessary.
gatehouse. Thatchery Crab is an evil and vindictive man in service to the The Asylum has its own rules, and Crab’s protected position makes him
Sisters of the Devout Resurrection and Rebirth who have tasked him with very difficult to intimidate into compliance. A PC who succeeds on a DC
ensuring that none of the inmates ever leaves the Asylum without their, or 18 Cha (Intimidation) check convinces Crab to allow one non-inmate to
the Judge’s, permission (which, to date, neither party has ever granted). leave, plus one additional non-inmate for every 5 the result exceeds the
DC. A failed intimidate check results in Crab becoming hostile. If Crab
Inmate Gate Guard, male or female human (8): AC 16; becomes hostile or the PCs attack him, he calls to the guards and attacks.
HP 11 (2d8+2); Spd 30ft; Melee club (+3, 1d4+1 bludgeon- If the PCs approach the gate after 3 or more days pass, Crab’s starting
ing); Str +1, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0; Skills attitude is indifferent, and he no longer demands a bribe.
Perception +2; Senses passive Perception 12; Traits insani- Crab keeps unpredictable hours and doesn’t seem to sleep much, but
ty; AL N; CR 1/8; XP 25. there are a few hours each night he is not manning the gatehouse. If the
PCs try to leave when Crab is not present, they discover a group of 4
Inmate Wall Guard, male or female human (4): AC 16; HP 11 Sanatorium Sisters in his place who explain that the PCs need to return
(2d8+2); Spd 30ft; Melee shortsword (+3, 1d6+1 piercing); when the Overseer is on duty, as neither they nor the gate guards are
Ranged heavy crossbow (+3, 100ft/400ft, 1d10+1 piercing); authorized to open the gate without his presence. See Event 1 for the
Str +1, Dex +1, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0; Skills Percep- Sisters’ statistics if they are required.
tion +2; Senses passive Perception 12; Traits insanity; AL N;
CR 1/8; XP 25.

Insanity: The guards suffer from an irrational obsession with a

particular object or situation (GM’s discretion). If directly confronted
by her obsession, she must succeed on a DC 12 Wis save or become
fascinated by the object or situation for 1d6 rounds).
28
Horror in the Sinks

Down the Hatch

The characters may discover an escape route via the supply canals,
but they hold their own challenges. The canals were entirely sealed
when Hobley was using them to deliver the newborn caul cuckoos to
the Honeyman and so, although his spirit is familiar with their layout
and Orpha can advise the PCs on it, she cannot guide the PCs directly
to an escape route. If the PCs agree to take the women with them, then
Orpha and Molly both request weapons and ask that the surviving Watch
constables be brought along too, so that they can be sure they’ll be charged
for their crimes. They’ll request that the constables be restrained, as they
are not trustworthy, but will not push the point if the PCs are disinclined.
While Orpha is motivated to ensure that the constables are hanged for
their crimes, Molly is planning a more direct revenge (see Event 3 below).

The Supply Canals

Two canals pass beneath the Asylum, both running through its
foundations of masonry and hewn stone. The canals have 20-foot-wide,
5-foot-deep channels with 5-foot-wide walkways on either side. The stone
of the walkways is slippery, increasing the DC of Acrobatics checks by
5, and requiring anyone running or charging to succeed on a DC 10 Dex
check or fall prone at a random point within their movement. The outlets
of sewer chutes line the ceiling of the canal for its entire length, save for
where it passes beneath Bedlam Square.
The depth of the water in the subterranean canals is subject to the full
tidal action of the Lyme estuary as it rolls into and out of the Sinks as
the air drawn into the system at ebb tide is able to escape during flood
tide via a number of open sewer chutes in the ceiling along their lengths.
The following sections assume the subterranean canals have an intertidal
water depth of around 3-1/2ft. However, at a normal high tide, the water

29
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
can rise to 5ft in depth, a couple of inches below the edge of the channel, Canker Ooze: AC 5; HP 130 (20d8+40); Spd 10ft, swim 30ft;
and at a normal low tide, the water can drop to only 2ft in depth. During Melee +7 (slam, 6d6+4 bludgeoning plus 3d8 acid); Im-
exceptional tides, the water can overflow the channels by up to 3ft or drain munity acid, cold damage; blinded, charmed, deafened,
from the subterranean canals completely. diseased, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Str +4, Dex –5,
There is no illumination in the subterranean canals other than dim light Con +2, Int –5, Wis –3, Cha –3; Senses blindsight 60ft, pas-
during daytime at each of the exits. The rest of the areas are permanently dark. sive Perception 7; Traits acid (weapons that touch ooze
Most of the vermin that would normally be expected in such an area suffer cumulative –1 attack penalty each time they at-
have left due to the presence of a canker ooze that spends most of its time tack, armor in contact takes –1 permanent cumulative
at the Bedlam Canal exit but which makes occasional forays along the penalty); AL U; CR 6; XP 2,900*. (Appendix)
channels (see below). The creature is not attracted by light, but loud noises
elsewhere in the subterranean canals may draw it to investigate. Tactics: The canker ooze lurks in the mouth of Nun’s Gusset, from
When the PCs first enter the subterranean canals, read the following. where it extends its pseudopod into the flow of the Bedlam Canal to catch
passing prey. A successful DC 17 Wis (Perception) check is required to
notice the ooze, but this check can be made only within 10 feet due to the
A 20-foot-wide channel of murky water separates 5-foot filthy water it hides beneath. The canker ooze remains motionless under
walkways of slimy stone on either side of this vaulted tunnel. the iron bars. It moves stealthily to attack if it is damaged from range or if
Trios of circular stone columns are spaced at regular 20-foot the PCs begin to move away from it. It uses its noxious cloud as a defense
intervals along its length. One in the centre of the channel and mechanism, triggering it only when it sustains damage and creatures are
one at the edge of each walkway still hold aloft the 10-foot- nearby. It does not pursue other prey once it paralyzes a creature, and
high vaulted ceiling, but just as elsewhere in the Sinks, regular instead starts to eat. If it is damaged while eating, it seeks to escape into
cracks in the walls, columns, and walkways, broken sections of the deeper water through the exit, dragging its prey with it. However, it
vaulting, and leaning pillars belie its structural integrity. The flees if reduced to fewer than 25 hit points, leaving its prey behind,
water reaches to within around a foot-and-a-half from the lip *Ad Hoc XP Award: Due to the increased difficulty imposed by the
of the channel but filth encrusted on the walls indicates that it terrain in this encounter, award XP for a CR 7 encounter instead of CR 6.
has overflowed by several feet in the past. The stench of sewage
fills the greasy air, and sound echoes in the enclosed space.

Despite their dilapidated appearance, the tunnels are in no present danger

Event 3:
Molly the Murderess
of collapse. The channels flow in accordance with the tide. During ebb
tide, they flow east and south, and during flood tide, they flow west and
north. The flow is so sluggish, however, that it is treated as standing water.
If the area is approached from the canals instead of from the canal stair, the
While she hides it very well (Cha (Deception) +10), Molly Seddle
featureless stone door in the western wall can be noticed on a DC 12 Wis
is actually a murderous psychopath who plots to kill as many of the
(Perception) check. When not barred from the other side, it can be pushed in
constables as she can throughout the time that the characters are seeking a
and slid to one side to reveal the canal stair (see Chapter 3, B11).
way to escape the Asylum. While being careful not to overplay her hand,
Treasure: Hidden in one of the cracks in the wall near the secret door
she tries to obtain a weapon to defend herself with and encourages the PCs
is a darkwood fipple flute that functions as pipes of the sewers. This was
to explore ahead while she, the rest of the women, and the — hopefully
given to Hobley by the Honeyman so that he could protect himself from
restrained — constables wait behind. Whenever she feels she has the best
the rat swarms that once laired in these canals. If Orpha is with the PCs,
chance, such as when the PCs are otherwise engaged with some of the
she announces that Hobley hid something here that protected him from the
inhabitants of the canals, or when they are exploring far ahead — she
rats, and she retrieves it. Otherwise, a character who searches the walls in
attacks the constables, performing coups-de-grâce where possible. If the
this area can find it with a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check.
PCs chose not to arm her, she attempts to hide a small weapon, preferably
a dagger, on her person after using Dex (Sleight of Hand) to steal one from
The Canal Lurker (Difficulty Hard) either somewhere in the Watch Tower, another of the women, a constable,
or if there is no other option, a PC.
Orpha guides the PCs in the direction of the nearest exit, but even with When Molly launches her attack, the constables and the other women
Hobley’s presence guiding her, she is unaware of a danger that currently — all expect Orpha — begin crying out, possibly alerting the PCs. Orpha
occupies these channels. watches dispassionately, indifferent to the plight of the constables and
inured to the violence. The Watch officers respond by attacking Molly and
any of the other women in reach, if they are able. If Orpha or any of the
The filth and slime that covers the walkway and the lower other women are attacked, Hobley manifests and attacks the constables
parts of the wall begins to clear here until soon the damp stone on the following round. If this is the first time that Hobley manifests, any
is swept clean and clear of dirt and detritus for the remainder of constable who sees him is automatically frightened for 1d3 rounds and
the path. Whoever began this recent cleaning project obviously shaken for 1d3 minutes.
didn’t get far.
Molly Seddle, human female psychopath: AC 11; HP 97
(15d8+30); Spd 30ft; Melee dagger x2 (+6, 1d4+); SA mul-
A canker ooze in this area occasionally explores farther into its current tiattack (dagger x2); Str –1, Dex +1, Con +2, Int +0, Wis
lair, and the result of its passage over the walkways is noticeable. While –1, Cha +2; Skills Deception +4 (+10 to conceal actual
the canker ooze’s passage absorbs any organic material and sweeps away personality), Perception +1, Persuasion +4, Intimidation +4;
debris, the walkway is not corroded as its acid does not affect stone. Traits brave (tactical advantage against fright); AL CE (N);
The walkways end 20 feet from where Nun’s Gusset exits beneath the CR 3; XP 700.
Asylum’s east wall. The channel narrows to a 10-foot-wide, 5-foot-tall
opening that appears to be blocked by rusted iron bars. However, the Orpha Furey Alaminous Pickergill-Shrive, human female
lower portions of the bars have been corroded away by a creature that has Noble: AC 15; HP 18 (4d8); Spd 30ft; Melee unarmed strike
taken up residence in the mouth of the exit and extend only around 1 foot (+3, 1 bludgeoning); Str +0, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +1, Wis +2,
below the 3-1/2 feet of water. Due to the filthy water, however, this cannot Cha +3; Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Persuasion +5; AL
be perceived from farther than 10 feet away. Once past this grate and its LN; CR 1/4; XP 50.
guardian, the PCs have successfully escaped the Asylum.
30
 Horror in the Sinks
Murn Hobley, Ghost: AC 11; HP 45 (10d8); Spd 0ft, fly 40ft; by which the result exceeded 15 up to a maximum of 5 guards under the
Melee withering touch (+5, 4d6+3 necrotic); SA ethereal- PCs command. If the Cha (Persuasion) check result is 20 or higher, then
ness, horrifying visage (60ft, DC 13 Wis save or be fright- Ghall also assigns a sergeant (human male or female, Veteran) to work
ened for 1 minute, fails by 5 or more, target aged 1d4x10 with the PCs.
yrs), possession (recharge 6, 5ft, DC 13 Cha save or be
possessed); Immune cold, necrotic, poison, charmed,
exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poi- Freeing the Women
soned, prone, restrained; Resist acid, fire, lightning, thun-
der; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical The fate of the women largely depends on whether Yonas survived as
weapons; Str –2, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +3; detailed above. If Ghall authorizes their release, Orpha soon discovers that
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11; Traits ethere- her family has stripped her of her title, property, and most of her wealth.
al sight, incorporeal movement; AL N; CR 4; XP 1,100. She uses what she has to house herself and the women in temporary
accommodations and offers 500 gp to the PCs in reward money 1 week
Development: If a PC attacks Molly and she sustains damage, that PC after her release.
becomes a target for Molly’s attacks in the future, once she has dealt with If Yonas died and the PCs failed to convince Ghall that they could not have
the Watchmen. saved him, then the outlook for the women is poor. Whether they are with the
PCs are not, they are eventually arrested and sent back to the Asylum.

Asylum Aftermath Hunting for Honey

If Orpha survived the escape from the Asylum, she is true to her word
When the PCs finally escape the Asylum, they may want to do a number and shares the location of the lair of the Honeyman as a mansion called the
of things. First, if they arrested any of the Constables of the Watch from Dimora Boszaroza, located in the northeast Sinks on Salomè Street, just
the Asylum Watch Station, they will want to deliver them to the Watch, south of the Street of Echoes. She describes the mansion as having stone
and likely to Ghall himself. Second, if they managed to free any of the steps flanked by rose trees that lead up to its entrance from a private wharf,
women, they may want to guide them to safety. Third, they may want to and that it is sinking into an alley canal at its west end. The information
locate the Honeyman and the missing children. is sufficient for the PCs to be able to locate the mansion without any
problems and, if she survived and is with the PCs, its sharing also triggers
Arresting the Constables Eleanor’s memory, causing her to transition if she is currently Elspeth.

If the PCs wish to arrest the constables, then they need to take them to Eleanor’s Memories
a Watch station or arrange a meeting at the Birdcage with Ghall. In the
former case, the PCs need to share their writ with the desk sergeant on Eleanor relates that Hobley once mentioned a place called the Dimora
duty and succeed on a DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) check to ensure that the Boszaroza when he was with her and that “the trees in the boats are a
constables are held in custody and the District Commander notified. If the monster from the mire.” Hobley’s phantom has little recollection of the
Cha (Persuasion) check fails by less than 5, the sergeant refuses to place Dimora Boszaroza but Eleanor’s story stirs his memory. Orpha confirms
fellow Officers of the Watch under arrest without further evidence and Eleanor’s story, adding that Hobley says “it guards the mirror Between.”
recommends that the PCs seek a meeting with the District Commander Neither the women nor Hobley can add any further detail.
directly. If the PCs fail the Cha (Persuasion) check by more than 5, he also If the PCs failed to treat Eleanor’s seizure during labor and she
notifies Watch Commander Durmast (see Concluding the Adventure for transitioned into Elspeth, Elspeth now retakes control and shares nothing
the effects of this). further. If the PCs successfully treated Eleanor’s seizure such that she
If the PCs arrange a meeting with Ghall, the District Commander didn’t transition into Elspeth, then Eleanor shares another recollection.
requires a full account of their findings, thanks them for their efforts, Hobley told her that “there are two mirrors in the house: the mirror
and takes any arrested Watch officers into custody. If Yonas is dead, he Between and the mirror Below.” Again, Eleanor’s story stirs Hobley’s
controls his reaction with a grim expression but PCs who succeed on a memory and Orpha adds that he says “the mirror Below is through the fire
DC 12 Wis (Insight) check realize that he is both angry and distraught. He and the mirror Between is over the water.” This is all that either can recall.
asks for a full account of what happened to Yonas and any other Watch The “mirror Between” is a reference to the mirror-portal that formed
officers who died. If the PCs killed Yonas themselves or allowed him to to the Myre-Between, located in the attic solarium (Chapter 5, area
die through neglect or inaction, and Ghall learns or suspects that this is the C49). The “mirror Below” is a reference to the clairvoyant spying pane
case, he is furious and threatens the PCs with the full measure of the law located in the safe room (Chapter 5, area C58), which is accessible
if they do not complete their task by bringing the Honeyman to justice, through the secret door below the fireplace in the master bedroom
dead or alive. Further, he takes any freed women into custody, and states (Chapter 5, area C38).
that the PCs’ incompetence has ensured they will not be paid. If the PCs If the characters did not free the women or they did not survive the
do not agree to the terms, the women are sent back to the Asylum, and the escape and Orpha did not tell the characters of the Honeyman’s location,
PCs are arrested and imprisoned in the Sinks until they agree to capture they will need to conduct their own investigation. The Honeyman is hard
the Honeyman or 1 year passes. to find, however, and the PCs must succeed on a DC 17 Cha (Persuasion)
If Yonas survived, then Ghall respects the PCs’ decision to free the check to gather information. Rather than 1d4 hours, however, the first
women and issues an order of release that authorizes their freedom. He such check takes 2d4 days. Each additional check after the first takes 1
pays the PCs for their work and offers a bounty of 500 gp to bring the more day and the DC drops by 1.
Honeyman to justice, dead or alive. If the PCs ask for more, he considers it
for a moment and increases the bounty to 750 gp. If the PCs press for even
more, a successful DC 16 Cha (Persuasion) check results in a maximum
bounty of 1,000 gp being offered. In this case, Ghall is also favorably
inclined to the PCs for any future requests or favors.
If the PCs have yet to enter the Dimora Boszaroza (see Hunting for
Honey below), Ghall will not yet agree to assign any constables to the
case. If the PCs have entered the mansion and request backup, a successful
DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) check convinces Ghall to assign 1 constable
(human male or female, Guard) plus an extra constable for each point

31
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Chapter Five: The Garden

of Unearthly Dismay

Visharix, the cuckoo queen shaman, laired on a small isle in the Myre- showed him where the swamp had begun to pour through a hole in the
Between, not far from the ruins of a flooded slum populated by his caul wall of a sunken building, and Visharix climbed through.
cuckoo kin. There, he cultivated and bred vines and swamp plants, creating The hole opened into the solarium of a Sinks’ mansion, and it was
fruits of extraordinary colour and size with which he decorated his home. not long before its family was under the shaman’s sway, addicted to his
Local rumor of the occupant’s madness prevented most from daring to caulspawn, and psychotically devoted to his whims. One by one, their
visit the bountiful isle but, over time, hunger and foolishness led several to servants became his thralls, too, and soon Visharix had begun to transform
creep ashore and feast. Of those, most were discovered and slain, if not by their Sinks mansion into another artwork. The family carefully curated
Visharix, then by the fruiting plants themselves. Rather than consign the gatherings in which selected aficionados of extreme art and the pleasures
bodies of the thieves to compost, however, in the shadow of a runestone
of mind-altering substances were invited to participate in debauched
obelisk that stood at the centre of his island, Visharix animated them to
orgies of decadent indulgence, at prohibitive prices — wealth that was
add to its decoration, draping them in the very fruits they sought and
used to fund the increasingly bizarre and exotic stone and woodwork that
posing them in tableau mockeries of their trespasses.
An artistic passion ignited in Visharix that soon led from the punishment the “Honeyman,” as Visharix was known, required for his sculptures.
of thieves and trespassers to actively preying on the local population. His Eventually, following an attempt on his life by another family, jealous
grisly artwork began to take over the nearest parts of the ruins, driving of the Boszarozas’ growing notoriety in their exclusive circle of the
away the inhabitants until Visharix was left alone amid his increasingly corrupt and debased, Visharix decided to grow his own brood; offspring
ambitious works. But his activities, unknowingly inspired by insidious that would not only be capable of truly understanding and continuing his
whisperings from the runestone, a continual mental susurrus that spoke of grand work, but who would embody the art of insanity. And so he began
the art of insanity, triggered its strange magic and punched a hole through whispering his plans to a devoted apostle — a young Constable of the
reality. The spirits of the slum and those he had slain spoke to him and Watch named Hobley — and pointed him to the high walls of the Asylum.

