Forgotten Depths Plot in Sundered Cosmos

Plot points/Scenes

The Undercitadels second level—its highest underground level—harbors several old traps and fiercely independent denizens who hunt on the surface. It also contains a small group of Morlocks pushed up from below. Before the heroes get too far into exploring this level, though, Dretha activates Gauntlight in a devastating test as she refines the artifact’s power.

Exposition

While the heroes are free to enter the dungeon below the keep as soon as they discover any of its entrances, an important event should take place before they dive too deeply into the Inverted Tower. It’s best if this event takes place at night while the heroes have a line of sight to Watchtower’s cupola, such as when they retreat to rest or perhaps even right after they’ve defeated the Vampiric Mist in the Watchtower. In any case, the heroes should be 2nd level for this event.

Deadtide from the Fens

Gauntlight is not yet fully functional, but enough of its magical power has been restored that Dretha activates it as a test firing before proceeding with the more-involved process of restoring the artifact to full use. She targets A Swath of the Cursed Fens on the approach to the Watchtower, animating fallen travelers within it. The ghost then watches through the tower's lens, but she can’t do much beyond observe, limited as she is to the site of her haunting deep in the Undercitadel.

The Watchtower shudders and its light suddenly blazes with a sickly, pale‑blue illumination. This beam arcs south, falling not directly on the road, but onto the sprawling stinking marsh that is the Cursed Fens.

The light remains fixed on the Marsh and is visible all the way from the watchtower to the Road. There isn’t any way for the heroes to impede the beam, as it emanates magically from Watchtower and can’t be stopped from its origin point except by Dretha’s will.

Cursed Fens

Severe 120xp

The mud of the cursed fens roils and churns in the eerie blue light. Dozens of Skeletons and Shamblers haul themselves free from the marsh. Many wander north deeper into the Fen, though a few make for the road.

Creatures

A total of two skeleton guards

Skeleton Guard - creature -1

NEMEDIUMMINDLESSSKELETONUNDEAD

The most common skeletal minions are mere guardians.
Perception	+2; darkvision
Skills	Acrobatics +6, Athletics +3
STR +2 , DEX +4 , CON +0 , INT -5 , WIS +0 , CHA +0
Items	scimitar, shortbow (20 arrows)
AC	16
Saving Throws	Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +2
HP	4, negative healing - Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious - Resistances cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, piercing 5, slashing 5
Speed	25 feet
Melee	1 action scimitar +6 (forceful, sweep), Damage 1d6+2 slashing 1 action claw +6 (agile, finesse), Damage 1d4+2 slashing
Ranged	1 action shortbow +6 (deadly 1d10, range increment 60 feet, reload 0), Damage 1d6 piercing

and a Pack of Shamblers

Shambler Troop - Troop 4

BLACKGARGANTUANMINDLESSTROOPUNDEADZOMBIE

This shuffling mass of decaying flesh moves with dull but singular focus.
Perception	+7 ; Darkvision
STR +5 , DEX +0 , CON +3 , INT -5 , WIS +1 , CHA -2
AC	18
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +9 , 16 squares at full Strength; Thresholds 60 (12 squares), 30 (8 squares)
HP	90 - Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; - Weaknesses area damage 5, positive 5, slashing 5, splash damage 2 - Resistances Troop Defenses
Speed	20 feet; troop movement
Special Abilities	Slow- A Shambler Troop is permanently slowed 1 and can’t use reactions. Negative Healing Form Up Grave Tide The shambler troop is less organized than most troops. It can move into other creatures' spaces, and other creatures can move into its spaces. Its spaces are difficult terrain to other creatures. Shambling Onslaught to Frequency once per round; Effect The shamblers lash out at any enemies in their squares or within 5 feet (DC 18 basic Reflex save). The damage depends on the number of actions. Bludgeoning damage Bludgeoning damage Troop Movement Whenever a troop Strides, it first Forms Up as a free action to condense into a 20-foot-by–20-foot area (minus any missing squares), then moves up to its Speed. This works just like a Gargantuan creature moving; for instance, if any square of the troop enters difficult terrain, the extra movement cost applies to the whole troop.

Attack the party on the road. These foes technically constitute a severe encounter for the band, but canny heroes have a number of advantages. The undead are concentrated in a troop on the roadway they are collectively slowed and should be easy to avoid and pick off with ranged attacks. Stealth and ranged tactics could well thin the opposition before they can close to melee.
The four nearby guards

Guard - Officer 1

LAWFUL NEUTRALMEDIUMHUMANHUMANOID

Guards are rank-and-file members of a town watch or city guard, trained to look for trouble, take down criminals, and follow orders. They are a match for only the most fledgling of adventurers and criminals, but, given time, the settlement can usually muster them in numbers sufficient to neutralize most threats.
Perception	Expert (8 to find concealed objects)
Languages	Common
Skills	Athletics Trained , Intimidation Expert , Legal Lore Trained ,
STR +4 , DEX +2 , CON +2 , INT +0 , WIS +2 , CHA -1
Items	Items club, crossbow (10 bolts), dagger, sap, scale mail, signal whistle
AC	18
Saving Throws	Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +5
HP	20
Speed	25 ft
Melee	Club expert +4 / -1 ] , Damage Bludgeoning Sap expert +5 / +2 ] , (agile, nonlethal) Damage Bludgeoning
Ranged	Crossbow expert +2 / -3 ] (range increment 120 feet, reload 1), Damage Piercing
Special Abilities	Attack of Opportunity Reaction

are horrified by the situation and are unlikely to be of much help—they flee if attacked. At your discretion, and particularly if a hero manages to Make a Request of the guards or Coerce their aid, some of them might fight. Guards can also drag a fallen hero to safety. the guards are Frightened 3 at the start of any fight they join.

Abomination's Arrival

Moderate 80 xp

Dretha watches with amusement from afar as the heroes deal with the undead. As soon as that fight ends, though, she decides it’s time to test Gauntlight’s primary function: teleporting monsters in among her enemies. Dretha takes a moment to order her apprentice Vaidun to bring one of the Scalathraxes from the Scalathrax Pen into Lasda's Lament. This delay grants the heroes a few minutes to recover from their previous fight. She then focuses the Undercitadel's beam upon the heroes’ location to transport the creature there. The baleful light’s illumination raises gooseflesh on those it touches and scatters any remaining guards in a panic.

Creatures:

An instant after Gauntlight’s beam shines upon the heroes, a spiderlike scalathrax manifests in their midst—and, just as quickly, Gauntlight goes dark. The Aberration uses Stealth to determine its initiative and immediately attacks, fighting to the death. Any hero who witnesses the creature’s sudden arrival and succeeds at a DC 20 Arcana or Occultism check (either during or after the fight) realizes that the creature was teleported into the area via the beam. Scalathrax

Scalathrax - Creature 1

UNCOMMONBLACK, GREENMEDIUMABERRATION

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 21 Unspecific Lore: DC 19 Specific Lore: DC 16 These slippery, scaly horrors dwell in remote cave networks in the Darklands, preferring to nest in narrow fissures. When on the hunt, they flick barbs from their long legs, or spray down their foes with a clear, toxic oil. The same oil coats the scalathrax's body, all of which is quite flammable—whether it's coating a victim or the scalathrax itself. While a scalathrax appears feral, it's more intelligent than it seems and is capable of speaking in a wet, slithery voice. The vast majority of scalathraxes are foul-tempered and quick to anger, and most of them enjoy killing. It's possible to forge an alliance with a scalathrax, but doing so requires either constant bribes of new creatures to kill or a particularly intimidating personality—scalathraxes often respect bullies, seeing in them a mirror of their own cruel values. Scalathrax Oil Scalathrax oil is a valuable alchemical component, but it's difficult to harvest and preserve. By spending 10 minutes and succeeding at a DC 21 Crafting check, a character can extract 1 Bulk of scalathrax oil worth 20 gp from a recently killed scalathrax. If scalathrax oil is used to Craft an alchemical item that deals fire damage or would benefit from the slippery quality of the oil, the crafter gains a +1 item bonus to their Crafting check. Scalathrax oil can be used as lantern oil, though it's often considered too valuable for such a mundane use. Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 86
Perception	+11 , Darkvision
Languages	Undercommon
Skills	Acrobatics +11 , Athletics +11 , Stealth +13
STR +3 , DEX +5 , CON +3 , INT -2 , WIS +3 , CHA +0
Items
AC	21
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +13, Will +9
HP	60 - Weaknesses fire 5 - Resistances poison 5
Speed	25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee	Jaws +13 +8 / +3 (finesse) Damage Piercing plus scalathrax venom
Ranged	leg quill +13 +8 / +3 (range increment 20 feet) Damage Piercing
Special Abilities	Oily Scales A scalathrax constantly sweats a glistening oil that makes it exceptionally slick. It treats the results of Acrobatics checks to Squeeze or of any skill check to Escape as one degree of success greater than the rolled result. A scalathrax loses this benefit for 1 minute after it takes any amount of fire damage. Scalathrax Venom (poison) Saving Throw Fortitude DC 21; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 clumsy 1 (1 round Stage 2 clumsy 1 and slowed 1 (1 round Stage 3 clumsy 1 and slowed 2 (1 round) Spray Toxic Oil (conjuration, primal) The scalathrax disgorges a gout of toxic oil from its mouth in a 15-foot cone. Creatures in the area must attempt a DC 21 Reflex save. The scalathrax can't use Toxic Oil Spray again for rounds . Critical Success The creature is unaffected. Success The creature takes poison damage . Failure The creature takes poison damage . For 1 minute, the creature gains weakness to fire 5, and whenever the creature critically fails with an attack roll with a wielded weapon, it drops the weapon. Critical FailureAs failure, but poison damage .

Dying Light

Once the Watchtower has delivered the scalathrax and gone dark, it will be at least a month before the artifact can return to a point where Dretha can activate it again. She may do so to animate more undead or teleport another monster even further into town, either to attack the heroes directly or to simply spread panic.
Of course, the citizenry have no idea about this schedule, and the fear that Gauntlight could shine again at any moment has the citizens terrified. People fear to go outside after dark, and rumors about Dretha’s return run rampant. Assuming the heroes played a key and visible role in defeating the undead and the scalathrax, they are soon contacted by mayor Herbert Ludwig, who asks them to do what they can to find out what caused this event, and if possible, prevent it from occurring again. Feel free to have other town notables present at this time—give the heroes the chance to rise to the occasion. In any event, Herbert promises a reward of 50 gp per hero from the town treasury if they return to the Fen Watchtower and see to it that Gauntlight never shines on the lands of Khababar again. (He’ll grant this reward as soon as the heroes finish this adventure, but he asks the heroes to continue their efforts against Dretha regardless.)

