TEXT: 39
  The Crooked Nail
  
  Credits
  TB1: The Crooked Nail
  CEO
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  Greg A. Vaughan
  Art Director
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  FROG GOD GAMES IS
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Frog  
  God 
  Games
  ©2017 Frog God Games. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission 
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  above list.
  5th Edition Rules,  
  1st Edition Feel
  Author
  Brandon Hodge
  Based on original material  
  by Richard Pett.
  Developers
  Alistair Rigg & Greg A. Vaughan
  Producer
  Bill Webb
  Editor
  Jeff Harkness
  5e Conversion
  Anthony Prior
  Layout and Graphic Design
  Charles A. Wright
  Front Cover Art
  Felipe Gaona
  Interior Art
  David Day, Peter Fairfax,  
  Olaus Magnus, Richard Pett,  
  Giovanni Andrea Vavassore, and  
  Richard Yardly and Peter Short
  Photography
  Richard Pett
  Cartography
  Robert Altbauer
  Playtesters
  Andy “Jester” Brown,  
  Vincent Colon-Roine, Phil Lucas, 
  Claire McGee, Diane McGee,  
  Gary Monteith, Dawn Upson,  
  Stewart Williams
  
  2
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  GENERAL RESOURCES 
  Swords & Wizardry Complete S&W 
  The Tome of Horrors Complete PF, S&W 
  Tome of Horrors 4 PF, S&W 
  Tome of Adventure Design
  Monstrosities S&W 
  Bill Webb’s Book of Dirty Tricks 
  Razor Coast: Fire as She Bears PF 
  Book of Lost Spells 5e 
  Fifth Edition Foes 5e 
  The Tome of Blighted Horrors 5e, PF, S&W
  Book of Alchemy* 5e, PF, S&W 
  THE LOST LANDS 
  Rappan Athuk PF, S&W 
  Rappan Athuk Expansions Vol. I PF, S&W 
  The Slumbering Tsar Saga PF, S&W 
  The Black Monastery PF, S&W 
  Cyclopean Deeps Vol. I PF, S&W 
  Cyclopean Deeps Vol. II PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast: Heart of the Razor PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast: Freebooter’s Guide to the Razor Coast PF, S&W 
  LL0: The Lost Lands Campaign Setting* 5e, PF, S&W
  LL1: Stoneheart Valley PF, S&W 
  LL2: The Lost City of Barakus PF, S&W 
  LL3: Sword of Air PF, S&W 
  LL4: Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms PF, S&W 
  LL5: Borderland Provinces 5e, PF, S&W
  LL6: The Northlands Saga Complete PF, S&W
  LL7: The Blight 5e, PF, S&W
  LL8: Bard’s Gate 5e, PF, S&W 
  LL9: Adventures in the Borderland Provinces 5e, PF, S&W
  QUESTS OF DOOM 
  Quests of Doom (Vol. 1) 5e 
  Quests of Doom (Vol. 2) 5e 
  Quests of Doom (includes the 5e Vol. 1 and 2, but for PF 
  and S&W only) PF, S&W 
  Quests of Doom 2 5e 
  Quests of Doom 3 5e, S&W
  Quests of Doom 4* 5e, PF, S&W
  PERILOUS VISTAS 
  Dead Man’s Chest (pdf only) PF 
  Dunes of Desolation PF 
  Fields of Blood PF 
  Mountains of Madness* PF 
  Marshes of Malice* PF
  Other Products from Frog God Games
  You can find these product lines and more at our website, froggodgames.com, and on the shelves of many retail game stores.  
  Superscripts indicate the available game systems: “PF” means the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, “5e” means Fifth Edition,  
  and “S&W” means Swords & Wizardry. If there is no superscript it means that it is not specific to a single rule system.
  * (forthcoming from Frog God Games)
  
  3
  The Crooked Nail
  Table of Contents
  Introduction ..........................................................................................................................Pg. 5
  Chapter 1: The Theatre Infernalis ........................................................................................Pg. 7
   
  Event 1: Hood’s Rats ...............................................................................................Pg. 10
   
  Spooks and Scares....................................................................................................Pg. 11
   
  Hazards of the Mirror Maze ...................................................................................Pg. 13 
   
  Event 2: To Nail a Thief ...........................................................................................Pg. 14
  Chapter 2: For Want of a Nail ............................................................................................Pg. 16
   
  New Magic Item: Blessed Nails ..............................................................................Pg. 20 
  Chapter 3: An Encore of Gore ...........................................................................................Pg. 21
   
  Hazards of the Maze of Misery ..............................................................................Pg. 27
  Monster Appendix ..............................................................................................................Pg. 29
   
  Abyssal Larva ..........................................................................................................Pg. 29
   
  Ningyo .......................................................................................................................Pg. 29
   
  Lesser Ooze Demon .................................................................................................Pg. 30
   
  Pickled Punk ............................................................................................................Pg. 30
  
  4
  “… You’ve just entered the wrong side of town …”
  The Crooked Nail is a Fifth Edition adventure designed  
  for a party of four to six 1st-level PCs. It serves as a companion adventure to  
  Richard’s Pett’s The Blight and takes place in that twisted city as revealed  
  in the campaign setting published by Frog God Games.
  TB1: The Crooked Nail
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  By Brandon Hodge
  
  5
  Dark are the deeds that occur unseen in the blighted streets and alleys of 
  Castorhage. When the moons are high and the vaporous Canker shrouds 
  the cobbles, or even behind closed doors and shuttered windows during 
  the hours of wan daylight, black-eyed practitioners of the foulest sort ply 
  their trade. The powerful among the city’s elite think that they plumb the 
  deepest esoteric secrets and command the darkest rituals, but in a city the 
  size of the Blight, countless others would tap into forbidden knowledge 
  and are willing to risk all in their own bid to rise among the mighty — 
  even if that risk is to the city itself.
  Adventure 
  Background
  Decades ago, a malevolent and mysterious fraternal society rose 
  to prominence in the Artists’ Quarter of Castorhage. This order — the 
  Fraternitatem Æternam — was a dangerous mixture of esoteric college, 
  secret society, and pyramid scheme. Whispered rumors told of profane 
  rites performed within the walls of the group’s compound, and locals 
  spoke of a strange ruddy glow seen in the building’s high windows, and of 
  the guttural, inhuman cries heard from behind its walls. While it existed, 
  local streets remained abuzz with news that powerful adepts within the 
  order had infernal powers at their disposal, and that they would eventually 
  emerge from their lodge to become a major new power in the Blight’s 
  social hierarchies.
  But then, nearly as quickly as it had begun, the strangeness grew silent, 
  and the entrance to the fraternal lodge opened no more. Known members 
  of the order were no longer seen in the city’s streets, sauntering confidently 
  as they had in their heavy robes embroidered with the order’s mystic 
  sigils. The curious dared not breach the lodge’s doors, and even the Watch 
  refused to investigate. And as is the way of the Blight, the disturbance was 
  soon forgotten, swallowed by the din of the city’s other intrigues. 
  But the memory was not erased for all. There were survivors. The 
  order had indeed been in the thrall of infernal powers. Led by a powerful 
  occultist, the fraternity used profane rituals to open rifts between worlds, 
  gating in powerful demonic patrons to curry favor for the order’s members. 
  But many within its ranks were too concerned with glitz, glamour, and 
  promises, and lacked experienced bartering in such profanities. Mere 
  months after the establishment of the Fraternitatem Æternam, a climactic 
  ritual meant to secure the imprisonment and patronage of a terrible general 
  of Jubilex’s army — the great ooze demon Darmathon — failed terribly, 
  and nearly the entirety of the order’s membership was sucked into the 
  Abyssal rift, where their bodies and souls became a feast for fiends.
  All but two young acolytes were condemned to the Abyss that day, 
  and it is fortunate that the order entrusted their acolytes with protective 
  measures against such a mishap: talismanic nails that could seal a rift 
  for as long as they stayed in place. Pursued by demonic entities, the 
  young acolytes Crux and Chelman managed to hammer the magical nails 
  into each of the lodge’s four corners and snapped the rift shut, trapping 
  Darmathon between worlds in a half-summoned state.
  The experience drove the acolytes to obsession. Crux fled into the 
  Blight’s occult underworld, gathering items of protection meant to ward off 
  the demonic entities he was convinced were after him. His rival Chelman 
  thus became the inheritor of the order’s property and used his newfound 
  wealth to confront his demons in the lodge itself. Months passed, and 
  the diabolic graffiti that came to cover the building’s façade soon took 
  on new form, as wood-and-wire frameworks and buckets of plaster 
  transformed the building into a strange new incarnation — a theatre and 
  spookshow devoted to the twisted and the macabre: the Theatre Infernalis. 
  Introduction
  Warning
  This adventure contains mature themes that may not be suitable 
  for some readers or players. Our purpose at Frog God Games 
  is not to make tasteless products or violate the Pathfinder® 
  Roleplaying Game Compatibility License that requires publishers 
  to create products for the general public that would not be classified 
  as “adult content,” offensive, or inappropriate for minors. But we 
  do intend to make thrilling adventures in the style of old-school 
  game play that test the players’ stalwartness and bring difficult 
  and layered nuances to their game. Simulating and navigating 
  the struggles of real life (and/or their fantasy equivalent) with 
  exceptional powers and skills as characters while freeing players 
  of the prospect of actual consequences is one of the great draws of 
  roleplaying games, and we always strive to create that experience 
  in our products. 
  