32
 Horror in the Sinks
foot length of the building, this tilt was relatively minor and the family had

Dimora Boszaroza adjusted to it rather than spend money correcting it. When the portal to
the Myre-Between opened in one of its solarium mirrors (C49), however,
interdimensional forces sent a tremor throughout the construction that

and Grounds resulted in a more severe subsidence: The building sank an additional 4
feet into the canal at its west end, and tilted several inches to the north. This
resulted in the boathouse pool overflowing the walkways and pouring into

(Difficulty Medium)
the first floor of the house, flooding several of the western rooms south of
the scullery, and the majority of the basement via the coal chute (C6) and
the west lift shaft (L1).
In addition, swamp water flows from the mirror in the solarium (C49)
down the spiral stairs to the third-floor landing (C43). From there, it flows
The Dimora Boszaroza is the home of the exiled Boszaroza family,
over the north balcony in a waterfall down to the family room (C31), and
minor nobles banished from the Capitol following a bungled assassination
west, down the back stair and the west lift shaft (L1). In the family room,
plot against their matriarch. Now, Nicolo, his wife Caterina, and their
the water flows along the west wall, and through the morning room where
two children, Alba and Helia, along with their servants, some other
it is joined by the water pouring down the back stair, to empty down the
Sinks’ nobles, and a large number of their hangers-on, prostitutes,
boathouse steps (C7) and the west lift shaft (L1).
and artists, are either the insane devotees of Visharix and his art or its
unliving participants.
It is built on a small island along an affluent canal called Salomè Street, B. Bath
which is just south of the Street of Echoes in the northeast of the Sinks. Its
nearest neighbour is more than 150 feet away and the well-to-do families These rooms were generally segregated between male/female and
that reside in this area keep themselves to themselves and their affairs aristocrat/servant. Unless otherwise noted, they contain a large wooden
private. The grounds to the rear of the property are within a 15-foot-tall, tub, a (now-nonfunctional) spigot tap in the wall for bringing hot water
2-foot-thick curtain wall that extends from the northwest and northeast from the boiler, buckets for filling and emptying the tub, and shelves
corners of the mansion. Due to the mansion’s subsidence, however, the containing soap and towels.
wall has split away from where it joins the building, leaving large cracks
down to ground level. L1 & L2. Lift Shafts
The grounds consist of extensive gardens of mostly bushes and flowers,
but with some vegetable and fruit patches as well. Some small trees and Among the many amazing innovations that once graced the Dimora
saplings line parts of the gravel paths that wend their way through the Boszaroza were a pair of pulley-operated elevator lifts. Zombie draft
grounds, and a pond is toward the east. The gardens have not been tended animals that walked treadmills in the manor’s basement powered these
to in many months, however, and they are now becoming overgrown with lifts. These zombie creatures have since been repurposed into the art
weeds, clogged with rotting detritus, and infested with insects and other dioramas the Honeyman has placed around the house, and the lifts
harmless vermin. The pond, which is covered by a thick layer of algae and themselves are no longer functional, the lift floors now stuck in place
leaves, is now the home to 2 giant dragonfly nymphs that attack anyone at the basement level. However, chains hang within the shafts that can
who approaches the edge of their pool. be used to help swim down (DC 0) to the basement or climb up (DC
5) to the upper floors. L1 has become a waterfall for the muddy runoff
Giant Dragonfly Nymph (2): AC 14; HP 110 (20d6+40); Spd from the mirror-portal in the attic. The muddy water there makes
10ft, swim 30ft; Melee bite (+4/+8 on surprise round, reach climbing on the chain slippery (DC 10). At each lift location, the lift
10ft., 6d6+2 piercing); Str +2, Dex +1, Con +2, Int –5, Wis +1, shaft is closed off by a metal-hinged lattice that accordions together as
Cha –3; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11; Traits it slides open.
extensible jaw (10ft reach, +4 on attack on surprise round); Treasure: The bullywug witch Oggoglian (see Area C17) stores
AL U; CR 3; XP 450. her treasures in the flooded basement at the base of the Area L2
lift shaft, which anyone who searches through the wreckage of the
lift enclosure can discover. It contains a 10 packets of powdered
Features of the Dimora Boszaroza caulspawn, 10 vials of caulspawn (see Appendix A: New Monsters),
and 5 gold bars worth 500gp each. Powdered caulspawn has no effect
The Dimora Boszaroza is a 4-storey mansion with an additional on its own but, if a packet is added to a flask of acid, the caulspawn
expansive basement area, an adjoining boathouse, and a large walled is reconstituted into a single dose. Anyone searching through this
garden. Like many such dwellings, it faces the canal with its grounds wreckage must deal with the occupants of the flooded cellars as
to the rear. Before its current usage, the basement and first floor were described under Basement below.
primarily used for storage and house staff, and the family and their guests
primarily used the second and third floors. The attic is separated into two
spaces: The family used most of the front area for relaxing or entertaining,
Q. Servants’ Quarters
while the rear area was used by the staff, for storage, and to house the These rooms served as accommodations for the various sorts of
servants of guests. serving staff that once occupied the manor. These servants have either
The first two floors of the house are made of stone with 2-foot-thick all been dismissed or slain by the various monstrous entities that
exterior and 1-foot-thick interior masonry walls. The exterior walls of the now inhabit the house. These rooms are entirely mundane, with basic
third floor, also stone, narrow to only 1 foot thick. The attic’s interior furnishings and chests and wardrobes holding only servant uniforms and
walls are wooden and 2 inches thick. Floors are fitted wooden boards over other apparel. They contain nothing of value. Various types of servants
smooth stone. Unless stated otherwise, ceilings throughout are 9 feet high, that once occupied these chambers include housemaids, cooks, kitchen
and all exterior doors are strong, ironbound wooden doors inset with good maids, footmen, gardeners, valets, butlers, nursery maids, tutors, and
locks and fitted with bars that can be secured from the inside. In general, guests’ servants.
interior doors do not have locks and their wooden construction is of good
quality on the second floor and above, and simple quality on the first floor
and the basement. All windows are glass with interior wooden shutters P. Privy
that can be barred. These rooms were often (but not always) segregated between male/
The building was one of the more fortunate Sinks’ constructions in that female and aristocrat/servant. Unless otherwise noted, they contain one or
its subsidence had been relatively mild; the western wall of the boathouse more stalls with wooden seats built to go over privy pails, water pitchers,
was almost 3 feet lower than the eastern wall of the house. Over the 240- porcelain washbasins, soap, and hand towels.

33
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
C2. Kitchen and Scullery
Fruits of the Obscene This kitchen has a long, central workbench and a large, iron-lined
fireplace in the northwest corner, flanked by iron ovens. Plain wooden
As has been mentioned, the Honeyman (aka the caul cuckoo hutches store cauldrons, pots and pans, and kitchen utensils hang from
queen shaman Visharix) has turned the entire Dimora Boszaroza hooks on the walls and ceiling. The southwest corner contains a large
into a gallery of living (and unliving) art. Most of these take wooden sink with a metal tap that used to provide hot water when the
the forms of various disturbing and hedonistic tableaus of boiler was operational. Near the fireplace, a saltcellar (holding enough
nude cadavers, animated cadavers, or honey-addicted models for 10 handfuls) sits on a table. Just off the kitchen is a scullery fitted
in various poses arrayed around different types of sculpture with wooden tables and sinks around its walls. Shelves and hooks store
and other constructions. One thing almost all have in common cleaning and food preparation tools.
is their plant life — specifically various fruits of unusual size
and abnormal appearance. Most of this flora (unless otherwise
indicated) has been transplanted into the manor through the C3. Pantries
mirror-portal from the Myre-Between, and as such might These side rooms are fitted with wooden tables with drawers containing
possibly resemble another mundane type of fruit or flower or kitchen utensils and food products (mostly spoiled now). The western
may be entirely alien altogether. Attempts by the PCs to identify pantry was used to make pastries and has several sacks of flour.
these types of plant life reveal that they are not of the mundane
world with a DC 15 Int (Nature) check. A DC 17 Int (Arcana)
check is able to identify them as being native to Between, C4. Larder (Difficulty Easy)
specifically to the Myre-Between region as well as any specific Food was stored in this cool room. The larder now traps a slime mold
qualities described in the individual descriptions; a DC 12 Int lured inside after it slithered through from the Myre-Between. It appears
(Arcana) check will be sufficient to determine that they hail from as a tangled carpet of swamp weeds dotted with pale fungus that surges
Between but not what region of what qualities they possess, if forward as soon as the door opens. The mold has consumed or destroyed
any. These checks can be further modified based on concealment all the food.
or other factors listed in the individual location descriptions.
Plants encountered that also happen to be monsters use the DC Slime Mold: AC 12; HP 95 (10d10 + 40); Spd 20ft; Melee +5
given in the individual descriptions. (slam, 3d8+3 bludgeoning plus disease); Immunity blinded,
* See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Str +3,
Games for further details. Dex –1, Con +4, Int –5, Wis –5, Cha –5; Skills Stealth +10 (in
forest terrain); Senses blindsight 30ft, passive Perception
5; Traits concealment (disadvantage on Wis (Perception)
S. Storage Room checks to detect), disease (fungal rot, DC 13 Con, on fail-
ure sufferer must make DC 13 save 1/day or gain poisoned
Various types of storage areas are placed throughout the entirety of condition and have maximum HP reduced by 1d6, 1 save
the manor. Each of these contains assorted mundane tools, equipment, or cures); AL U; CR 2; XP 450. (Appendix)
goods (linens, dinnerware, etc.) that would be appropriate to areas nearby
(as determined by the GM). If near an entrance to the manor, they are
likely as not to be a cloakroom or mudroom for doffing soiled outdoor C5. Kitchen Maids’ Quarters
wear. Any of them that contain anything of value or interest receives its
own numbered location description.
(Difficulty Easy)
Unless it has already been slain, characters in or near this area can smell
the Myre-Between fiend’s sweet, fruity aroma, and must succeed on a DC
First Floor 15 Wis save or also hear babies crying in the boathouse (C7).
Like the various other servants’ quarters located around the manor
house, this room was the kitchen maids’ accommodation. It contains
C1. Kitchen Lobby and Servery basic furnishings. It now traps a slime mold from the Myre-Between. The
(Difficulty Medium) tangled mass of swamp vines and reeds dotted with fungal growths surges
forward to engulf anyone opening the door.
Unless it has already been slain, characters in or near this area can smell
the Myre-Between fiend’s sweet, fruity aroma, and must succeed on a DC Slime Mold: AC 12; HP 95 (10d10 + 40); Spd 20ft; Melee +5
15 Wis save or also hear babies crying in the boathouse (C7). (slam, 3d8+3 bludgeoning plus disease); Immunity blinded,
Dominating this area are two massive tables, each 20 feet long and 5 charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Str +3,
feet wide, that are covered in oversized specimens of strangely coloured Dex –1, Con +4, Int –5, Wis –5, Cha –5; Skills Stealth +10 (in
fruit that fills the area with a pungent, overripe aroma. The fruit on the forest terrain); Senses blindsight 30ft, passive Perception
western table looks rotten and diseased, while the fruit on the eastern 5; Traits concealment (disadvantage on Wis (Perception)
table looks ripe. Cabinets around the walls and shelves under the tables checks to detect), disease (fungal rot, DC 13 Con, on fail-
contain a variety of platters, boards, and kitchen utensils. The batches ure sufferer must make DC 13 save 1/day or gain poisoned
of rotten fruit are covered by 2 garden oozes that attack anyone coming condition and have maximum HP reduced by 1d6, 1 save
within reach. cures); AL U; CR 2; XP 450. (Appendix)
Garden Ooze (2): AC 13; HP 39 (6d8+12) Spd 20ft, climb 20ft;
Melee slam (+5, 2d4 bludgeoning plus 2d8 acid); SA stink C6. Coal Chute
(1/day, poisoned, DC 11 Con); Immune acid, blinded,
Unless it has already been slain, characters in or near this area can smell
charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Re-
the Myre-Between fiend’s sweet, fruity aroma, and must succeed on a DC
sist cold, fire; Str +0, Dex +3, Con +2, Int –5, Wis –5, Cha –4;
15 Wis save or also hear babies crying in the boathouse (C7).
Senses blindsight 60ft, passive Perception 5; Traits camou-
An inch of water covers the floor here. A low and wide wooden door,
flage (DC 12 Wis (Perception) to spot, slam hits automati-
angled to the back wall of this area, can be lifted to provide access to a
cally if not detected); AL U; CR 2; XP 450. (Appendix)
coal chute 3 feet wide and 10 feet long that leads directly into the flooded
basement of the house.

34
 Horror in the Sinks

Anyone who failed their Wis save against the mirage but who makes
C7. Boathouse (Difficulty Deadly) a successful DC 17 Int (Arcana) check identifies the fruit as an aquatic
The Myre-Between fiend occupying this chamber has created the variety native to the Myre-Between.
mirage of the Between fruit described below. Each PC must make a DC All doors that lead into this area are treated as exterior doors. A rope bell-
15 Wis save or be fooled by this mirage. Read the italicized section below pull hangs from the northeast corner. Due to the subsidence, the boat pool is
only if one or more PCs fail their saving throws. PCs who save versus the 10 feet deep at its east end and 12 feet deep at its west. It is not open to the
mirage continue to smell the Myre-Between fiend’s scent, but do not see canal beyond, but a lattice has been built into the stonework at the bottom
the mirage. Instead, pull them aside privately and tell them that they see a of the pool’s walls as an outlet. The boats that were housed here — a 20-
patch of seaweed-like vines dotted with small blue flowers. They likewise foot gondola and a wider fleshgine-powered riverboat — are both holed and
cannot hear the crying of the mirage babies. sunk to the bottom of the west pool; the east pool was used for deliveries.
A predator from the Myre-Between called a Myre-Between fiend
now inhabits the boathouse pool. This free-floating clump of intelligent,
The 10-foot-wide walkway that provides access to the north, carnivorous swamp weed has formed an alliance with the Honeyman in
east, and west sides of this large boathouse is now completely return for regular feeding, and the crushed, mostly humanoid, bones of
submerged, ranging in depth from a few inches at the east to a former meals litter the bottom of the pool and the sunken boats. The Myre-
couple of feet at the west. Stone steps that once rose from the Between fiend lurks on the surface of the pool and uses its mirage ability
north of the boat pool to join the walkway now descend into to lure victims into the water. If creatures that appear affected by its mirage
its murky depths. Wide, ironbound wooden doors bar access enter the boathouse but won’t swim out to it, it slowly begins to float toward
to the exterior canal to the south, and wooden pillars rise a them, attempting to grab a victim within reach and submerge with it beneath
few feet from the pool, isolating its easternmost section. To the the hulls of one of the sunken boats. It also retreats there if reduced to fewer
east, a short flight of stone steps leads 10 feet up to a pair of than 25 hit points. As the Between-touched creature looks different to native
open double doors from which a steady stream of filthy water sargassum fiends, it cannot be identified as such with a DC 13 Int (Nature)
pours down into the pool. A short corridor covered in shallow check unless the observer also first succeeds on a DC 13 Int (Arcana) check.
water running parallel next to the steps leads to another open
door. A hooded lantern hanging on the north wall illuminates Myre-Between Sargassum Fiend: AC 17; HP 201 (20d12 + 4);
the room. Spd 20ft, climb 20ft, swim 40ft; Melee +9 (slam x2, reach
Half of a large, blue-skinned, spherical fruit — about 5 10ft, 5d8+5 bludgeoning); Immunity blinded, charmed,
feet in diameter — floats in the centre of the pool, filling the deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Resistance blud-
boathouse with the strong, sweet aroma of its exposed, white geoning, piercing and slashing damage from non-magi-
flesh. Arranged on the floating fruit, like a circle of seeds at cal weapons; SA multiattack (2 slams); Str +5, Dex +3 (+6),
its core, are four human babies whose crying reverberates Con +4, Int –4, Wis +0 (+2), Cha +2; Senses darkvision 60ft,
around the chamber. passive Perception 10; Traits mirage (300ft, all creatures
must make DC 14 Wis save or see fiend as thing they are
most likely to attack, ends if fiend attacks); AL U; CR 9;
XP 5,000. (Appendix)

35
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Treasure: Lying amidst a scattering of humanoid and other bones on Garden, Inner East Garden, Outer East Garden, Outer East Canal, Inner
the bottom of the pool are a lacquered box containing 10 doses of opium, East Canal, Solarium, and Observatory.
and various pieces of jewelry worth a total of 1400gp. On the north wall is The door to the east of the north recess is a locked exterior door.
a bullseye lantern containing continual light. The boats require extensive
repairs to the fleshgine and hulls before they can be used.
* See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games C15. Chapel (Difficulty Hard)
The north and west walls of this vaulted chapel are lined
C8. Trade Lobby with stained-glass windows that depict religious scenes.
Unless it has already been slain, characters in or near this area can smell A statue and two columns line the aisle, each fashioned as
the Myre-Between fiend’s sweet, fruity aroma, and must succeed on a DC the same haloed woman. In the southern pillar, she wears
15 Wis save or also hear babies crying in the boathouse (C7). chainmail and an imperious countenance; one hand aflame
Two inches of water cover the floor here. This room contains a simple — illuminating the room — and a morningstar held overhead
wooden table and four chairs all pushed back against the walls. The south in the other. In the middle pillar, she wears a modest dress
door is locked (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 20) and barred, but the east and a stern expression; a balanced scale is in one hand and
and west doors stand open. a rod is ready in the other. The northern statue depicts her
wearing robes and offering an open book with both hands.
C8a. Trade Stoop Steps lead up to a raised section beneath a colourful fresco on
the east wall, a carven stone balustrade separating it from the
Stone steps once rose 5 feet out of the canal to a stoop, but the canal
main nave. Wooden pews have been pushed back and stacked
now covers it. The windows are shuttered on the east wall.
against the walls between iron candelabra.

C9. Ladies’ Stitchery

A successful DC 10 Int (Religion) check identifies the statues as
This room contains chairs, workbenches, and equipment to sew and representations of the Holy Mother in each of her three aspects: the Fair
make other repairs to clothes, and other household cloth such as linen, Fist, the Rule of Order, and the Beatific Quest. The same check identifies
drapes, and upholstery. A small fireplace is in the northwest corner. the religious scenes in the stained-glass windows and the fresco as those
from her holy book. The southern statue’s hand has a continual flame cast
C10. Laundry upon it. All the doors in the recess are locked with an average lock (Dex
(with thieves’ tools) DC 17).
This laundry contains mangles, carts, hanging rails, sinks, soap, brushes, In the centre of the chapel, 6 naked men and women hum and hold
buckets, and rollers among other washing and cleaning equipment. With hands as they sit in a circle around a mound of giant red fruit that resemble
a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check, a character who searches the strawberries. Every so often, they break the chain to paw and stroke the
back wall can locate a section that rotates. The secret door leads to the fruit before holding hands again. The people are addicted to caulspawn,
servants’ safe room (C11). or “honey” as they call it. They do not attack unless attacked first or the
fruit pile is interfered with, in which case they draw clubs from beneath
C11. Servants’ Safe Room the fruit.

This empty room was intended as a secure room for the house staff to Honey Addict (6): AC 12; HP 82 (15d8+15) Spd 30ft; Melee
retreat to in case of intruders. The door can be locked closed using a lever club x2 (+4, 20ft/60ft, 1d4 bludgeoning); Immune caul
on the wall nearby. Tiny vents under the wharf steps (C22) provide the cuckoo lullaby, Wis damage from caulspawn; SA multiat-
room with fresh air. tack (2 club); Str +0, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +2;
Skills Deception +4, Persuasion +4, Stealth +4; Senses pas-
C12. Polishing Room sive Perception 10; Traits caulspawn addiction, caulspawn
psychosis; AL CE (CN); CR 2; XP 450.
This room contains chairs, workbenches and equipment for cleaning Equipment: club
and polishing household metalware, weaponry, and armour.
Caulspawn Addiction: The honey addict has sufficient penalties to
her Constitution and Charisma scores to reduce them both to 1. As she
C13. Men’s Workshop is currently benefiting from the effects of caulspawn, however, these
This room contains chairs, workbenches and equipment for repairing penalties are currently suppressed.
and maintaining household furnishings and other items requiring the use Caulspawn Psychosis: The honey addict is currently chaotic evil and
of carpentry. obsessed with caulspawn and serving caul cuckoo queens. She is immune
to caul cuckoo lullabies and Wisdom damage from caulspawn.
C14. Servant’s Hall
C16. Library
A plain, sturdy, chair-lined table runs most of the length of Shelves and cabinets containing books and scrolls on a variety of topics
this vaulted hall. A semicircular, windowed recess in the north line the wood-paneled walls of this large library. Comfortable lounges
wall is covered by a multitude of brass bells connected to wires and chairs with small side tables are placed around its centre, and a small
that disappear through tiny holes in the ceiling. Each of the drinks cabinet with glasses is located against the east wall. A bell pull
bells has a small plaque beneath it. A large fireplace is set into hangs in the northwest corner. Windows along the north wall look out
the east wall, and a door is set to the east of the north recess. onto the canal.
With a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check, a character who
searches the east wall can locate a locked secret door. A successful DC
The bells at the head of this servant’s hall connect to bell pulls in many 17 Wis (Perception) check while searching the north wall nearby locates
of the family’s rooms. In all, there are 19 bells here with plaques naming a concealed keyhole. A successful DC 17 Dex (with thieves’ tools) check
the following locations: Boathouse, Library, Laboratory, Dining Room, unlocks the secret door, which can be slid aside to reveal the secret library
Drawing Room, Games Room, Family Room, Morning Room, Master (C16a). A character who searches the west wall can locate a panel that
Bedroom, Sitting Room, Inner West Canal, Outer West Canal, West slides aside to reveal a switch in the stone wall beyond. Clicking the

36
 Horror in the Sinks

Lamps and Candles

In several rooms throughout the Dimora Boszaroza, there are
instances of everburning lamps and everburning candles. These
are mundane lamps and candles enchanted with a continual flame
spell, much like everburning torches.

Everburning Lamp
Wondrous item, uncommon
Everburning lamps are oil lamps bearing a continual
flame spell that function in all ways as an everburning
torch. However, an everburning lamp is partially
made of glass and is, therefore, more fragile than an
everburning torch. If an everburning lamp is broken, its
continual flame no longer functions.

Everburning Candle
Wondrous item, uncommon
This otherwise normal candle has a continual flame
spell cast on its wick. Due to the small size of its wick, it
sheds light only as an ordinary candle, but it does not
emit heat or deal fire damage. If the candle is broken,
its continual flame no longer functions.

switch has no discernible effect but it bypasses the wall scythe trap in the
vault (C19).
Treasure: The books cover a variety of topics, mostly on alchemy,
history, and the nobility of Castorhage; several are rare or first editions
worth 150 gp in total. Three shuttered everburning lamps (see sidebox)
stand on the side tables.