Conflict

The first underground level of the Undercitadel of Szitrag once served as the quarters for Dretha’s servants. Here, the workers lived and toiled out of sight of those in the Fen Watchtower above. When Dretha was killed, the servants here panicked. Some fled, others hid in their rooms, and still, others became food for the cannibal librarians the next floor down. Today, the servants’ quarters are largely in ruins.
Areas are unlit unless otherwise noted, and the ceiling heights are typically 8 feet in hallways and 10 feet in rooms. The doors are sturdy wood, swollen with moisture and stuck shut. A hero trained in Athletics can open doors on this level with a One Action

Interact, as normal; characters who aren’t trained in Athletics must spend 2 Interact actions to open a door.
The largest faction presently active in the Servant’s Quarters is a group of Morlocks who call themselves Children of the Fanged Queen. These morlocks once dwelt deep below this level in caverns adjacent to the Undercitadel. When Dretha wakened, they clambered into the higher levels to prepare the way for her, enduring a devastating clash with the Cult of the Boil Ghouls and later driving out the Mudhunter Mitflits. Dretha always considered morlocks to be pests (and still does, even as a ghost), but the morlocks’ leader, Daarkh Ghust, hopes to change her mind by building her a temple. But, just as Dretha’s eldritch patron Empty Death cares little about how she is honored, the morlocks’ Ghost Queen doesn’t care whether these devout morlocks live or die.

Stairs Up

These tightly spiraling stairs lead up the stairwell on Apprentice Island.

Vaidun’s workshop

The door to this room is locked. A hero without the key from repair storage can Force Open the door with a successful DC 20 Athletics check or Pick the Lock with three successful DC 20 Thievery checks.

Seven square alcoves, each containing strange magical apparatuses or alchemical sets of tools, ring this damp stone chamber. The alcove to the north contains a large glass tank filled with liquid. A goblin’s corpse, clad in outdated servant’s clothing, floats inside it. A semicircular worktable covered with tools, moldy papers, and a large open book stands in front of the tank.

Vaidun Magmenor once used this chamber as his personal workshop. The worktable in front of the tank holds the bulk of Vaidun’s notes. A hero Investigating these notes who succeeds at a successful DC 12 Arcana or Occultism check to Recall Knowledge learns that the workshop is devoted to both construct construction and necromancy. A critical success on this check also reveals the workshop’s emphasis is transferring mortal souls, including into a Construct or a swarm of vermin.
The goblin in the tank is the preserved corpse of Borbo, once Vaidun’s devoted servant. Borbo volunteered his body and soul for a technique that Vaidun promised would grant immortality, though being turned into the Soulbound Doll named Mister Beak was not exactly the immortality that Borbo had in mind. Still, Borbo, as Mister Beak, has thus far remained loyal to Vaidun. The corpse is well preserved in the tank; even if removed, it takes months to decay.
A search of the other alcoves reveals little of interest, with two exceptions: a secret door in the southwestern alcove and an incomplete soulbound doll in the northwestern alcove.

Secret Door

The southwestern alcove contains a secret door leading down to the Twin Stairwells and from there back up to the Secret Stairs. A hero who succeeds at a DC 20 Perception check while Searching this alcove identifies a toolbox bolted to the wall. When the toolbox is opened and the tools within it pulled, the attached secret door opens.

Incomplete Doll

The northwest alcove contains a Soulbound Doll resembling an armless, legless goblin. It has an indentation in its back the same size as Mister Beak’s Soul Focus Gem. Inserting this gem activates the soulbound doll, allowing it to speak but not attack, move, or cast spells until its construction is complete. A hero might be able to complete it with enough work and expense, but Borbo remains erratic and violent.
If Borbo is “returned” to this body, he wakens quickly and begins to sob, lamenting in Goblin Speak that his master betrayed him. He remains inconsolable until a hero can either calm him with a successful DC 16 Diplomacy check to Make an Impression or scare him with a DC 16 Intimidate check to Coerce him, or until someone places him in a position where he can see his former body in the north alcove. In any of these cases, Borbo finally goes silent and the heroes can speak to him in Common, Elvish, or Goblin Speak. Borbo has little useful to say and is prone to fits of self-pity and vitriol toward Vaidun, but if the heroes ask the right questions they can get four key pieces of information from him.

The location of the secret door in this room.
The existence of a secret treasure stash behind a loose brick in the wall in his old room.
Master Vaidun was a “powerful mastermind Drow occultist artist-craftsman” who had a relationship with a “book lady down below” and who worked for “Mistress Dretha, who is very frightening and absolutely none of my business.”
Master Vaidun is vain as well as cruel. If the heroes present a nice image of Vaidun (such as a painting) to him and then threaten to destroy it, Vaidun will lose his composure and likely make a tactical error the heroes can capitalize upon. Unfortunately, the only painting of Vaidun Borbo knows about is the one in Hall of Portraits, and it’s destroyed. In fact, only one image of Vaidun remains in the Inverted Tower today, in the scriptorum.

Once the heroes have learned all of his information, Borbo pitifully asks to be released. If the heroes smash the soul focus gem, Borbo’s soul is freed. For this act of compassion, the Lady of Graves grants the hero who destroyed the gem a favor in the form of a momentary, prophetic glimpse of their fate. This allows that hero to gain a +2 status bonus to a single check, which they can apply even after they determine the check’s result. The hero has 1 month to use this boon.

Vaidun's chambers

This room shares features of a bedroom and a study, although the decor is devoid of any touches of personality as if anything of sentimental value had been removed.

Vaidun once dwelt here, but since his transformation into a Worm That Walks, the occultist has relocated downstairs to his lounge. A search of the room turns up a scrap of paper

What The Worm Knows, Grave Feasts, and Secrets of the Skull
— Transcription will take months, but I’ll try to have these books back to you as soon as possible, my love!

Borbo's Room

This small room has a long‑abandoned straw bed, a dresser with open drawers revealing a jumble of out‑of‑date servant’s clothing, and a large barrel with a ladle atop it.

This room once belonged to Vaidun’s goblin servant Borbo, but it’s been abandoned since the Goblin gave up his life to become Mister Beak. The clothing matches that worn by Borbo’s corpse in the workshop. The barrel once contained dozens of pickles, but today the brine inside has long since evaporated and the pickles have rotted away.

Treasure

A hero Searching this room who succeeds at a DC 18 Perception check finds a loose brick concealing a small stash of treasures Borbo collected: a shard of jade worth 15 gp, a silver statuette of two succubi worth 35 gp, and an oily-looking Slick Rune.

Vaidun's Machine

Moderate

A large metal table fitted with leather straps and iron bands sits in the center of this room. A strange contraption that seems to be part spyglass and part mechanical drill sits near the head of the table. A sparkling black gemstone glitters in a metal framework built into this machine’s side. The machine in this room is a sadistic device Vaidun crafted ages ago. With a successful DC 20 Occultism or Religion check to Recall Knowledge, a hero determines that the device aids in casting the create undead ritual (this doesn’t provide knowledge of that ritual). The drilling device penetrates the skull of a restrained victim, while the scope focuses the ritual’s necromantic energies. Using this machine grants a +2 item bonus to skill checks to cast create undead. The stairs to the south lead down to Dretha's Library.

Creatures

One of Vaidun’s last creations remains here, a horrific undead guardian created from a giant leech. Vaidun called the creature the “Bloodsiphon” and was amused at how the thing shriveled up yet remained mobile and violent if denied the blood it craved but no longer required to sustain its life. The bloodsiphon appears to be a giant log of desiccated flesh until anyone disturbs it or approaches within 10 feet, at which point it lurches forth and attacks. It pursues foes throughout this level of Apprentice Island. Bloodsiphon

Bloodsiphon - Creature 4

UNIQUEBLACK, GREENMEDIUMUNDEAD

One of Vaidun’s last creations remains here, a horrific undead guardian created from a giant leech. Vaidun called the creature the “Bloodsiphon” and was amused at how the thing shriveled up yet remained mobile and violent if denied the blood it craved but no longer required to sustain its life. The bloodsiphon appears to be a giant log of desiccated flesh until anyone disturbs it or approaches within 10 feet, at which point it lurches forth and attacks. It pursues foes throughout this level of Apprentice Island. Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 23
Perception	+10 , tremorsense 30 feet
Languages	Aklo (cannot speak any language)
Skills	Athletics +12
STR +4 , DEX +1 , CON +3 , INT -2 , WIS +3 , CHA -2
AC	19
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +7, Will +11
HP	80 - Immunities Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious - Weaknesses slashing 5
Speed	10 feet, swim 20 feet
Melee	Mouth +14 +9 / +4 Damage Piercing plus grab
Ranged	Spittle +11 +6 / +1 (range increment 30 feet) Damage Negative
Special Abilities	negative healing Death Burst (aura, necromancy, occult) When the bloodsiphon dies, its body explodes in a cloudy red burst of necrotic dried blood in a 20‑foot area. Creatures in range must attempt a DC 21 Reflex save. Critical Success The creature is unaffected. Success The creature takes negative damage . Failure The creature takes negative damage . Critical Failure The creature takes negative damage and is enfeebled 2 for 1 hour. Blood Drain Requirements The bloodsiphon has a creature grabbed or restrained; Effect The bloodsiphon drains blood from the creature it has grabbed. This deals damage and the bloodsiphon grows temporarily moist and slimy as it regains 8 Hit Points, gaining any excess as temporary Hit Points that last for 1 minute. A creature that has its blood drained by the bloodsiphon is drained 1 until it receives any type of healing.

Treasure

The black onyx gemstone in the machine can be pried out easily enough. Doing so renders the device useless, but the gem is worth 25 gp.

Rising Action

Abandodned Guard Post

Three plain wooden chairs sit along the east wall of this otherwise empty room.

Dretha’s lackeys once waited here to perform any tasks she might need. The secret door to the east that leads to the processional is relatively easy to discover from this side of the room, as the middle chair leans against a section of the wall that pivots slightly outward. The heroes can discover this secret door with a successful DC 12 Perception check, although they notice it automatically if they move the middle chair. Stairs beyond the north door lead up to Dretha's Office.

Meeting Room

A long wooden table sits in the center of this room, surrounded by several wooden chairs. Only the chair to the north seems particularly comfortable, although its cracked leather padding is mostly decayed.

Dretha addressed her serving staff here. No one has been in this room in decades, though; neither the Mitflits nor the Morlocks know about it. This room (and the Guard Post) thus serves as a safe place to hide or rest.
The secret door leading to the servants rooms is obvious from the north side; anyone approaching this secret door from the north automatically spots it.

Servants Rooms

Severe

This large open area is a filthy mess, even beyond the collapse to the south that clogs part of the room with rubble. Half‑eaten fish, cat‑sized beetles, and bits of waterfowl lie strewn about in a tangle amid gnawed bones of larger creatures.

This large room once served as a common area for servants to relax and take their meals. The southern half of the room (along with the servants’ toilets and bathing facilities) were buried under rubble long ago. The collapsed stairwell to the south once led to the Sinkhole opening above. The eight unmarked rooms connecting to this area are ruined bedrooms with nothing of interest.
A hero Searching this area can discover the secret door leading north into the meeting room with a successful DC 28 Perception check. Pulling an old wall sconce causes the door to open. None of the Morlocks have yet noticed it.