  6
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Having faced and overcome his fears, Chelman had brought his demons 
  to mechanical life! All that had transpired before became the heel of 
  an indecent spectacle in which those who entered to sate their curiosity 
  were subjected to all manner of smoke-and-mirror haunts and demonic 
  automatons overseen by a curiously obsessed host.
  For decades now, Chelman has been warden to the sealed rift, and 
  patrons sent fleeing into the streets by his demonic spookshow have little 
  idea of the true terror that remains confined inside its four walls. Over 
  Chelman’s lifetime, the Theatre Infernalis has passed from a popular 
  venue among the swaggering bourgeoisie of Castorhage into a stale relic; 
  its displays and traps are worn and threadbare, and the rite of passage that 
  was once its main attraction is now little more than a campy, nostalgic 
  romp for bored visitors to the Artists’ Quarter.
  But age and consumption have overtaken its proprietor, and as Chelman’s 
  final days draw near, so too, it seems, do those of the Theatre Infernalis. 
  Its fate unknown, patrons old and new flock once more to the spookshow 
  for one last thrill. Unbeknownst to the elderly occultist and his customers, 
  however, his old rival Crux has anticipated this day and waits in the wings 
  to ensure that the theatre’s proprietorship falls to the last surviving heir of 
  the Fraternitatem Æternam. Threatened by the impending closure, Crux 
  has taken drastic steps to ensure that the order’s surviving secrets and 
  artifacts finally become his; steps which may unleash a powerful demon 
  onto Castorhage’s streets if left unchecked.
  Adventure Summary
  A happenstance visitation or rumor of the theatre’s final days brings 
  the PCs to the doorstep of the Theatre Infernalis. Stepping through 
  the gaping, demonic mouth that makes up the theatre’s doorway, the 
  group enjoys a drink in an elaborately and infernally decorated front 
  tavern, and wait their turn to take a trip through the theatre’s signature 
  attraction: a walk-through Abyss-themed spookhouse. The anticipation 
  of the upcoming entertainment is spoiled briefly when a small gang of 
  street thugs disrupts the revelry, but the party is soon escorted to the 
  spookshow entrance by the establishment’s cranky proprietor. Set free to 
  explore the bizarre hallways lit by dim and smoking crucibles that give 
  it a hellish appearance, the PCs encounter a host of demonic automatons 
  that spring to life to frighten and amuse, spectral haunts conjured with 
  the clever use of smoke and mirrors, and other apparatus meant to elicit 
  scares and cheap thrills. But the previously encountered gang members 
  have sabotaged some of the clever gimmicks, and PCs may find some of 
  the effects more harmful than expected.
  Exiting the abyssal funhouse, the PCs find the bar silent and abandoned 
  as the theatre’s proprietor sets upon them, aggressively accusing them of 
  burglary. Wading through his incoherence, several of the theatre’s staff 
  step in to threaten PCs and get to the bottom of the host’s concerns: a 
  magical talismanic nail has been removed from a display, setting off the 
  proprietor’s predictions of doom and hellfire. Investigating, the PCs find 
  a clue to the real perpetrators — the antagonistic street gang — and are 
  employed to recover the nail at all costs.
  Seeking out the thieves, the PCs are immersed in the hustle and bustle of 
  the streets of Castorhage, and soon find the gang’s hideout. Presided over 
  by a deranged collector of occult ephemera, the PCs must defeat the gang 
  and their guardians by wit or force, recover the magical nail from among 
  the boss’s bizarre collection of relics, and return it to the Theatre Infernalis.
  But in their absence, the theatre has undergone a disturbing 
  transformation into a truly infernal landscape as the rift between reality 
  and the Abyss reopened with the removal of the talisman. Once-innocuous 
  automatons spring to life to attack PCs, empowered by the unleashed 
  spirits of demonic minions, while the quasit-possessed corpses of the 
  theatre’s murdered employees roam the halls to protect their new master: 
  the awakened form of the once-hibernating Darmathon, who has emerged 
  from the formerly dormant summoning sigil and is regaining his former 
  power with each passing day.
  Beginning the 
  Adventure
  The adventure begins when the PCs visit the Theatre Infernalis. 
  There are a number of ways you can ensure their attendance. You may 
  seed rumors of the strange theatre and a last chance to experience its 
  attraction due to its impending closure, or you may simply place it in 
  their path as they take their first wary steps into the city’s filthy streets. 
  One character or another may have fond memories of visiting the venue 
  in their younger days, or you may have the group make a delivery to the 
  theatre’s bar or its proprietor, and have them invited to stay around for a 
  tour. Whatever the means you use to get them there, the adventure will 
  take care of the rest.
  
  7
  The Crooked Nail
  The Theatre Infernalis is located in the Artists’ Quarter of Castorhage, 
  its gaping-mouthed façade blending into the profane murals and strange 
  sculpture of cramped streets and noisy alleys among the Theatres Sinister. 
  Its history is now mostly faded from memory, its significance forgotten 
  or ignored by the citizens, and its presence well outside the influence 
  and intrigues of the incessant squabbles of the Fetch and the Triads, and 
  beneath the notice of the manufactured chaos of the Revolutionaries. You 
  may wish PCs familiar with the Artists’ Quarter to have some conception 
  of its macabre history. A successful DC 12 Int (Investigation) check or 
  Cha (Persuasion) check to gather information reveals nothing more 
  than the theatre’s passé stature among dozens of competing theatres, 
  relying on outdated if entertaining automatons and veiled actors to 
  surprise the public with a tired and threadbare spookshow. A result of 20 
  or higher adds that the aging proprietor was possibly involved in some 
  unspecified occult intrigue in the quarter before the theatre’s opening. 
  A successful DC 15 Int (Arcana) or (planes) check reveals that the 
  building once housed a profane arcane order that brokered in demonic 
  forces, while a result of 25 or more gives the order a proper name — the 
  Fraternitatem Æternam — and reveals that all known members of the 
  order disappeared under mysterious circumstances several decades ago, 
  just before the theatre’s opening.
  * See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games 
  for details.
  Front of House
  The theatre’s front of house is made up of its external façade, lobby, 
  ticket stand, display cabinets, bar, balcony and spookshow entrance.
  A1. Façade
  The façade of the Theatre Infernalis, constructed of heavy plaster over 
  wire framing, depicts an infernal hellscape where pitchfork-wielding 
  demons throw sinners into a craggy lake of eternal fire, and which is actually 
  illuminated at night by hidden lanterns and burning wicks that emit faintly 
  sulphurous fumes; locals joke in wonderment that, over its many years, the 
  theatre has not gone up in flames as a result. The entire façade has seen 
  better days, with its wire frame exposed in many places, and the plaster 
  worn and eroded, though many maintain that it gets more frightening with 
  each passing year as a result. Interrupting the façade’s crumbling torment 
  scene is a gaping, demonic face whose toothy maw frames two massive 
  doors that swing open to reveal the lobby and tavern beyond.
  Many of the individuals depicted burning among the crags and waves 
  were once well-known personages in the city against whom the proprietor 
  had some grudge or another. Most are now dead or unrecognizable, though 
  some particular family traits might be picked out from among the faces: a 
  successful DC 15 Int (Investigation) check may result in recognition but 
  the specifics and ramifications of such are left for the GM to determine.
  A2. Lobby
  The lobby is decorated in heavy plaster that makes it appear 
  as if patrons have stepped into a giant, infernal cave. Flames 
  dance from burning crucibles that flare up unexpectedly, and 
  demonic faces occasionally spring forth from hidden recesses 
  to startle passersby. The rear of the spacious establishment 
  holds a dimly lit, yet busy bar offset by nearby display cases 
  stuffed with all manner of esoteric ephemera. Several strangely 
  dressed employees tend a ticket stand below wide stairs that 
  lead up to a looming balcony.
  The lobby of the Theatre Infernalis is a masterpiece of faux-Infernal 
  décor. The clever lighting from crucibles both hidden and exposed 
  gives the environment a churning, broiling quality, as if immersed in 
  hellish flames. Guided by hidden springs or thin wires, fiendishly styled 
  mannequins and marionettes pounce forth from within the walls and 
  tessellated floorboards, or fly through the air below the high ceiling. But 
  after patrons witness a few of these surprising sequences, the timing of the 
  machinery becomes a predictable annoyance for those wishing to quietly 
  finish their drinks. The lobby has many uncomfortable tables, scorched 
  as if exposed to Abyssal flames, and many of the barstools and chairs are 
  rigged with primitive electrodes that the bartender can crank to remotely 
  move the seats or startle unruly guests, though it’s rare that anyone bothers 
  these days. For now, let PCs witness these startling animations only from 
  afar; there is more to come in the spookshow, and the lobby’s surprises 
  will be put to better purpose in Chapter 3.
  Chapter One:
  The Theatre Infernalis
  
  8
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  The lobby area encompasses the ticket stand (A3), an array of esoteric 
  display cases (A4), the bar (A5), and the looming balcony above (A6) that 
  also contains the entrance to the infamous spookshow.
  A3. Ticket Stand
  During business hours, the ticket stand is the post and refuge of the 
  theatre’s proprietor, Chelman (N male venerable human occultist 4). 
  Though he once served as host in the same flamboyant manner that 
  current host Luther now does, his advanced age has made him sullen and 
  withdrawn, and his frailness confines him to only brief mobility with a 
  cane. Working the ticket booth from a comfortable perch, however, allows 
  him to interact with every patron, and he perturbingly promises eternal 
  flames and hellish damnation to all ticket purchasers who fail to learn 
  the lessons of the spookshow: to live a clean life free of indulgence in 
  temptation and corruption. 
  Like Luther, he dresses in a high-collared and heavily adorned 
  ceremonial robe. His tiny, stooped frame, which is swallowed up by the 
  voluminous vestments, is almost comical in appearance.
  Tickets for the spookshow are 1 sp per person. These days, there is a 
  20-minute wait before patrons are called in groups of 4–6 to make their 
  way up the stairs to the entrance a few minutes after the group ahead of 
  them. A small, hinged bookshelf and numerous draped ceremonial robes 
  on the north wall behind the ticket stand conceal a secret entrance to the 
  service hallway (A7), which can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wis 
  (Perception) check.
  