C16a. Secret Library A bullywug witch named Oggoglian works in this laboratory. Always
Shelves of erotica, including books and a large collection of art in on the lookout for interesting new narcotic substances to refine and
written, pictorial, and object form, line this narrow room. Four of the replicate, Oggoglian allied with the Honeyman after she experienced
illuminated books are rare and much-sought-after salacious works by the caulspawn and wanted to learn its secrets. She has recently succeeded
famed writer Emily Bleaklow and are worth 50gp each. The art collection in producing a powdered form of caulspawn that reduces its weight and
is worth 300gp to a collector. volume for shipping as well as improving its duration of effect, but her
secret experiments to replicate the drug from other substances have so
far failed.
C17. Laboratory (Difficulty Deadly)
Oggolian, female bullywug war8: AC 16; HP 69 (10d8+20);
This chamber contains a number of workbenches upon Spd 20ft, swim 40ft; Melee +2 (bite, 1d4–1 bludgeoning)
which an array of intricate glassware, ceramics, and oil or +2 (handaxe, 1d6–1 slashing); Ranged +7 (+1 blowgun,
burners are assembled, all illuminated by candles. Beakers, 20ft/60ft, 1d4+4 piercing) or +2 (handaxe, 20ft/60ft, 1d6–1
bottles, retorts, tubes, crucibles, funnels, filter, dishes and slashing); SA multiattack (1 bite, 1 weapon), spells (Cha
metal stands are clamped into complex configurations with +2, DC 10); Str -1, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +3, Wis +2 (+5), Cha
many housing some form of boiling or condensing liquids and –1 (+2); Skills Arcana +3, Nature +3, Stealth +3; Senses
vapors of different hues. The sweet smell of honey infuses the passive Perception 12; Traits awakened mind, entropic
air. There is a door in the west, north, and south walls, and ward (1/short rest), pact of the tome, speak with frogs and
windows in the east wall look out onto the canal. toads, standing leap (20ft long/10ft high), swamp cam-
ouflage (advantage on Dex (Stealth) checks to hide in
swamp terrain); AL CE; CR 7; XP 2,900.
While this chamber houses a working alchemical laboratory, it also Spells: 0 (at will)— chill touch, eldritch blast, poison
functions as an art installation. In each corner of the laboratory is an spray; 1st— charm person, dissonant whispers, hellish
unclad female human zombie, perfectly preserved and trapped in a tall rebuke, hex, witch bolt; 2nd— darkness, ray of enfee-
glass tube held on a wooden base. The tube is tight enough so that the blement; 3rd— gaseous form, vampiric touch.
zombies cannot gain any leverage with which to break the glass, but Equipment: +1 studded leather, +1 blowgun, potion of
they move their heads to watch anyone who comes close, mouthing invisibility, potion of invulnerability, hand axe, alche-
inarticulate words and moaning in torment. The tubes have a lever my equipment, keys (alchemical store [C18], doors to
mechanism that allows a wooden stopper at the top to be opened (though sitting room and vault corridor from the chapel [C15],
a zombie cannot escape without help), though the glass can be broken and the armoury [C20]).
(AC 10, HP 3). If a zombie is released from its captivity, it immediately
attempts to break its companions free before turning and trying to kill Zombie (4): AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee slam (+3,
anyone present. 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poison; Str +1,
A bell pull hangs behind the tube in the northwest corner. Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvi-
37
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
sion 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with to their mothers, they can be redeemed (see Concluding the Adventure).
DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/4;
XP 50. Caul Cuckoo (2): AC 13; HP 63 (14d6 + 14); Spd 10ft, burrow
5 ft, climb 10ft, swim 10ft; Melee +5 (tongue, 1d4+3 pierc-
Tactics: Oggoglian is immersed in her work and noise from other areas ing plus 1d6 acid); Immunity acid damage, prone; Resis-
of the mansion is not uncommon, so it is likely that she is initially unaware tance bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmag-
of the PCs’ presence. As soon as she becomes aware of intruders, she ical weapons; SA lullaby (300ft, DC 15 Wis, confused as
drinks her invisibility potion and climbs up to the ceiling to continue her spell on fail, duration 1 min or until cuckoo stops singing);
combat preparations for as long as she remains undetected before drinking Str -1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int -1, Wis +1, Cha +4; Skills Percep-
her invulnerability potion and launching her attack. She tries to draw the tion +4, Stealth +6; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Percep-
PCs away from her laboratory so as not to damage her equipment but if tion 14; Traits change shape (can shift between sluglike
forced to fight in its confines, she attempts to include the corner tubes in and humanoid form as a bonus action), distorted (critical
any damaging area effect; the tubes shatter if they sustain more than 3 hits inflict normal damage +1), horrific appearance (30ft,
points of damage, releasing the juju zombies into the fray. If she is reduced DC 15 Wis save, poisoned on fail, ends with successful
to fewer than 20 hit points, she begins her retreat; if her path is blocked, save on creature’s turn), salt vulnerability (handful of salt
she doesn’t hesitate to break a window and jump through into the canal. inflicts 1d4 fire damage); AL N; CR 5; XP 1,800. (Appendix)
Development: If Oggoglian escapes, she returns to scout the mansion
the next day and recover any of her gear left behind, including her treasures Development: If the PCs retreat from this area without killing the caul
at the base of the east lift shaft (Area L2). If the characters have taken any cuckoos, they attempt to retreat to the aviary (C55) to warn their queen.
of her belongings, she tracks them down to exact her revenge but such
events are beyond the scope of this adventure.
Treasure: On various benches around the room are a number of C22. Wharf
finished alchemical items, including 4 flasks of acid, 4 potions of healing,
2 potions of greater healing, and 2 potions resistance (fire). In addition, A long wharf constructed of dark timber extends into the
a total of 6 everburning candles (see sidebar above) illuminate the room. canal from the base of a grand stone stair leading up to the
main doors of a mansion covered in large patches of dark-
green moss and creepers. The mansion has sunk several feet
C18. Alchemical Stores at its west end, so much so that the steps, which rise between
The door to this room has an average lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) two 10-foot-tall pillars of rose stone carved to resemble leafless
DC 17) but it is unlocked; Oggoglian has the key. This room contains trees, ascend at an angle to the wharf’s landing.
alchemical reagents, alchemical tools, and drugs stored in bottles, packets,
and bags on shelves and tables.
Treasure: The room contains 400gp of assorted alchemical reagents and The wharf is separated from the foundation of the mansion and has not
various spell components. In addition, 30 packets of powdered caulspawn subsided. The steps lead up to the front doors of the mansion that lead into
are lined up on a table. Powdered caulspawn has no effect on its own but, the foyer (C23).
if a packet is added to a flask of acid, the caulspawn is reconstituted into
a single dose.
Second Floor
C19. Vault (Difficulty Medium)
An iron door fitted with a superior lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC
C23. Foyer (Difficulty Hard)
20) and that also bears a trap secures this lead-lined room. The room
contains shelves and a portable, lead-lined iron safe (also with a superior A glowing orange glass globe that hangs from the 20-foot-
lock) in which the family kept their most important documents and most high ceiling softly illuminates this wide, wood-paneled
valuable jewelry. The vault has now been mostly plundered. entrance hall. Archways are set in the east and west walls
Trap: A scythe blade attacks anyone who steps through the door into near two staircases that curve up to the floor above, each
the room unless the bypass switch in the library (C16) has been set. with a magnificent balustrade of carven, dark-stained wood.
Hallstands on each side of the door hold a variety of umbrellas,
WALL SCYTHE TRAP canes, and hats. Vines and creepers hang down from a 10-foot-
Perception DC 17; Disarm DC 15 Int (Arcana) check wide balcony that overlooks the foyer from the top of the
stairs, forming a curtain of vegetation that partially obscures
Effect Atk +15 melee (2d4+6/x4) a waterfall a short distance to the north. In the centre of the
foyer, a 5-foot-tall fluted plinth of striated, blue stone bears a
Treasure: The vault contains 10 gold bars worth 500 gp each. The safe configuration of orange glass globes surrounding a slimmer,
contains the deed to the Dimora Boszaroza and three pieces of jewelry 5-foot-tall column of smooth, grey stone. A large purple fruit
worth 100 gp each. sits in a blue dish on the top of the second column.

C20. Armoury The glass globe has a continual flame held in its interior, providing
A locked iron door (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 20) secures these the mysterious illumination. Portraits of historical and extended family
adjoining rooms. The northern chamber contains weapons racks, and the members hang on the curved foyer and staircase walls. Despite the
southern chamber contains armour stands. The weapons racks contain 5 light family’s feelings about whom they portray, they keep them hung here and
crossbows, 50 cases of bolts (10 bolts each), 5 short swords, and 15 spears. elsewhere in case they need to use the spying pane in the safe room (C58).
The waterfall that can be seen and heard on the other side of the curtain
of plant life descends from the third-floor landings (C43). The strange
C21. Valets’ Quarters (Difficulty Deadly) sculpture is one of Visharix’s artworks and the fruit is a Between variety
This was the valets’ accommodation, and it contains basic furnishings. of plum. The hanging vegetation is also from the Myre-Between and two
It now serves as the lair of 2 caul cuckoos (the offspring of Orpha more purple fruits can be seen dangling 5 feet above the floor, but these
Pickergill-Shrive and Iris Fanning). These caul cuckoos are neutral evil are 2 serpent creepers that attempt to surprise anyone who approaches to
and currently devoted to their queen but if they are captured and returned examine them. A PC who succeeds on a DC 14 Int (Nature) or DC 15 Wis

38
 Horror in the Sinks
(Perception) check can detect their true nature. Like the rest of the plant
life, they are bound to the balcony and cannot reach farther than 10 feet
from it nor follow creatures into other locations. The women on the third-
floor landing (C43) are aware of the creatures and avoid them.

Serpent Creeper: AC 16; HP 120 (16d8+48); Spd 30ft, climb

30ft; Melee +6 (4d8+4 plus 2d6 acid); Immunity blinded,
charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Str +4,
Dex +3, Con +3, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha –4; Senses darkvision
60ft; Traits acidic poison (bite inflicts normal damage plus
1d6 acid damage per round, DC 13 Con save or DC 13
Wis (Medicine) check ends ongoing damage), lure (DC 20
Wis (Perception) check to detect creeper); AL U; CR 4; XP
1,100. (Appendix)

Development: If the sirine flowers (C30) see PCs in this area, the
characters hear beautiful birdsong from that area but are out of range of
its effects.
Treasure: A jeweled short sword (300 gp) and an embroidered umbrella
(50 gp) can be found in one of the hallstands.

C24. Gallery
This vaulted gallery has 20-foot-wide archways near the
centre of its north and south walls, and a smaller 10-foot-wide
archway at the west end of its north wall. The heraldic device
of a leafless tree is carved into the keystone of the largest
northern arch. Doors line the south wall, with a single door at
the east end of the north wall, near to where a mirror hangs,
reflecting the gallery’s length.

Portraits of the current family at various ages line the gallery, each with
nameplates. A character who studies these portraits will be able to identify
a family member with a successful DC 11 Wis (Perception) check.

39
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
C25. Dining Room
This large dining room has a 10-foot-wide archway in its
Editor’s Note: Visharix’s Art
east wall. A long buffet table stands in an alcove, and a large As mentioned, the Honeyman considers himself something
dining table and stacks of chairs are pushed back against the of an artist of the outré, and as you read through the various art
north wall, obstructing the west arch. Windows in the west and tableaus he has installed throughout the Dimora Boszaroza you
south walls look onto the wharf and canal. A large, spherical may get the impression that the author might be as well. But never
contraption hangs from the ceiling like some sort of twisted fear! After reading Al’s manuscript and then subjecting him to
chandelier. a battery of psychoanalytical testing (one can never tell exactly
how much exposure to Richard Pett is too much), we have cleared
him to continue to be a member of society without the need of
The room hosts one of Visharix’s artworks. A spiked sphere, similar to chaperone, electronic ankle monitor, or shock collar. Well, maybe
the shell of a horse-chestnut, but 5 feet in diameter and made of pink wood, the shock collar just for fun.
is held near the ceiling by a tripod of two pink wooden disks and a spiked We were able to determine the source of his crazed inspiration
stake. The thinning tip of the stake pierces through the sphere and curves for the Honeyman’s art, though! Al’s “Garden of Unearthly
away on the other side for a few feet. A bell pull hangs near to the fireplace. Dismay” is no less than a Blight-inspired interpretation of
Treasure: A number of paintings of the city line the walls, one of which the eerily disturbing late-15th/early-16th century triptych The
is worth 75 gp. An everburning lamp illuminates the art piece. Garden of Earthly Delights. Created by Flemish Primitive
painter Hieronymus Bosch, the triptych remains on display in the
Museo del Prado in Madrid and even today defies interpretation.
C26. Servery Writer Peter S. Beagle described its central panel as an “erotic
A table is fitted to the south wall of this dining room antechamber, derangement that turns us all into voyeurs, a place filled with the
which was used by the footmen for the collection and storing of food and intoxicating air of perfect liberty.” Yeah, that sounds about right
tableware during dinner service. for the Honeyman …
— Greg

C27. Butler’s Pantry

A table is fitted to the west wall of this dining room antechamber, which Development: If the sirine flowers (C30) see PCs in this area, the
was used by the butler for the collection and storing of wine, spirits, and characters hear beautiful birdsong from that area but are out of range of its
glassware during dinner service. effects until they enter the northeast quarter of the room.
Treasure: One of the paintings depicts the Sinks’ Cathedral Square as it
was before its subsidence and is worth 200 gp to a collector. A number of
C28. Plate Safe silver and bejeweled ornaments are worth 150 gp in total, and a selection
of books of poems, stories, architecture, and finance are worth 50 gp in
The door to this room is locked (Dex (with thieves’ tools) DC 17); the
total. A cabinet contains bottles of spirits and wine, and an everburning
key is in the family armoury (C40). Shelves inside store both ceramic and
lamp illuminates the art piece.
silver dinnerware. The remaining silverware is worth 150 gp in total.

C29. Drawing Room (Difficulty Hard) C30. Game Room (Difficulty Medium)
This huge, wood-paneled room has a wide fireplace set
A fireplace set in a vaulted recess in the east wall dominates
into an arched recess in the northwest corner, and a large bar
this large, wood-paneled drawing room. Large windows in the
across the southwest corner. Upholstered chairs and a variety
south wall overlook the wharf and canal beyond. Paintings
of game tables for cards, billiards, and more, are pushed back
line the walls and adjoining corridor, and large, comfortable
against the north wall, which is hung with paintings. The south
couches, chairs, and glass-fronted cabinets are pushed back
and east walls are lined with windows that look out onto the
against the walls. A bell pull hangs in the northwest corner.
surrounding canals, and a recess in the east wall contains a
A strange sculpture of some kind stands in the centre of the
mound of dark earth. A bell pull hangs near the fireplace.
room. A 5-foot-diameter, 2-foot-thick disk of pink balances on
A circle of sharp, blue stones surrounds a mound of dark
its edge, propped up by a stake that pierces its centre. Cradled
earth. From this mound, two curving shafts of black iron
within a wide crack at the top of the disk is a white stone egg
come together to form a 1-foot-diameter ring near the ceiling.
with blue striations. It is broken at the top from which deep-
Hanging from the ring on a short chain is a pink glass globe.
green vines with wide leaves sprout. Heavy clusters of ripe
Planted within the mound of earth are two beautiful plants,
blackberries hang from the vines.
each with 5-foot-tall stalks and large flowers in shades of
copper, silver, and gold. A pleasant aroma fills the room.
The centre of the room hosts one of Visharix’s artworks. The berry-
laden vines are 2 assassin vines that grow from the compost in the stone
The flowers are 2 sirine flowers cultivated by the Honeyman and
egg. They remain motionless until a creature within their reach damages
incorporated into one of his works of art in return for regular feeding. They
them or begins to move away.
begin humming a beautiful birdsong as soon as they notice any intruders
entering the mansion and attack when anyone comes within reach.
Assassin Vine (2): AC 13; HP 102 (12d10+36); Spd 5ft; Melee
slam (+6, 4each 10ft, 4d8+4 bludgeoning plus grapple
Sirine Flower (2): AC 15; HP 104 (16d8 + 32); Spd 10ft; Melee
check); SA constrict (automatic slam damage on grap-
+4 (tendril x4, 2d4+2 slashing plus grab); Immunity blinded,
pled foe), entangle (30ft, restrained, DC 11 Dex); Immune
charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone; Resis-
lightning; Resist cold, fire, blinded, deafened, exhausion;
tance fire damage; SA multiattack (4 tendrils); Str +2, Dex
Str +4, Dex +0, Con +3, Int –5, Wis +1, Cha –1; Traits cam-
+0, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +2; Senses blindsight 60ft,
ouflage (disadvantage on Wis (Perception) checks to see
passive Perception 11; Traits charming song (60ft radius,
vine); AL U; CR 3; XP 700. (Appendix)
all creatures must make DC 13 Wis save or be captivated

40
Horror in the Sinks

41
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Most disturbingly, however, slowly circling the northern
part of the room are the naked corpses of four women with
the tops of their skulls removed. Emerging from within each of
these hollowed craniums are large bulbs with green and black
striped leaves and pink petals.

The water pours over the west side of the balcony from the third-floor
landing (C43). The room is host to one of Visharix’s pieces of art. The
women are 3 human zombies and the plants emerging from the tops
of their heads are 3 cobra flowers. Due to the unusual colouration and
partial concealment of the cobra flowers, they can be identified only with
a successful DC 14 Int (Nature) check. The cobra flowers are bound
within nutrient-rich soil in the zombies’ body cavities and, while they
remain so, they have cover but cannot move or use their constrict attack.
If a zombie is destroyed, however, the cobra flower fully emerges. The
zombies do not move to attack unless they or a cobra flower is attacked
or obstructed. The cobra flowers, on the other hand, attack
anyone who comes within 5 feet.

Cobra Flower (3): AC 13; HP 110 (20d8 + 20);

Spd 5ft; Melee +3 (bite, 4d6+1 piercing plus 2d6
acid and grab); Immunity poison damage; blinded deaf-
ened, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, prone; Str +1, Dex
+3, Con +1, Int –5, Wis +1, Cha –1; Senses blindsight 30ft,
passive Perception 11; Traits constrict (grabbed creature
takes 1d6+1 bludgeoning and 1d6 acid damage), grab
(hit creature is restrained, Str contest to escape); AL U; CR
4; XP 1,100. (Appendix)

Cover: As long as the zombie from which the cobra flower grows is
still functional, it receives cover from attacks directed against it (+2 bonus
and move toward sirine flower), concealment (DC 15 Wis to AC and +1 bonus to Dex saves). If the cobra flower’s zombie vessel is
(Perception) or DC 13 Wis (Nature) check to spot flower in destroyed, it loses this benefit and must fight on its own without benefit of
woodland terrain), grab (creature hit by tendril must make the zombie’s skull as additional protection.
DC 13 Dex save or be restrained, escape on successful
Str contest), intelligence drain (grabbed creatures must
make DC 14 Int save on flower’s turn or take additional
2d10 psychic damage and have Int score reduced by 1);
AL U; CR 3; XP 700. (Appendix)

Treasure: Four paintings form a series by a subversive artist that depict

the Sinks’ buildings held up or straddled by naked women and are worth
25 gp each. A billiards set worth 125 gp and a deck of playing cards (each
illustrating a different demon) worth 50 gp are amid the collection of
gaming gear. An everburning lamp illuminates the art.

C30a. Bar
The contents of the bar have been mostly plundered. A secret
compartment (DC 15 Wis (Perception)) contains 2 bottles of a rare tawny
port called Rag Day Refined (worth 20 gp each), and a case of imported
Libynosi cigars worth 40 gp can be found within.

C31. Family Room (Difficulty Hard)

This huge room is partially flooded by a cascade of muddy
water that rains down from a balcony overlooking the room
above a wide archway in the south wall. The water runs along
the west side of the room and through another archway. A
harpsichord stands in a window-lined alcove in the north wall,
and a large fireplace is set in the centre of east wall. From the
20-foot ceiling, a 10-foot-diameter, triple-tiered chandelier
is suspended by a chain over the centre of the room. An
assortment of comfortable chairs, tables, and cabinets have
been pushed back against the east wall, and a bell pull hangs to
the east of the alcove. Artwork lines the walls, including a large,
stylized leafless tree carved in bas-relief above the fireplace.

42
 Horror in the Sinks
Zombie (3): AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee slam (+3,
1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poison; Str +1, C33. Back Porch
Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvi-
sion 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with This huge, covered porch looks over an extensive rear garden
DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/4; bounded by a 15-foot-high wall. A wide flight of cracked,
XP 50. stone steps descends 15 feet to a gravel path that wends its
way through the grounds. To the south, the house has several
Treasure: The piano is masterwork, though in need of tuning. The windows and a single door from which a stream of water pours
chandelier has holders for 24 candles but only 4 everburning candles are out and over the porch’s west edge. A long, wooden bench
currently in place. Six large paintings of landscape scenes around Crow’s sits under the windows to the east of the door. The garden,
Fallow* are worth 40 gp each. obviously once well tended, is now overgrown with weeds and
* See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games tangled with detritus and rotting vegetation. A gravel path
for further details. leads to an algae-covered pond in the east side of the garden.