Creatures

The Fang Queen Morlocks lair here. The first time the heroes enter this area, four morlock scavengers are present, fiddling with a partially ruined ballista that they dragged, in pieces, from the procession (where it once served as a trap). The morlocks snarl and hiss if they’re interrupted, fighting until only one of them is left standing. The surviving morlock then tries to flee to the Throne Room to warn their king, Daarkh Ghust. Morlock Scavengers

Morlock Scavanger - Creature 1

BLACK, GREENSMALLHUMANOIDMORLOCK

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 15 Unspecific Lore: DC 13 Specific Lore: DC 10 The morlock scavenger is a lankier, smaller version of a typical morlock. Their stature allows them to wriggle into areas other morlocks can't access. Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 84
Perception	+6 , Darkvision
Languages	Undercommon (cannot speak any language)
Skills	Acrobatics +7 , Athletics +5 +7 Climbing , Stealth +7
STR +2 , DEX +4 , CON +1 , INT -2 , WIS +3 , CHA +1
Items	dagger
AC	16
Saving Throws	Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +6 , +2 status to all saves vs. disease and poison
HP	20
Speed	30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee	Dagger +9 +5 / +1 (agile, finesse, versatile S) Damage Piercing Jaws +7 +3 / -1 (agile) Damage Piercing
Ranged	Dagger +9 +5 / +1 (agile, thrown 10 ft. Versatile S) Damage Piercing
Special Abilities	Light Blindness Scuttling Attack The morlock scavenger Strides twice, ignoring difficult terrain caused by natural cavern features like rubble or stalagmites. At any point during its movement, the morlock can make a melee Strike against an enemy in its reach. Sneak Attack The morlock deals an extra 1 precision damage to flat-footed creatures. Swarming Stance A morlock can share the same space as another morlock, but no more than two morlocks can occupy the same space. When morlocks share the same space, they gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls.

Old Office

Moderate

A desk with a chair sits in the middle of this room, while three empty picture frames hang on the walls.

Dretha’s Majordomo, Freylesse once worked here. The frames are used to hold detailed maps of the upper dungeon levels. Vaidun took them long ago.

Creatures

Daarkh commanded a pair of Fang Queen Morlock to guard this room, but they’re more interested in tinkering with the broken Clockwork Assistant Freylesse left behind. Their distraction gives them a –2 penalty to initiative checks. They fight any intruders, flanking foes when possible.
If a morlock fleeing from the Servants Rooms runs through the room, these morlocks relocate to the Trapped Hall to mount a defense. Morlock

Morlock - Creature 2

BLACK, GREENMEDIUMHUMANOIDMORLOCK

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 16 Unspecific Lore: DC 14 Specific Lore: DC 11 ‌ Morlocks are degenerate descendants of small, isolated human communities where inbreeding was common for prolonged periods. On Gradus , most Morlocks are descended from ancient Marianan who escaped the death of their empire by fleeing underground into Subterra. There they slowly transformed into something less than human, but far better adapted to survival in the savage depths Bestiary 2 pg. 174 2.0
Perception	+7 ;Darkvision, Light Blindness
Languages	Undercommon
Skills	Acrobatics +7 , Athletics +8 ( +11 Climbing), Crafting +8 (Repair only), Stealth +9
STR +4 , DEX +3 , CON +1 , INT -2 , WIS +3 , CHA +1
Items	Club
AC	17
Saving Throws	Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +9 , +2 status to all saves vs. disease and poison
HP	38
Speed	30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee	club +9 +4 / -1 , Damage bludgeoning jaws +9 +5 / +1 (Agile ), Damage piercing
Ranged	club +8 +3 / -2 (range increment 10 feet), Damage bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Instinctual Tinker The morlock tinkers with an adjacent construct or mechanical hazard. They attempt a Crafting check against the construct's or hazard's Fortitude DC. The morlock can't succeed if the target's level is more than double the morlock's. Critical Success The target gains HP and a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute. Success The target gains HP . Critical Failure The morlock injures itself, taking damage (typically bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, but potentially a different type at the GM's discretion). Leap Attack The morlock Strides up to twice its Speed, during which it attempts a High Jump or a Long Jump. At any point during its movement, the morlock can make a melee Strike against an enemy in its reach. The morlock then can't use Leap Attack for 1 round. Sneak Attack A morlock's Strikes deal an extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures. Swarming Stance A morlock can share the same space as another morlock, but no more than two morlocks can occupy the same space. When morlocks share the same space, they gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls.

Treasure

The morlocks have exposed the clockwork assistant’s inner workings, which include an intricate gear worth 40 gp. Removing the gear while preserving its value requires a successful DC 16 Crafting check. On a failure, the gear is worth only 20 gp; on a critical failure, the gear breaks and is worth nothing.

Trapped Hall

The north and south walls of this hall have been decorated with a bewildering array of timbers, metal parts, gears, bits of broken weapons, and trash.

Freylesse used this room for planning and meetings, but the morlocks have dismantled the furniture here, along with several other scavenged items and devices, to build a gauntlet of traps to defend the approach to their king’s throne room.

Hazards

Four Spike Launcher traps have been hidden in the walls of this room, activated by nearly invisible trip lines, each made from a fine cord of morlock hair stretching across the room 1 foot off the ground. Any morlocks encountered in this room can move through the room without triggering the spike launchers, as they are very familiar with the trip lines’ locations, but other creatures must notice each line first before avoiding it. One cord crosses each pair of north-to-south squares. Spike Launchers

Spike Launchers - Hazard 1

HAZARDMECHANICALTRAP

A jagged spike of metal shoots from a hidden launcher.
Perception	Stealth DC 19
Skills	Disable DC 16 Thievery to disable one of the four launchers or DC 12 Acrobatics to step over a trip line (this doesn’t disarm the trap, but avoids triggering it)
STR +0 , DEX +0 , CON +0 , INT +0 , WIS +0 , CHA +0
AC	16
Saving Throws	Fort +9, Ref +3, Will 0
HP	16 - Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage - Resistances Hardness 3
Ranged	spike +11 (range 20 feet), Damage piercing
Special Abilities	Spike Trigger A creature crosses one of the trip lines; Effect A spike launches along the trip line’s path against the triggering creature, making a ranged Strike.

Washroom

One wall of this washroom has been gouged out by sharp claws, revealing a rough‑hewn tunnel leading west.

This once served as the Majordomo Freylesse’s washroom. The tunnel to Daarkh's Den began as an eroding crack, then was widened by the morlocks.

Daarkh's Throne Room

Severe

A sofa‑like throne made of an old mattress, several pieces of reconstructed furniture, and dozens of bones sprawls along the northern side of this room. A narrow rivulet of muddy water trickles from a narrow tunnel to the south and forms a puddle in the room’s center.

Creatures

Daarkh Ghust , the self-styled king of the Fanged Queen morlocks, has chosen the majordomo’s old bedroom as his throne room. He’s rebuilt the older furniture in this area into an immense throne of sorts, and he’s attended at all times by a morlock servant tasked with sharpening Ghust’s fingernails and toenails, rubbing his feet, feeding him worms, or whatever else Daarkh demands. Now and then, Daarkh leaves his throne room to patrol Dretha’s domain and to check up on the Fanged Queen’s shrine, but the first time the heroes visit the dungeon, they encounter him here. Ghust fancies himself something of a worldly diplomat, but since he speaks only Aklo and Undercommon, communication with the heroes may be difficult. If he can’t establish communication, Daarkh grows annoyed and sends his morlock servant to fight the heroes. Daarkh steps into the fight only once his servant is slain or if he’s attacked directly. If he is reduced to 30 Hit Points, he spends an action to howl for his pet Grothlut in his den. If the slithering monster still lives, it comes to its master’s aid as soon as it can through the tunnel to the southwest.
Any morlocks present when Graulgust is slain gain the Fleeing condition for 1 round and are Frightened 3.

Side Quest

If he can communicate with the heroes, Daarkh Ghust congratulates them for their bravery in seeking him out, and gives them a choice—they can become sacrifices for the Fanged Queen (in which case he directs his morlock servant to kill them), or they can prove their worth to the Fanged Queen by slaying the “water monster” that dwells nearby in the flooded cavern and bringing back her head. If the heroes agree, Daarkh allows them to leave the room only via the tunnel to the ruined Boathouse, and if they don’t have the river drake’s head with them as proof of their deed the next time they encounter Daarkh, he attacks the heroes at once for their failure. If the heroes return with the River Drake’s head, Ghust is delighted that the morlocks now have an easy way out of the dungeon to go foraging. He rewards the heroes by giving them the title of “lackeys of the Fanged Queen” and leads them on a stroll through Fanged Queen territory. Once he and the heroes reach the Procession, he offers them a new choice—surrender their gear and become true slaves of the Fanged Queen (and be imprisoned ), or begin a crusade for him against the Cult of the Boil —a group of “heretic https://cartographers-guild.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Ghoul” who must be slaughtered for the glory of the Fanged Queen. If the heroes agree to this, Daarkh Ghust sends them downstairs through the Pantry with a command to not return until all of the ghouls are slain. If the heroes do so, Daarkh realizes they’re too powerful to dispose of simply; he names them “missionaries of the Fanged Queen” and commands them to leave the morlock areas and never return.
During this time, the heroes can speak to Daarkh and learn a bit more about the Inverted Tower. The morlocks haven’t explored the northern part of this level, but he can inform the heroes of the secret door to the Crypt and provide a scribbled map of level three (including areas C1, C6, C10, C11, C15 and C33). If asked about deeper levels, Ghust grows silent, saying “You are of the surface and do not deserve to know of our homeland.” At your discretion, if the heroes use mind control or other coercive methods, they might force Graulgust to divulge more information about deeper levels of the Undercitadel, but note that the morlocks left them a while ago and much has changed since Dretha’s return. Daarkh never speaks the Fanged Queen’s name aloud, and if the heroes speak the name “Dretha” in his presence, he shrieks in anger and warns the heroes never to say her name again. If they do so, he attacks.
Once the heroes have secured Daarkh’s trust, the morlock occultist is shocked if they suddenly turn against him. If the heroes attack him at any point after he believes they’re working for him, he is Slowed 1 for 2 rounds as he grapples with the fact that he no longer commands obedience. Daarkh Ghust

Morlock Cultist - Creature 4

UNCOMMONBLACK, GREENMEDIUMHUMANOIDMORLOCK

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 21 Unspecific Lore: DC 19 Specific Lore: DC 16 ‌ Morlocks who serve as priests in their conclaves usually dabble in eerie occult magic. Morlocks led by cultists don't always follow an established religion, in part because their insular background limits contact with the rest of the world. In many cases, a morlock cult worships some figure from the group's past, be it a revered (or more often, feared) ancestor, or even the strange machines or statues left behind from a mysterious civilization that once ruled the place where the morlocks now live. Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 85
Perception	+11 ;Darkvision Light, Blindness
Languages	Aklo, Undercommon
Skills	Acrobatics +10 , Athletics +11 ( +13 Climbing), Crafting +11 (Repair only), Occultism +13 Stealth +11
STR +3 , DEX +3 , CON +1 , INT +5 , WIS +3 , CHA +0
Items	Items club
AC	21
Saving Throws	Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +11 , +2 status to all saves vs. disease and poison
HP	58
Speed	30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee	club +11 +6 / +1 , Damage bludgeoning jaws +11 +7 / +3 (Agile ), Damage piercing
Ranged	club +11 +6 / +1 (range increment 10 feet), Damage bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Occult Attack The morlock cultist Strides up to half its speed, ignoring difficult terrain caused by natural cavern features like rubble or stalagmites. At any point during its movement, the morlock cultist can Cast a Spell that normally takes two actions or fewer to cast. Sneak Attack A morlock's Strikes deal an extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures.
Spells	Occult Innate Spells DC 21, attack +13 ; 2nd mirror image, phantom pain mental damage and persistent mental damage , telekinetic maneuver; 1st bane, grim tendrils negative damage and 1 persistent bleed damage, ray of enfeeblement; Cantrips (2nd) daze, ghost sound, shield, telekinetic projectile Bludgeoning