  9
  The Crooked Nail
  A4. Infernal Display
  Several sealed glass display cases stand along the lobby’s 
  back wall. Within, dusty old props and relics purporting to 
  be artifacts from the Abyss rest in a museum-like exhibit. 
  There’s a vial of dark liquid labeled “River Styx,” several 
  chunks of porous rock labeled with the numbers of various 
  layers of the Abyss, and an assortment of demonic samples, 
  including leathery snippets of “Nabasu Wing,” an enormous 
  “Glabrezu Pincer,” greasy “Nalfeshnee Pinfeathers,” a 
  withered “Vrock Spore” vine, and a jar of red “Babau Slime.” 
  Another case holds a set of mysterious relics that appear 
  to have come from some occult order. Before an unfurled, 
  weathered banner draped across the case’s back panel are 
  shelves piled with fancy sashes, soiled lambskin gloves, 
  delicate silk aprons, tie-tacks, brooches, censers, and all 
  manner of esoteric ceremonial garb, all heavily decorated 
  with mystic symbolism. 
  Adjacent to the case is a complete ceremonial costume 
  displayed on a disturbingly decaying wax mannequin. 
  Leaning nearby on the wall is an elaborately decorated 
  wooden coffin with a glass window containing a skeleton 
  itself intricately engraved with glyphs and runes. Above 
  this case, a lopsided banner adorned with the symbol of a 
  chained book hangs from a ceremonial spear (a DC 17 Int 
  [Arcana] recognizes the chained book as the symbol of the 
  Fraternitatem Æternam). Nearby, a rusted and broken 
  ceremonial longsword is mounted to the wall. A third and 
  final case holds four realistic models of tiny, fiendish-looking 
  creatures in various macabre poses. To complete the effect, 
  part of the stone floor here is engraved with a semicircle, 
  inlaid with fanciful silver runes of some kind that encloses a 
  section of the display.
  While the inlaid semicircle on the floor may seem thematically 
  appropriate and be dismissed as mere fanciful decoration, the fact is that 
  it is one side of an old summoning circle, the diameter of which extends 
  beyond the room’s perimeter and into the Path of the Damned (A15); 
  the spookshow’s walls having been built over it. A successful DC 14 Int 
  (Arcana) check reveals that the circle is authentic, and anyone exceeding 
  this DC by 3 or more realizes it can be used for planar binding and 
  similar effects. A detect magic or similar effect reveals faint dweomers 
  that a successful DC 14 Int (Arcana) check identifies as abjuration and 
  conjuration magic that could be hints of more powerful effects constrained 
  or subdued by outside forces or age.
  The cases contain both fake and genuine occult esoterica, but the PCs 
  will not have the chance to investigate and identify some of the items 
  more closely at this time. Opening the heavy display cases first requires 
  unlocking their barred back-panels with a successful DC 12 Dex (with 
  thieves’ tools) check. The panels are impossible to access, however, 
  unless the cases are moved away from the wall. The glass can be smashed 
  instead, of course, but either method to access the contents draws the 
  immediate attention of the theatre’s staff, who keep their eyes trained 
  upon the relics. Refer to area C4 in Chapter 3 for more details on the 
  items within.
  A closer examination of the rune-carved skeleton reveals, with a 
  successful DC 12 Wis (Medicine), that it is human, and, with a successful 
  DC 12 Int (Arcana) check, that the symbolism belongs to an obscure and 
  long-defunct fraternal order said to have been destroyed by even darker 
  forces for meddling with things better left alone; a result of 20 or higher 
  provides the information for the similar check presented at the start of 
  this chapter.
  While the four macabre models first appear to be gaffs of exceptional 
  quality, a successful DC 12 Wis (Medicine) reveals bits of exposed bone 
  and parched skin that could come only from real, preserved specimens. A 
  successful DC 11 Int (Arcana) check identifies them as desiccated corpses 
  of quasits.
  Treasure: In the mannequin’s inside breast pocket is a small leather 
  case containing three potions of invulnerability. The ceremonial spear is 
  a  cold iron spear. The sword is a longsword with the broken condition 
  and, via an occult ritual, has a persistent magic weapon effect upon it 
  that immediately ends if the sword is ever properly enchanted or used 
  to strike a deathblow. While the magic of these items might be detected, 
  the PCs are unlikely to be able to closely examine their dweomers for 
  identification purposes due to their being concealed or out of reach, and 
  the watchful staff prevent anyone from handling the items.
  A5. Bar
  A long bar stretches toward the back of the establishment. While the 
  shelves bear all manner of expensive bottles and rare vintages, most of 
  these bottles date from the establishment’s better days and are now filled 
  with water; most of the current drink service comes from a few bottles 
  of cheap alcohol or one of the tapped kegs of ale or wine. The bartender, 
  Jaym (CG male human commoner 3), is dressed in a black and red satin 
  robe that gives him the appearance of a grand warlock, though it contrasts 
  rather sharply with his broad, pockmarked face and patchy beard, both 
  of which lend him an appearance more in keeping with a blacksmith or 
  manufactory worker. He is a nice enough fellow who has a difficult time 
  keeping up the sinister charade expected of him, and his boredom over 
  the ever-diminishing crowds leads him to engage in casual conversation 
  typically forbidden by Chelman, who is quick to interject with portents of 
  woe from the ticket stand if he notices Jaym not playing his proper role or 
  getting too chummy with customers.
  
  10
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  A6. Balcony
  The spookshow takes up the majority of the theatre’s space, and 
  spans two levels. The entrance is on the upper level via a 10-foot-wide 
  balcony with a high railing that overlooks the lobby. Flanking the entrance 
  tunnel (A10) are two doors — one obvious, the other concealed. A stout, 
  ironbound door set into the plastered façade to the left of the spookshow 
  entrance leads to Chelman’s bedroom (A8). To the right of the spookshow 
  entrance, at the northeast corner of the balcony, a secret door concealed 
  behind the rocky façade leads into the upper service hallway (A9). It can 
  be discovered with a DC 15 Wis (Perception) check. At the far west end 
  of the balcony, a wide secret door from the lift (A16) can be discovered 
  with a DC 17 Wis (Perception) check, but it is a one-way secret door and 
  cannot be opened from this side.
  Back of House
  The theatre’s back of house contains lower and upper service hallways, 
  and a room used by Chelman as a bedroom and office. At this stage in the 
  adventure, the PCs have little reason to investigate these areas and if they 
  stray into them, theatre staff swiftly eject them as detailed in each area.
  A7. Lower Service Hallway
  All manner of gears, levers, and bellows crowd this cramped 
  service hallway.
  This dim, lantern-lit hallway conceals the lower-floor machinery that 
  makes the spookshow function, and is filled with pulleys, bellows, and 
  other active devices. The accumulated machinery makes this corridor 
  incredibly cramped and difficult to navigate, and it is considered difficult 
  terrain as a result. The east-west stretch of the northernmost corridor is 
  entirely blocked by heavy pneumatic machinery, and so the western and 
  southern portions of this hallway are accessible only through the secret 
  panel in the mirror maze (A14) or through the service chute and ladder 
  that drops from the upper service hallway (A9).
  If PCs enter this area during the spookshow’s operation, their presence 
  draws the attention and ire of the theatre’s mechanic, Mattie (LN female 
  human Commoner), who arrives in 1d6 rounds to drive them out of the 
  area with threats of a beating from her large wrench.
  The northeast corner of the hallway is the location of one of the 
  theatre’s four blessed nails, which is pounded into a warped ceiling rafter, 
  and, if actively searched for, is easily found with a successful DC 10 Wis 
  (Perception) check. Another blessed nail is driven into the back wall of 
  the northwest corner of the hallway, partially concealed by a rung of the 
  service ladder, and is a bit harder to spot as a result, requiring a successful 
  DC 11 Wis (Perception) check.
  A8. Bedroom and Office
  This crowded and disorderly office contains a small desk 
  and a bed piled with clothes and costumes. 
  Chelman has not left the sanctuary of his theatre in many years, and this 
  room doubles as his office and bedroom. A simple bed, washbasin, and 
  desk are the only furniture here, but the room is crowded with decades’ 
  worth of pamphlets and papers, and is festooned with religious banners 
  and dangling holy symbols. While valuables are concealed in this room, 
  it is also carefully watched by theatre employees. Should PCs attempt to 
  enter the room, they should get little more than a glimpse before Chelman, 
  possibly accompanied by Jaym or Luther, interrupt their intrusion and run 
  them off. If the PCs take extraordinary measures to sneak into this room 
  on their first trip to the spookshow, refer to the same area (C8) in Chapter 
  3 for more information on what they may find within.
  A9. Upper Service Hallway
  Sputtering lanterns illuminate walls of grinding gears, pumping 
  bellows, and other machinery in this cramped service corridor.
  This hallways contains all manner of machinery necessary for the 
  spookshow’s effects. The northwest corner contains a short brass railing 
  around an opening in the floor — a chute leading down to the lower 
  service hallway (A7) via the brass rungs of a wall-mounted ladder. Other 
  entrances include a secret door (Wis (Perception) DC 15) in the rocky 
  façade of the balcony (A6), and a similarly built door in the spookshow’s 
  cackling caves (A11). The cramped hallway is considered difficult terrain.
  Just as in the lower service hallway (A7), if PCs enter this area during 
  the spookshow’s operation, their presence is detected by the theatre’s 
  no-nonsense mechanic, Mattie, who arrives in 1d4 rounds with a large 
  wrench hoisted over her shoulder and a grease-stained finger pointed 
  sternly toward the direction from which the PCs entered.
  Event 1:  
  Hood’s Rats (CR 4)
  When the PCs enter the lobby, one group of patrons is ascending the 
  stairs toward the spookshow entrance, two small groups are waiting to 
  purchase tickets at the ticket stand, and yet another group is laughing 
  as they are ejected from the spookshow’s exit (A16) back onto the 
  balcony. This area contains two of the four blessed nails that keep the 
  