C32. Morning Room (Difficulty Hard) Refer to the Dimora Boszaroza Grounds and Surrounds section if
the PCs explore the garden.
Filthy water streams into this large morning room from an
archway in the east wall and through to a wide corridor running
west. There, it joins a similar stream pouring down a flight of C34. Day Nursery
stairs. The water forms a large, shallow pool in the northwest As the Boszarozas’ children had all outgrown their nursery, this room
section of the room in which a long table surrounded by twelve was primarily used for the young children of guests. It contains chairs,
chairs stand in an alcove, their lower legs swollen and cracked tables, playpens, and toys, including a hobbyhorse, a tea set, and dolls.
from submersion in the water. Windows in the alcove look out Shelves of children’s books and portraits of family children going back
onto a massive porch and a garden beyond. Other furniture is several generations line the walls.
pushed back against the east and southwest walls, both of which
are hung with artwork, and a 10-foot-wide archway is in the
centre of the south wall. A bell pull hangs in the northeast corner. C35. Night Nursery
Slowly circling in the southern part of the room are the naked This night nursery contains a comfortable chair, children’s beds, and cots.
corpses of four women with the tops of their skulls removed.
Emerging from within each of these hollowed craniums is a
large yellow flower. Dark green vines with long black thorns C36. Schoolroom (Difficulty Deadly)
emerge from the torsos of the pacing women and wrap around
their bodies. The entire room is foul with the smell of rotting This space appears to have been used as a schoolroom. A
fish, and a small cloud of flies buzzes around the flowers. chalkboard is mounted on the east wall, north of a door and
a fireplace. A 20-foot-wide alcove in the south wall has a door
on its west wall and a window that looks out onto the canal.
The stench in the room is so bad that anyone entering must succeed Three doors line the north wall and two windows in the west
on a DC 11 Con save or be sickened for 1 minute. The water enters the wall are partially obscured by a stack of small desks, tables,
room from the family room (C31) and down the stairs from the third floor. chairs, bookstands, and other furniture that reaches to the
The room is host to one of Visharix’s art installations. The women are 3 ceiling. Books and children’s toys lie discarded about the
human zombies and the plants emerging from them are 3 weedwhips. room, including marbles, quoits, and knucklebones. Crude
Because they grow within the internal cavities of the zombies, the paintings by childhood artists hang on the south wall, west of
weedwhips are immobile but have cover from any attacks. The zombies the alcove. In the centre of the room, a 10-foot-long, 7-foot-
and weedwhips do not move to attack unless they are attacked or their path wide white wooden egg lies on its side, its east-pointing top
is obstructed. If a zombie is destroyed, however, the weedwhip breaks free “smashed” open to reveal a nest of woven reeds and vines in
and immediately attacks. the space inside.
Weedwhip (3): AC 16; HP 88 (16d8 + 16); Spd 10ft; Melee +5
(tentacle, reach 15ft, 1d6+3 slashing plus poison); Immu- The room hosts an art piece. PCs who succeed on a DC 12 Wis
nity blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, (Perception) check notice a number of small holes in the ceiling, each just
prone; SA dig in (bury self as move, gains half cover but a few inches wide. Small bits of hanging plaster suggest they were formed
cannot move), multiattack (3 tentacles); Str +0, Dex +3, by something breaking through from above. A larger, 2-foot-wide hole is
Con +1, Int –5, Wis +1, Cha –3; Senses blindsight 30ft (blind obscured above the stack of furniture but noticeable with a successful DC
beyond this radius), passive Perception 11; Traits cam- 15 Wis (Perception) check. The room’s occupants use this hole to climb
ouflage (DC 14 Wis (Perception) to notice), languid whis into the roof dead space above (C37).
(does not make opportunity attacks), poison (DC 12 Con Two caul cuckoos (the offspring of Molly Seddle and Lilann Borr)
save or target is poisoned); AL U; CR 2; XP 450. (Appendix) are currently in this room and, if it escaped the watchtower, the newborn
nightmare (the offspring of Eleanor Courtley) is here as well, lurking
Zombie (3): AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee slam (+3, in the roof dead space (C37). These caul cuckoos are neutral evil and
1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poison; Str +1, currently devoted to their queen but if they are captured and returned to
Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvi- their mothers, they can be redeemed (see Concluding the Adventure).
sion 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with If they were alerted to the PCs’ presence, the two caul cuckoos are also
DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/4; in the dead space; otherwise, they are in the nest where they have cover
XP 50. inside the egg but are distracted and take a −5 penalty on Wis (Perception)
checks. As soon as they notice intruders, all the caul cuckoos begin
Treasure: The artwork in the room is of sentimental value, but an singing and attempt to flee to the roof dead space if they are not already
everburning candle sits in a holder on the table. there, from where they continue their lullabies and attack anyone who
attempts to follow them.

43
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Caul Cuckoo (2): AC 13; HP 63 (14d6 + 14); Spd 10ft, burrow
5 ft, climb 10ft, swim 10ft; Melee +5 (tongue, 1d4+3 pierc- C38. Master Bedroom (Difficulty Medium)
ing plus 1d6 acid); Immunity acid damage, prone; Resis-
tance bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmag- This massive bedroom has a wide fireplace in the middle of
ical weapons; SA lullaby (300ft, DC 15 Wis, confused as the west wall opposite a large, four-poster bed in the room’s
spell on fail, duration 1 min or until cuckoo stops singing); centre. Archways are set in the north and south walls to the
Str -1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int -1, Wis +1, Cha +4; Skills Percep- east of a door, a dressing screen drawn across the southern.
tion +4, Stealth +6; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Percep- A desk and leather-backed chair have been pushed against
tion 14; Traits change shape (can shift between sluglike the west wall to the north of the fireplace, and an armoire
and humanoid form as a bonus action), distorted (critical and dresser stand against the east. A bell pull hangs in the
hits inflict normal damage +1), horrific appearance (30ft, northwest corner, and a corridor leads from the northeast.
DC 15 Wis save, poisoned on fail, ends with successful Large paintings are hung on the east and west walls.
save on creature’s turn), salt vulnerability (handful of salt The horrifying sight of four unclothed women with the tops
inflicts 1d4 fire damage); AL N; CR 5; XP 1,800. (Appendix) of their skulls removed, slowly circling the bed, greets your
eyes. From their damaged skulls emerge light-green vines that
Newborn Nightmare, young Caul Cuckoo: AC 13; HP 45 dangle like hair, ornamented by beautiful crimson and violet
(10d6 + 10); Spd 10ft, burrow 5 ft, climb 10ft, swim 10ft; Me- flowers with white patterning. The strong, heady aroma of the
lee +5 (tongue, 1d4+3 piercing plus 1d6 acid); Immunity flowers fills the room.
acid damage, prone; Resistance bludgeoning, piercing
and slashing from nonmagical weapons; SA lullaby (300ft,
DC 15 Wis, confused as spell on fail, duration 1 min or until The door to this room has an average lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools)
cuckoo stops singing); Str -1, Dex +3, Con +1, Int -1, Wis +1, DC 17) but is unlocked; the key is held in the family armoury (C40). The
Cha +4; Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6; Senses darkvision room is host to one of Visharix’s artworks. The women are 4 zombies with
60ft, passive Perception 14; Traits change shape (can shift 4 xtabays growing from their missing calvariae. A successful DC 15 Wis
between sluglike and humanoid form as a bonus action), (Perception) check notices that the flower petals’ patterns resemble skulls.
distorted (critical hits inflict normal damage +1), horrific Like the cranially potted plants found elsewhere in the house, the xtabays
appearance (30ft, DC 15 Wis save, poisoned on fail, ends have cover while their zombie vessels remains intact. Neither the zombies
with successful save on creature’s turn), salt vulnerability nor the plants attack unless attacked first or their route is obstructed. Lying
(handful of salt inflicts 1d4 fire damage); AL N; CR 4; XP asleep in the bed are a man and a woman, 2 honey addicts.
1,100. (Appendix)
Xtabay (4): AC 11; HP 60 (8d6+32); Spd 5ft; Melee +1 (sting
Development: If the PCs retreat from this area without killing the caul x2, 1d4–1 slashing plus 1d4 acid); Immunity acid dam-
cuckoos, they retreat to the attic to warn their queen. age; blinded deafened, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned,
Treasure: A finely crafted kaleidoscope worth 60 gp lies inside the egg. prone; SA multiattack (2 stings), soporific poison (10ft, tar-
gets make DC 12 Wis save or sleep for 1d4 minutes), Str –1,
C36a. Library Dex +1, Con +4, Int –1, Wis +1, Cha +0; Senses tremorsense
30ft, passive Perception 10ft; Traits devour (sleeping crea-
This room contains a small table, chairs, and two bookcases. The books
tures in same space take 4d4 acid damage, must make
cover a variety of early-stage academic topics and are worth 60 gp in total
DC 12 Con save or maximum HP are reduced by same
to a school or tutor.
amount); AL U; CR 1/2; XP 100. (Appendix)

C37. Roof Dead Space (Difficulty Varies) Zombie (4): AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee slam (+3,
1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poison; Str +1,
The space between the ceiling and the roof is 5 feet high over the east-
Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvi-
west line of the room and slopes down to the north and south. The space is
sion 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with
filled with roofing beams, and the floor between the beams is filled with an
DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/4;
insulation of wood-shavings atop thin wooden slats. The caul cuckoos are
XP 50.
small and light enough to move through this space without impediment,
but Medium creatures treat it as difficult terrain. Creatures weighing more
HONEY ADDICTS (2) CR 2
than 50 lbs. must succeed on a DC 10 Acrobatics check each round or
XP 450
stumble and break through the ceiling between the beams. A creature that
hp 82 (See Area C15)
breaks through must succeed on a DC 10 Dex save to catch a beam or fall
10 feet into the room below. PCs with piercing weapons with reach or
Searching the fireplace reveals a tiny keyhole on the underside of the
that are ranged weapons can blindly attack the caul cuckoos through the
mantelpiece with a successful DC 17 Wis (Perception) check; Visharix
ceiling, but such attacks must first overcome the ceiling’s hardness of 5
has the key. Unlocking the lock (Dex (with thieves’ tools) 20) causes the
(hp 5), and all such attacks have a 50% chance of missing even if the PC
entire fireplace to slide to the south, revealing a narrow flight of stone
is lucky enough to attack the square occupied by his foe.
steps that spirals 20 feet down to the basement safe room (C58). A failed
attempt to open the lock triggers a poison needle trap.

POISON NEEDLE TRAP

Perception DC 16; Disable DC 12 Dexterity with thieves’ tools

Effect Melee +10, 1d4+1 piercing; 2d8+4 piercing; target

must make DC 14 Con save or be poisoned for 1d4 hours.

Development: If the PCs succumb to the xtabays and fall asleep,

the honey addicts in the adjoining areas carry the sleepers down to the
sepulcher (C59) and lock them in before alerting Visharix.
Treasure: The two paintings are disturbing nudes whose amputations
reveal what they would otherwise have been modestly concealing (75 gp

44
 Horror in the Sinks
each). Four everburning candles are spaced on the floor around the bed. A
secret drawer in the desk contains four documents detailing identical loans C40. Family Armoury
that Nicolo Boszaroza obtained from an organization called The Sailors of This lead-lined room is secured by an iron door fitted with a good lock
Skin. The first repayment of 2,000 gp is due in two months. (Dex (with thieves’ tools) 30) but is currently unlocked. The walls of the
narrow room are lined with hooks from which weapons and a number of keys
C38a. Dressing Room are hung. The keys are for the following doors: boathouse doors (C7), trade
An ornamental dressing screen (worth 140 gp) displaying enameled lobby (C8), garden (via C14), plate safe (C28), various storage rooms, back
porch (C33), master bedroom (C38), deck (C42), sepulcher (C59), and the
images of birds of paradise is positioned over this alcove. This room has
spice room, gaol cells, and storage cellars (all in the now-flooded basement).
a full-length mirror against the east wall, and a dresser and vanity against
Treasure: A number of weapons hang from the walls, including a
the south.
matching pair of masterwork rapiers, a loaded crop (treat as a whip but
without reach), and 2 masterwork heavy crossbows, 2 Small masterwork
C39. Bathing Suite (Difficulty Hard) heavy crossbows, a case of 40 bolts for each size, and 5 suits of plate armor
(2 of which are fitted for children or Small creatures such as halflings). In
addition, a pile of 13 crude clubs lies on the floor just inside the door.
This large chamber has a curtained archway in the east wall,
and corridors to the north and west. Doors stand in the south
and northeast walls. A wide mirror is mounted on the west C41. Sitting Room
wall over a long dressing table.
This simply furnished sitting room has comfortable chairs and side
tables. A bell pull hangs in the southwest corner. A locked exterior door
in the west wall leads to the deck (C42); the key is held in the family
This area is where the resident honey addicts come to rest and play
armoury (C40).
whenever the Honeyman doesn’t require them elsewhere. In his mind,
however, it is another of his art projects as the addled junkies cavort in their
caulspawn-driven debauchery. In total, 10 honey addicts are currently in C42. Deck
this extended area; 3 in the main bathing suite chamber (C39), 2 in the bath
This open-air, wooden deck is bounded by a 4-foot-tall rail and looks out
(C39a), 1 in the boudoir (C39b), and 4 asleep in the wardrobe (C39c).
over the garden. A long wooden table and chairs are positioned in the centre.
They are all unarmed unless they have been alerted to the PCs’ presence,
in which case they have retrieved clubs from the wardrobe. They defend
themselves if attacked or forced to leave the mansion, and attack anyone
who harms the syreling slick in the bath (see below). Third Floor
HONEY ADDICTS (10) CR 2 C43. Landing (Difficulty Hard)
XP 450
hp 82 (See Area C15) A wide, railed balcony looks down onto the family room to
the north, and the foyer to the south. From a floor above, a
Treasure: A collection of expensive cosmetics in drawers in the dresser cascade of muddy, brown water splashes down an iron spiral
is worth 35 gp, and an everburning candle stands on the floor. staircase and runs, following the western tilt of the building, in
a stream along a corridor toward a staircase and over the west
C39a. Bath (Difficulty Medium) side of the northern balcony. Two flights of stairs curve down
This chamber is covered in ceramic tiles with mosaics of bathing to the entrance hall below. On each side of the stairs, a door is
nymphs on the north and south walls. A large bath is sunk into the centre set in the south wall. A door-lined corridor runs east.
of the room, and a frosted window illuminates the room. The Honeyman’s
syreling slick covers the southern mosaic and remains motionless,
allowing the resident addicts to harvest its substance, but it moves to The water pours down the spiral stair from the solarium (C49), pools
attack people it doesn’t recognize. An everburning candle lies at the edge at the base, and then flows, west northwest, to drain down the staircase
of the bath. and the west lift shaft (L1). The north balcony looks over the family room
and its chandelier (C31). The south balcony looks over the foyer (C23).
SYRELING SLICK CR 3 Paintings line the curved halls to the south.
XP 700 A group of naked women, 5 with pale skin and 1 woman as dark as
hp 104 (See Appendix A) ebony, is gathered around the muddy cascade, posed in another of
Visharix’s art projects, though this one as an example of living art. The
C39b. Boudoir pale-skinned women have long, blond hair and wear headdresses that
cradle a large red fruit. The dark-skinned woman has long black hair and
This was the private sitting room of the lady of the house. It contains wears a headdress fashioned from a stuffed peacock, its long tail feathers
a comfortable chair, a chaise-lounge, a desk, and small bookshelf. The fanned and lowered to create a cloak of sorts for her, its “eyes” seemingly
bookshelf contains a series of barbarian-enslavement fantasy stories for aflame with continual flame spells. The women are 6 honey addicts. They
women that are very badly written but, bizarrely, highly sought-after and bid the PCs welcome to the Dimora Boszaroza and invite them to explore
worth 60 gp in total. An everburning candle sits in a holder on the desk and enjoy the space. If questioned, they remain “in character,” wondering
and the key to the family armoury (C40) is in a desk drawer. which of the brave, strong adventurers will win their hearts. When the PCs
first arrive, the women are unarmed and flee if attacked. Once the PCs
C39c. Wardrobe ascend to the attic, however, they recover weapons from the east luggage
The walls of this room between the windows are lined with shelves store (C48) and await a call to ascend and attack.
that were used for storing clothes. Two hanging rails have been pushed
back against the southern wall to make room for a collection of bedrolls, HONEY ADDICTS (6) CR 2
blankets, and the worthless belongings of the addicts that cover the floor. XP 450
Two everburning candles sit in the east corners of the room. hp 82 (See Area C15)

Treasure: The peacock feather headdress with its continual flame is

worth 80 gp as an art object.
45
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