Morlock

Morlock - Creature 2

BLACK, GREENMEDIUMHUMANOIDMORLOCK

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 16 Unspecific Lore: DC 14 Specific Lore: DC 11 ‌ Morlocks are degenerate descendants of small, isolated human communities where inbreeding was common for prolonged periods. On Gradus , most Morlocks are descended from ancient Marianan who escaped the death of their empire by fleeing underground into Subterra. There they slowly transformed into something less than human, but far better adapted to survival in the savage depths Bestiary 2 pg. 174 2.0
Perception	+7 ;Darkvision, Light Blindness
Languages	Undercommon
Skills	Acrobatics +7 , Athletics +8 ( +11 Climbing), Crafting +8 (Repair only), Stealth +9
STR +4 , DEX +3 , CON +1 , INT -2 , WIS +3 , CHA +1
Items	Club
AC	17
Saving Throws	Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +9 , +2 status to all saves vs. disease and poison
HP	38
Speed	30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee	club +9 +4 / -1 , Damage bludgeoning jaws +9 +5 / +1 (Agile ), Damage piercing
Ranged	club +8 +3 / -2 (range increment 10 feet), Damage bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Instinctual Tinker The morlock tinkers with an adjacent construct or mechanical hazard. They attempt a Crafting check against the construct's or hazard's Fortitude DC. The morlock can't succeed if the target's level is more than double the morlock's. Critical Success The target gains HP and a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute. Success The target gains HP . Critical Failure The morlock injures itself, taking damage (typically bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, but potentially a different type at the GM's discretion). Leap Attack The morlock Strides up to twice its Speed, during which it attempts a High Jump or a Long Jump. At any point during its movement, the morlock can make a melee Strike against an enemy in its reach. The morlock then can't use Leap Attack for 1 round. Sneak Attack A morlock's Strikes deal an extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures. Swarming Stance A morlock can share the same space as another morlock, but no more than two morlocks can occupy the same space. When morlocks share the same space, they gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls.

Grothlut Den

Low

Water drips down the walls of this cavern, particularly along a jumble of dangling pallid roots to the south. Beneath them is a large, soggy nest of mud and bones.

Creatures

This cavern is the result of years of erosion, and its damp, earthy environs make it a perfect home for the morlocks’ recently acquired pet, a Grothlut fleshwarp. Daarkh rescued the grothlut from a cage deeper in the Undercitadel, and the Aberration dotes on the morlock the way a loyal dog adores its master. It attacks anyone who enters this cave other than Daarkh, fighting to the death. Grothlut

Grothlut - Creature 3

BLACKMEDIUMABERRATIONFLESHWARPMINDLESS

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 18; Unspecific Lore: DC 16; Specific Lore: DC 13 Some creatures, notably drow, are not happy with merely killing their enemies. They revel in the total degradation of their foes through the horrifying transformative technique known as fleshwarping. Though the fleshwarping process was not created by the drow, many believe they perfected it. The drow torture their enemies in vats of churning magical reagents, reshaping their flesh and psyche alike into horrid and monstrous things. The reconstitution of flesh results in countless variations of fleshwarps. Although twisting victims into horrid shapes is a well-known pastime of evil drow, other subterranean monsters have stolen these practices or developed them independently. The worm-like seugathis sometimes warp other creatures whose territories abut their lightless lands. Sluglike abominations, grothluts are fleshwarps that were once humans. While their head and torsos are vaguely human, their arms are rubbery and move awkwardly at their sides. Wretched creatures, they moan piteously when other creatures are near, perhaps as the last remnants of their shattered human consciousness pleads to be free from their horrid warped form. Many fleshwarpers consider the grothlut to be a failure of a creation, as the transformation all but stamps out the human consciousness. Others disagree, arguing that warping the creature’s mind makes it all the more useful, since its stupidity makes it pliable and easy to herd. Drow typically use grothluts as guardians that slowly patrol the edges of their enclaves. Once in position, grothluts can be used as crude shock troops, unleashed to soften enemy forces before more-valuable warriors wade in and cut down the enemies who have been nauseated by the grothluts’ exploded organs and flesh. Failed Fleshwarps Not every fleshwarp emerges from its vat capable of survival. Many perish within minutes, as organs fundamental for life simply fail or collapse in on themselves. Fleshwarpers can usually recycle failed fleshwarps back into the mix quickly enough, but now and then, remnants known as fleshdregs are stable enough to live pain-wracked lives of their own. These foul creatures often infest fleshwarper holdings, like rats or other vermin do in less awful locations. Other Fleshwarps Grothluts may be the weakest example of a fleshwarp, and driders the most successful, but others exist as well. Ghonhatines are lumbering fleshwarps formed from xulgaths, while the tentacled irnakurses are formed from surface-dwelling elves. Sinspawn are fleshwarps as well, of course, although their methods of creation differ drastically from the techniques mastered by drow. Bestiary pg. 158
Perception	+5 , Darkvision
Languages	Aklo (cannot speak any language)
Skills	Athletics +11
STR +4 , DEX -2 , CON +4 , INT -5 , WIS +0 , CHA -3
Items	AC 19; Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +7
AC	19
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +7
HP	50 - Immunities acid, mental - Weaknesses slashing 5
Speed	20 feet
Melee	Claw +11 +7 / +3 Damage Slashing
Ranged	digestive spew +7 +2 / -3 (acid, range increment 15 feet, splash) Damage acid plus spash acid
Special Abilities	Disgusting Demise (acid, poison) When the grothlut is reduced to 0 Hit Points, its digestive organs rupture, unleashing alchemical acid and poison upon all creatures in a 30-foot emanation. Each creature in the area must succeed at a DC 19 Fortitude save or take acid damage and become sickened 1 (double damage and sickened 2 on a critical failure). Piteous Moan (aura, auditory, emotion, mental, occult) 60 feet. Each non-grothlut creature that enters or starts its turn within the area must succeed at a DC 17 Will saving throw or become sickened 1 (sickened 2 on a critical failure). The creature then becomes temporarily immune for 1 minute. The grothlut can activate or deactivate the aura by using a single free action that has the concentrate trait. A grothlut usually does not begin moaning until it senses the presence of a non-grothlut creature, and it usually stops once it doesn’t sense any more such creatures.
Spells

Shrine of the Fanged Queen

While it’s apparent that this large room was originally a kitchen, the furnishings have been rebuilt and repositioned to create an improvised shrine. The western end of the hall, where a large fireplace for cooking food once stood, now serves as an altar of sorts. Looming over a human corpse is a towering statue in a feminine shape made of bones, covered in sheets of moldering cloth and hanging moss. A bare spot on the room’s north wall has been decorated with mud and blood to depict the same feminine form as the statue.

The Fanged Queen Morlocks erected this shrine to honor Dretha Scythevex, but as the Morlocks fear the Ghost as much as they revere her, they only rarely spend time in this room. They enter only to provide periodic sacrifices—the latest of which was one of the thieves from the Passing Hand. The body is that of a human man, with a open hand tattoo on his right shoulder that marks him as a member of the Jartkiir (with a successful DC16 Society check to Recall Knowledge, a hero identifies the mark as signifying membership in the thieves’ guild).
A hero who succeeds at a DC 15 Religion check when Investigating this shrine surmises that the “divinity” worshipped here isn’t a well-known goddess, but that the bloody scrawl on the wall over the secret door is likely meant to illustrate someone of importance to the cult. If the heroes have seen an image of Dretha, such as the painting in the Portrait Gallery, they recognize the statue as a crude depiction of the same woman.
The secret door in the northern wall is easier to find than most of the area, and it takes only a successful DC 18 Perception check for a hero examining the crudely painted decoration to notice it. The morlocks discovered this door shortly after they arrived, but the one time they opened it to look inside, they were scared off by the shadow within. They believe this secret door leads to a place sacred to the Fanged Queen. They decorated the wall where the secret door is located to placate their patron and haven’t opened it since.

Treasure

While the dead thief has no treasure on him, the morlocks have left a few valuable offerings strewn around the base of the statue, including a bloodstone worth 10 gp, a softly glowing +1 Weapon Potency Rune, and a sickly green Fear Gem.

Crypt

Moderate

This five‑foot‑wide hallway features three alcoves along each side. Stone sarcophagi stand upright within each. A door leads to out to the north.

Dretha planned to inter her favorite followers in this small crypt. Due to her high standards and hard-to-please nature, only one servant ever gained the honor of being buried here—her first Majordomo.

Creatures

Today, the majordomo exists as a Shadow-like undead who retains her appearance from life, but otherwise functions as a standard shadow. Her soul is bound by her loyalty to Dretha and Gauntlight’s necromantic energies. The majordomo emerges from the central sarcophagus on the west wall to attack anyone entering this crypt, but it doesn’t pursue foes beyond the crypt. Majordomo Freylesse

Shadow - Creature 4

BLACKMEDIUMINCORPOREALUNDEAD

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 19 Unspecific Lore: DC 17 Specific Lore: DC 14 ‌ The mysterious undead known as shadows lurk in dark places and feed on those who stray too far from the light. Those who parley with shadows, typically by keeping them at bay with a glowing weapon, may learn great secrets, for they are ideal spies. Shadow Locations Shadows might lurk in any dimly lit area—a corner in a crumbling ruin, a room lit by flickering candles or a shaded forest at dusk. They travel to and from the Shadow Plane, though it is unclear if they do so via their own magic or by aligning themselves with a more powerful being capable of such planar shifting. Bestiary pg. 289
Perception	+10 ; Darkvision
Languages	Necril
Skills	Acrobatics +10 , Stealth +14
STR -5 , DEX +4 , CON +0 , INT -2 , WIS +2 , CHA +3
AC	20
Saving Throws	Fort +8, Ref +14, Will +12
HP	40 - Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; - Weaknesses light vulnerability - Resistances all 5 (except force, ghost touch, or positive; double resistance against non-magical)
Speed	fly 30 feet
Melee	shadow hand +15 +10 / +5 , (finesse, magical) Damage negative
Special Abilities	Light Vulnerability An object shedding magical light (such as from the light spell) is treated as magical when used to attack the shadow. Shadow Spawn When a creature’s shadow is pulled free by Steal Shadow, it becomes a shadow spawn under the command of the shadow that created it. This shadow spawn doesn’t have Steal Shadow and is perpetually and incurably clumsy 2. If the creature the shadow spawn was pulled from dies, the shadow spawn becomes a full-fledged, autonomous shadow. If the creature recovers from its enfeeblement, its shadow returns to it and the shadow spawn is extinguished. Slink in Shadows The shadow can Hide or end its Sneak in a creature’s or object’s shadow. Steal Shadow (divine, necromancy) Requirement The shadow hit a living creature with a shadow hand Strike on its previous action. Effect The shadow pulls at the target’s shadow, making the creature enfeebled 1. This is cumulative with other enfeebled conditions from shadows, to a maximum of enfeebled 4. If this increases a creature’s enfeebled value to 3 or more, the target’s shadow is separated from its body (see shadow spawn). Enfeebled from Steal Shadow decreases by 1 every hour.
Spells

Pantry

Only a few fragments of the shelving that once lined the walls of this pantry remain today.