  11
  The Crooked Nail
  old Fraternitatem Æternam summoning circle (that traverses areas A4 and 
  A15) in check. Both are hammered deeply in exposed rafter beams in the 
  southwest and southeast corners of the ceiling. The other two blessed nails 
  are located in the building’s opposing corners, accessible via the lower 
  service hallway (A7). All nails require a successful DC 15 Strength check 
  to remove.
  The establishment is quite lively, and the bar is relatively busy in its 
  closing days. The flamboyant host, Luther (N male human bard 2), greets 
  all new arrivals. Tall and lithe with a wickedly pointed goatee, Luther 
  has a haughty, disconcerting air and a disarming, diabolic appearance 
  achieved by elaborate, high-collared, extravagant robes covered in 
  esoteric symbolism, and bright red greasepaint that covers his bald head. 
  He has long relished his role as the visible face of the theatre, and speaks 
  in a strange foreign accent while making grand, sweeping gestures as he 
  demonstrates the wonders of the establishment to new arrivals. He greets 
  patrons with a deep and somber bow, welcoming them with a halted and 
  bellowing, “Welcome, saints — No! Sinners! — to … the Theatre … 
  INFERNALIS!”
  Luther escorts all patrons through the lobby, carefully guiding them 
  past some of the triggered effects meant to startle and amuse, and around 
  and through the tables toward the ticket booth (A3) to purchase tickets. 
  They are then invited to purchase drinks at the bar, inspect the Infernal 
  display (A4), before being guided to an empty table to wait their turn for 
  the spookshow. Luther guides the PCs to the empty booth in the southeast 
  corner of the lobby. Later, when the nail above that booth goes missing, 
  the PCs’ previous proximity sparks Chelman’s suspicions of them. If the 
  PCs do not take these seats, however, Hood’s Rats still implicate them in 
  the talisman’s theft before their exit (see Event 2: To Nail a Thief).
  Awaiting their turn to tour the spookshow is a small gang of ruffians 
  led by the imposing, scarred half-orc known as Hood. Known in the 
  district as “Hood’s Rats,” the aggressive group is a constant menace 
  to patrons of the Artists’ District, particularly those who pass near their 
  principal employer’s establishment: the apothecary of the alchemist, 
  Crux. Unlike most, they have come not only for a nostalgic romp through 
  the spookshow, but also at the behest of their employer — the only other 
  surviving acolyte of the Fraternitatem Æternam and Chelman’s longtime 
  rival. With the impending closure of the Theatre Infernalis, Crux hopes 
  to sabotage the theatre’s final days and sow enough discord for his crew 
  to sweep in and claim the surviving artifacts of his old fraternity in the 
  resulting chaos.
  Hood, male half-orc ruffian: AC 14; HP 44 (8d8+8); Spd 30ft; 
  Melee scimitar (+4, 1d6+2 slashing); Ranged shortbow (+4, 
  8ft/320ft, 1d6+2 piercing); SA multiattack (scimitar x2 or 
  shortbow x2); Str +1 (+3), Dex +2 (+4), Con +1, Int +1, Wis +0, 
  Cha +1; Skills Athletics +3; AL CE; CR 1; XP 200.
  Hood’s Rat (4): AC 17; HP 32 (5d8+10); Spd 30ft; Melee 
  longsword (+4, 1d8+2 slashing); Ranged longbow (+4, 
  150ft/600ft, 1d8+2 piercing); SA multiattack (longsword x2 or 
  longbow x2); Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2; Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +1; 
  Skills Perception +3, Intimidation +3; AL CE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Development: You should set up Hood’s Rats as antagonists early in 
  the PCs’ visit to the Theatre Infernalis. The group makes itself a loud and 
  disruptive presence, driving other patrons away from seats and tables 
  only to relocate themselves minutes later, and repeat the process again 
  just for the sheer maliciousness of making others uncomfortable. In some 
  cases, they set near-empty drinks so other patrons accidentally spill them, 
  sparking a confrontation where minor pushing and shoving ensues, only 
  for patrons to back down against the imposing bulk and intimidating glare 
  of Hood before replacing the spilled beverage with a fresh drink.
  To help propel narrative events, you should set up a similar confrontation 
  with PCs after they witness other patrons subjected to the gang’s cruel 
  behavior. The gang typically sends its smallest member, the weaselly 
  Shad, to sit in an unclaimed seat at a table with other patrons and begin 
  making loud, brash boasts and insulting commentary toward anyone 
  within earshot. As soon as his actions spark reprisal and a confrontation 
  ensues, the other members make their imposing presence known, claiming 
  they were seated at the table first and were only away to fetch drinks. 
  Hood snarls and snaps at any who fail to back down from the gang’s 
  threats. The PCs may experience a similar scenario of harassment, or one 
  of Hood’s gang might simply insult or intentionally spill a drink on one of 
  the party members.
  While this confrontation should not involve bloodshed, it should 
  be full of bluster and threats from the gang. If it appears the PCs may 
  draw weapons, Luther quickly intervenes to escort Hood’s Rats to the 
  spookshow, and indicates to the PCs that they are next in line. This 
  sequence ensures the gang has to opportunity to sabotage the spookshow 
  ahead of the PCs’ tour and properly propels the adventure’s events.
  Spookshow
  The spookshow portion of the theatre contains a series of seven chambers 
  that model a physical and metaphysical journey through the Abyss which, 
  among other effects, are intended to spook and scare patrons. The spooked 
  and scared conditions are summarized in the sidebox.
  A10. Hellmouth (CR 1/2)
  Like the theatre’s façade, a demon’s leering face, carefully 
  crafted of painted plaster, beckons patrons to enter. Visible 
  fumes of sulphur and brimstone leak from the demon’s 
  gaping mouth, and beyond, a hellish light glows and flickers to 
  illuminate a spinning tunnel leading to the spookshow beyond. 
  The walls of the tunnel writhe and undulate in a stomach-
  churning manner. 
  Spooks and Scares
  A spooked creature has become uneasy due to the nature of its 
  surroundings or an event that it has witnessed. It takes a –2 penalty 
  on saving throws against fear effects and on Wis (Perception) 
  checks, as its mind conjures potential horrors in every shadow. 
  However, it is ready to face danger, and gains a +1 circumstance 
  bonus on initiative checks.
  A scared creature is noticeably afraid, jumping at shadows, odd 
  sights, and unexplained noises. It takes all of the penalties of the 
  shaken condition, except the penalty on saves against fear effects 
  becomes –4. In addition, if being subject to a lesser fear effect (i.e., 
  spooked or shaken) would increase its fear level, it can choose to 
  take no actions for 1 round instead.
  
  12
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Driven by a hidden conveyor, this 15-foot-long, spinning tunnel is 
  decorated with lurid, leering faces of the damned, swirling flames, and 
  grasping claws that have a convincing effect on those within. When first 
  entering the tunnel, and in any subsequent round they remain within it, a 
  creature must succeed on a DC 12 Dex save or fall prone, taking 1 point 
  of nonlethal damage. A creature falling prone must succeed on a DC 11 
  Con save each round it remains so or gain the nauseated condition for 1d4 
  rounds. A prone creature can stand up as a move action with a successful 
  DC 12 Dex (Acrobatics) check but the tunnel is subtly tilted in such a way 
  that prone creatures slide 5 feet toward the north end each round. There is 
  no way to disable the spinning tunnel from operating apart from a lever in 
  the upper service hallway (A9).
  A11. Cackling Caves (CR 1)
  The ruddy glows of concealed crucibles illuminate craggy, 
  flame-licked cliffs in this hellscape. Cackling creatures — 
  skittering imps and small, gruesome fiends with melting 
  features — emerge briefly from behind the room’s crags and 
  crevices to leer and gape at you, while the tines of hidden 
  pitchforks spring forth to prod you forward, despite there 
  being no apparent exit.
  This room’s plaster walls are sculpted to appear as cave walls with 
  many nooks and crannies inhabited by leering and cackling mannequins 
  crafted in the shapes of imps and quasits. Creatures who enter the area 
  must succeed on a DC 10 Wis save or be spooked for the following 
  1d3x10 minutes.
  Creatures who proceed into the area notice with a successful DC 12 Wis 
  (Perception) check that the floor in some of the alcoves is littered with 
  pierced, blackened corks. The rock façade near the exit to the infernal 
  maelstrom (A12) contains a concealed door that leads to the upper service 
  hallway (A9). PCs who examine that section of wall can find the door with 
  a successful DC 12 Wis (Perception) check.
  Trap: Creatures entering the marked spaces are targeted by the demon’s 
  prodding pitchforks, which spring forth from hidden recesses to prod 
  patrons toward the room’s exit. This trap does not normally damage 
  patrons, but the patrons who most recently passed through the attraction 
  (Hood’s Rats) removed the corks that litter the floor from the tips of the 
  pitchforks.
  PRODDING PITCHFORK TRAPS (4)
  Perception DC 13; Disable DC 12 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect Melee +10, 1d2 piercing
  A12. Infernal Maelstrom (CR 1)
  This room’s walls are crafted to appear as the eroded shore 
  of a black river. Beneath a thick, glass floor, a whirlpool of oily 
  black water — illuminated by a flashes of harsh, crimson light 
  — swirls underfoot, as though a layer of ice is all that separates 
  you from being sucked into a watery void below.
  A hidden conveyor that causes the skillfully painted subfloor to rotate 
  drives this maelstrom. This combined with the flickering light creates a 
  hypnotic effect on all creatures that examine it. Any creature that watches 
  the whirlpool for at least 1 round must succeed on a DC 11 Con save or 
  become sickened for 1d4 rounds.
  Trap: Two rounds after at least four people enter the room, the glass 
  floor and subfloor alike open like an iris, plunging those who fail their 
  Dex saves into the ghost pit (A13) below. PCs can avoid this fate and leap 
  to the edge with a successful Dex save (anyone standing in a corner of 
  the room gains a +2 bonus on their saving throw, as the iris only reaches 
  