son; Str +3, Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis
C44. Canal Bedrooms –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvision 60ft;
Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp,
The furnishings of this large bedchamber have been pushed Con save with DC 5 + damage taken,
back against the walls, upon which are hung painted scenes then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1; XP 200.
of the city. Numerous large windows provide views of the
surrounding Sinks’ district and a door leads out onto a balcony. C44b. Outer East Canal Bedroom
A bell pull hangs near the interior door. (Difficulty Medium)
This room has art installation and
occupants identical to the inner west
Each of these bedrooms overlooks the canal running in front of the
canal bedroom (C44a), complete
manor, with a balcony to provide an even more dramatic view. The balcony
with 2 honey addicts and 2 zombie
door is a locked exterior door; the key hangs on a hook nearby. Each of
mounts. The mounts are fashioned as
these suites also has a wardrobe, a dressing room with an everburning
a white unicorn with spurs along the
lamp, and a private privy chamber.
length of its horn, and a gray mule.
C44a. Inner West Canal Bedroom (Difficulty Medium) HONEY ADDICTS (2) CR 2
In the centre of this large guest bedroom is another of Visharix’s XP 450
artworks. Two nude men each ride beasts that slowly pace the room in hp 82 (See Area C15)
a circling pattern. The mounts are quadrupedal patchworks of embalmed
animal parts, one fashioned to resemble a pink-skinned bull with white ZOMBIE MOUNTS (2) CR 1
horns and the other a red horse with a white mane. The men are 2 honey XP 200
addicts and they ride 2 zombie mounts commanded to obey the men who hp 90 (See Area C44a)
ride them. If questioned, the addicts remain “in character,” asking if the
PCs have seen the beautiful women at the waterfall and saying that they
are on a brave journey that will win their hearts. They do not attack unless C45. Balcony
they are provoked or called to defend someone in the mansion. Antechamber
HONEY ADDICTS (2) CR 2 (Difficulty Easy)
XP 450 The house staff used this
hp 82 (See Area C15) antechamber to store drinks, food, and
other supplies whenever parties were
Zombie Mount (2): AC 8; HP 90 (12d8+36); Spd 40ft; Melee held on the covered balcony, but it
slam (+5, 4d6+3 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poi- is now empty other than another of
46
 Horror in the Sinks
Visharix’s artworks that blocks the entrance. The preserved cadaver of a
man and a rowboat have been bisected horizontally so that it appears they Fourth Floor (Attic)
are half-submerged in the water that has pooled on the floor here; the man
is posed to appear desperately holding onto the “sinking” boat. The door C49. Solarium (Difficulty Deadly)
to the covered balcony is a locked exterior door; the key is held in the
family armoury (C40).
The ceiling of this chamber swarms with a mass of dark-brown
cockroaches that feeds on, and is covered in, the muddy effluvia that pools The west side of this huge attic solarium contains a swamp
on the floor. If any creature in the room uses a light source, moves at of black peaty mud, all run through with a tangle of reeds,
greater than half-speed, or makes a loud noise, the 2 cockroach swarms vines, weeds, and creepers which partially obscures a double-
surge down the walls to defend their nest. door in the northwest corner. To the west of an art-lined alcove
in the north wall stands a massive ornate golden mirror frame,
Swarm of Cockroaches (2): AC 12; HP 22 (5d8); Spd 20ft, 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. Somehow issuing from this great
climb 20ft; Melee bites (+3, 4d4 piercing, or 2d4 piercing mirror is a steady flow of muddy water. This strange swamp
damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer); SA grows to a depth of at least a foot at the west wall before
swarm (can occupy another creature’s space and vice draining down an iron spiral stair set in the alcove.
versa, can move through Tiny size opening, cannot regain Rising from the swamp in the west side of the room, an
HP or gain temp HP); Immune charmed, frightened, grap- arrangement of three rotting, white tree trunks, barkless
pled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned; Resist yet striped with thorny vines and dotted with pale fungus,
bludgeoning, piercing, slashing; Str –4, Dex +1, Con +0, Int surrounds a small table bearing a single tankard and a lit oil
–5, Wis –2, Cha –5; Senses blindsight 10ft, passive Perception lamp. Two of the trunks stand in small grey rowboats, and in
8; Traits filth (on successful bite, target must succeed on DC various positions around the table pose the naked corpses of
12 Con save or be poisoned, target may make DC 12 Con three men. Three large, white puffball mushrooms sit in the
save 1/hour to cure); AL U; CR 1/2; XP 100. southeast corner of the room.
The ceiling of this chamber slopes down to meet the floor
Treasure: A secret compartment built into the west wall (Wis and is dominated by four large windows that provide an
(Perception) DC 18) has lain undiscovered for years since the original expansive view to the south of the district and the Lyme
builder of the manse installed it. Within are the tools he used for his beyond. The eastern half of the room is dry with a pair of doors
surreptitious nightly hobby until one of the city’s other night denizens set in the east wall. A bell pull hangs at the back of the alcove.
finally got him. In a lead-lined wooden case are a set of thieves’ tools, The room is humid under the glare of the large windows and
a half dozen potions (2 potions of healing, 2 oils of slipperiness, 2 filled with the steady sound of running water and the low
elixirs of health), a sap, a bottle of elven absinthe, 3 pieces of jewelry whine of mosquitoes.
worth 1250gp in total, and an armoured insectum box inlaid with gems
worth 250gp.
The great mirror on the north wall serves as a mirror-portal to the
Myre-Between in Between (see below). The thick, swamp mud is bound
C46. Covered Balcony 10ft back from the stairs by a partial dike composed of a tangle of vines
This covered entertaining balcony provides views of the rear garden and reeds, yet a continuous stream of muddy, brown water runs through it
and of the canal to the side of the property. It contains six small tables and to cascade down them. The westernmost 10ft of the room is a shallow bog.
twenty-four chairs, all of wrought iron. The corpses are the remains of honey addicts who fell unconscious
from their habit and did not wake. The tree trunks are actually the torso
and limbs of a Myre-Between tendriculos that crawled through the
C47. Garden Bedrooms mirror-portal from the Myre-Between. The Between-touched creature
These rooms and adjoining chambers are identical to the canal looks different than a native tendriculos and has concealed the fleshier
bedrooms (C44). parts of its body beneath the mud. It cannot be identified as a tendriculos
with a DC 13 Int (Nature) check until it moves, unless the observer also
C47a. Outer East Garden Bedroom (Difficulty Medium) succeeds on a DC 13 Int (Arcana) check. Anyone examining the puffball
mushrooms in the corner and making a successful DC 15 Int (Nature)
This room has art installation and occupants identical to the inner west check identifies them as being tendriculos “spore-eggs.”
canal bedroom (C44a), complete with 2 honey addicts and 2 zombie In addition, a mosquito swarm is distributed throughout the vegetation,
mounts. The mounts in here are fashioned as a large white sow and a tan though only a few are in the air at any one time. If the PCs begin to walk
lion with a dark-brown mane. through the swamp or fight the tendriculos, they start to rise in their masses
to feed, coalescing into a swarm in 2 rounds that continues to attack until
HONEY ADDICTS (2) CR 2 dispersed, pursuing victims into other areas if necessary.
XP 450
hp 82 (See Area C15) Myre-Between Tendriculous: AC 8; HP 119 (14d10 + 42); Spd
20ft; Melee +4 (tendril x4, 2d4+2 slashing plus grapple), +6
ZOMBIE MOUNTS (2) CR 1 (bite, 2d8+5 piercing); Immunity poison and psychic dam-
XP 200 age; charmed, frightened, poisoned, prone, restrained,
hp 90 (See Area C44a) stunned, unconscious; Resistance cold, force, bludgeon-
ing and slashing damage; SA multiattack (2 tendrils, 1
bite), swallow (swallow one grappled creature); Str +5,
C48. East Luggage Store Dex +1 (+4), Con +3 (+6), Int –3, Wis +0, Cha –3; Senses
This room was used to store guests’ luggage but it is now stuffed with darkvision 120ft, passive Perception 10; Skills Stealth +1
bits of furniture that were dragged out of the bedrooms to make room for (+6 in forest/jungle); Traits camouflage (+5 bonus to Dex
the art installations. One of the chests contains 10 crude clubs made by the (Stealth) in forest or jungle terrain), dislocated (attacks
honey addicts out of pieces of broken furniture. against tendriculous have disadvantage unless attacker
has blindsight, truesight or equivalent), grapple (creatures
hit by tendril attack must make DC 12 Dex save or be
grappled), magic resistance (1/day, may turn failed save
into success); AL U; CR 7; XP 2,900.
47
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Innate Spells: 1/day—invisibility (self only, 1 min. dura-
tion), spider climb. partially concealed by patches of sinuous grey mist that float,
ghost-like, above the stagnant quagmire, a rune-covered,
Swarm of Mosquitos: AC 12; HP 22 (5d8); Spd 5ft, fly 30ft; stone obelisk protrudes through an undergrowth of bushes
Melee bites (+3, 4d4 piercing plus 2 damage from blood and creepers laden with vividly coloured, oversized fruits, that
drain, or 2d4 piercing damage and 1 damage from blood cover a small island of raised earth. The isle, its monolith, and
drain if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer); SA its bounty, all sway with the shifting of its dubious foundation.
swarm (can occupy another creature’s space and vice
versa, can move through Tiny size opening, cannot re-
gain HP or gain temp HP); Immune charmed, frightened, This chamber’s great mirror has become a mirror-portal to Between
grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, restrained, stunned; and is the aperture by which the Honeyman and all the other creatures
Resist bludgeoning, piercing, slashing; Str –4, Dex +1, Con that infest the Dimora Boszaroza have crawled into the city. Through the
+0, Int –5, Wis –2, Cha –5; Senses blindsight 10ft, passive portal, the PCs can see the Myre-Between, which a successful DC 12
Perception 8; AL U; CR 1/2; XP 100. Int (Arcana) check identifies. If detect magic is used, the mirror-portal
radiates strong conjuration magic, but the dweomer is flickering, as
Tactics: The tendriculos remains motionless when the PCs enter the though it is failing.
room, waiting for them to approach and investigate the tableau before The mirror-portal to the Myre-Between has become quite fragile, and
launching its attack. It cooperates with the Honeyman in return for regular it will not sustain another significant lifeform passing through. During
food, which includes participating in Visharix’s art. It will not venture combat, if the Myre-Between tendriculos is within reach of the portal
elsewhere in the mansion and remains adjacent to the north wall as it has and at least one its tentacles is not grappling an opponent, it has a 50%
been ordered to avoid breaking the windows in the ceiling. If it is reduced chance each round of accidentally lashing one of its tentacles through to
to fewer than 30 hit points and the mirror-portal is still open, it attempts the other side. If this occurs, the portal instantaneously collapses, and the
to escape back to the Myre-Between with unfortunate consequences great mirror explodes violently, dealing 4d6 points of slashing damage to
(see “The Mirror-Portal” below). The walls are thin in the attic, and any all creatures within 15 feet (DC 12 Dex save for half). Anyone behind the
combat in this room likely alerts any creatures in the west-central space of tendriculos receives cover against this explosion (+2 bonus to Dex save).
the west overcroft (C51). If the PCs manage to kill the Myre-Between tendriculos without it
destroying the mirror-portal, the portal nevertheless closes and the mirror
The Mirror-Portal explodes should any of them attempt to interact with it. If the PCs leave
the room without attempting to interact with the portal, then it closes
If the PCs are in a position to see through the mirror, read the following.
several minutes later but without the explosion. In any case, whenever the
PCs return to the Solarium, the portal has closed permanently and, while
quite valuable, the mirror is once again a mundane item of furniture. Even
Rather than a mirror, the golden frame encloses an
when the portal closes, due to the western subsidence of the mansion, the
impossible window onto a vast, trackless bog of knotted reeds
water will not drain from the room.
and tangled vines beneath a bruised sky. In the distance, and
Treasure: The golden mirror frame can be disassembled and is worth
500 gp. The oil lamp on the table is an everburning lamp.

48
 Horror in the Sinks
Basidirond: AC 16; HP
C50. Observatory (Difficulty Hard) 135 (18d8 + 54); Spd
20ft; Melee +7
The ceiling of this large observatory slopes down toward the (slam, 6d8+4
south. Three large windows in this ceiling and three similarly bludgeoning);
large windows in the east wall provide a wide panoramic Immunity cold
view of the city. A double-door stands in the west wall and a damage; blinded,
large, intricately filigreed telescope is pushed back against the charmed, deaf-
northwest corner along with a stack of furniture that partially ened, exhaustion,
conceals a series of star charts hung upon the north wall. frightened, prone; SA
In the centre of the room is another of the house’s strange hallucination cloud (1/
works of art. A massive disk of white stone, 1 foot thick and 25 min, 20ft radius, all creatures
feet in diameter, sits upon a 3-feet-tall stone column carved in radius must make DC 13
to resemble a wide-bodied man-like figure with dried brown Con save or be affected by
swamp grass for hair. Upon this delicately balanced disk, four hallucinations), Str +4, Dex +1,
couples slowly promenade around a 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-tall, Con +3, Int –5, Wis +0, Cha –5;
narrow-mouthed, pink ceramic vase. A dark-green, frilled cup Senses tremorsense 30ft (blind
of a plant emerges from the top of this vase. Each couple is beyond this radius), passive
made up of the animated, embalmed corpse of a naked man Perception 10; Traits cold
carrying a lit candle and a woman clothed in noble finery. lethargy (slowed by cold ef-
fects and cannot use cloud
or spores), spores (creatures hit
This is another of Visharix’s gauche art installations. The corpses are by slam must make DC 13 Con save
honey addicts now animated as 8 zombies. The plant is a basidirond or take 3d6 poison damage); AL U; CR 5;
that Visharix sealed into the vase after it crawled through from the Myre- XP 1,800. (Appendix)
Between. As the plant looks somewhat different to native basidironds and
only a part of it can be seen growing from the vase, a PC can identify it Zombie (8): AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee slam (+3,
only with a successful DC 15 Int (Nature) check. It cannot move, but it can 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poison; Str +1,
see its surroundings and regularly infuses the area with its spores because Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvi-
of the constant movement of the zombies. sion 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with
Characters who search the north wall can locate a secret door that leads DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/4;
to the attic’s east-central space in the east overcroft (C52) with a successful XP 50.
DC 15 Wis (Perception) check. A bell pull hangs in the northwest corner,
partially obscured by the stack of furniture. Tactics: When anyone approaches within 20 feet of the vase, there
is a 50% chance that the area is already filled with the basidirond’s
hallucination cloud and the basidirond can release more spores in 2d3+4

49
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
rounds; if not, then the basidirond can release its spores in 2d3−1 rounds.
The zombies do not attack unless they are damaged. If damaged, the C52. East Overcroft
zombies move toward their attackers, unbalancing the stone disk, which
tips over in the direction of their movement. In this case, any zombies on This vast central attic space runs the entire length of the
the disk fall prone and slide to the edge of the disk, but the ceramic vase building, though only the eastern half is visible from here.
also topples and smashes, releasing the basidirond. The disk also tips if The roof, which peaks at 20 feet overhead and slopes to the
any character attempts to climb onto it. The walls are thin in the attic, and north and south, is supported by a series of thick, wooden
any combat in this room likely alerts any creatures in the solarium (C49) crossbeams, vertical stanchions, and a huge central beam.
and the east-central space of the east overcroft (C52). Large windows look east, past the edge of the Sinks to the
Treasure: The telescope is worth 3,000 gp, and the furniture includes Hollow and Broken Hills and the clock-turn of the Lyme.
some books on astrology, astronomy, engineering and the planes worth There are doors in the north wall and a metal lattice closes an
300 gp in total. The corpses carry everburning candles. open shaft to the south.
Near the centre of the area is a wooden half-barrel. The
naked cadaver of a headless man squats over the edge of the
C51. West Overcroft barrel as if it was using it as a privy bucket. Opposite him are
the naked corpse of man and a woman dressed as a barmaid
This vast central attic space runs the entire length of the positioned as though she is holding him as he vomits into it,
building, though only the western half is visible from here. The his eyes wide and his mouth agape. The glow of a single candle
roof, which peaks at 20 feet overhead and slopes to the north can be seen emanating from the half-barrel.
and south, is supported by a series of thick, wooden crossbeams,
vertical stanchions, and a huge central beam. To the west, a
metal lattice closes off what appears to be an alcove of some This is another of Visharix’s depraved tableaus. Anyone approaching
sort. To the south and southwest, door-lined corridors run to can see that the half-barrel is filled with urine and feces. Protruding
south-facing windows, and two doors stand in the north wall. from this noxious stew is a pile of Castorhage gold shekels, positioned
Stone statues of nine naked men stand in the centre of the directly below the squatting man as if his bowels had summoned up the
place. Their forms are pierced in multiple places by metal golden treasure. Submerged in the pool are the severed heads of two men,
knives and swords and are caught, as though frozen in time, looking up at the surface with anguished expressions, and a single candle,
fleeing from a table tipped onto its edge from which cards, somehow still lit beneath the sewage.
dice, game boards, and broken tankards lie scattered. The Searching the east end of the south wall can locate a secret door that leads
statue of a young naked woman, a tankard in one hand and a to the observatory (C50) with a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check.
lit candle in the other, stands near the table, a look of horror Treasure: There are 66 gp in total in the barrel, and the candle is an
upon her face as she surveys the chaos. A fist-sized bone die sits everburning candle.
balanced on the crown of her head. Near the table, a dagger is
thrust into a mound of plump, overripe blackberries clustered
within a large blue dish. C53. Lift Maintenance
Steps leading up provide maintenance access to the pulley and chain at
the top of the adjacent lift shaft.
The statues are another art installation and are the petrified remains
of honey addicts who fell unconscious from their habit and were turned
to stone by the Honeyman’s spirit animal. Visharix inserted the weapons C54. Washroom and Privy
that pierce their forms as their bodies petrified. The dagger is stuck into This room was a washroom and privy for guests’ servants, but it now
a severed hand laid at the bottom of the dish beneath a mound of the houses another example of Visharix’s “art.” The naked cadaver of a
inhabitant’s feces, which the fruit conceals. The blackberries are the man sits on the privy next to a pig on its haunches positioned as though
harvested fruit of the assassin vine. All the dice are loaded, and all the whispering into the man’s ear. The sow wears a black-and-white nun’s veil
cards are marked. The lit candle is an everburning candle. and dips a quill it holds in a front cloven hoof into a vial of ink held by the
Unless the PCs enter the area stealthily, hiding behind the tipped table man. An indulgence is scribed on a piece of parchment draped across his
is the Honeyman’s almiraj spirit animal called Jezîrat. The creature lap. Several more pieces of parchment are draped across a wooden roller
appears as a large gaunt rabbit with matted and bloodstained yellow on the wall near the man.
fur, sharp black fangs, bloodshot eyes, and a single, 2-foot-long, black,
spiraling horn protruding from its forehead. Jezîrat attempts to gore
a surprised opponent before thumping the floor with its powerful back C55. Aviary (Difficulty Deadly)
legs (a move action) to warn Visharix that intruders are near. Visharix,
however, is more intent on displaying his own artworks and does not come The walls of this large aviary are lined with long birdcages
to his spirit animal’s aid. Jezîrat attempts to flee down the stairs if reduced in which large numbers of bright yellow or red canaries, black
to fewer than five hp, but, as the almiraj cannot open the door itself, it can ravens, and gray pigeons have been pinned to their perches by
do this only if the door is already open. The walls are thin in the attic, and long nails driven through them. The ceiling slopes down from
any combat in this area likely alerts the occupants of the aviary (C55). a height of more than 15 feet at the south wall to less than 5
feet at the north and has a long, shuttered window and wide,
Jezîrat, Al-Mi’raj: AC 13; HP 20 (3d10+3); Spd 40ft; Melee wooden sills. Long tables are set against the walls under the
gore (+5, 1d4+3 piercing); SA spells; Immune poison; Str –2, cages. A golden throne-like high chair stands in the centre of
Dex +3, Con +1, Int –2, Wis +1, Cha –2; Senses darkvision the room.
60ft, passive Perception 11; Traits magic resistance; AL N;
CR 1/2; XP 100 (Appendix).
Innate Spells: at will—blink; 1/round—dimension door. Sitting upon the chair is the Honeyman. Visharix appears to be a dirty,
pale-skinned, gaunt human vagrant clad only in a ragged brown robe. A
medallion of black wood inscribed as an open eye hangs on a leather cord
around his neck, and a diadem carved of the same black wood sits on
his brow. While the chair looks as though it could be pushed over, it is
bolted to the floor and quite stable. Surrounding the chair, 6 honey addicts
dressed in courtier’s clothes kneel on hands and knees and fervently lap

50
 Horror in the Sinks
at the ooze that drips through a hole in the seat of the Honeyman’s chair. turned down to the ground. Another corpses is suspended within the harp,
Hiding in the bases of cages surrounding the room are 3 caul cuckoo pierced through from front to back by its string, its arms spread and face
syres. The 6 addicts dressed in finery are Nicolo and Caterina Boszaroza, upturned as though in rapture. Eight more cadavers are positioned around
their daughters, Alba and Helia, and a local noble couple, Harmattan and the huge instruments as though they were a choir, singing from a hymn
Cecilia Solestin. whose notes have been cut into the buttocks of a ninth who lies beneath
the instruments.
Visharix “The Honeyman”, Male Caul Cuckoo Queen Clr5:
AC 15; HP 170 (22d8+44 plus 5d8+5); Spd 30ft; Melee +5
(stinger x2, 2d4+2 plus caulspawn), +8 (tongue x3, 2d4+5 Basement (Difficulty Varies)
plus caulspawn); Immunity acid damage; SA mindworms
(60ft, can place thought in mind of a caulspawn addict Water has flooded the basement, pouring in from the coal chute (C6) and
or impose poisoned condition for 1d10 rounds), multiat- the west lift shaft (L1). The only dry spaces in the basement are the safe
tack (2x stinger, 3x tongue), syreling slick (spend round room (C58) and the sepulcher (C59), both of which are completely sealed
expelling a syreling slick), spells (Wis +6, Save DC 14); Str +2, off from the central space. The heavily polluted water of the Sinks’ canal
Dex +5, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +2; Senses darkvision has been considerably diluted by the flow of water from the Myre-Between
60ft, passive Perception 13; Traits caulspawn (creatures and it is not harmful to the touch, but it remains murky and opaque.
hit by tongue or sting must make DC 12 Con save or suffer This area is not mapped, other than the specific rooms at C58 and C59.
effects of caulspawn), distorted (critical hits inflict normal However, if the PCs wish to enter the flooded basement, they occupy a
damage +1); AL CE; CR 8; XP 3,900. (Appendix) dozen or more chambers that extend beneath the entire first floor of the
Cleric Spells (slots): 0 (at will)—guidance, resistance, manse. The water level matches the canal but, due to the tilt of the house,
sacred flame, thaumaturgy; 1st (4)— bane, guiding it is completely flooded to the 9-foot-high ceiling for the westernmost 60
bolt (necrotic), inflict wounds; 2nd (3)—blindness/ feet, and then gradually declines to an average of only 5 feet deep for the
deafness, spiritual weapon; 3rd (2)—bestow curse, spirit easternmost 30 feet. Medium and smaller characters must swim to move
guardians. in these flooded areas, but Medium creatures may have stable footing for
any combat. Most of this area is empty save for a few wooden boxes of
Caul Cuckoo Syre (3): AC 11; HP 1 (1d4–1); Spd 10ft, burrow household junk and rubbish.
5 ft, climb 10ft, swim 10ft; Immunity acid damage, prone; Roaming separately throughout the area are 4 giant leeches that recently
Resistance bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from non- wriggled through from the Myre-Between. Any vigorous movement in the
magical weapons; SA lullaby (30ft, 1 target, DC 13 Wis water, such as combat, attracts the others, each of which take 2d4 rounds
save or fall unconscious, duration 1 minute or until syre to arrive. In addition, for every minute spent in the basement, there is a
stops singing); Str -5, Dex +1, Con –1, Int -2, Wis +0, Cha +3; cumulative 10% chance of attracting the attention of a living disease that
Skills Stealth +5; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception has seeped in from the nearby canal and now lurks above the water at the
15; Traits AL N; CR 1/8; XP 25. (Appendix) back of the basement like a strange mist. It has been dormant for many
years, but it now moves to envelop any living creatures it senses.
HONEY ADDICTS (6) CR 2
XP 450 Giant Leech (4): AC 11; HP 110 (10d8
hp 82 (See Area C15) +20); Spd 5ft, swim 20ft; Melee +2
Equipment: Nicolo has the keys to the secret library (C16a), (bite, 2d6 piercing plus attach);
and to the safe held in the vault (C19). Str +0, Dex +1, Con +2, Int –5,
Wis +0, Cha –5; Senses blindsight
Tactics: Visharix is obsessed with his art and he does not initiate combat 30ft, passive Perception 10; Traits
when the PCs enter, preferring to relish their reactions to the art installation attach (attaches on successful
he currently participates in. He engages them in conversation for as long hit, inflicts 1d6/round, if forcibly
as they respond appropriately but grows quickly bored if the PCs push the removed target takes 1d6
discussion of subjects other than the interpretation and appreciation of his damage and 1d4 bleeding
art. If bored, he casts enthrall, as he expounds on his inspiration for the damage for 1d6 rounds),
composition of several installations around the mansion. In combat, he vulnerable to salt (hand-
enters melee before resorting to his few spells and hexes. If he is reduced ful of salt inflicts 1d6
to fewer than 25 hit points, he retreats and uses his doors to everywhere damage); AL U; CR 2;
ability to hole up in the safe room (C58). There, he recovers before re- XP 450. (Appendix)
launching his attack at an opportune moment.
The caul cuckoo syres try to remain hidden until combat begins, at Living Disease, Bloody
which point they begin their lullabies, targeting a separate PC each round. Flux: AC 12; HP 22
In their wire cages, the syres have improved cover but their doors can be (5d8); Spd fly 10ft,
opened with a move action. swim 10ft; Melee
Swarm: (+7,
1d8+2 pierc-
C56. Birdkeeper’s Quarters ing); Immunity
This room was once the quarters of the birdkeeper, but it now serves force damage;
as the Honeyman’s private sanctum. The bedding has been torn apart and blindness, charm, deafness,
woven with reeds and vines to form a nest in the southeast corner. exhaustion, fright, grappling,
Treasure: Six pieces of onyx worth 50 gp are in the privy sink basin. incapacitation, paralysis, petrifac-
tion, prone, stun, unconsciousness; Resistance bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing damage; Str -5, Dex +2, Con +0, Int -5,
C57. Guest Luggage Wis -2, Cha -5; Skills Stealth +6; Senses blindsight 60ft, passive
In the centre of the room is another of Visharix’s art installations. A lute Perception 8; Traits amorphous (can move through 1 sq. in.
and a harp of giant-size stand in the centre of the chamber, the foot of the gap), blend into darkness (invisible in dim light), bloody flux
harp breaking through the rose of the lute. The naked corpse of a man is (creature in same space must make a DC 10 Con save or
crucified on the lute; his arms broken and wrapped around the neck of the contract bloody flux), regeneration (heals 5 HP at the at the
instrument behind him and his feet nailed to its soundboard. His face is start of its turn), vulnerability to healing (lesser restoration kills
the living disease instantly); AL U; CR 1; XP 200. (Appendix)
51
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