The morlocks first entered the dungeon’s second level through this room. Most of the gear and shelving once stored here has been scavenged for other projects (most notably Graulgust’s throne). The stairs beyond the northeastern door lead down to the next level's Reading Room.

Portal Chamber

The door to this room is locked and its key is long lost.

A hero can Force it Open with a successful DC 20 Athletics check or Pick the Lock with three successful DC 20 Thievery checks.

The walls of this octagonal chamber are adorned with swirling runes carved into the stone and then filled with dull, silvery metal. The floor is polished smooth, as is the ceiling ten feet above.

Dretha installed several teleportation circles in the Undercitadel for swift movement between levels, but over time, their magic has faded. Smaller teleportation circles, like those at the Watchtower and Library Level, link to only one area each, but this transit chamber was linked to several others; by tracing specific patterns on the wall runes, someone could transport everyone in this room to one of nine other portal chambers in the Undercitadel. The Awaken Portal ritual required to reactivate this Teleportation Circle is recorded in a folio in the Secure Collection. Each linked teleportation circle must each be individually reactivated with this ritual, though, before they can be used—the heroes must therefore, physically travel to each portal chamber they want to connect to the network.

XP Award

: Award the heroes 30 XP for reactivating this portal

Climax

Ruined Boat Launch

At the north end of this small cave, the mouth of a swampy, flooded cavern yawns. A few ruined rowboats lie in heaps on the floor of this cavern, strewn next to tangled coils of rope. Remnants of a pulley system hang from the ceiling.

When Dretha’s servants lived, they used this area to move supplies from the boathouse using a pulley system to ferry a floating platform between here and the pier, but that setup fell into disrepair long ago. Several swaths of disturbed earth litter the muddy floor between this cavern and the flooded cavern to the north, as though left by the movement of a large, serpentine creature. A hero who Investigates the tracks and succeeds at a DC 18 Arcana check to Recall Knowledge realizes they were left by a Drake (on a critical success, the hero knows it’s a River Drake.

Flooded Cavern

Low

Tangles of roots hang from the low ceiling of this flooded cavern, the roof of which is a mere three feet above the murky water.

During the day, muted sunlight filters into this cavern from an exit to the northwest, but even on rare sunny days, the overhanging pier and thick tangles of dangling roots keep this room dim. The water in the cavern is, on average, 10 feet deep.

Creatures

A river drake named Gupunuul has dwelt in this cavern for nearly 2 years. She’s careful to limit her hunting to the Cursed Fens, so no one in Khababar knows she exists.
She was out hunting when the Passing Hand thieves came through, but she returned soon after and cut off their easy escape route (leading to their eventual capture by the Morlocks. Gupunuul is likely to be sleeping in the water in the middle of the cavern, and she swiftly wakes up if she hears the splashing of potential food swimming above.
The drake is aggressive but not suicidal; if reduced to fewer than 10 Hit Points, she flees and doesn’t return for a few days. She pursues foes that flee into the Boat Launch or out into the swamp, but she learned the hard way about the dangerous mold on the beach and won’t pursue potential prey there. Gupunuul

River Drake - Creature 3

BLUE, BLACK, GREENMEDIUMAMPHIBIOUSDRAGONWATER

Recall Knowledge - Dragon (Arcana ): DC 18; Unspecific Lore: DC 16; Specific Lore: DC 13 Although the glistening scales and sleek, fin-like wings on these Drakes give them an appearance reminiscent of river fish, they are actually distant relatives of the black dragon. While smaller than most drakes, river drakes are more than capable of plaguing river travelers and are equally at home above and below the water’s surface. This flexibility allows them to catch a wide variety of prey, from fish and boggards to deer and the occasional ferry passenger. — Bestiary pg. 131
Perception	+9 , Darkvision, Scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Languages	Draconic
Skills	Acrobatics +11 , Athletics +10 , Intimidate +6 , Stealth +9 , Survival +7
STR +3 , DEX +4 , CON +2 , INT -1 , WIS +2 , CHA -1
Items	River Drake Hide, River Drake Fang, Acidic Sinus
AC	19
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +9
HP	45 - Immunities paralyzed, unconscious - Resistances Acid 10
Speed	20 feet, fly 50 feet, swim 30 feet
Melee	fangs +12 +7 / +2 , Damage piercing tail +12 +7 / +2 (Reach 10 feet), Damage bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Tail Lash A creature within reach of the river drake’s tail uses an action to Strike or attempt a skill check. Effect The river drake attempts to Strike the triggering creature with its tail. If it hits, the creature takes a –2 circumstance penalty to the triggering roll. Caustic Mucus (Acid, Arcane, Evocation) The river drake spits a ball of caustic mucus up to a range of 50 feet that explodes in a 10-foot burst. Creatures within the burst take acid damage (DC 19 basic Reflex save). Those that fail this save also take persistent acid damage and take a –5-foot status penalty to their Speed. This Speed reduction ends with persistent acid damage. The river drake can't use Caustic Mucus again for rounds . Draconic Frenzy The river drake makes one Fangs Strike and two Tail Strikes in any order. Speed Surge (move) The river drake moves up to twice its Speed. It can do this three times per day

Treasure

The river drake stashes what treasure she has gathered in a sea chest amid a tangle of roots in the southwestern cul-de-sac. A successful DC 16 Perception check while Searching finds the chest amid the roots. The drake’s treasure consists of 36 gp, a Retribution Axe, a Wand of Magic Missile (1st), and a Wayfinder.

Moldy Beach

A thick knot of roots hangs from the cavern roof over a muddy beach. Stone stairs lead up from the beach to the north.

Hazard

The square just south of the bottom of the stairs, marked with a dotted white box on the map, may appear to contain only some moldy roots, but is in fact a patch of Brown Mold. Brown Mold

Brown Mold - Hazard 2

GREENENVIRONMENTALFUNGUSHAZARDSIMPLE

Complexity Simple This unassuming fungus leeches heat out of the air. Reset After expanding, the brown mold can’t grow again for 1 day — Gamemastery Guide pg. 77
Perception	Stealth DC 21 (trained)
Skills	Disable DC 18 Survival (trained) to safely remove the mold
STR +0 , DEX +0 , CON +0 , INT +0 , WIS +0 , CHA +0
Items
AC	18
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +5, Will +8
HP	30 - Immunities critical hits, fire, object immunities, precision damage, - Weaknesses cold 10
Special Abilities	Emit Cold (aura, cold 5 feet. Brown mold deals cold damage to nearby creatures. Leech Warmth Trigger Fire comes within 5 feet of the brown mold; Effect The brown mold expands into every square adjacent to its space. As it grows, it pulls more heat from its surroundings, dealing cold damage (DC 18 basic Fortitude save) to creatures within 10 feet after it expands.

Falling Action

Processional

This long, ten‑foot‑wide hallway has a vaulted ceiling arching to a dozen feet high. Three broken metal brackets hang from the ceiling; one to the south, one to the north, and one in the middle, although what the frames once held is unclear. The floor is strewn with pieces of rotten wood and twisted metal. To the north, pale green light shimmers around a closed door’s frame.

The empty frames used to house small, swiveling ballistae on the ceiling that functioned as traps, but the components have been scavenged by the Morlocks. Only the detritus the morlocks deemed worthless remains. The secret door leading to the Abandoned Guardpost is exceptionally well hidden from this side, its seams all but invisible cracks in the stone. A hero who succeeds at a DC 28 Perception check while Searching this hall spots it. The green light shining through the door frame to the Haunted Washroom is evidence of Olman Tavish’s unquiet spirit. The morlocks don’t approach this light, as they believe it to be a sign of the Fanged Queen’s wrath.

Workshop

Severe

Roll a secret DC 10 Perception check for each hero before they enter this room to hear the sound of metal clanging and wood splintering. A hero who specifically listens before entering automatically hears the sound. This long room smells of rust and grime. Stacks of splintered furniture, pieces of weapons and armor, frayed coils of rope, jagged shards of metal, and other bits of trash lie in heaps along the walls of the room. A cold, unlit forge sits in an alcove to the west. To the north, several heavy timbers are wedged up against a door to keep it shut. Removing the timbers from blocking the door to the Prison is a simple-enough 3-round activity. Creatures: Two Fang Queen Morlock Engineer toil at assembling a pair of broken ballistae. While the morlocks have the skill to rebuild the devices, they keep incorporating dubious improvements that require restarting their repairs. The engineers quickly realize they can present intruders to mollify Daarkh’s frustration at their slow pace. They prefer to use their junk launchers from a distance for as long as they can, and they fight to the death. The morlocks do their best to capture the heroes alive; if they do, they confiscate the heroes’ gear and throw the heroes in with the thieves in the prison until Daarkh tells the morlocks what to do with them. Morlock Engineer

Morlock Engineer - Creature 2

UNCOMMONBLACK, GREENMEDIUMHUMANOIDMORLOCK

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 20 Unspecific Lore: DC 18 Specific Lore: DC 15 ‌ Morlocks are degenerate descendants of small, isolated human communities where inbreeding was common for prolonged periods. On Gradus , most Morlocks are descended from ancient Marianan who escaped the death of their empire by fleeing underground into Subterra. There they slowly transformed into something less than human, but far better adapted to survival in the savage depths. Most morlocks have little talent for crafting, but a rare few have an uncanny knack for tinkering. — Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 84
Perception	+8 ;Darkvision, Light Blindness
Languages	Undercommon
Skills	Acrobatics +8 , Athletics +9 ( +11 Climbing), Crafting +10 , Stealth +10
STR +4 , DEX +3 , CON +2 , INT +1 , WIS +3 , CHA +0
Items	projectile launcher, warhammer
AC	18
Saving Throws	Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +10 , +2 status to all saves vs. disease and poison
HP	46
Speed	30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee	Warhammer +11 +6 / +1 , Damage bludgeoning jaws +11 +7 / +3 (Agile ), Damage piercing
Ranged	projectile launcher +10 +5 / +0 (deadly d8 , range increment 50 feet, versatile P), Damage bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Improvised Projectile The morlock engineer quickly crafts an improvised projectile from objects it carries or that are readily accessible in adjacent squares. Where unusual materials are available, an improvised projectile might deal damage other than bludgeoning or piercing—for example, a morlock engineer by a campfire could build a projectile that deals fire damage. Sneak Attack A morlock's Strikes deal an extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures. Swarming Stance A morlock can share the same space as another morlock, but no more than two morlocks can occupy the same space. When morlocks share the same space, they gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls. Uncanny Tinker The morlock engineer tinkers with an adjacent construct or mechanical hazard. They attempt a Crafting check against the construct's or hazard's Fortitude DC. The morlock can't get an outcome better than failure if the target's level is more than double the morlock's. This ability reflects hasty battlefield repairs; once a construct or hazard regains Hit Points from this ability, it can't do so again until it's been repaired. Critical Success The target regains Hit Points and a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls for 1 minute. Alternately, the morlock can deal damage (bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, as chosen by the morlock engineer) to the construct or hazard. Success As critical success, but the target regains Hit Points or the morlock deals 4d6 damage. Critical Failure The morlock injures themself, taking damage (typically bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, but potentially a different type at the GM's discretion).
Spells

Well

The air here is cool and moist. A low stone well sits to the east. Armor, weapons, and tools lie in heaps in the north.