  13
  The Crooked Nail
  partially into their square). The way on through the spookshow, however, 
  is down the pit. PCs who did not fall can climb (Str [Athletics] DC 10) or 
  jump down (Dex [Acrobatics] DC 12). As with the prodding pitchforks in 
  the prior room, Hood’s Rats sabotaged this trap to hurt the PCs, pulling 
  aside the thick cushions that normally protect patrons’ falls, leaving only 
  hard, bare floor on which to land.
  STYX MAELSTROM PIT TRAP
  Perception DC 13; Disable DC 14 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect 10-ft.-deep pit (1d6 falling damage); DC 15 Dex save 
  avoids; multiple targets (all targets in a 15-ft. square area)
  A13. Ghost Pit (CR 1)
  The maelstrom pit trap in area A12 dumps PCs into this unlit chamber. 
  PCs with darkvision can immediately see that it is fashioned like a cave 
  and that thick cushions have been pushed against the walls away from the 
  opening above. All can smell the smoke that hangs within the air here. 
  Two traps await the unwary who enter this chamber.
  Spiteful Spectre Trap: When anyone approaches within 10 feet of 
  the east wall, a “ghost” manifests to terrify them for 1 round. This effect 
  is accomplished through the subtle channeling of smoke and the clever 
  placement of a special lantern projector that cycles through a series of 
  slides to animate the spectral figure. A mechanically cranked bellows 
  device produces her scream. Read the following description when this 
  trap is activated.
  From the darkness emerges a haunting figure: a spectral 
  apparition of a beautiful woman whose features quickly begin 
  to rot as the flesh falls from her face and her mouth opens in 
  an ear-splitting scream.
  SPITEFUL SPECTRE TRAP
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 12 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect spectral projection (frightened for 1 round, DC 12 Wis 
  save negates); scream (deafened for 1 minute, DC 12 Con 
  save negates); multiple targets (all creatures in ghost pit)
  Fiendish Flames Trap: Another shock awaits frightened patrons who 
  flee toward the west wall of the room. If creatures move adjacent to the back 
  wall or 4 rounds have passed since the first PC entered the room, floor plates 
  trigger gouts of flames that erupt from a hidden furnace as hollow laughter 
  echoes throughout the chamber, and a section of wall on the east side of the 
  room slides aside to reveal the exit. The flames normally are meant to light 
  the room and reveal the exit from the otherwise dark room. But unfortunately 
  for the PCs, the effect has again been sabotaged, and the harmless jets meant 
  merely to surprise patrons have been redirected into the room to instead 
  unleash searing tongues of flames at those triggering the effect.
  FIENDISH FLAMES TRAP
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 15 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect jets of flame (2d4 fire damage, DC 15 Dex save half); 
  multiple targets (all creatures within 10 feet of west wall)
  A14. Mirror Maze
  Moving mirrors of all shapes and sizes line the strangely 
  angled walls of this glass-and-mirror maze, turning or 
  bending in ways that make the hallway difficult to navigate and 
  disorienting to view. Each reflection is more strangely distorted 
  than the last, while small creatures framing the mirrors seem 
  to animate to torture the various images reflected within.
  [This room attempts to foil the patrons’ Wis (Perception)s as they try 
  to navigate the maze and demonstrates the miseries of the damned as 
  personally as possible by inflicting the torture on the viewers’ reflections. 
  Navigating the maze is difficult due to the confusing, shifting mirrors and 
  moving glass barriers triggered by hidden floor plates. Due to the shifting 
  walls and visual distractions — as well as a couple of carefully sabotaged 
  glass walls that no longer move thanks to Hood’s gang — traversing the 
  room takes 6 rounds minus 1 round for each point by which a creature 
  exceeds a DC 12 Int check (minimum 1 round). For each round spent in 
  the chamber, any PCs present experience a disorienting effect from the 
  mirrors. See the sidebox for details.
  The Hood’s Rats’ meddling with the mirror maze exposed a secret 
  service door — normally better concealed by the maze’s structure — that 
  Hazards of the Mirror Maze
  One of the following effects occurs each round in the shifting 
  mirrors that the maze places in front of any PCs who are in the 
  maze that round. If the PCs split into multiple groups within the 
  maze, then one effect occurs each round per group. Roll 1d6 each 
  round, rerolling any previously obtained result. 
  The effects are non-magical and accomplished via clever 
  practical effects, mechanics, and careful back-lighting of the 
  mirrors. Regardless of their mundane nature, they can be quite 
  realistic and even frightening to the unprepared or easily startled. 
  Those experiencing the effects must make a DC 10 Wis save after 
  each exposure or gain the shaken condition for 1 minute. Shaken 
  creatures who fail additional saves gain the scared* condition for 
  1 minute. A creature that experiences all six effects, however, soon 
  manages to escape to the Path of the Damned (A15).
  d6
  Result
  1
  A demonic fiend draws back a hammer and 
  seems to shatter the mirror, and the mirror’s  re-
  flection with it. The reflected image appears to 
  crack into a thousand pieces as the demon’s 
  lifeless, glaring eyes stare and its mouth stretch-
  es menacingly in a silent cackle.
  2
  Small winged fiends tug and pull on the four 
  corners of this mirror, horrifically distorting the 
  subject’s reflection like pulled taffy, as if the 
  subject is being stretched apart on some hellish 
  torture rack.
  3
  Skeletal demons animate and claw at the sub-
  ject’s reflection, which slowly begins to turn into 
  a taunting skeleton in the mirror’s darkened 
  glass as flames appear to lick at the feet of the 
  horrid transformation.
  4
  A duo of tiny winged demons turn the crank 
  of what looks like a large winepress built into 
  the frame of this mirror. As the screw turns 
  ever-downward, the subject’s reflection com-
  presses as if squashed by the torturous device.
  5
  A ruddy hue begins to halo the subject’s slowly 
  flickering reflection, until the image bursts into 
  the flames of eternal damnation and the flesh 
  appears to melt and warp.  
  6
  A frame of chittering demonic skulls gapes and 
  leers at the subject, as they turn their lifeless 
  eyes toward the reflection that begins to morph 
  and shift into a demonic form, growing horns, a 
  forked tail, and scorched, red flesh.
  *See sidebox above for details of the scared condition.
  
  14
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  leads to the lower service hallway (A7). The door is slightly ajar, and 
  PCs can spot it with a successful DC 12 Wis (Perception) check. If they 
  attempt to enter the cramped hallway beyond, however, Brarl (LN male 
  human Commoner), an actor preparing for his role on the Path of the 
  Damned (A15), angrily halts them and roughly slams the panel shut.
  A15. Path of the Damned
  A dark, cave-like tunnel opens into a hellish landscape lit 
  by smoldering crucibles, as a narrow path winds through a 
  horrific scene. On each side of the path, four tortured souls 
  have been lashed to boulders, each writhing and screaming as 
  vultures and crows tug at their guts and pluck at their eyes.
  Four boulders flank the path, two on each side. Each side has one 
  writhing human automaton surrounded by automaton carrion birds that 
  appear to be feasting on their freshly exposed bowels, while the other two 
  boulders each have a partial writhing automaton but with the head and one 
  arm of a real human actor skillfully disguised to blend in with the rest of 
  the automaton. The rest of the real actors’ bodies are cleverly concealed 
  within the boulder from where they operate machinery that controls the 
  scene, triggering the automatons and flaring the crucibles to illuminate the 
  horror. Witnessing the gory display and experiencing the stench of the ripe 
  pig intestines used in the convincing charade require a DC 10 Wis save 
  to avoid becoming shaken for 1d4 rounds and a DC 10 Con save to avoid 
  gaining the sickened condition for 1d4 rounds.
  The actors — the rough-looking Brarl (see A14) and the distraught 
  Cynthia (N female middle-aged human Commoner) — play their parts 
  convincingly, writhing and screaming while pulling on levers and pulleys 
  from within the hollow boulder to animate the scene. However, if the 
  PCs are heavily injured or are actively seeking aid from the previously 
  encountered sabotaged effects, (other than simple fear effects), the actors 
  stop to assist. After disturbingly retracting their heads and arms from the 
  partial automatons, they exit through trapdoors into the lower service 
  hallway (A7), pull levers to alert Chelman at the ticket stand of injured 
  participants, disengage the spring-loaded wall in the heavenly ascent 
  (A16), and rush around to the Path of the Damned to help patrons exit.
  A16. Heavenly Ascent
  The rib bones of some huge creature part to allow entry 
  into this small, cave-like chamber inhabited by more impish 
  automatons. Smoldering coals are visible just below the glass 
  floor, giving the room a ruddy glow and a smoky atmosphere.
  This final room is actually a lift that rises to deposit participants back on 
  the upper floor balcony (A6). Two rounds after anyone enters the chamber, 
  floor triggers cause the rib bone gate to slam shut and the lift to rise to 
  the floor above. As it ascends, the ruddy glow fades and the chamber 
  is bathed in a bright, heavenly white light from above and below as the 
  slightly discordant sound of a damaged trumpet sounds out. The demonic 
  automatons swiftly disappear and are replaced by small cherubic figures, 
  as if those within the lift have escaped the Abyss and eternal damnation 
  and are ascending toward Heaven. However, just as their ascent ends and 
  the lift comes to a screeching halt, the other rib bone gate opens, the white 
  light disappears, the cherubs retreat out of sight, and the entire north wall 
  — constructed of pads and pillows painted to appear as rock — suddenly 
  springs out, forcibly ejecting anyone in the chamber onto the balcony 
  (A6). However, if the PCs received aid from Brarl and Cynthia on the 
  Path of the Damned (A15), the lift’s spring-loaded wall does not activate 
  to allow for a less jarring exit.
  Thus ends the tour of the Theatre Infernalis. Two rounds after this 
  expulsion, the gate slams shut, a curtain automatically drops to conceal the 
  apparatus, and the entire mechanism descends to reset and repeat the process.
  Event 2:  
  To Nail a Thief
  After PCs exit the attraction one way or another and have made their 
  way back down to the lobby, they note that the previously bustling area 
  is now almost entirely empty. Hood and his gang have left the premises 
  but not before they followed their boss’s instructions to remove one of 
  the four blessed nails that keep the half-opened Abyssal gate within the 
  Theatre Infernalis in check. The staff became aware of the missing nail 
  shortly after but did not see the gang steal it, nor have they connected the 
  gang to the theft. 
  Chelman is apoplectic with rage about the theft and is certain, due to 
  where they sat or disinformation that was sowed, that the PCs are the 
  culprits. For their part, the theatre’s employees are utterly oblivious to 
  the danger the nail’s removal presents, but they are prepared to defend 
  their employer’s accusations, and have removed patrons so that they can 
  confront the PCs and deal with the matter away from the prying eyes 
  of the public. Chelman should come off as an off-kilter, senile lunatic, 
  and the host Luther, actors Brarl and Cynthia, and the mechanic Mattie 
  soon appear to put some space between the PCs and their boss, while also 
  casting suspicious and hostile eyes on the party. If PCs never took seats 
  near the nail, instead assume that one of Hood’s gang subtly implicates 
  PCs in the nail’s removal before his exit with the stolen property by 
  tipping off Jaym and Luther, who fall for the bluff.
  Development: As you let the eerie abandonment of the theatre set 
  in with PCs, the bartender Jaym throws a bar across the front doors to 
  