C58. Safe Room (Difficulty Medium)

This room was designed as a secret area that the family of the house
could use to evade intruders. At the base of the spiral stair, which is
New Magic Item
accessed from the master bedroom (C38), is a small room containing
comfortable chairs and shelves built into the southern wall. A lever Spying Pane
protrudes from the upper east wall of the corridor that, if pulled down, This polished mithral mirror with an ornate copper frame is 4ft
causes a 6-inch-thick iron wall to drop down from a groove in the ceiling, long and 2ft wide. It can be hung or placed on a surface and then
sealing the room, opening a tiny vent to provide the room with air, and activated or deactivated by speaking a command word. The spying
arming a trap outside the room. At the top of the spiral stair, a lever opens pane forms a link with any mirror or framed art object such as a
and closes the secret fireplace entrance. painting that it touches while activated, up to a maximum of 20
Trap: When the iron wall is in place, a pressure plate in the square such objects. Each such link permits the user to look through the
outside is activated, and a stone block thrusts out of the wall to crush linked object’s frame as though it was a window. Touching the
anyone in that square. object to the spying pane a second time cancels the link, and if
the maximum number of links has been reached, linking a new
CRUSHING BLOCK TRAP object to the speculum breaks the oldest existing link. A link
Perception DC 16; Disable DC 13 Dexterity with thieves’ tools is also broken if the distance between the spying pane and the
<RULE> object exceeds 600ft. When activated, the surface of the spying
Effect Melee +15, 12d6 bludgeoning pane displays a grid of the currently linked views; touching one
of the views enlarges the window to its actual size or the size of
Treasure: The shelves contain 2 heavy crossbows, a case of 10 bolts, 4 the mirror, whichever is the smallest. Touching it again restores
clubs, 4 daggers, 2 longspears, 6 potions of healing, 2 potions of greater the grid. A spying pane can be used for as long as 10 minutes a
healing, 2 potions of heroism, 2 everburning lamps, a Heldring boardgame day, in increments of 1 minute. These increments do not need to
called halatafl, a deck of cards, a set of dominos, 6 winter blankets, 6 set be consecutive.
of cold-weather clothing, 6 bedrolls, 30 days of preserved rations, 50 days The spying pane in the Dimora Boszaroza is currently linked to
of water in several casks, a privy pail and several sealable small barrels a mirror or artwork in each of the following areas: library (Area
for waste. Hanging on the east wall is a mirror of polished mithral with an C16), laboratory (Area C17), gallery (Area C24), dining room
ornate copper frame. This mirror is a spying pane (see sidebar). (Area C25), drawing room (Area C29), game room (Area C30),
family room (Area C31), morning room (Area C32), master
bedroom (Area C38), bathroom (Area C39), landing (Area C43),
C59. Sepulcher the canal bedrooms (Area C44), the garden bedrooms (Area
C47), solarium (Area C49), and observatory (Area C50).
Stone sarcophagi are laid in shelved alcoves along the west and north
perimeters of this family mausoleum. Several of the alcoves are empty.
Treasure: In a sarcophagus marked as containing the remains of “Marea
Delaxannis Boszaroza,” a gold wedding band set with a rose diamond is
engraved with the words “May you only ever see my love for you” around
the inside. It is worth 3000gp. The diamond is a gem of seeing. However,
each day the wearer has a 5% chance of being cursed with blindness.
In a sarcophagus marked as containing the remains of Gorgomela
Darranaimor Boszaroza is a brooch of shielding engraved with a leafless
tree symbol.

52
 Horror in the Sinks

Concluding the
Adventure
If the Honeyman is identified as the source of the addictions and
killed, then the PCs have succeeded in bringing their Investigation to a
conclusion. If he escapes, however, he goes to ground and it may be some
time before his machinations reassert themselves elsewhere in the city.
If the PCs captured any of the caul cuckoo children and returned
them to their freed mothers, the maternal bonds prove strong enough to
re-establish a link and the children are redeemed to a Neutral alignment
within a few months of careful nurturing. What the future holds for this
extended family and if the children can ever truly be cured of their foul
Between taint, however, is left for another tale.
If the PCs saved any of the Boszarozas and they manage to recover
from their addictions, they open their home to any freed women so long
as at least one of their children were also saved. While this noble family’s
motivation may be linked to memories of caulspawn, perhaps things will
turn out well for all of them. Perhaps not. Surviving Boszarozas claim any
property taken by the PCs. If the PCs saved any of the honey addicts in the
Dimora Boszaroza, a fifth of them reward the PCs with 50 gp each and a
wealthy or influential new contact in the Sinks or beyond.
Eventually, the PCs need to report to District Commander Ghall, who
locates them within a few days if they fail to do so. This encounter goes
much as is already detailed in “Asylum Aftermath” (see Chapter 4). By
this time, however, any internal watch reports to Durmast have taken
effect. If the PCs showed their writ to a watch patrol when escaping the
Asylum or when trying to arrange a meeting with Ghall and this resulted
in a report to Durmast, then the PCs are not paid and Ghall is unfriendly
toward them. If Yonas was also killed, then the effects of these compound
to make things very difficult for the PCs.
If the PCs did not save the Boszarozas and claim the mansion for
themselves using the recovered deed, everything looks fine until several
weeks later when a small army of Capitol barristers arrives to strip them
of it and any of the wealth they took from it. The PCs are destined to fail
in any opposition to this action, and the more vigorously they try, the more
likely they are to see the inside of a Capitol jail cell. If the PCs hand the
property over to the freed women, however, and Orpha survived, an old
barrister friend of Orpha’s secures her the Dimora Boszaroza against any
competing claim, and when the lawyers arrive, they are repelled. In this
case, Orpha and the women become valuable allies of the PCs, barring any
contrary decisions that Molly may already have made, and the PCs each
earn a 2,000 XP story award.

53
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Appendix A:
New Monsters and Subtypes
Additional Abilities: Between creatures can have abilities that reflect

Between Subtype their habitat, history, environment, and supernatural nature. Adding one
such ability per age category is a good benchmark, but it’s not a hard-
and-fast rule. These abilities can be adapted from other monsters, drawn
A creature with this subtype is infused with the weirdness of Between from spell-like abilities, or can be new abilities you create. These abilities
and is shaped and changed by its environment and experiences. Some should be thematically appropriate to the Between and to the creature’s
Between creatures are bizarre versions of existing creatures (such as origin. Two new abilities that are especially suited to Between creatures
gargoyles and wyverns), while others are new creatures that don’t have a are Dislocated and Distorted.
non-Between equivalent (such as caul cuckoos and hymes). Dislocated: The creature’s form is made up of its memories, which shift
If you need (or just want) more Between creatures beyond those and change. The creature is continually under the effect of a blur spell
presented in the Tome of Blighted Creatures and Blight adventures, you (attacks against it are made with tactical disadvantage unless the attacker
can create them three ways. has blindsight, truesight, or an equivalent). The creature can suppress or
1. Apply a Between simple template from Appendix C. This produces reactivate this ability at will as a bonus action.
a creature that counts as a Between creature for most purposes, but it does Distorted: A distorted creature’s internal anatomy varies from individual
not gain the Between subtype or all the benefits of having the Between to individual and seldom makes any biological sense. Critical hits against
subtype. the creature do a flat +1 damage but don’t roll damage dice twice.
2. Convert an existing creature to the Between subtype using the Challenge: After making all these changes, the creature’s CR should
guidelines presented here. This involves more effort but gives the creature be reevaluated from scratch. As a simpler alternative, just increase the
the full benefits of the Between subtype. creature’s CR by +1 per Between age category. This will be close enough
3. Create a wholly new Between creature from scratch, following the in most cases, unless the creature gained especially powerful attacks.
guidelines below.

Converting an Existing Creature Create a New Creature

Creating a new Between creature is no different from creating any other
Creatures with the Between subtype gain the following abilities. (These are creature, as described in the GM’s rulebook. It’s easiest if you start by
already included in the Between creature stat blocks presented in this book). choosing its age category and proceed from there, but do what you’re
Between Age: Many of a creature’s statistics improve with the length of most comfortable with.
its exposure to Between. Because a Between creature can’t die of old age,
even normally short-lived creatures can become quite powerful through Between Creature Simple Templates
centuries of exposure. These increases are divided into five age categories,
according to how long the creature has been exposed to Between: larval, Although all life in Between is unique, some creatures (wolves, for
naiadic (15+ years), adult (50+ years), elder (150+ years), and ancient example) are common to the normal world and Between. The following
(600+ years). At each age category, a Between creature gains the following simple templates can be used to turn any creature that does not have the

• •
cumulative benefits: Between subtype into a Between creature. A creature given one of these
templates counts as a Between creature for the purposes of spells, abilities,
+1 to its Dex score; and magical items but it does not gain the Between subtype or the many

• •
+1 to one other ability score besides Dex; benefits of having the Between subtype — it gains only those benefits
+1 Hit Die (added to its hit points, + its Con modifier, as usual) specifically described in the simple template.

one feat (if feats are being used in your campaign) or proficiency in Larval Between
one type of saving throw.
1. Increase Str and Dex by +1.
Senses: A larval creature gains darkvision (30 feet) if it doesn’t already
2. Increase hit points by 1 Hit Die + Con modifier.
have darkvision. The range increases to 60 feet at naiadic age and to 120
3. Gains darkvision 30 feet if it doesn’t already have darkvision.
feet at adult. An elder creature gains blindsense (30 feet), and an ancient
4. Gains resistance to damage from monmagical weapons.
Between creature has blindsight (60 feet).
5. Gains Dislocated trait (attacks against it have tactical disadvantage
Damage Resistance: A naiadic creature gains resistance to damage
unless the attacker has blindsight, truesight, or their equivalent).
from nonmagical weapons. An adult creature gains resistance to cold,
6. Increase CR by +1.
force, and poison damage. An elder creature gains resistance to acid, fire,
and lightning damage. An ancient creature gains resistance to necrotic,
psychic, and thunder damage. All of these gains are cumulative, so an
Naiadic Between
ancient Between creature has resistance to all but radiant damage and 1. Increase Str and Con by +1, Dex by +2.
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from magical weapons. 2. Increase hit points by 2 Hit Dice + (Con modifier ×2).
Magic Resistance: An adult Between creature has Magic Resistance 3. Gains darkvision 60 feet if it doesn’t already have darkvision.
(1/day, when it fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead). This 4. Gains resistance to damage from nonmagical weapons.
increases to 2/day for ancient creatures. 5. Gains Dislocated trait (attacks against it have tactical disadvantage
Intelligence: If an animal’s Intelligence score is increased above 2, it unless the attacker has blindsight, truesight, or their equivalent).
gains the ability to understand and speak Deep Speech. 6. Gains proficiency in Dex saving throws.
54
 Horror in the Sinks
7. Increase speed by +10 feet. 5. Gains Dislocated trait (attacks against it have tactical disadvantage
8. Increase CR by +2. unless the attacker has blindsight, truesight, or their equivalent).
6. Gains proficiency in Dex, Con, and Wis saving throws.
Adult Between 7. Gains Innate Spellcasting (save DC 16): 3/day each—invisibility (self
only, duration 1 minute), spider climb; 1/day each—blink, mirror image.
1. Increase Dex by +3; increase Str, Con, and Int by +1 each.
8. Gains Magic Resistance (1/day, when it fails a saving throw, it can
2. Increase hit points by 3 Hit Dice + (Con modifier ×3).
succeed instead).
3. Gains darkvision 120 feet.
9. Increase speed by +20 feet.
4. Gains resistance to cold, force, and poison damage, and to damage from
10. Increase CR by +4.
nonmagical weapons.
5. Gains Dislocated trait (attacks against it have tactical disadvantage
unless the attacker has blindsight, truesight, or their equivalent).
Ancient Between
6. Gains proficiency in Dex and Con saving throws. 1. Increase Dex by +5; increase Int by +3; increase Str and Con by 1 each.
7. Gains Innate Spellcasting (save DC 15): 1/day each—invisibility (self 2. Increase hit points by 5 Hit Dice + (Con modifier ×5).
only, duration 1 minute), spider climb. 3. Gains darkvision 120 feet and blindsight 60 feet.
8. Gains Magic Resistance (1/day, when it fails a saving throw, it can 4. Gains resistance to all damage except radiant and bludgeoning, piercing,
succeed instead). and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
9. Increase speed by +10 feet. 5. Gains Dislocated trait (attacks against it have tactical disadvantage
10. Increase CR by +3. unless the attacker has blindsight, truesight, or their equivalent).
6. Gains proficiency in all saving throws.
Elder Between 7. Gains Innate Spellcasting (save DC 17): 3/day each—invisibility (self
only, duration 1 minute), spider climb; 1/day each—blink, dimension
1. Increase Dex by +4; increase Int by +2; increase Str and Con by 1 each.
door.
2. Increase hit points by 4 Hit Dice + (Con modifier ×4).
8. Gains Magic Resistance (2/day, when it fails a saving throw, it can
3. Gains darkvision 120 feet and blindsight 30 feet.
succeed instead).
4. Gains resistance to acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, and poison damage,
9. Increase speed by +20 feet.
and to damage from nonmagical weapons.
10. Increase CR by +5.

55
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Al-Mir’aj
This creature looks like a large rabbit with a unicorn-like horn
protruding from its head.

AL-Mir’aj
XP 100 (CR 1/2)
N Small monstrosity
Init +3

DEFENSE
AC 13
HP 20 (3d10 + 3)
Save Dex +5
Immune poison

OFFENSE
Speed 40ft
Melee gore (+5, 1d4+3 piercing)

STATISTICS
Str 6 (–2), Dex 17 (+3), Con 12 (+1),
Int 5 (–2), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 6 (–2)
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive
Perception 11

TRAITS
Innate Spellcasting The al-mi’raj
can cast the following spells
without material components:
At will: blink
1/round: dimension door (self only)
Magic Resistance The al-mi’raj has
advantage on all saving throws
against spells and other magic
effects.

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate plains
Organization solitary or warren (2-20)

The al-mi’raj is a dangerous creature with long white,

pink, yellow or light green fur. Its horn is golden or black in
color. Because of the al-mi’raj’s interdimensional travel abilities,
sages often refer to them as “blink bunnies.”
Al-mi’raj react to threats much differently than their normal
rabbit cousins. When danger is nearby, the al-mi’raj becomes
aggressive and moves to attack. In combat, the al-mi’raj stabs
with its horn.

Credit
The al-mi’raj originally appeared in the First Edition Fiend Folio
(©TSR/Wizards of the Coast, 1981) and is used by permission.

Copyright Notice
Authors Scott Greene and Clark Peterson, based on original material
by Roger Musson.

56
 Horror in the Sinks
Assassin vines seek prey in the form of living animals that are then

Assassin Vine used to fertilize and nourish the plant. They are unintelligent and attack
any living thing that comes within range. In late summer, smaller vines
branch off from the main plant and produce small fruits that resemble wild
This gnarled vine, as thick as a man’s arm and bearing hand-shaped blackberries. It is thought that the berries’ flavor improves as the assassin
leaves, convulses across the ground in an unnatural slither. vine collects victims, and the deadliest supposedly produce the sweetest
berries.
Seeds are spread by birds who feed on the berries and escape, but assassin
Assassin Vine vines can move slowly on their own. Should prey grow scarce, a vine may
XP 700 (CR 3) move to a new area, usually in forests and swamps, though some have been
Unaligned Large Plant known to appear in fields, vineyards and even more unexpected places.
Init +0
Copyright Notice
DEFENSE Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary, “Assassin Vine”
AC 13
HP 102 (12d10+36)
Save Con +5
Immune lightning
Resist cold, fire, blinded, deafened,
exhaustion

OFFENSE
Speed 5ft
Melee slam (+6, reach 10ft, 4d8+4
bludgeoning plus grapple)

STATISTICS
Str 19 (+4), Dex 10 (+0), Con 16 (+3),
Int 1 (–5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 9 (–1)
Senses blindsight 30ft (blind beyond
this radius), passive Perception 11

TRAITS
Camouflage Creatures have
disadvantage on Wis (Per-
ception) checks to see an
assassin vine. Anyone with
proficiency in Wis (Surviv-
al) or Int (Nature) can use
these skills to observe the
vine without penalty.
Constrict If an assassin vine hits
with its slam attack it may make
a grapple check on its opponent.
If it succeeds, the opponent is
grappled and the assassin vine
may use its action to inflict
slam damage on the grappled
target without making an at-
tack roll.
Entangle Assassin vines have
the ability to cause plants
within 30ft to animate and
grab foes. Anyone in this
area must make a DC 11 Dex
save or be restrained until their
next round.

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary, pair or patch (3-6)

57
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Basidirond
This strange plant consists of four spidery stalks,
long green tendrils, and an inverted bell-shaped
cap filled with spores.

Basidirond
XP 1,800 (CR 5)
Unaligned Medium Plant
Init +1

DEFENSE
AC 16
HP 135 (18d8 + 54)
Immunity cold damage; blinded,
charmed, deafened, exhaustion,
frightened, prone

OFFENSE
Speed 20ft
Melee +7 (slam, 6d8+4 bludgeoning)

STATISTICS
Str 18 (+4), Dex 13 (+1), Con 16 (+3),
Int 1 (–5), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 1 (–5)
Senses tremorsense 30ft (blind beyond this radius), passive
Perception 10

TRAITS
Cold Lethargy Although a basidirond is immune to cold
damage, any cold effect it is exposed to affects it as a
slow spell for 1d4 rounds. During this time, the basidirond
cannot use its hallucination cloud or spores.
Hallucination Cloud: Once per minute, a basidirond can
release a cloud of invisible spores in a 20-foot radius. All
creatures within the area must succeed on a DC 13 Con
save or be affected by powerful hallucinations. The crea-
ture must save each round it remains in the area and for
1d4 rounds after leaving the cloud. A hallucination cloud
persists for 5 rounds before dispersing, but a strong wind
causes it to disperse immediately. To determine what hal-
lucination is suffered each round, roll 1d6 and consult the
following table.

d6 Hallucination
You’re sinking in quicksand! Fall prone and spend 1
1
round flailing your arms and legs as if trying to swim.
Attacked by a swarm of spiders! You must spend ECOLOGY
2 your entire turn attacking the floor near you with Environment any non-cold underground
your weapon. Organization solitary, pair, or grove (3–8)

An item you hold has turned into a viper! Drop it and The strange fungal basidirond is a deadly plant monster that feeds on
3
flee from the item at top speed for 1 round. mineral-rich moisture, be it runoff from cave walls or fresh blood. By
You’re suffocating! Stand in place, hold your breath, ensuring a constant flow of nutritious moisture, canny cave dwellers can
4 use basidironds as guardians for their lairs, although they must take care
and clutch at your throat for 1 round.
to avoid the plant’s hunting routes lest they become its latest victims.
You’ve shrunk to 1/10th your normal size! Take no
5
actions for 1 round and monsters won’t see you. Copyright Notice
You’re melting! Grasp hold of yourself in an attempt Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary, “Basidirond”
6 to hold yourself together, and take no actions for 1
round.

Spores Any creature struck by a basidirond’s slam attack is

coated with spores. The creature struck must make a DC 13
Con save or these spores take root in his flesh, and particular-
ly in his lungs. Affected creatures take 3d6 poison damage.

58
 Horror in the Sinks

Caul Cuckoo
This is no ordinary human child, but an infection, something that leeched
upon a living babe whilst in the womb and smothered it, becoming something
partly human and partly from Between. Its form is fluid, oily almost, and the
disturbing mixture of human and slug is revolting to behold.

Caul Cuckoo
XP 1,800 (CR 5)
N Small aberration (Between)
Initiative +3

DEFENSE
AC 13
hp: 63 (14d6 + 14)
Saving Throws: Dex +6, Con +4, Wis +4
Resistance: nonmagical weapons
Immunity: acid damage; prone

OFFENSE
Speed: 10 ft., burrow 5 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft.
Multiattack: The caul cuckoo makes three tongue at-
tacks or sings its lullaby.
Melee Attack—Tongue: +5 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature).
Hit: 1d4 + 3 piercing damage plus 1d6 acid damage.
Area Attack—Lullaby: When a caul cuckoo wails its lullaby,
it has the same effect as a confusion spell that affects
all creatures within 300 feet of the caul cuckoo who can
hear the song. All potential targets must make successful
DC 15 Wis saving throws or become confused. The
confusion lasts for 1 minute or until the caul cuckoo stops
singing or loses concentration on its lullaby.