This well drops 40 feet down to a large pool of water in a natural reservoir into the Subterrairian pool below. Anyone who leans over the well can attempt a DC 15 Perception check to hear a strange sound drifting up from below—splashing combined with what sounds like a small crowd. These noises come from the Gibbering Mouther that lives below, but it remains out of sight of anyone peering down the well. The rope and bucket once used to draw water up from below are long gone, but the metal bracket in the ceiling is sufficiently strong to anchor a rope supporting the heroes.

Treasure

The heap of gear belongs to the prisoners in the Morlocks' Prison. It consists of three suits of studded Leather Armor, two Rapiers, one broken rapier, three sets of Thieves Tools, a Lesser Healing Potion, and 13 gp.

Prison

Alcoves along the walls might once have been storerooms, but the stone shelves are all empty. The room smells foul.

The foul odor is due to the room’s use as a prison. Of the four thieves who stole into the dungeon from the Passing Hand, only three survive—Gorul Vetters, Shad Nunder, and Ziskilly Theed. Prisoner

Prisoner - Downtrodden 1

MEDIUMHUMANOIDHUMAN

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 15; Unspecific Lore: DC 13; Specific Lore: DC 10 Most who end up in a jail, dungeon, or prison are just biding their time until their imprisonment ends, trying to find ways to make it through interminable days of boredom and deprivation. Some, however, may use their time on the inside to strengthen their criminal connections. Using force and intimidation to gain status among other prisoners, they create makeshift weapons to take down their enemies and give them an edge if escape becomes possible. Even for prisoners who don't become involved in the world of prison politics, learning to stand up for themselves and projecting an air of toughness can become essential for survival in a place where people have little left to lose. Downtrodden Unfortunately, every society has people living on its fringes. While good communities work to grant aid and respite to their downtrodden, sometimes—due to economic downturn, famine, or war—the ranks of the less fortunate exceed the community's capacity to support them. In heartless neutral and evil societies, poverty is seen as an inevitability that can never be truly eradicated, or even worse, as a tool to be manipulated for political gain. Braving The Mob A mob is a violent crowd that works as greater difficult terrain and hazardous terrain, dealing damage for each square entered. A creature can spend a single action to attempt a DC 16 Intimidation check, clearing the mob from all squares adjacent to them on a success (or all squares within 10 feet on a critical success). This action has the concentrate, emotion, manipulate, and mental traits. Word On The Street Privy to all sorts of conversations from passersby, the downtrodden can provide eyes and ears on the street. Finding a reliable contact can give a character a circumstance bonus to checks to Gather Information if they return to that source. This bonus is usually +1, but could be +2 or +3 if the contact lingers in a market where influential politicians shop, sweeps a noble estate, or the like. Befriending NPCs in advance can also help the heroes in action scenes. A friendly urchin might show a character a shortcut to catch an escaping enemy, a crowd of fans who frequent a bard's performances might throw rocks to distract someone trying to fight the bard, and so on. — Gamemastery Guide pg. 215
Perception	+6
Languages	Common
Skills	Acrobatics +7 , Athletics +6 , Intimidation +3 , Stealth +7 , Thievery +7
STR +3 , DEX +4 , CON +1 , INT +0 , WIS +1 , CHA +0
Items	shiv
AC	17
Saving Throws	Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +6
HP	17
Speed	25 ft
Melee	Shiv +7 +3 / -1 (Agile) Piercing Fist +7 +3 / -1 (Agile, Non-leathal) Piercing
Ranged	Rock Trained -2 -7 Thrown, 10 feet Bludgeoning
Special Abilities	Sneak Attack The prisoner deals an extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures. Surprise Attack On the first round of combat, creatures that haven't acted yet are flat-footed to the prisoner. You're Next (emotion, fear, mental) Trigger The prisoner reduces a creature to 0 Hit Points; Effect The prisoner attempts an Intimidation check with a +2 circumstance bonus to Demoralize a single creature it can see and that can see them.

All three are clad in rags and are suffering from malnutrition and fear. Each bears a hand tattoo on the right shoulder that indicates membership in the Jartkiir(with a successful DC 16 Society check to Recall Knowledge, a hero identifies the tattoo’s significance). The thieves recount their harrowing time as the prisoners of the morlocks if asked, and are eager to be led out of the dungeon. They thankfully accept their gear if offered, but really only want to return to Engleher . If the heroes lead them up to the surface, the thieves can safely return to Engleher on their own; otherwise, chances are good that a dire fate meets them. On the other hand, Pasker Mason pays well for their rescue.

Resolution

Cleaning Supplies

Shelves line the walls of this room, each filled with tools used for cleaning or repair work. A silver‑headed cane lies amid a tangle of mops, brooms, and buckets.

If the heroes make too much noise in here Zozzlarin immediately comes to investigate.

Treasure

None of these tools are particularly valuable, but even a brief glance is enough to note that they’re all clean and in good condition. The cane hides a silver blade; it’s a Low-grade Silver Sword Cane. Any attempt to move it without a successful DC 16 Thievery check causes the other tools to clatter noisily to the floor in a heap.

Clockwork Storage

A pair of hulking humanoid objects stand quietly in this chamber, each covered in a thick layer of dust.

These two Clockwork Assistant once helped maintain this level, but both are now broken beyond repair.

Treasure

With a successful DC 18 Crafting or Perception check, a hero identifies eight gemstones used as bearings in the broken clockworks. The gems are worth 5 gp each.

Zozzlarin's Room

Low

The walls of this room have been painted, crudely and almost childishly, to depict a horrific Hellscape of burning mountains, rusting cities, and tormented souls.

Creatures

Dretha used several bound Baatetzu as minions and guardians, mostly in lower levels of the Undercitadel. The lesser of the two devils she assigned to the upper levels is a hapless Zebub named Zozzlarin. A chubby, fly-bodied devil, Zozzlarin is bound to this level as an eternal janitor.
Zozzlarin is contractually required to spend 18 hours each day in this room, and he’s done his best to paint the walls to remind him of home. For the other 6 hours each day, he’s compelled to buzz out into the surrounding complex to clean and dust. Thanks to Dretha’s cruel sense of humor, Zozzlarin is required to spend at least 3 of those hours cleaning the dusty walls and floors of the dungeon with his tongue. Still, to the hopeless zebub, this indignity is nothing compared to the fact that he’s been forced to live here on the Material Plane for much longer than his bargain originally required.
The frustrated Zozzlarin is quick to attack the heroes as a result; the conditions of his imprisonment allow him to defend the dungeon from above-ground intruders. If reduced to 10 or fewer Hit Points, though, the devil begs for his life, offering to share a “special memory” as a reward. If the heroes agree, the zebub uses his Infernal Eye ability to reveal a significant event he witnessed many years ago: Tavish’s flight through the dungeon to hide out in the Haunted Washroom. Zozzlarin doesn’t know this memory’s significance, but it’s the most recent memory he has of other surface dwellers, so he assumes the heroes are interested. A successful DC 16 Society or relevant Lore check is enough for a hero to recognize the famous adventurer, who was thought to have been killed long ago in the clash against Dretha. Zozzlarin

Zebub - Creature 3

BLACKSMALLDEVILFIEND

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 18; Unspecific Lore: DC 16; Specific Lore: DC 13 Masters of corruption and architects of conquest, devils seek both to tempt mortal life to join in their pursuit of all things profane and to spread tyranny throughout all worlds. The temptations they offer mortals range from great powers granted by the signing of an infernal contract to twisted favors following a whispered pledge to a diabolic patron, or any number of even subtler exchanges. Those who succumb to these temptations find themselves consigned to an afterlife of endless torment in the pits of Hell, wherein the only hope of escape lies in the chance of being promoted to become a devil in the infernal ranks. Every devil has a specific role to play in the upkeep of the remorseless bureaucratic machine that is Hell, from soldiers and scholars to inquisitors, lawyers, judges, and executioners. Lowly lemures and imps perform subservient labor to more powerful and specialized devils, such as contract devils and erinyes, while the greatest pit fiends command entire infernal armies. Zebubs serve as Hell's messengers and spies. Their ability to share what they've seen with other creatures makes them especially useful—not only to other devils, but also to mortal conjurers. Some infernal lords unleash them in enormous, horrid swarms upon unsuspecting lands to debase flesh and land alike while collecting secrets the infernal host might later put to use. Zebubs use any opportunity to manipulate weak-willed or easily tempted mortals into serving the zebubs' whims. While arrogant and deceitful, zebubs lack the cunning and confidence of most devils, and thus their schemes often focus on satisfying self-serving or self-destructive ambitions. Zebubs form from the souls of childish and craven mortals, reshaped by the archdevil Baalzebul in the frozen, filthy wastes of Hell's seventh layer, Cocytus. Archdevils At any one time, eight archdevils rule the eight upper layers of Hell, while the deepest layer is ruled by Asmodeus. Each archdevil is a unique demigod with a dedicated role in guiding the infernal machine forward. Barbatos is the doorwarden of Hellʼs uppermost layer, while Dispater rules Hellʼs largest city. Mammon guards Hellʼs treasuries, and Belial designs new weapons for Hellʼs legions. Geryon is the oldest archdevil and keeper of many secrets, while Moloch leads Hellʼs armies. Baalzebul is a brooding archdevil who has fallen from Asmodeusʼs favor, while mighty Mephistopheles was formed from the plane of Hell itself. Diabolic Divinities Many unique and powerful devils hold positions of power in Hell. The most numerous of these are the infernal dukes, many of whom were promoted to this position from already impressive statures as pit fiends. The supreme ruler of Hell itself is Asmodeus, the Prince of Darkness. Diabolic Locations The nine layers of Hell are the planar home of all devils, and they much prefer its tyrannically ordered environs to anywhere else in the multiverse. Yet devils can be encountered anywhere mortals can be tempted by infernal bargains or seek diabolic aid. On Golarion, the nation of Cheliax is particularly aligned with Hell. Its government is based upon Hellʼs organization, and the state church is that of Asmodeus. Fiendish Relations Devils view daemonsʼ constant hunt for souls as a short-sighted waste of potential, and demonsʼ chaotic destruction of society and flesh as uncivilized and obnoxious, but they do not loathe their fiendish counterparts. Indeed, most devils are more than willing to take advantage of daemons and demons as they can to further their own machinations. Hellfire Stinking, sulfurous hellfire is infused with evil. Hellfire always deals a combination of fire damage and evil damage, though the specific ratio depends on the hellfire's origin. Certain types of hellfire can impose other effects on creatures as well, such as sapping their strength or memories. Hellmouths While travel to and from Hell is possible with plane shift, another way to reach and traverse the infernal realms is via hellmouths, strange living portals connecting different layers or even different planes. A hellmouth takes the form of a grimacing face, distended maw, or other distressingly organic aperture, and no two share the same appearance. Most are carefully guarded, but some new or well-hidden hellmouths have yet to be discovered. Other Devils The devils presented on these pages are a small sampling of the torments Hell has to offer. Other devils, like the inquisition-focused bone devils, the cherub-faced and fly-bodied accuser devils, and the aquatic drowning devil are a few examples of these widespread immortal creatures. Queens of the Night The four queens of the night wield great power in the Pit. Ardad Lili is a plotter and manipulator with ambitions of ruling the heavens, while Doloras revels in suffering. Most distant is Mahathallah, watching over fate and death. Mightiest among them is Eiseth, who is assembling an army in Dis in the hopes of claiming the iron throne of Malebolge. The Hierarchy of Hell Hell is a harsh plane of law with little use for compassion or empathy. As such, it exists entirely within a strict hierarchy, and this order extends to its denizens. While different types of demons correspond to various sins and daemons are associated with modes of mortal death, the different types of devils exist solely to fulfill particular roles in the infernal machine. On occasion, a particular devil can transcend the role for which they were literally shaped, but this often transforms the devil physically into the type suitable for their new role. — Bestiary 2 pg. 72 2.0
Perception	+12 ; Greater Darkvision
Languages	Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 feet
Skills	Acrobatics +10 , Arcana +7 , Deception +8 , Religion +9 , Stealth +10
STR +1 , DEX +4 , CON +1 , INT +0 , WIS +3 , CHA +1
AC	20
Saving Throws	Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +8 , +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP	30 - Immunities Fire - Weaknesses good 5 - Resistances physical 5 (except silver), poison 5
Speed	15 feet, fly 50 feet
Melee	mandibles +12 +7 / +2 , (evil, finesse, magical) Damage Piercing plus evil and Cocytan filth
Special Abilities	Cocytan Filth (disease, virulent) Saving Throw DC 18 Fortitude; Onset days ; Stage 1 enfeebled 1 (1 day Stage 2 enfeebled 2 (1 day Stage 3 enfeebled 3 (1 day) Infernal Eye (divine, divination) The zebub records everything they see, and though they don't remember all observations, they can pass them along to another creature. The zebub replays 10 minutes of witnessed events to a touched willing creature, which receives the memories in a flash of information. By remaining in contact, the zebub can spend additional 3-action activities to replay more information. After relaying their visions to another, the zebub can't ever recall those events again. Sneak Attack The zebub's Strikes deal an additional precision damage to flat-footed creatures.
Spells	Divine Innate Spells DC 17 +7 ; 5th dimension door; 4th dimension door (at will 2nd invisibility (at will; self only), summon animal (swarm creatures only Cantrips (2nd) message
Rituals	Rituals DC 17; 1st infernal pact