  15
  The Crooked Nail
  prevent the PCs from leaving as Chelman approaches them in a fit of senile 
  rage. Cries and accusations from the suddenly animated proprietor echo 
  throughout the now-empty lobby: “What have you done with my nail, you 
  inconsiderate pustules?”; “True hell upon us all for disturbing their rest!”; 
  and “Give back the nail before I take it back myself!” he yells among 
  other ravings. Chelman may even break from the throng and rush for the 
  southeast booth if the PCs were previously seated there: “Theeeeere! It 
  was there! And there you sat, just below!” he screams, thrusting his fingers 
  toward the booth before pointing to the four corners of the theatre. “The 
  others are there, there, and there, but without the one all four will fail!” 
  At this point, PCs should catch a glimpse of the nail in the southwest 
  corner of the lobby, the heavily engraved square spike driven deeply into 
  a beam near the ceiling. As Chelman continues his mad fit, made all the 
  more disarming by his outlandish and garish dress, Luther eventually 
  manages to secure and calm him somewhat before turning back to the 
  no-doubt confused PCs, dropping his previous feigned foreign accent and 
  speaking with the blunt dialect of a true native of the Blight, “Well, you 
  ’eard the old man. What’d you do wiv ’is nail?”
  Chelman and his employees begin this encounter hostile, and his 
  employees certainly appear wholly unamused at the prospect that petty 
  souvenir hunters might have removed any relics from the venerable 
  institution and seem ready to take reparations in flesh. PCs can convince 
  them of their innocence and move their attitude to indifferent with a 
  successful DC 17 Cha (Persuasion) check. The party receives a +5 bonus 
  to this check if they were visibly wounded or received assistance at the 
  end of their tour through the spookshow from Brarl or Cynthia. If they 
  submit to a pat-down search request, grant them an additional +5 bonus 
  to the Cha (Persuasion) check. If the PCs manage to turn their attitude 
  indifferent or better, the employees subtly indicate their sympathy about 
  their raving employer and mutter some apologies for the situation. 
  There is no real intention for bloodshed here, and if it appears the 
  situation may escalate into violence with a bit of rough handling as 
  employees attempt to forcibly pat-down the party, Luther senses the PCs’ 
  innocence and takes control of the situation saying, “Well, if it weren’t 
  you, as ya say, it must’ve been them others — ’ood’s Rats, ah fink they’re 
  called. I saw ’em sniffin’ ’round that table afore they left, and it looks like 
  they even sabotaged the spookshow to get some revenge on ya. We can 
  pay ya if you think ya can gerrit back from ’em — no questions asked?”
  Either way, the employees attempt to satisfy their employer and set the 
  PCs on the trail to recover the artifact from Hood’s Rats, whom they hint 
  may be employed by a local apothecary of ill-repute in the district. They 
  initially offer the PCs 50 gp if they can recover the nail and return it to 
  Chelman to calm his raging fit, but their proprietor immediately interjects 
  and instead offers 150 gp to each PC for the nail’s recovery, much to the 
  surprise of all, but with the caveat that the PCs must return and replace the 
  nail within 24 hours, “else all is lost.”
  “Seems the old man’s motivated, and ya might get your revenge on 
  these thugs,” Luther intones. “D’ya fink ya can gerrit back for ’im soon?”
  
  16
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  The PCs can locate Hood’s Rats relatively easily — they are notorious 
  agitators in the Artists’ Quarter, and have many enemies. A successful 
  DC 11 Int (Investigation) check or Cha (Persuasion) check to gather 
  information reveals that the gang is currently employed by shriveled old 
  Crux, a snake oil salesman, first-order con artist, and collector of occult 
  artifacts, which he displays in the back of his rundown apothecary. Crux’s 
  establishment has no sign beyond a faded arcane glyph hanging on a worn 
  breadboard, and has no official name, but it or he are variously referred 
  to as “Crux’s Apothecary,” “that crooked occult dealer,” “the slack-
  jawed alchemist,” “the dusty, crusty pharmacist,” and “the fourth or fifth 
  apothecary when you’re walking east near the intersection of Crowley 
  and Renfield.” 
  What the PCs do not know is that Crux has a long history with the 
  Theatre Infernalis — or, rather, its precursor establishment. Crux is the 
  other survivor of the disaster that befell the Fraternitatem Æternam, and he 
  has long sought to usurp control of the building and any surviving artifacts 
  of the order, resenting Chelman’s public displays and the audacity of the 
  spookshow. But for all his conniving nature, he’s also inherently unstable 
  and has been more prone to brooding and resentment than direct action 
  — until now.
  * See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games 
  for details.
  B. Crux’s Apothecary
  This single-story apothecary shop is not particularly popular nor thriving, 
  and these days it serves more as a front for Crux’s greater ambitions of 
  advantage and power in the Blight’s occult underground. Most of these 
  ambitions involve the acquisition of minor religious relics and items of 
  perceived power, either through trade with other like-minded collectors 
  or, more usually, via theft carried out by the street gang currently in his 
  employ. But for all his age, Crux is charismatic and influential in his small 
  world and has managed to convince Hood’s Rats that his discoveries are 
  leading to some great breakthrough revelation, just as the old salesman 
  has convinced his customers for decades that his bogus curatives were 
  having positive and lasting effects.
  B1. Front Stoop (CR 3)
  Hood’s Rats perpetually loiter on the front stoop outside the apothecary 
  at all hours, aggressively soliciting passersby by mocking their visible 
  ailments such as goitres, limps, or rashes, and sneering derisively if the 
  pedestrians do not stop for the cures promised within. Hood and 3 gang 
  members are here. If the PCs approach from the street, the gang members 
  recognize them and become immediately defensive as their hands drop 
  subtly to concealed daggers and sword hilts; the street-raised toughs 
  anticipate only violent retribution for their recent shenanigans.
  Hood, male half-orc ruffian: AC 14; HP 44 (8d8+8); Spd 30ft; 
  Melee scimitar (+4, 1d6+2 slashing); Ranged shortbow (+4, 
  8ft/320ft, 1d6+2 piercing); SA multiattack (scimitar x2 or 
  shortbow x2); Str +1 (+3), Dex +2 (+4), Con +1, Int +1, Wis 
  +0, Cha +1; Skills Athletics +3; AL CE; CR 1; XP 200.
  Hood’s Rat (3): AC 17; HP 32 (5d8+10); Spd 30ft; Melee 
  longsword (+4, 1d8+2 slashing); Ranged longbow (+4, 
  150ft/600ft, 1d8+2 piercing); SA multiattack (longsword x2 or 
  longbow x2); Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2; Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +1; 
  Skills Perception +3, Intimidation +3; AL CE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Development: Hood might be willing to engage the PCs in a 
  derisive parlay, seeking to avoid an outright brawl in front of his boss’s 
  establishment. Cornered here at his place of employment, Hood is 
  borderline hostile, but PCs can attempt to coerce an introduction to Crux 
  with a successful DC 15 Cha (Persuasion) or DC 14 Cha (Intimidation) 
  check (the latter indicating the increased difficulty of coercing Hood in 
  front of three of his gang members, each of whom increase the DC by 2). 
  If successful, Hood begrudgingly orders his Rats aside to allow PCs to 
  enter the shop. If either attempt fails by 5 or more, or if PCs try to enter 
  the shop before Hood grants them passage, the gang members draw their 
  weapons to defend this hostile intrusion into their territory. 
  B2. Sales Floor (CR 1)
  The solid, wooden door in the south wall of this room opens 
  into a space crammed with tables and shelves cluttered with 
  glass vials holding noxious elixirs and tins of foul-smelling 
  pastes, along with drawers brimming with dried herbs and 
  sprigs of dubious curatives. Behind a long wooden counter, 
  an open door leads to a hallway stretching toward the back 
  of the shop.
  The shop itself is a cluttered, tangled mess: the artifacts and relics of a 
  thousand cultures and belief systems smashed into a few hundred square 
  feet. Here, Crux’s customers find all manner of esotericisms and oddities, 
  from jars and bottles holding a thousand species of insects, to half-open 
  Chapter Two:
  For Want of a Nail
  
  17
  The Crooked Nail
  drawers overstuffed with spell components, rare herbs, and pungent 
  incenses from the far corners of the world. Talismans, sigils, and seals of 
  every culture dangle from leather straps on bent hooks, promising to make 
  one walk unseen or find one’s true love, while Crux’s self-made elixirs, 
  tonics, and poultices promise to cure everything from the grey ache to 
  swamp ague. The overloaded shelves hold more mummified things than 
  could be counted in a week.
  The shop’s custodian is a misshapen homunculus named Neegle, 
  a masterless specimen long ago adopted by Crux and calmed halfway 
  back to sanity. Though its body is twisted and stunted, with malformed, 
  atrophied legs that dangle from between the bars of a rusted old birdcage 
  in which it is bound, it is quite mobile, suspended from a pulley-operated 
  telescoping crane that allows it access to the shop’s highest nooks and 
  crannies. Unlike most homunculi, Neegle is capable of speech and even 
  occasionally displays intelligence, though it typically speaks in confusing, 
  squeaking rhymes punctuated by fits of disturbing, artificial laughter. No 
  one in recent memory has heard Crux offer a single encouraging word 
  to Neegle. He instead resorts to contempt and outright mockery of the 
  pathetic creature. Despite the abuse, Neegle is a fawning, over-preening 
  sycophant who exists only for his adopted master’s affections, and can 
  often be found cranking a strange, quack electromagnetic device with one 
  gimp leg while applying charged electrodes to the abusive proprietor’s 
  bulk to ease his aches and pains.
  Neegle, Homunculus: AC 14; HP 48 (7d10+10); Spd 20ft, fly 
  50ft; Melee bite (+4, 1d4+1 piercing plus poison); SA poi-
  son (Con DC 12, poisoned for 1 minute; if save fails by 5 
  or more the target is poisoned for 1d10 minutes and is un-
  conscious); Immune charm, poison; Str +1, Dex +1, Con +1, 
  Int +0, Wis +1, Cha –2; Skills Deception +1, Insight +4; Sens-
  es darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11; Traits telepathic; 
  AL LE; CR 5; XP 1,800.
  Equipment: 4 thunderstones
  Tactics: If PCs enter forcibly without the go-ahead from Hood, or 
  if they engaged the gang in combat outside, Neegle tosses one of his 
  thunderstones at the doorway as soon as it opens. If Hood grants entry into 
  the shop, Neegle holds his attack and lets out a cackling peel of taunting 
  snickering when the PCs enter, but tosses a thunderstone immediately if 
  his master attacks.
  Development: The shop contains a wide variety of spell components, 
  occult implements, alchemical apparatus and supplies, snake oils, 
  ointments, liniments, and dubious curatives, all valued at several thousand 
  gold pieces total. But although Crux and his gang possess some stolen 
  property, the PCs do not acquire any legal claim on these items (beyond 
  the possible recovery of items stolen from the Theatre Infernalis that its 
  proprietor has hired them to recover) simply by defeating them. 
  