STATISTICS
Str 8 (-1), Dex 16 (+3), Con 12 (+1),
Int 9 (-1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 18 (+4)
Languages: Common, Deep Speech, Sylvan, telepathy 30 ft.
Skills: Perception +4, Stealth +6
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft. Caul cuckoos are the tragic result of an unborn child corrupted
by a caul cuckoo syre while still in its mother’s womb. When birthed
TRAITS by its human parent, a caul cuckoo is Tiny, but otherwise has all
Change Shape: A caul cuckoo has two forms. Its natural of its normal abilities. A caul cuckoo has a 50% chance of being
form is that of a sluglike thing with a distorted humanoid in either of its two forms at birth. If in its human form, it usually
head, but it can also take a humanoid form based on its waits until after nightfall to either escape into the night or murder
mother. A caul cuckoo can shift between its forms as a its sleeping parents and then escape. If born in its sluglike form, it
bonus action. Equipment worn or carried on its humanoid immediately attacks its mother and any others present in an attempt
form melds into its natural form. to escape.
Distorted: The caul cuckoo’s internal anatomy is radically Though the birth of these creatures is a rare occurrence, there is a
different from a normal humanoid’s. Critical hits against reason that many old midwives carry a bag of salt with them whenever
the creature do a flat +1 damage but don’t roll damage they attend a new delivery.
dice twice.
Horrific Appearance: Creatures that start their turn within
30 feet of a caul cuckoo in its natural form and who can
see it see must make a successful DC 15 Wis saving throw
Caul Cuckoo Syre
or be poisoned. This is a psychological effect, not actual This creature is a pallid pupa, no larger than a finger, with a tiny,
poison, so immunity to poison offers no protection. A poi- twisted humanoid face.
soned creature repeats the saving throw at the end of its
turn to end the effect. A successful saving throw makes
the creature immune to the horrific appearance of caul Caul Cuckoo Syre
cuckoos for 24 hours. XP 25 (CR 1/8)
Salt Vulnerability: A handful of salt burns a caul cuckoo as N Tiny aberration
though it was alchemist’s fire, doing 1d4 fire damage at Initiative +1
the start of the caul cuckoo’s turn until it’s extinguished by
spending an action to make a successful DC 10 Dex check. DEFENSE
AC 11
ECOLOGY hp: 1 (d4-1)
Environment: Any land (Between) Resistance: nonmagical weapons
Organization: Solitary, pair, gang (3–8), or cult (9–20)
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 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Immunity: acid damage; pronet Immunity acid

OFFENSE OFFENSE
Speed: 5 ft., burrow 5 ft., climb 5 ft., swim 5 ft. Speed 30ft
Ranged Attack—Lullaby: When a caul cuckoo syre wails its Multiattack 2 stingers, 3 tongues
lullaby, it targets one creature within 30 feet which must Melee +5 (stinger, 2d4+2 plus caulspawn), +8 (tongue, 2d4+5
succeed on a DC 13 Wis saving throw or fall unconscious. plus caulspawn)
Creatures with 5 or more HD are immune. A creature
that saves successfully is immune to all caul cuckoo syre STATISTICS
lullabies for 24 hours. An unconscious creature wakes up Str 14 (+2), Dex 20 (+5), Con 15 (+2),
after 1 minute, when it takes damage, or when another Int 14 (+2), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 15 (+2)
creature uses an action to awaken it. Languages Common, Sylvan
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11
STATISTICS
Str 1 (-5), Dex 12 (+1), Con 8 (-1), TRAITS
Int 6 (-2), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 16 (+3) Caulspawn A creature damaged by a caul cuckoo queen’s
Languages: Deep Speech, telepathy 30 ft. sting or tongue must succeed on a DC 12 Con save or
Skills: Stealth +5 suffer the effects of caulspawn (see sidebar below).
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft. Mindworms A caul cuckoo queen can stir the caulspawn
in an addict’s system. As an action, it can place a
TRAITS thought into the mind of a single creature suffering from
Salt Vulnerability: A handful of salt burns a caul cuckoo syre caulspawn addiction within 60 feet. The target believes
as though it was alchemist’s fire, doing 1d4 fire damage this thought is its own, and need not act on it, but it
at the start of the caul cuckoo’s turn until it’s extinguished receives no saving throw. The queen and its target do
by spending an action to make a successful DC 10 Dex not need to share a common language to sow complex
check. ideas. Alternatively, the queen can inspire feelings of
worms crawling under the skin, imposing the poisoned
ECOLOGY condition on the target for 1d10 rounds. This counts as
Environment: Any land (Between) being sickened by caulspawn for the effects of that drug
Organization: Solitary (see sidebar below). A successful DC 12 Wis save negates
either effect.
Caul cuckoo syres are the progenitors of caul cuckoos. They Syreling Slick A caul cuckoo queen has a brood of caul
spend the majority of their lives stealthily searching out pregnant cuckoo syrelings suspended within its caulspawn. A caul
humanoid females to infest, so they can corrupt their unborn cuckoo queen can spend its entire round, taking no other
children into caul cuckoos. actions, to open its layered hide and expel its brood as a
A caul cuckoo syre can detect pregnant humanoids within 60 feet by syreling slick into an adjacent space. The syreling slick is
smell. Strangely, caul cuckoo syres are also attracted by the odor of some treated as a summoned creature; if reduced to negative
ghouls, which consider caul cuckoo syres to be quite the delicacy. hit points it is sent back to Between. However, due to its
When a caul cuckoo syre locates a pregnant potential host, it crawls tie to the caul cuckoo queen, a syreling slick can touch
into the woman’s womb while she’s asleep. Over the course of the next and attack creatures warded by protection from evil
five days, it slowly dissolves into the developing embryo, bathing it in and similar effects that prevent contact with summoned
unnatural hormones. The woman experiences severe morning sickness creatures.
during those five days; a successful DC 13 Wis (Medicine) check When summoned in this way, the slick’s hit points are equal
made by a character with proficiency in Medicine spots the difference to the last time it was summoned plus any time it has had
between this sickness and typical morning sickness. By the end of the to naturally heal; the slick only heals naturally when it is in
five days, the syre is completely gone and the fetus is transformed into Between. The only exception to this is if the slick was slain,
a caul cuckoo. in which case it returns with half its normal hit points. The
If the syre’s presence is detected or even suspected, it can be removed slick remains until dismissed by the queen as an action. If
with a successful DC 15 Wis (Medicine) check. The check can be repeated the slick is sent back to Between due to death, it cannot
as many times as necessary, but if it fails by 5 or more, the host takes 1d6 be summoned again until the following day. The slick
slashing damage (which can easily kill a commoner with 4 or fewer hit cannot be sent back to Between by means of dispel
points). Lesser restoration or comparable magic destroys a caul cuckoo magic, but spells such as banishment function normally.
syre automatically and restores the fetus to normal health. If the queen is killed, its syreling slick is immediately
banished.
A queen has a close bond with its syreling slick. Whenever
Caul Cuckoo Queen the slick takes enough damage to send it back to
Between, as a reaction to the damage, the queen can
This filthy, barefoot vagrant is covered in a ragged robe and a cloyingly sacrifice any number of hit points it has as a bonus action.
sweet smell. Needle-like stingers protrude from its palms, and three Each hit point sacrificed in this way prevents 1 point of
barbed tongues erupt from its mouth and lash the air around it. damage dealt to the slick. This can prevent the slick from
being sent back to Between.
In addition, the slick and the queen must remain within 500
Caul Cuckoo Queen feet of one another for the slick to remain at full strength.
XP 2,300 (CR 6) If the slick is beyond 500 feet but closer than 5,000 feet, it
CE Medium Aberration loses its Between temporary hit points. If the slick is more
Init +5 than 5,000 feet away but closer than 10,000 feet, its
current and maximum hit point totals are reduced by 50%.
DEFENSE If the slick is more than 10,000 feet away, it is immediately
AC 15 returned to Between. Current and temporary hit points lost
HP 143 (22d8+44) in this way are not restored when the slick gets closer to its

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 Horror in the Sinks

New Drug: Caulspawn

Caulspawn (Ingested or Injury). Caulspawn is a pale-yellow,
viscous liquid caul cuckoo queens produce to protect and feed
their swarms of syrelings. If the substance is examined closely,
the syrelings can be seen as tiny gray worms distributed within
the liquid. As well as supporting the development of their young,
caulspawn has strong aphrodisiac and euphoria effects for most
fey, humanoids, and native outsiders that consume or inject it, and
for whom it proves remarkably addictive. Caul cuckoo queens
collect the sweet, honey-like substance in vials or wax-covered
paper to sell to victims once they become addicted.
For 1 hour after taking a dose of caulspawn, the user receives a
1d4 bonus to Charisma, and for 2d12 hours gains a feeling of well-
being interspersed with periods of euphoria. However, the user also
permanently loses 1d2 points of Wisdom. Creatures reduced to 0
Wisdom must succeed on a DC 13 Wis save or contract caulspawn
psychosis (see below).

Caulspawn Addiction
Caulspawn addiction is caused by an infestation of parasitic
syrelings whose nearly microscopic forms enter the body though
exposure to caulspawn. Once in the body, the worms travel along
the nervous system to the brain and spine, causing debilitating
neurological symptoms. Note that while infestations are a type
of affliction similar to diseases and a lesser restoration or similar
effect instantly cures an infestation, immunity to disease offers
no protection, as parasites cause the infestation. If a caul cuckoo
syre corrupts the development of a caulspawn addict’s fetus, the
pregnancy accelerates and the caul cuckoo is born in an average
of only 12 weeks.
Once per day an addict must succeed on a DC 11 Wis save, or
take a permanent –2 penalty to Con and Cha. The addict cannot
naturally heal ability damage caused by caulspawn unless suffering
from caulspawn psychosis (see below), addict is immune to caul
cuckoo lullabies. Curing the addiction requires 3 consecutive
successful saves.
queen, but its maximum hit point total does climb to the
levels indicated and eventually returns to normal. Caulspawn Psychosis
Individuals suffering from Caulspawn Psychosis become
ECOLOGY chaotic evil, gain a +5 bonus on Deception checks to hide their
Environment any land (Between) insanity, gain a +5 bonus on Deception checks to hide insanity,
Organization solitary gain immunity to caul cuckoo lullabies and to Wisdom damage
caused by caulspawn, and gain the ability to naturally heal existing
When a caul cuckoo reaches around 20 years of age, it finds a safe, dark Wisdom damage caused by caulspawn.
place to hide and envelops itself in a leathery cocoon using a substance
it applies with its tongues. Over the course of approximately one month, A caulspawn psychotic is obsessed with caulspawn and
in which the caul cuckoo is unconscious and helpless, it transforms into a with obtaining it by serving caul cuckoo queens. Whenever a
caul cuckoo queen. caul cuckoo queen uses its mindworms ability on a caulspawn
A caul cuckoo queen appears as a humanoid vagrant covered in a dirty, psychotic, it can choose to have the implanted thought act as
ragged robe but this “robe” is actually a layered hide that the queen can open suggestion instead of a normal thought.
to reveal translucent, pale-yellow flesh riddled with pores that constantly A caulspawn psychotic may suppress her psychosis for a period
weep a honey-like substance called caulspawn, a powerful aphrodisiac and of 1 day by making a Wis save against the DC of her insanity.
euphoriant (see sidebox below). A caul cuckoo queen has a brood of caul The suppression DC increases by +2 for each successful save until
cuckoo syrelings that it can summon from Between as a syreling slick. In the caulspawn psychotic fails the saving throw, at which point the
combat, both this composite ooze creature and the queen, which has stingers suppression DC reverts to the insanity’s base DC. For the most part,
that it can extrude from sheaths in the palm of its hands and a trio of long, the impact of caulspawn psychosis must be roleplayed, although
sharp tongues, use the debilitating aspects of caulspawn as a weapon, not all players find entertainment in roleplaying a drug-obsessed
leaving devastating addictions, as well as physical injuries, in their wakes. servant of monsters. In such cases, the GM should assume control
of the character whenever his psychosis is in control.
A caulspawn psychotic can make saves to recover from her
Syreling Slick insanity only when she has not taken caulspawn within the
last week. Should a character take a dose of caulspawn, she
This pale-yellow, serpentine ooze has small gray flecks suspended immediately relapses, causing the insanity DC to return instantly
within its syrupy mass. to its base DC, negating any successful past saves.
XP 700 (CR 3)
Unaligned Medium Ooze
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 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Init –5 aged by its slam attack must succeed on a DC 12 Con
save or suffer the effects of caulspawn (see sidebar be-
DEFENSE low).
AC 5 Engulf: A creature struck by a syreling slick’s slam attack
HP 104 (16d8 + 32 plus 16 temporary HP if in communication must succeed on a DC 12 Dex save or become restrained
with caul cuckoo queen) by the viscid ooze. The target or an adjacent creature
Immune acid, piercing damage; blinded, charmed, can spend its turn scraping off the clinging fluid, allowing
deafened, diseased, exhaustion, frightened, prone a new Dex save with a +2 bonus; otherwise, the effect
lasts for 1d4 minutes.
OFFENSE
Speed 10ft, climb 10ft, swim 30ft ECOLOGY
Melee slam (+4, 6d6+4 bludgeoning plus caulspawn and Environment aquatic and marshes
engulf) Organization solitary

STATISTICS A syreling slick is the first stage of the caul cuckoo lifecycle and is
Str 14 (+2), Dex 1 (–5), Con 15 (+2), linked to a caul cuckoo queen. It is a composite ooze creature that
Int 3 (–4), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 6 (–2) comprises a swarm of immature caul cuckoo syres, all at various stages
Senses blindsight 30ft, passive Perception 10 of development, held within a gelatinous mass of caulspawn. The proto-
syre’s primitive hive mind grants it a limited intelligence that is able to
TRAITS animate the caulspawn ooze into a vehicle and weapon.
Between Link: A syreling slick shares a mental link with its Syres that reach maturity disappear from the syreling slick and are
caul cuckoo queen that allows for communication across immediately born through one of the pores in its queen’s flesh. They
any distance (as long as they are on the same plane). squirm out into the world to crawl away in search of pregnancies to
This communication is a free action, allowing the queen corrupt.
to give orders to its syreling slick at any time. This link also Syreling slicks can be harvested for the caulspawn they consist of.
infuses the syreling slick with Between power, granting 1 Each dose of caulspawn harvested deals 1 point of damage to the slick,
temporary hit point per HD (16 for most syreling slicks). however, resulting in its return to Between unless healed far before much
Caulspawn: A creature engulfed by a syreling slick or dam- of its actual mass can be taken.

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 Horror in the Sinks

Cobra Flower
This tall, slender plant has a large flowering bulb topping its brownish-
green roots. Two large green leaves flank its flowering top, giving the
appearance of a cobra’s hood. Its leaves are thin and have transparent
blotches on them.

Cobra Flower
XP 1,100 (CR 4)
Unaligned Medium Plant
Init +3

DEFENSE
AC 13
HP 110 (20d8 + 20)
Immunity poison damage; blinded deafened,
frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, prone

OFFENSE
Speed 5ft
Melee +3 (bite, 4d6+1 piercing
plus 2d6 acid and grab)

STATISTICS
Str 13 (+1), Dex 17 (+3), Con 12
(+1),
Int 1 (–5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 9 (–1)
Senses blindsight 30ft (blind beyond this
radius), passive Perception 11

TRAITS
Constrict: A grabbed creature automatically
takes 1d6+1 bludgeoning and 1d6 acid dam-
age each turn.
Grab: A creature that is hit by the seedling’s
bite attack is considered restrained. A restrained
creature can escape with a successful Str contest
against the seedling.

ECOLOGY
Environment temperate and cold forests
Organization solitary or patch (2–4)

Cobra flowers draw nutrients from sunlight, the soil, and water, but
enjoy a diet of insects, rodents, animals, and even humanoids when
available. The creatures can be found nesting in forests and often take up
residence near small population areas where they can feed on humanoids
who wander into their area. Many a child’s or adult’s disappearance can
be attributed to a cobra flower.
When a cobra flower detects a living creature, it remains motionless
until its prey is within 5 feet. It then spreads its leafy hood, opens its
flowery bulb, and bites its prey, secreting acidic enzymes to break down
and digest the victim.

Copyright Notice
Author Scott Greene.

63
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
matter are immune to the ooze’s acid.

Garden Ooze Camouflage: A garden ooze is difficult to spot when it is at

rest among plant growth of any type. A DC 12 Wis (Per-
ception) check is required to notice the ooze is a sepa-
What seems to be a mass of diseased fibers growing on a plant suddenly rate entity and not a diseased portion of the plant it rests
moves and slithers independently from its sickly host. upon. The ooze automatically hits with a slam against any
creature that fails to notice the ooze and comes within
range.
Garden Ooze Stink: Once every 24 hours, a garden ooze can release
XP 450 (CR 2) foul-smelling gases in a 5-foot-radius spread centered on
Unaligned Small Ooze the ooze. The ooze usually does so after it is first injured.
Init +3 The stench of these vapors is overpowering during the first
round it exists, causing living creatures within it to become
DEFENSE poisoned for 1d3 rounds. A DC 11 Con save negates the
AC 13 effect.
HP 39 (6d8 + 12)
Immune acid damage; blinded, charmed, deafened, ex- ECOLOGY
haustion, frightened, prone Environment temperate forest, marshes and urban
Resist cold, fire Organization solitary, pair or patch (3-5)

OFFENSE At first glance, a garden ooze looks like nothing more than a patch
Speed 20ft, climb 20ft of diseased or rotting matter adhering to a normal plant. On closer
Melee slam (+5, 2d4 bludgeoning plus 2d8 acid) inspection however, the ooze reveals its true nature — an animate mass of
protoplasmic slime that feeds on carrion or small animals. Garden oozes
STATISTICS can move surprisingly quickly, often pursuing prey as it flees, changing
Str 11 (+0), Dex 16 (+3), Con 15 (+2), color to hide its presence as it does so. Occasionally, certain gardeners
Int 1 (–5), Wis 1 (–5), Cha 2 (–4) who may or may not be suicidal actually cultivate garden oozes as natural
Senses blindsight 60ft, passive Perception 5 predators to catch vermin and small pests.

TRAITS Copyright Notice

Acid: A garden ooze excretes digestive acid that can dis- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 3, “Garden Ooze”
solve flesh. Creatures made of harder materials or plant

1d4 damage per round for 1d6 rounds. A DC 12

Giant Leech Wis (Medicine) check will stop the bleeding. A

giant leech will drop off if its target is dead or
if it is killed. It can also voluntarily drop off to
A parasite ballooned to monstrous proportions undulates in the escape or fight.
muck, its circular maw a spiral of teeth. Vunerable to Salt: A handful of salt burns a
giant leech like acid, inflicting 1d6 points
of damage.
Giant Leech
XP 450 (CR 2) ECOLOGY
Unaligned Medium Beast Environment temperate or warm
Init +1 marshes
Organization cluster, pair, or brood (3–6)
DEFENSE These invertebrate parasitic relatives of
AC 11 the worm lurk in stagnant or slow-moving water,
HP 110 (10d8 + 20) waiting for a suitable host.

OFFENSE Copyright Notice

Speed 5ft, swim 20ft Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary, “Giant Leech”
Melee +2 (bite, 2d6 piercing plus attach)

STATISTICS
Str 11 (+0), Dex 12 (+1), Con 14 (+2),
Int 1 (–5), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 1 (–5)
Senses blindsight 30ft, passive
Perception 10

TRAITS
Attach: When a giant leech’s bite
attack hits, it is attached to
its target. While attached
may not attack other targets, but automatically
inflicts 1d6 damage each round that it remains
attached due to blood drain. The target crea-
ture can use an action to pull the leech loose,
but the action inflicts another 1d6 points of
damage, and the wound continues to bleed, inflicting
64
 Horror in the Sinks

Living Disease,
Bloody Flux
A dark mist roils and retracts, probing its environment with ephemeral
tendrils.

Swarm of Bloody Flux

XP 200 (CR 1)
Unaligned Medium swarm of Tiny beasts (living disease)
Initiative +2

DEFENSE
AC 12
hp: 22 (5d8)
Resistance: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
Immunity: force damage; blindness, charm, deafness,
exhaustion, fright, grappling, incapacitation, paralysis,
petrifaction, prone, stun, unconsciousness

OFFENSE
Speed: fly 10 ft., swim 10 ft.
Melee Attack—Swarm: +7 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature).
Hit: 1d8 + 2 piercing damage.

Str 1 (-5), Dex 14 (+2), Con 10 (+0),

Int 1 (-5), Wis 6 (-2), Cha 1 (-5)
Languages: None
Skills: Stealth +6
Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.

TRAITS Living diseases are swarms of harmful bacteria or viruses that have
Amorphous: The swarm can move through gaps as small as supernaturally gained limited sentience under exceedingly foul or magical
1 square inch without penalty. It can move through and conditions. They seek out hosts to propagate their contagion. Their
remain in spaces occupied by other creatures without individual components are microscopic; the only reason they can be seen
hindrance. is because they form swarms containing billions of individual organisms.
Blend Into Darkness: A swarm of bloody flux is invisible in dim A living disease has the appearance of a floating shadow or dimness
light. with indistinct edges. It offers no resistance to solid objects that enter its
Bloody Flux: A creature that starts its turn in the same space space; it can’t be felt even as a subtle dampness (like a mist) or coolness
as a swarm of bloody flux must make a successful DC 10 (like a shadow). They make no sound whatsoever. They’re most dangerous
Con saving throw or contract the disease bloody flux. A at twilight and nighttime, when their presence in a dimly-lit campsite or
creature that contracts bloody flux gains 1 level of ex- hovel is almost impossible to detect.
haustion immediately and must make a DC 10 Con saving Living diseases are extremely rare, but they are also highly varied.
throw after every long rest. If the saving throw fails, the There are potentially as many different kinds of living diseases as there
creature gains another level of exhaustion; if it succeeds, are diseases. Only bloody flux is described here, but it can be used as
the creature recovers from 1 level of exhaustion. The dis- a model for others. A living disease instinctively avoids undead, oozes,
ease ends when the creature has no levels of exhaustion plants, constructs, and other creatures that aren’t suitable hosts.
or when it receives a lesser restoration spell or comparable This disease is endemic to the Sinks district of Castorhage, with a major
magic. outbreak occurring every few years though largely remaining contained to
Regeneration: The swarm heals 5 hit points at the start of its that portion of the city. On occasion, it spreads to other poor, overcrowded
turn. This ability doesn’t function if it took cold or poison areas of the city where clean water is in short supply. Bloody flux is
damage since its previous turn. generally contracted through exposure to water that’s been contaminated
Vulnerability to Healing: A lesser restoration spell cast on a with fecal matter from someone already suffering from the disease or, as
living disease kills the swarm instantly. is the case in the Sinks, the presence of one or more bloody flux living
diseases that travel through sewers and along filthy gutters lining the
ECOLOGY streets. The disease enters the intestinal tract of the victim and causes
Environment: Castorhage and other warm, moist urban inflammation resulting in fever, painful cramping, and frequent bloody
areas diarrhea that leads to severe dehydration and eventually death.
Organization: Solitary or plague (2-7)

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 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Ooze, Canker
A transparent mass of pitted and colorless protoplasm extends a
pseudopod as it undulates through the murky water.