Haunted Washroom

This ten‑foot‑square washroom features an iron bathing tub to the north and a commode to the southwest. The northern wall glows and shimmers with ribbons of eerie green light.

When Olman Tavish became trapped in the Inverted Tower, he did his best to find an escape route. Unfortunately, at that time, many of Dretha’s dangerous minions still guarded much of this level. He made it to this room only to collapse from his wounds. Fortunately, Dretha’s death had thrown the dungeon into chaos and he wasn’t discovered. When Olman woke sometime later, no longer on the edge of death from his ordeal. He crept out of the room and made his way west through the reception room and eventually to The moldy Beach, only to be confronted by an angry and oversized Chuul. He discovered the secret stairway and fled deeper instead.
When Tavish finally died in his chamber, his soul remained as a Ghost, and the three locations where he hid during his final days became infused with echoes of his spirit. These echoes provide a trail to his remains. The ghostly energies react to the presence of the heroes. The first time the heroes see the glowing energy, it slithers into letters to read,

I was Olman... save me from below!

A moment later, the words slide off the wall and form a green ribbon of light that slithers across the floor like a serpent with a speed of 20 feet. The heroes can follow this ribbon, which lasts for only minutes, to the stairway, where it slips under the secret door and fades away. The next clue of Olman’s path is in the reading Room. This spectral manifestation can appear once per day.

Hall of Hatred

Low

Several wide alcoves adorn the walls of this L‑shaped hallway. Each alcove contains a small diorama of the same city facing different perils—a massive fire, a devastating tsunami, a thunderous earthquake, an attack by an enormous tentacled monster, and an invasion of an army of undead.

Each of the scenes in the alcoves depict the city of Irhurma in a different fanciful doom from Dretha’s imagination. The stone dioramas are enhanced with minor illusions; flames flicker, water ripples, and so on. A tiny Gauntlight, as though miles distant, sits at the edge of each scene. A hero who succeeds at a DC 16 Religion check while studying the last diorama notes that the undead are rising from Irhurma’s graves as Gauntlight’s beam shines upon them.

Hazards

In addition to displaying some of her fantasies about Irhurma’s destruction, Dretha had Vaidun rig several traps in the hall to punish intruders. One trap is linked to each diorama (see the map on page 20). Dooms of Tomorrow

Doom of Tomorrow - Hazard 3

HAZARDMAGICALTRAP

The sounds of devastation rise from the diorama, and a beam of shimmering energy lances outward from the tiny model of Gauntlight.
Perception	Stealth DC 20 (expert)
Skills	Disable DC 20 Thievery (trained) to quickly deactivate the model of Gauntlight before it triggers, or DC 23 Stealth (trained) to creep by a trap without triggering it
STR +0 , DEX +0 , CON +0 , INT +0 , WIS +0 , CHA +0
Items	Ranged
AC	21
Saving Throws	Fort +15, Ref +8, Will 0
HP	56 - Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage - Resistances Hardness 8
Ranged	apocalypse beam +16 (range 20 feet), Damage Damage fire damage from the burning city bludgeoning damage from the tsunami sonic damage from the earthquake mental damage from the monster negative damage from the undead uprising
Special Abilities	Apocalypse Beam Trigger A creature steps within 10 feet of the back of a diorama alcove; Effect The trap fires an apocalypse beam at that creature. Reset Each trap resets automatically after 1 hour

War Room

Severe

This large, low‑ceiling room has a cross‑shaped table at its center. Ten chairs stand around the table. The walls, floors, and ceilings of the chamber are completely covered with thick layers of webbing.

Dretha once held meetings with her most valued advisors, minions, and conjured allies in this room, usually to plan out her never-realized but oft-imagined assaults on Irhurma. The table in the center displays an illusory map of the city of Irhurma as it appeared hundreds of years ago, during Dretha’s life, to aid in her plans, but the spiderwebs in this room obscure this illusion.

Creatures

Several years ago, a ettercap named Xandem came to this room after entering the dungeon from the swamp. He found the illusory city a delight and fancied himself the “King of the Ghost City,” making the room his lair. After being damaged by a trap in the outer hall, Xandem has taken to clambering along the upper reaches of the hall to avoid stepping in front of the traps as he comes and goes on hunting trips, timing them for the hours the river drake is out of her lair at the flooded cavern.
When the heroes first arrive, the web lurker is squatting atop the table, delighting in yet another examination of his web-caked city. He rises up to full height upon spotting the heroes and, in Aklo, greets them by commanding,

Bow down before the King of the Ghost City and present your offerings!

Xandem’s inflated ego leaves him expecting any visitors to be potential supplicants bearing gifts, and if the heroes don’t offer him gifts (of any sort), he hisses in frustration and attacks. If the heroes actually do so, Xandem is so startled by his own authority that he’s momentarily silent. He makes further demands of the heroes to give more offerings, polish his claws, and so forth until he tires of their obsequiousness and simply attacks them. He calls his hidden Dream Spider minions out to ambush the heroes and does his best to lure the heroes into one of his two web traps. Xandem fights to the death. Xandem

Web Lurker - Monster 3

BLACK, GREENMEDIUMABERRATION

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 18; Unspecific Lore: DC 16; Specific Lore: DC 13 Web lurkers, known also as Ettercaps, are ugly monsters that not only dwell within the lairs of spiders and swarms, but actively cultivate and shepherd such vermin. Whether alone or in a group, web lurkers hunt in forests, swamps, or scrubby hill lands, constructing structures from their webs high up in trees or within craggy, high canyons, and they surround their territory with traps and snares constructed of the same webbing and natural material. — Bestiary pg. 325
Perception	+10 ; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 30 feet (creatures touching its web)
Languages	Aklo; spider speak (Spider Speak The web lurker can speak with spiders, with the same effects and limitations as speak with animals.)
Skills	Acrobatics +9 , Athletics +9 , Crafting +8 ( +12 to craft traps and snares), Stealth +11
STR +4 , DEX +4 , CON +3 , INT +1 , WIS +3 , CHA -1
AC	19
Saving Throws	Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +8
HP	45
Speed	25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee	fangs +11 +6 / +1 (poison), Damage piercing plus web lurker venom claw +11 +7 / +3 (agile), Damage Slashing
Ranged	web +11 +6 / +1 , Effect web trap
Special Abilities	Spring upon Prey Trigger A creature touches the web lurker’s web while the web lurker is on it. Requirement Initiative has not yet been rolled. Effect The web lurker automatically notices the creature and Strides or Climbs before rolling initiative.
Spells	Web Lurker Venom (poison) Saving Throw Fortitude DC 19; Maximum Duration 10 rounds; Stage 1 poison and flat-footed (1 round Stage 2 1d6 poison, flat-footed, and slowed 1 (1 round) Web Trap A creature hit by the web lurker’s web attack is immobilized and stuck to the nearest surface until it succeeds at DC 20 Acrobatics check to Escape.

Dream Spider

Dream Spider - creature 0

BLUE, BLACK, GREENSMALLANIMAL

Recall Knowledge - Animal (Nature): DC 14; Unspecific Lore: DC 12 Specific Lore: DC 9 Few everyday vermin inspire as much dread as the infamous spider. A dream spider's webs have an iridescent hue and are infused with the same hallucinogenic compound as the creature's toxin. Originally denizens of tropical jungles, dream spiders have adapted well to temperate environments, particularly thriving among the rooftops of cities where shady alchemists use their venom to produce the drug known as shiver. Associated Monsters Though they are vermin incapable of forming true alliances, spiders show up alongside many types of creatures, including web lurkers. Spellcasters sometimes call upon spiders using summon animal, and spider swarms have a way of popping up just about anywhere at the most inopportune times. Other Giant Spiders A staggering number of species of giant spider exist in the world. Some, like the dream spider, whose venom creates strange hallucinations, are relatively small. Others, like the lumbering ogre spider, are larger than horses. Shiver Addicts Talented alchemists process dream spider venom into an addictive drug called shiver. Those who become addicted to shiver may be driven in desperation to seek out dream spiders and allow them to bite their flesh in order to get their fix—a tactic that often backfires awfully as the spiders feed. — Bestiary 2 pg. 249 2.0
Perception	+6 ; darkvision, web sense
Skills	Acrobatics +5 , Athletics +2 , Stealth +7
STR +0 , DEX +3 , CON +1 , INT -5 , WIS +0 , CHA -4
Items	Fangs, Dream Spider Venom
AC	16
Saving Throws	Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4
HP	15
Speed	25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee	fangs +7 +2 / -3 (finesse), Damage piercing plus dream spider venom
Ranged	web +7 +2 / -3 (range increment 10 feet), Effect web trap plus dream spider venom
Special Abilities	Web Sense The spider has imprecise tremorsense to detect the vibrations of creatures touching its web. Dream Spider Venom (poison Saving Throw Fortitude DC 16; Maximum Duration 4 rounds; Stage 1 Stupified 1 (1 round Stage 2 poison ,Stupified 1 (1 round). Web Trap A creature hit by the Dream spider’s web attack is immobilized and stuck to the nearest surface until it Escapes (DC 16).