  18
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  If the PCs get overzealous looting the shop or Crux’s office, Hood’s 
  Rats (if they survived) or even members of the Watch investigate the street 
  disturbance and stop their pilfering before it gets out of hand. But Watch 
  constables properly convinced of any injustice toward the theatre at the 
  hands of Crux and his gang may also agree some additional reward for the 
  PCs’ trouble could be in order. A successful DC 12 Cha (Persuasion) or 
  Bluff check with a constable or DC 11 Cha (Intimidation) check against 
  Hood, convinces them that some reparations are in order, and they’ll allow 
  each PC to remove up to 75 gp worth of items the GM deems appropriate 
  to such a shop, including any magical items located in the office (B4), 
  albeit under intense scrutiny and review. Indeed, the constables or gang 
  may indulge in similar pilfering themselves before their superiors arrive. 
  Recovery of the blessed nail stolen from the theatre is, of course, exempt 
  from any limits the gang or guards may place.
  B3. Hallway of Punks (CR varies)
  This precarious stretch of cramped hallway is lined with 
  sagging shelves crowded with jars of pickled specimens: 
  bloated foetuses of all manner of creatures, failed attempts 
  at 
  homunculi 
  creation, 
  two-headed 
  human 
  foetuses, 
  and preserved body parts all compete for space on the 
  overburdened shelves. Some seem to briefly meet the gaze of 
  passersby through half-closed eyelids. The hallway terminates 
  in a pair of closed doors.
  Crux is an elderly, corpulent man of advanced age. He is blind in one eye, 
  and prone to phlegmatic coughing fits and involuntary drooling. Though 
  mentally unstable, Crux is keenly intelligent and exceedingly clever, well-
  connected and well-versed in the occult underworld of Castorhage, where 
  he is known as a dangerous antagonist capable of turning his rivals’ plots 
  back against themselves. Though not entirely trustworthy, he compensates 
  his charges well financially, and though unaffectionate in the extreme, can 
  be fiercely defensive of those wayward souls who have fallen into his 
  spiraling path. His frog-like facial features hint that he may have some 
  Briny* blood coursing through his veins.
  Crux, Male Human Warlock 3: AC 14; HP 24 (3d8+9); Spd 
  30ft; Melee +3 (+1 dagger, 1d4+2 piercing); SA eldritch in-
  vocations (armor of shadows, devil’s sight), spells (+2 Cha, 
  DC 10); Str –1 (+0), Dex +0 (+1), Con +2 (+3), Int +3 (+4), Wis 
  +0 (+3), Cha +0 (+3); Skills Arcana +5, Deception +2, Inves-
  tigation +5, Persuasion +2; Senses passive Perception 10; 
  Traits awakened mind, freedom of movement, pact of the 
  tome; AL CN; CR 2; XP 450.
  Spell-like Abilities: at will—detect magic.
  Spells: 0 (at will)—blade ward, chill touch, mage hand, 
  minofilluxion; 1st—charm person, hellish rebuke; 2nd—
  crown of madness, ray of enfeeblement.
  Equipment: +1 dagger, 1 flask acid, 2 flasks alchemist’s 
  fire, 2 flasks of oil, potion of fire breathing, potion of 
  cold resistance, potion of greater healing, 2 potions of 
  healing, potion of speed, potion of vitality.
  * See The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City by Frog God Games 
  for details.
  Tactics: For his part, Crux is very aware of why the PCs have come to 
  his shop, and does not intend to parlay with the group, making attempts 
  at Cha (Persuasion) impossible. Watching through the dirty front 
  windows from the perceived safety of the doorway to this hallway, any 
  confrontation outside his shop causes Crux to us his armor of shadows 
  invocation and treat himself with oil of slipperiness (the effects of which 
  are included in his stats). If Hood grants the PCs entry, Crux forces a 
  wide smile while claiming “I don’t know where it is!” He prepares to 
  down his potion of speed and flee at the first sign of violence, and can 
  be convinced to turn over the blessed nail voluntarily only with a DC 14 
  Cha (Intimidation) check. 
  If the PCs instead forced themselves into his shop, Crux throws a flask 
  of alchemist’s fire at the first PC to enter before drinking his potion of 
  speed and fleeing down the hallway to exit out the back door. In either 
  case, to cover his escape, he knocks over two jars on overstuffed shelves 
  as he exits the premises, releasing 2 pickled punks that immediately 
  attack anyone entering the hallway. If Chelman’s attempts to flee fail, and 
  he is reduced to half his hit points or fewer, he pleads pathetically for his 
  life while pointing toward the back office (B4) where the blessed nail the 
  PCs seek is hidden in his uppermost desk drawer.
  Pickled Punk (2): AC 13; HP 22 (9d4); Spd 15ft; Melee +3 (bite, 
  4d4+1 piercing); Resistance non-magical weapon dam-
  age; Str –4, Dex +1, Con +0, Int –3, Wis +1, Cha +1; Senses 
  darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11; Traits attach (on hit, 
  punk grapples and inflicts bite damage automatically each 
  turn), death throes (when slain, adjacent creatures must 
  make DC 10 Con save or be poisoned for 1 round), irritant 
  (creatures that make contact with punk must make DC 11 
  Con save or take –1 penalty to all Dex and Cha based rolls 
  for 24 hrs); AL NE; CR 1; XP 200. (Appendix)
  Development: Crux grows exceptionally nervous at the PCs’ 
  confrontation, repeating cryptically that “What’s in the theatre is rightfully 
  mine,” and “Chelman’s demons have to catch up to him sometime,” 
  though he fails to elaborate further, and remains vague and mysterious. 
  If the Cha (Intimidation) check is attempted but fails, or at the first sign 
  of violence, he throws a single bomb at the closest PC and attempts to 
  swiftly flee out the back door, releasing pickled punks on his way out as 
  described above.
  Treasure: Besides Crux’s gear, the 26 inanimate pickled punks could 
  have some value to the right party. If the items are recovered, they 
  could fetch as much as 5 gp each if the PCs succeed on a DC 15 Int 
  (Investigation) or Cha (Persuasion) check to gather information to locate 
  a suitable necromancer or underground oddities collector. However, 
  removing objects from the shop carries the same caveat for looting items 
  (as detailed in B2).
  
  19
  The Crooked Nail
  B4. Cluttered Office (CR 1)
  This messy office and bedroom contains stacks of bound 
  arcane publications arranged in teetering stacks, and a messy 
  desk and shelves stacked with occult implements, carefully 
  balanced alchemical apparatus, and numerous relics of 
  questionable provenance and worth. The smell of rotting food is 
  strong here, wafting from several half-eaten meals on tin plates 
  and bowls haphazardly placed on piles all around the bed.
  Crux’s domicile is a cluttered room that serves as office, 
  bedroom, and collection archive. It may at first seem 
  an extension of the shop, but it actually houses his 
  private collection. The office has a single guardian: 
  Crux’s pet, a deceitful ningyo named Happy. Here in 
  this sanctuary, the foul mummified creature animates 
  at will to surprise intruders, regardless of the hour. It 
  prefers to remain inanimate on its display stand on the 
  desk and attempts to surprise anyone searching the desk to recover 
  the blessed nail.
  Happy, Ningyo: AC 14; HP 27 (6d6+6); Spd 20ft, swim 40ft; 
  Melee +3 (claw x2, 2d6+1 slashing); SA multiattack ; Str –1, 
  Dex +1, Con +1, Int –2, Wis +2, Cha +0; Senses darkvision 
  60ft, passive Perception 12; Traits nocturnal undeath (slain 
  ningyo rises as undead each night), poisoned flesh (crea-
  turs who bite or swallow ningyo flesh are poisoned for 2d4 
  hours, DC 12 Con save halves duration), startle (if ningyo 
  attacks with surprise target must make DC 11 Wis save or 
  be frightened 1d4 rounds, 6 or more HD creatures are im-
  mune), swarming (2 ningyo can occupy same space and 
  have advantage on attacks and grapple checks against 
  adjacent target); AL NE; CR 1; XP 200. (Appendix)
  Treasure: Like the shop, this room is cluttered with all manner of 
  occult collectibles and religious artifacts, including the mummified head 
  of a vampire that still grimaces at the presentation of holy symbols, a twig 
  fetish of a hideous frog demon, and a red-gold censer containing some 
  bizarre deep-sea creature. There are 32 such occult implements, each 
  worth 10 gp and weighing approximately a half pound apiece. In addition, 
  Crux kept an ample supply of potions and scrolls here for both personal 
  use and trade, the stock of which includes: 4 potions of healing, 2 potions 
  of greater healing, 2 oils of sharpness, a scroll of chill touch, 2 scrolls of 
  cure  wounds, 2 scrolls of magic missile, a scroll of shield, and a scroll 
  
  20
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  of shocking grasp. Looting this office carries the same caveat for looting 
  shop items (as detailed in B2).
  In the uppermost desk drawer is the stolen blessed nail. Around 7 inches 
  in length, this rough-forged spike is covered in sigils and wards from head 
  to point, and is now severely bent from Hood’s wrenching of the item 
  from the ceiling beam in the theatre. With its recovery, the PCs can return 
  to the Theatre Infernalis to fulfill their obligation and presumably fetch 
  their reward.
  New Magic Item
  Blessed Nail
  Rare wondrous item
  Crafted in groups of four, one being useless without the others, 
  these 7-inch-long cold iron spikes are engraved with cabalistic 
  symbols to protect against the trespass of fiends and other 
  unnatural creatures. When the four spikes are nailed into the 
  corners of an area no larger than 100 feet by 100 feet, their magic 
  is expended and the area is affected as if by a hallow spell with 
  the courage, daylight and extradimensional interference effects. 
  This effect extends 50 feet above and below the enclosed area 
  and persists for as long as all four nails remain in place. If some, 
  but not all, of the nails are removed, the effects are temporarily 
  suppressed until they are replaced. If all the nails are removed, the 
  magic permanently dissipates after 24 hours unless all four nails 
  are replaced within that time. 
  Usable as a simple light melee weapon, a blessed nail deals 1d4 
  piercing damage.
  