Ooze, Canker
XP 2,300 (CR 6)
Unaligned Medium ooze
Init –5

DEFENSE
AC 5
HP 130 (20d8 + 40)
Immune acid, cold damage; blinded, charmed, deafened,
diseased, exhaustion, frightened, prone

OFFENSE
Speed 10ft, swim 30ft
Melee slam (+7, 6d6+4 bludgeoning plus 3d8 acid)

STATISTICS
Str 18 (+4), Dex 1 (–5), Con 15 (+2),
Int 1 (–5), Wis 4 (–3), Cha 4 (–3)
Senses blindsight 60ft, passive Perception 7

TRAITS
Acid: The digestive acid that covers a canker ooze dissolves
metal weapons and armor. Nonmagical weapons and
armor that come in contact with the ooze are corroded
by its acidic secretions. After dealing damage, a corrod-
ed metal weapon takes a permanent and cumulative
–1 penalty. Once this penalty reaches –5 the weapon is
destroyed. Nonmagical metal armor that is struck by the
ooze takes a –1 permanent, cumulative penalty. When its
total AC (excluding Dex bonus) is reduced to 10, the ar- Transparent (Ex) Due to its lack of vivid coloration, a canker
mor is destroyed. ooze is difficult to discern from its surroundings in most
Disease Carrier (Ex) A canker ooze is not subject to the ef- environments, and especially underwater. Out of water, a
fects of diseases. If a canker ooze contracts a disease, DC 12 Wis (Perception) check is required to notice a canker
any creatures it damages with its slam attack are exposed ooze. Any creature that fails to notice a canker ooze and
to the disease. moves into it automatically suffers damage as if struck by
Noxious Cloud (Ex) Once every 1d4+1 rounds, a canker the ooze’s slam attack and is immediately subject to a
ooze can emit a cloud of acidic vapor. All creatures with- grab attempt by the ooze. When underwater, a canker
in 15 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Dex save or take 2d6 ooze gains concealment and can use the Stealth skill while
acid damage and be blinded and left choking for 1d3 moving at its normal speed without penalty.
rounds. A choking creature cannot breathe or speak, and
must hold its breath or begin suffocating. Any creature ECOLOGY
that does not breathe is immune to these choking effects. Environment aquatic and marshes
Creatures that succeed on their saving throw take half Organization solitary
damage and are not blinded or choking. The save DC is
Constitution-based. Canker oozes are an aquatic variant of the gray ooze that dwells in
Paralysis (Ex) A canker ooze secretes an anesthetizing slime. the swamps of the Sinks. Similar to the deeper water crystal ooze with
A creature grappled by a canker ooze must succeed on their paralytic slime, canker oozes are distinguished by their ability to
a DC 12 Con save or be paralyzed for 3d6 rounds. The bubble off an acid cloud of vapor and for frequently passing on water-
save DC is Constitution-based. borne diseases.

66
 Horror in the Sinks
Senses blindsight 60ft, passive Perception 10

Sargassum Fiend TRAITS

Mirage All creatures with 300ft of the fiend must make a DC
This shifting mass of green seaweed transforms from the shape of a 14 Wis save or become enraptured by its hallucinatory
humanoid back to a patch of algae, continually changing. scent. An enraptured creature sees the sargassum fiend
as person, place or thing that it is most likely to approach,
such as a lost loved one, a huge treasure, food for the
Sargassum Fiend starving, etc. This illusion is complete, engaging all senses,
XP 5,000 (CR 9) but ends if the fiend makes an attack against any target.
N Large Plant (aquatic)
Init +2 ECOLOGY
Environment any oceans
DEFENSE Organization solitary, pair or bed (3–8)
AC 16 (natural)
HP 190 (20d10 + 80) These dangerous sea-plants are actually masses of intelligent
Immunity blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, fright- seaweed that secrete a powerful hallucinogenic pheromone that attracts
ened, prone unsuspecting prey. Once it has approached close enough, an unfortunate
Resistance slashing damage from non-magical weapons victim is seized and crushed to death. Sea tales tell of entire ship crews
enraptured and devoured by beds of carnivorous weed.
OFFENSE A sargassum fiend’s pheromone is produced by organic bulbs that
Speed 20ft, climb 20ft, swim 40ft cover the creature’s body. A fresh bulb will last one hour before becoming
Multiattack 2 slams useless; until then it can be crushed as an action to produce the mirage
Melee +9 (slam, reach 10ft, 5d8+5 bludgeoning) effect described above. A single fiend yields 1d6 bulbs, and each one
requires a DC 18 Wis (Survival) check to harvest successfully.
STATISTICS
Str 20 (+5), Dex 14 (+2), Con 18 (+4), Copyright Notice
Int 2 (–4), Wis 11 (+0), Cha 15 (+2) Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 3, “Sargassum Fiend”

to be a piece of low-hanging fruit. A serpent creeper

Serpent Creeper uses this ruse to draw its prey in closer. Any creature
approaching a serpent creeper is allowed
a DC 20 Wis (Perception) check; if the
This large vine springs to life revealing a serpentine head with check fails then the creeper can attack
fanged mouth. with surprise.

ECOLOGY
Serpent Creeper Environment temperate or warm forests
XP 1,100 (CR 4) Organization solitary or grove (2–6)
N Large Plant
Init +3 Serpent creepers are dangerous carnivorous plants
that resemble 12-foot long pythons. When at rest, their green and
DEFENSE brown coloration and the leafy patterns on their scales make them hard
AC 16 (natural) to distinguish from ordinary vines. Whether these creatures are naturally
HP 120 (16d8+48) occurring or some weird magical cross of serpent and plant is unknown.
Immunity blinded, charmed, Serpent creepers are typically 12-15 feet long. Their bodies are green
deafened, exhaustion, and brown scales covered with various leaf-like patterns
frightened, prone to aid them in their camouflage. Some serpent creepers
can change the color of their scales slightly to better
OFFENSE match their surroundings, adding to the ruse. Young
Speed 30ft, climb 30ft serpent creepers are rarely encountered, but have
Melee +6 (4d8+4 plus 2d6 acid) been spotted. They appear as smaller versions of
the adults, about 3 feet long. Reproduction and
STATISTICS life cycles of serpent creepers are unknown.
Str 18 (+4), Dex 17 (+3), Con 16 (+3), Serpent creepers are quintessential ambush
Int 1 (–5), Wis 12 (+2), Cha 2 (–4) hunters. When hunting, a serpent creeper hangs
Senses darkvision 60ft (blind beyond from a tree and puffs out its air sac, disguising it as
this radius) a fruit indigenous to the local area. When prey moves in
to examine or pluck the fruit, the serpent creeper springs to
TRAITS life and quickly coils around the target while biting it. Slain prey
Acidic Poison: The bite of a ser- is dragged to a safe place and devoured over the course of several hours.
pent creeper deals 2d6 points An unfinished meal is left to forest scavengers. Serpent creepers have a
of acid damage initially and particular like for the flesh of goblins and halflings.
1d6 points of acid damage
each round thereafter. A DC
13 Con save or a DC 13 Wis (Med-
icine) check ends the ongoing acid damage. Multiple
bites are cumulative.
Lure: A serpent creeper has a special air sac in its throat
that it can turn inside out. By doing so, the air sac appears
67
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City

Sirine Flower
The creature appears as an animated plant with a flowering base and
several writhing stalks each topped with flowers of re,d amber, gold,
silver, bronze and purple.

Sirine Flower
XP 700 (CR 3)
U Medium Plant
Init +0

DEFENSE
AC 15 (natural)
HP 104 (16d8 + 32)
Immunity blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion,
frightened, prone
Resistance fire damage

OFFENSE
Speed 10ft
Multiattack 4 tendrils
Melee +4 (tendril, 2d4+2 slashing plus
grab)

STATISTICS
Str 14 (+2), Dex 10 (+0), Con 14 (+2),
Int 10 (+0), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 14 (+2)
Senses blindsight 60ft (blind beyond this
radius), passive Perception 11

TRAITS
Charming Song: Sirine flowers emit a soothing
and tranquil humming in a 60ft radius that
resembles music or birds singing. Those hearing the song Sirine flowers are sentient, slow-moving, flesh-eating, 5-foot tall
must succeed on a DC 13 Wis save or become captivat- flowers with many thick stalks and leaves. The flower emits a pleasant
ed by the sound. A creature that successfully saves is not odor noticeable to a range of 30 feet. They are most often found in dense
subject to the same sirine flower’s song for one day. A vic- forests near other plants where they sit waiting for prey to move within
tim under the effects of this ability moves toward the sirine range. Typical prey for a sirine flower includes small birds, rodents
flower using the most direct means available. If the path and other such creatures. Such creatures supply the sirinee flower with
leads into a dangerous area such as through fire or off a sustenance for a time, but in order to gain the nutrients it needs to sustain
cliff, that creature receives a second saving throw to end it, the sirine flower must kill an intelligent creature and feed on its essence.
the effect before moving into peril. Captivated creatures The sirine flower typically stands about 5 feet tall from base to the tip
can take no actions other than to defend themselves. A of its stalks. They can grow to a height of nearly10 feet, though flowers
victim within 5ft of the sirine flower simply stands and offers this large are uncommon at best. The base of a sirine flower is a thick,
no resistance to the sirine flower’s attacks. This effect con- leathery brown-colored sac about 2 feet in diameter, located just beneath
tinues for as long as the sirine flower sings and for 1 round the surface of the ground. Strong, thick roots grow in all directions from
thereafter. the base, reaching lengths of 5 to 6 feet. Above ground, a thick clump of
Concealment: Spotting a sirine flower in woodland terrain leaves grows from the base of the plant. From these leaves a series of 6 to
requires a successful DC 15 Wis (Perception) check. 10 stalks reach upward. Each stalk is thick, slightly coarse and leathery to
Grab: A creature that is hit by a sirine flower’s tendril attack the touch with many small leaves and flowers growing from it. Flowers
must make a DC 13 Dex save or be grabbed. A grabbed are red, amber, gold, silver, bronze, purple, or gray. Hidden among the
creature is restrained and can escape with a successful base leaves and stalks are the creatures four tendrils which it uses to
Str contest against the flower on its turn. The flower cannot ensnare its prey. The tendrils, like the stalks, are grayish-brown in color.
make additional attacks with a tendril that has grabbed a The sirine flower begins combat using its charm ability to lure its prey
target. in where it can attack with its tendrils. Once an opponent is within range, it
Intelligence Drain: A grabbed creature must make a lashes out, attempting to grab the foe with its tendrils. A grabbed opponent
successful DC 14 Int save on the sirine flower’s turn or is held and drained of its Intelligence until it escapes, is slain, or rendered
take an additional 2d10 psychic damage and have its Int unconscious (and helpless). Unconscious foes are slain and devoured by
scores reduced by 1d4. the sirine flower’s roots but only if all other attackers have been slain,
rendered unconscious, or fled. If the sirine flower still faces aggressors,
ECOLOGY it turns its attention to them. Only when all are defeated or fled, does the
Environment temperate forests or marshes sirine flower digest its meal.
Organization solitary, pair or grove (3–5)

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 Horror in the Sinks
Perception 5

Slime Mold TRAITS

Concealment In forest environments, slime molds receive
What at first seemed to be a carpet of fungi and mushrooms suddenly +10 to Dex (Stealth) checks and anyone attempting to
stirs to life, surging forward with a reek of decay. detect a slime mold has disadvantage on Wis (Percep-
tion) checks. Outside of forests, slime molds lose the +10
Dex (Stealth) bonus but searchers are still at disadvantage
Slime Mold on Wis (Perception).
Disease Creatures struck by a slime mold’s slam attack must
XP 2 (CR 450) succeed on a DC 13 Con save or contract fungal rot. A
Unaligned Large Ooze sufferer must then succeed on another DC 13 Con save each
Init –1 day or gain the poisoned condition and have its maximum hit
points are reduced by 1d6. A sufferer dies if its maximum HP
DEFENSE reaches 0. One successful save cures the condition.
AC 12
HP 95 (10d10 + 40) ECOLOGY
Immunity blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, Environment temperate forests
frightened, prone Organization solitary or infestation (2–5)

OFFENSE Slime molds are symbiotic organisms that dwell among the detritus
Speed 20ft of forest floors, but are sometimes encountered in sewers or caverns.
Melee +5 (slam, 3d8+3 bludgeoning plus disease) They grow up to 12 feet in length and can weigh over 600 lb. Covered in
mushrooms, fungi and mildew, they typically remain well hidden before
ferociously attacking prey that come within range. Prey are absorbed and
STATISTICS their tissues broken down by the mold’s symbiotic organisms, providing
Str 16 (+3), Dex 8 (–1), Con 18 (+4), sustenance to both the mold and its symbiotes.
Int 1 (–5), Wis 1 (–5), Cha 1 (–5)
Skills Stealth +10 (in forest terrain) Copyright Notice
Senses blindsight 30ft (blind beyond this radius), passive Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 2, “Slime Mold”

bite damage on a grappled creature, or make a swallow

Tendriculos attack.
Swallow: A tendriculos can automatically swallow one
grappled creature. A swallowed creature is blinded and
This plant’s thick trunk is capped by a crown of wide leaves, whipping restrained. It takes 1d8+3 bludgeoning damage plus 1d8
vines, mushrooms, and a ravenous purple maw. acid damage automatically at the start of each of the
tendriculos’ turns. One Medium creature or two Small
creatures can be inside the tendriculos at one time. A
Tendiriculos swallowed creature is unaffected by anything happening
XP 1,100 (CR 4) outside the tendriculos or by attacks from outside it, with
Unaligned Large Plant one exception; if the tendriculos takes fire damage,
Init –2 creatures inside it take half as much fire damage. If
a swallowed creature inflicts more than 15 points of
DEFENSE damage, the tendriculos must make a DC 12 Con save
AC 8 or regurgitate the swallowed creature. If the tendriculos
HP 93 (11d10 + 33) is slain, swallowed creatures can get out by using 5ft of
Immunity poison and psychic damage; charmed, fright- movement.
ened, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned, unconscious
Resistance bludgeoning and slashing damage ECOLOGY
Vulnerability fire damage Environment forest/jungle
Organization solitary
OFFENSE
Speed 20ft A voracious combination of plant, fungus and animal traits, a
Multiattack 2 tendrils and one bite attack tendriculos is brought into being when foul or evil magic corrupts the
Melee +6 (tendril, reach 10ft, 1d8+5 bludgeoning plus forces of nature, or when dark energies seep through from the fey or
grapple), +6 (bite, 2d8+5 piercing) other planes. Normally a tendriculos lies in wait and ambush prey, letting
their powerful digestive acids digest anything it consumes. Tendriculos
STATISTICS reproduce asexually, laying egg-like spheres which produce huge clouds
Str 20 (+5), Dex 9 (–1), Con 16 (+3), of spores that are then spread on the wind.
Int 2 (–4), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 4 (–3) Possessed of a rude, minimal intelligence, a tendriculos can sometimes
Skills Stealth +1 (+6 in forest or jungle terrain) be made to understand a few words in a single language, allowing some
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 10 particularly evil fey or druids to form alliances with them, providing their
horrific pets with food in exchange for protection.
TRAITS A tendriculos is 20 feet tall and weighs 3,500 pounds.
Camouflage: Tendriculos receive a +5 bonus to Dex (Stealth)
when in jungle or forest terrain. Copyright Notice
Grapple: A creature hit by a tendriculos’ tendril attack must Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 2, “Tendriculos”
make a successful DC 12 Dex save or be grappled. The
tendriculos cannot attack with tendrils that grapple oppo-
nents, and a creature grappled by more than one tendril
is restrained. A tendriculos can either automatically inflict
69
 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
Anyone with proficiency in Wis (Survival) or Int (Nature)

Weedwhip can use either of those skills instead of Wis (Perception) to

notice the plant.
Dig In: A weedwhip can bury its central bulb as a move ac-
This strange, vibrant plant slowly but dangerously whips about its trio tion, granting it half cover against all attacks, but prevent-
of tendrils with spiked heads. ing it from moving. It can extract itself from the ground as
a move action.
Languid Whips: The weedwhip does not make opportunity
Weedwhip attacks.
XP 450 (CR 2) Poison: Creatures struck by a weedwhip attack must make
Unaligned Medium Plant a DC 12 Con save or be poisoned.
Init +3
ECOLOGY
DEFENSE Environment temperate or warm forests
AC 16 Organization solitary, pair, or patch (3–6)
HP 88 (16d8 + 16)
Immunity blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, This unpleasant plant can sprout almost anywhere and produces a
frightened, prone stench that resembles rotting fish and repels most animals, who refuse
to eat it. Unsuspecting farmers and others who attempt to remove these
OFFENSE troublesome nuisances often encounter a weedwhip’s more dangerous
Speed 10ft aspects.
Multiattack 3 tentacles Fully grown weedwhips resemble a large bulb whose underside sprouts
Melee +5 (tentacle, reach 15ft, 1d6+3 slashing plus poison) small roots used for movement. Three large, whip-like vines, studded
with thorns, grow from the top. A weedwhip’s flower is large and white,
STATISTICS producing nauseating waves of the plant’s terrible scent and attracting
Str 10 (+0), Dex 17 (+3), Con 12 (+1), clouds of flies.
Int 1 (–5), Wis 13 (+1), Cha 5 (–3)
Senses blindsight 30ft (blind beyond this radius), passive Copyright Notice
Perception 11 Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 4, “Weedwhip”

TRAITS
Camouflage: A successful DC 14 Wis (Perception) check
is required to notice it before it attacks for the first time.

a DC 12 Con save or have its maximum hit points reduced

Xtabay by the same amount. The feeding is painless and does not
itself awaken the xtabay’s victim. Each round this feeding
continues, the sleeping victim can attempt a new DC 12
This patch of vines is ornamented with beautiful crimson and violet Con save to awaken.
flowers, the petals of which seem to bear tiny faces. Soporific Pollen: An xtabay can release sleep-inducing
pollen as an action. Each creature within a 10ft radius
must make a DC 12 Wis save or fall asleep for 1d3 minutes.
Xtabay A creature that succeeds on the save cannot be affected
XP 100 (CR 1/2) by the same xtabay’s soporific pollen for 24 hours. A
Unaligned Small Plant creature put to sleep by this pollen can be awakened by
Init +1 vigorously shaking the sleeper (a standard action) or by
damaging it.
DEFENSE
AC 11 ECOLOGY
HP 60 (8d6 + 32) Environment any land
Immunity acid damage; blinded deafened, frightened, Organization solitary, pair, copse (3–5), or garden (6–12)
paralyzed, poisoned, prone
These highly dangerous flowers can be found in almost any terrain.
OFFENSE Though their flowers are truly beautiful, they secrete a soporific pollen
Speed 5ft that renders nearby creatures unconscious, allowing the xtabay to clamber
Multiattack 2 stings onto its victims and draw sustenance from its flesh. Mobile, xtabays can
Melee +1 (sting, 1d4–1 slashing plus 1d4 acid) move from place to place, seeking new prey.

STATISTICS Copyright Notice

Str 8 (–1), Dex 13 (+1), Con 19 (+4), Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 2, “Xtabay”
Int 1 (–1), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 11 (+0)
Senses tremorsense 30ft (blind beyond this radius), passive
Perception 10

TRAITS
Devour: While a creature is under the effects of a xtabay’s
soporific pollen, the plant may, as an action, occupy the
same square as the sleeping creature and slowly sap the
life from it. Every round the xtabay uses this ability, the af-
fected creature takes 4d4 acid damage, and must make

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 The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
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products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor; (g) “Use”, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ
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“Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC;
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 Horror in the Sinks
Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Hodge, Ben McFarland, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Rad-
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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4, © 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Russ Taylor, and Steve Townshend.
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Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, Reid, Patrick Renie, Mark Seifter, Tork Shaw, Neil Spicer, Owen K.C. Stephens,
LLC; Authors: Jason Bulmahn, Tim Hitchcock, Colin McComb, Rob McCreary, and Russ Taylor.
Jason Nelson, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Ste- Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide. © 2011, Paizo
phens, and Russ Taylor. Publishing, LLC; Authors: Keith Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Clinton J. Boomer,
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phens, and Russ Taylor. Leandra Christine Schneider, David Schwartz, Amber E. Scott, Stan!, Owen K.C.
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Tork Shaw, Owen KC Stephens, and Russ Taylor. Mark Moreland, David N. Ross, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, Tork Shaw,
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Intrigue © 2016, Paizo, Inc.; Authors: James L. Sutter, Jerome Virnich.
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