Hazards: Xandem has placed two Web Lurker Nooses in the room. Web Lurker Noose

Web Lurker Noose - Hazard 2

HAZARDMECHANICALTRAP

Discreet webbing at throat level snags a creature that walks into it. — Bestiary pg. 325
Perception	Stealth DC 22
Skills	Disable DC Survival (trained) or Thievery (expert) DC 18 to rearrange the webbing
STR +0 , DEX +0 , CON +0 , INT +0 , WIS +0 , CHA +0
Items
AC	18
Saving Throws	Fort +11, Ref +5, Will 0
HP	16 - Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage - Resistances Hardness 3
Melee	Noose +13 ( deadly d10 ), Damage bludgeoning and the target is grabbed and pulled off the ground (Escape DC 22). The target takes bludgeoning damage at the end of each of its turns as long as it’s caught in the noose.
Special Abilities	Web Noose Trigger A creature steps into the square with the web tripwire. Effect The web lurker noose makes a noose Strike against the triggering creature.

Treasure

The web lurker has gathered a fairly large stash of “treasure” that he keeps in a bundle of webbing affixed under the table. Most of these valuables are worthless trinkets that appealed to his strange sense of aesthetics, like rusty arrowheads, shiny rocks, bits of glass worn smooth by the surf, or neat seashells. Among the clutter is a Mesmerizing Opal, five Shining sling bullets, and a Type I Necklace of Fireballs . The cache is visible to anyone who looks under the table, as the magic sling bullets glow faintly through the webbing holding them in place.

Reception Room

Low

A ruined table and several destroyed chairs lie in a heap in the middle of this room, along with several large bones.

If the heroes are following the ghostly trail left by Tavish from the Haunted Washroom, they’ll see this trail dance and flicker around the center of the room where a Minotaur’s Skeleton is entangled with the ruined furniture. Olman encountered the guardian here and killed it before moving on. Unfortunately, the necromantic influence of Undercitadel has animated these remains.

Creatures

As the heroes enter the room, the bones shudder and pull together. This takes 1 round, so swift characters can exit the room before the bones assemble, at which time they fall back into place. If the minotaur skeleton completely rebuilds itself, it pulls its rusty Glaive from the wreckage and fights until destroyed—but it doesn’t pursue foes from this room. Skeletal Giant

Skeletal Giant - creature 3

BLACKLARGEMINDLESSSKELETONUNDEAD

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 18; Unspecific Lore: DC 16; Specific Lore: DC 13 Made from bones held together by foul necromancy, skeletons are among the most common types of undead, found haunting old dungeons and forgotten cemeteries. The reanimated bones of giants make excellent necromantic thralls. Skeleton Abilities Most skeletons have one of these abilities. If you give a skeleton more, you might want to increase its level and adjust its statistics. Blaze The skeleton is wreathed with fire, which doesn't consume its bones or gear. The skeleton gains immunity to fire and weakness 5 to cold, loses its resistance to cold, and its Strikes deal additional persistent fire damage equal to half the skeleton's level (minimum 1 damage). Bloody The skeleton is covered in dripping blood and gains fast healing equal to its level. Bone Missile The skeleton yanks a rib from its ribcage to use as an arrow or javelin. The skeleton loses HP equal to its level (minimum 1), then makes a ranged Strike. This uses the attack bonus of whichever of the skeleton's other Strikes has the highest attack bonus and deals piercing damage equal to that Strike's damage plus the skeleton's level (minimum 1). Bone Powder When the skeleton takes physical damage from a critical hit, one of its bones is pulverized into a fine powder. All creatures in a 5-foot emanation that breathe take 1d6 persistent poison damage (plus an additional 1d6 for every 6 levels the skeleton has). Collapse Trigger The skeleton is critically hit. Effect The skeleton collapses into a pile of bones and the attack deals only normal damage. The skeleton can reform in a standing position as an action, but until it does, it is immobilized and fiat-footed. Explosive Death When the skeleton is destroyed, its bones shatter and explode as the necromantic energy holding it together is released. Adjacent creatures take 1d6 slashing damage per 2 levels (minimum 1d6) with a basic Reflex save. Screaming Skull (auditory, emotion, fear, mental) The skeleton removes its skull and throws it, making a jaws attack with a range of 20 feet. It then attempts to Demoralize each foe within 10 feet of the target. The head bounces, rolls, or even flies back, returning to the skeleton at the start of its next turn. The skeleton is blind until then. Skeleton of Roses Thick briars have grown through the skeleton's bones, covering it in red roses with inch-long thorns. The skeleton's unarmed melee Strikes deal additional piercing damage equal to 1/3 the skeleton's level (minimum 1 damage). At the end of each of its turns, if the skeleton has caused piercing damage with its thorns, it regains HP equal to its level (minimum 1). Each time the skeleton regains HP in this way, another rose blossoms. Creating Skeletons Start with a skeleton of the appropriate size. (Gargantuan skeletons can use skeletal hulk with the elite template, Gargantuan size, and 5 feet more reach.) Add Strikes, Speeds, or other abilities it would gain from its shape. For instance, a chimera skeleton might have a horn attack with its goat head and jaw attacks with its dragon and lion heads, but not a fist attack. Radiant Rebirth When the powerful lich called the Whispering Tyrant returned from imprisonment, he unleashed the Radiant Fire that laid waste to several towns and cities around his prison of Gallowspire. Most of the fallen were left where they died, slowly steeping in necromantic energy. In the early days after these attacks, zombies commonly roamed the area, but as the years pass, skeletons have become more and more numerous. Skeleton Origins Necromancers occasionally add a little something extra to skeletons they animate, but sometimes skeletons can pick up aspects of their environment. Skeletons that spend centuries in an underground cavern with a lava lake often end up blazing. Corpses whose graves become overrun with briars and brambles sometimes rise with life-draining thorns, while skeletons in vermin-infested earth often take some of those vermin with them when animated. Unlife without Flesh The necromantic energies that infuse animated undead skeletons give them the ability to see without eyes and move without muscles. Despite being mindless, skeletons’ instinct to evil comes from their corrupt vital essence, perverting negative energy for creation rather than destruction. — Bestiary pg. 299
Perception	+7 darkvision
Skills	Athletics +12 , Intimidation +9
STR +5 , DEX +1 , CON +3 , INT -5 , WIS +0 , CHA +2
Items	glaive, half-plate
AC	17
Saving Throws	Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +7
HP	50, negative healing - Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious - Resistances cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, piercing 5, slashing 5
Speed	30 feet
Melee	glaive +12 +7 / +2 ( deadly d10 , forceful, reach 15 feet), Damage slashing horns +12 +8 / +4 (agile), Damage piercing
Special Abilities	Broad Swipe The giant makes two Strikes with its glaive against two adjacent foes, both of whom are within its reach. The multiple attack penalty does not increase until after both attacks are resolved. Terrifying Charge The giant Strides and makes a horns Strike with a +4 circumstance bonus to damage. If the strike hits, the giant attempts to Demoralize the target.

Secret Stairs

The heroes can spot the secret door at the top of these stairs with a successful DC 18 Perception check. The secret door opens when the rise on the top step is pushed a certain way. The stairs beyond the secret door lead down to the Library.

Punishment Room

Broken‑down torture instruments lie in half‑collapsed heaps on the floor here. To the north slumps a ruined stretching rack, while to the south a pillory lies fallen on the floor. Rusty tongs and chains, frayed and rotten whips, and other instruments of torture lie on shelves that look about to collapse.

Dretha used this room to punish insolent servants or when she was bored and needed something to distract her. Little of use remains here, but a hero Searching this room who succeeds at a DC 18 Perception check finds the secret door to the south, which opens when a rusted ring on the wall is pulled down sharply.

Elevator Down

A hero Searching this dead end spots the secret door with a successful DC 18 Perception check. Two wall stones, pushed in unison, cause it to swing open.

This plain, circular room is empty. A single image of a moss‑caked skull adorns the eastern wall.

This floor of this room is a magical elevator that links to the library below. If a creature touches the image of the mossy skull—Empty Death’s symbol—while the secret door is closed, the floor slowly descends 30 feet with a grinding noise. Doors slide up into view to the north and south.
If the secret door is opened while the elevator is in the library, this room is a 30-foot-deep pit.

Watchtower Basement

If the heroes manage to enter this room before Gauntlight activates at the beginning of this chapter, then the artifact is already empowered; no ribbon of ghostly energy is currently present, and you should amend the following read-aloud text accordingly. After Gauntlight activates, it needs to recharge, so the ribbon of energy returns.

The walls of this circular room are smooth and gray. A ribbon of pale blue light coils and slithers through the air, connecting the floor at the center of the room to the ceiling fifteen feet above. The points where this light touches the stone above and below seethe and writhe, as if the stone itself were suffering from an infection. The desiccated remains of an enormous worm lie slumped around the ribbon, forming a crescent of shriveled and tattered purple flesh.

One of Belcorra’s favorite pets dwelt in this room, a Purple Worm she transported into the chamber from Subterra. For all the creature’s bestial power, it was entirely dependent on Dretha for sustenance, as the keep’s walls are indestructible. After Belcorra’s death, the worm starved to death.
The ribbon of ghostly light is a manifestation of Gauntlight’s mounting power. This eerie light churns in a 5-foot-diameter burst at the room’s center. Any living creature ending its turn within it takes negative damage (DC 16 basic Reflex save) and undead creatures regain HP of the same amount. As long as Gauntlight remains at its low-level activation, the light keeps churning, but if the heroes rescue Dalas Feldspar from his lament, it winks out.

Treasure

A hero who digs into the dried worm’s carcass finds the remains of its last meal: a Duergar Skeleton still clutching a +1 Warhammer that didn’t help him cut his way out of the worm’s gut.

Goals

Treasure

• +1 Warhammer •+1 Weapon Potency Rune • 1st Level Wand of Magic Missile • Fear Gem • Lesser Healing Potion • Low-Grade Silver Sword Cane • Mesmerizing Opal • Retribution Axe • Shining Sling Bullets (5) • Slick Rune • Necklace of Fireballs, Type I • Wayfinder

Locations

Environmental Cues: broken low‑quality furniture and tools, cobwebs, distant banging noises, moisture beading on the walls, smells of mold, unpleasant dampness.

Forgotten Depths

Plot points/Scenes

Structure

Exposition

Deadtide from the Fens

Cursed Fens

Creatures

Abomination's Arrival

Creatures:

Scalathrax Oil

Dying Light

Conflict

Stairs Up

Vaidun’s workshop

Secret Door

Incomplete Doll

Vaidun's chambers

Borbo's Room

Treasure

Vaidun's Machine

Creatures

Treasure

Rising Action

Abandodned Guard Post

Meeting Room

Servants Rooms

Creatures

Old Office

Creatures

Treasure

Trapped Hall

Hazards

Washroom

Daarkh's Throne Room

Creatures

Side Quest

Grothlut Den

Creatures

Shrine of the Fanged Queen

Treasure

Crypt

Creatures

Pantry

Portal Chamber

XP Award

Climax

Ruined Boat Launch

Flooded Cavern

Creatures

Treasure

Moldy Beach

Hazard

Falling Action

Processional

Workshop

Well

Treasure

Prison

Downtrodden

Braving The Mob

Word On The Street

Resolution

Cleaning Supplies

Treasure

Clockwork Storage

Treasure

Zozzlarin's Room

Creatures

Archdevils

Diabolic Divinities

Diabolic Locations

Fiendish Relations

Hellfire

Hellmouths

Other Devils

Queens of the Night

The Hierarchy of Hell

Haunted Washroom

Hall of Hatred

Hazards