  21
  The Crooked Nail
  While the PCs have been away recovering the missing nail, Chelman’s 
  worst nightmares have come true within the theatre. Absent the wards 
  and protections of the complete set of blessed nails, the old portal to the 
  Abyss leftover from the days of the theatre’s previous incarnation has 
  slowly reopened, and its demonic influence has warped and corrupted the 
  unprotected interior as demonic minions spill forth to herald the arrival of 
  their long-imprisoned master.
  The partially opened portal has similarly corrupted most of the theatre’s 
  employees. A special fate awaited Chelman, who was dragged away to 
  the mercy of Darmathon, an ooze demon once highly stationed in the 
  Abyssal hierarchy but now a shadow of its former self because of its 
  years of imprisonment, its might diminished to but a fraction of its true 
  power in the intervening decades. The awful transformation of Chelman 
  now awaits deep in the spookshow, a frail infernal puppet utterly at the 
  diminished ooze demon’s disposal.
  This portion of the adventure uses the same Theatre Infernalis map as in 
  Chapter 1, but now the rooms’ features and occupants have changed due 
  to the corrupting influence of Darmathon. The changes are reflected in the 
  room descriptions below.
  Front of House
  C1. Sulphurous Façade
  The theatre has remained closed since the PCs’ departure, and as they 
  approach the main doors they note a sulphurous pall heavy on the air that 
  leaks from the barred doors (AC 15; HP 18; Immunity cold, lightning, 
  poison, psychic; Resistance thunder, weapon damage; Break DC 20 Str). 
  Within, all is eerily quiet, though the automatons continue going through 
  their clockwork motions, with no one to witness their mechanical frights.
  C2. Wrecked Lobby (CR 1/2)
  Once lively, the lobby is now eerily quiet save for the 
  mechanical whir of automatons that remain set to their 
  macabre motions, now with no one left to surprise or frighten.
  Chapter Three:
  An Encore of Gore
  
  22
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Tables and chairs have been overturned and tossed 
  throughout the area, and a mustard-yellow brume hangs 
  low in the air, carrying with it a foul, sulphurous stench. 
  The ticket stand has been smashed to splinters, the display 
  cases in the rear appear ransacked, and the bar itself is 
  smoldering from having been set partially alight. Whether 
  through the mist’s distortive haze or some trick of the low 
  lighting, a faint phosphorescence seems to silently pulsate 
  near the bar’s far side.
  The main seating area here is empty, with only the intriguing hints of 
  the shattered ticket stand and the disarray of the smoldering bar serving 
  as cryptic clues to some mysterious conflict. As PCs move to investigate 
  what has become of their recent employer and his staff, some of the 
  tavern’s mechanical traps that were previously seen only from afar now 
  spring out in their faces.
  The specific nature and placement of the tavern’s mechanical 
  surprises are left for the GM to determine, but they might include 
  infernal automatons that spring forth from adjacent walls, grasping 
  demonic claws that reach out from under nearby floorboards to grasp 
  at ankles before retreating, a brace of flittering papier-mâché imps that 
  buzz past someone’s head as they screech along their wire tethers, or 
  tables and chairs that scrape mysteriously across the floor, as if moved 
  by unseen forces. None are harmful, but the GM can heighten the 
  dramatic tension by initially exaggerating the frightening effects of 
  the apparatus as they trigger, perhaps describing an onset as the charge 
  of some foul creature and instructing PCs who fail Wis (Perception) 
  checks to roll initiative as if the effect is an actual attack, only to reveal 
  the true nature of the ruse after they are convinced some unseen horror 
  has set upon them.
  Many animated horrors are around the lobby but they are treated as 
  a single, automatically resetting trap. An attempt to find and disable all 
  of them takes 1d4 hours. Multiple exposures to the startling animations 
  renew the duration but do not increase the subject’s fear level.
  STARTLING ANIMATIONS
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 17 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect Animated horrors (adjacent creatures are spooked for 
  10–30 minutes, DC 10 Wis save negates); multiple targets 
  (all creatures in a 10-ft. area).
  Though PCs may move to immediately replace the missing blessed 
  nail in their possession to its former resting place and be done, any who 
  think to check the southwest corner immediately notice shattered chairs, a 
  bloodstained table, and a hole left behind from when its companion spike 
  was pried from its wooden prison. The other three nails are now all in the 
  possession of the Wandering Damned (see Squaring the Circle below) 
  and the corrupted Chelman (see C15). Replacing the recovered blessed 
  nail is now only the start of their task.
  C3. Smashed Ticket Stand
  The ticket desk now rests in two splintered pieces streaked 
  with blood and gore, as if something was violently pulled 
  through the stout oak furniture from the other side, breaking 
  the desk in half.
  Chelman was here at his usual station when Darmathon awoke, and the 
  ooze demon snatched him up and pulled him through the ticket stand and 
  into the nearby portal. The wrinkled remains of a human calf and foot, still 
  adorned with embroidered silk pants and a pointed-toe slipper, are lodged 
  in the ticket stand’s ruin, one of the few remnants of Chelman’s mortal 
  form. The transformed proprietor now guards his tormentor in the Prison 
  of the Damned (C15). A successful DC 11 Wis (Perception) check reveals 
  an oily smear running from the floor here toward the nearby display cases. 
  The hinged bookshelf that conceals the entrance to the lower service 
  hallway (C7) has been knocked slightly askew in the turmoil, and the 
  door can now be spotted with a successful DC 11 Wis (Perception) check.
  
  23
  The Crooked Nail
  C4. Damaged Display
  The display cabinets at the rear of the bar seem to have 
  largely escaped the theatre’s turmoil unscathed, save for a 
  single case surrounded by a semicircle of shattered glass. The 
  arches of silver glyphs that radiate across the floor here now 
  glow as if fresh from the forge, causing the wood into which 
  they are inlaid to smoke viciously in foul-smelling streamers.
  Two of the glass cases along the back wall have survived, and the 
  contents of the Abyssal trophies and fraternal accoutrements displays 
  remain undisturbed. The third case containing the four quasit corpses, 
  however, lies in ruin, and thick shards of glass are scattered in a wide 
  semicircle radiating around the display, as if the case exploded from 
  within. No trace of the diminutive demon corpses remain, as they were 
  the first to be “awakened,” along with the portal, and escaped to remove 
  the other blessed nails imprisoning their master.
  The remnants of the summoning circle that partially radiates into this 
  area have seemingly come to life, the inlaid silver glyphs and sigils that 
  make up the magic circle glowing white-hot and leaking the sulphurous 
  fumes that have created the haze throughout the lobby. A successful DC 
  11 Wis (Perception) check reveals an oily smear running from the circle’s 
  perimeter to the nearby ticket stand. A detect magic or similar effect now 
  reveals a faint and a strong dweomer that a successful DC 15 Int (Arcana) 
  check identifies as a lingering abjuration and an active conjuration effect, 
  respectively. A successful DC 15 Int (Arcana) check suggests that the 
  blessed nails must have been responsible for locking the circle’s magic 
  in an “out of phase” state which the removal of the single nail unlocked, 
  re-substantiating the former state as both an open portal that endures and 
  a warding circle that immediately failed due to the wall that has been built 
  across it. The circle’s glowing glyphs are immune to damage, and attempts 
  to destroy them frustratingly fail as the inlaid sigils reform right before 
  the PCs’ eyes. Finally — and horrifyingly — within the portal the PCs 
  discover what little remains of Chelman’s other leg, torn off at the knee 
  while still dressed in esoterica, bloody, smashed, and strangely melded 
  with the floor, as if melted into it.
  The floor near the circle contains about a dozen scorch marks embedded 
  with shattered glass that still smolders slightly, adding to the smog. A 
  successful DC 11 Wis (Perception) check reveals the lingering smell of 
  alcohol arising from these spots and burned bottle labels on the glass 
  shards — the remains of makeshift incendiaries thrown from the bar (C5) 
  and evidence of bartender Jaym’s last stand.
  Treasure: The  cold iron spear and the blessed-but-broken longsword 
  have been knocked from the wall and now lie on the ground. Both may 
  prove useful in the final confrontation with Darmathon (see A4 in Chapter 
  1 for details of these items). The Abyssal relics, however, are all fakes. 
  The sample of “River Styx” is just dirty water, the Abyssal rock samples 
  are various types of pumice, the pieces of “Nabasu Wing” are cow leather, 
  the “Glabrezu Pincer” is an enormous crayfish claw, the “Nalfeshnee 
  Pinfeathers” are from an ostrich, the “Vrock Spore” is a plant vine, and 
  the “Babau Slime” is paint.
  C5. Burned Bar (CR 1)
  The strong smell of alcohol emanates from a partially burned 
  bar. The back cabinets have been largely emptied of bottles, 
  and the bar is strewn with shredded towels and discarded 
  corks. A lantern with an open hood is blackened from flames, 
  as if used to ignite something. The bar top still smolders from 
  having been set alight.
  The bar is the site of Jaym the bartender’s last stand, where he hastily 
  assembled makeshift alcohol incendiaries and fruitlessly hurled them 
  at the demonic entities emerging from the reopened portal beneath the 
  display cabinets (C4). Jaym’s heroic actions not only failed to save him 
  — they damned him. His close proximity to the pulsating portal bathed 
  
  24
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  him in foul abyssal energies, and even as his fiery assault continued, his 
  mortal shell mutated into a horrific approximation of the man he once was.
  Jaym is now an abyssal larva that writhes on the floor behind the bar 
  and emerges to attack if the PCs cause too much disturbance in areas C2 
  through C4 or if they approach too close to the bar. Adding to the horror of 
  Jaym’s recognizable corpulent face and patchy beard appearing perched 
  on the bloated body of an enormous, fiendish maggot, the bartender 
  still wears the shredded remains of his black and red warlock costume, 
  its high collar and pointed hat adding a macabre accent to the terrible 
  transformation. The creature opens its attack with its maggot spray before 
  squirming its purulent bulk over the bar to charge the nearest opponent.
  Jayme, Abyssal Larva: AC 12; HP 18 (4d8); Spd 20ft; Melee 
  +1 (bite, 2d4 piercing plus 1d4 acid); Resistance acid, 
  cold, fire damage; SA maggot spray (1/day, 10ft, +2 
  ranged, target poisoned for 1d2 rounds, DC 10 Dex save 
  reduces this to 1 round); Str +0, Dex +0, Con +0, Int –4, Wis 
  +0, Cha –2; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 10; 
  Traits tortured mind (immune to enchantment spells, cast-
  ers must make DC 12 Wis save or be confused for 1 min-
  ute); AL CE; CR 1; XP 200. (Appendix)
  C6. Brumous Balcony
  The theatre’s balcony is unchanged, though the yellowish brume is 
  thick here, and the gaping mouth of the spookshow entrance (C10) almost 
  has the appearance of a living creature, with the fumes entering and 
  exiting the tunnel in a slow rhythm that makes it appear as if the entire 
  structure is breathing. The ironbound door leading into Chelman’s office 
  and bedroom (C8) hangs loosely from its hinges, with some of the room’s 
  content spilling out into the hallway. The secret entrance into the upper 
  service hallway (C9) is partially open and can be spotted with a successful 
  DC 11 Wis (Perception) check.
  Squaring the Circle
  Replacing the recovered blessed nail in the beam over the southeast 
  corner does not disrupt the portal because the other nails have since 
  been removed by demon-possessed corpses of slain theatre employees, 
  and are now in their dangerous hands as they wander the remains of the 
  spookshow. To complete the adventure, the PCs must replace all the 
  blessed nails to re-establish the protective wards that interfere with the 
  portal, and possibly defeat the ooze demon Darmathon to do so. The PCs 
  can determine this by examining the magical properties of the recovered 
  blessed nail or of the awakened summoning circle at the damaged display 
  (C4), and succeeding on a DC 12 Int (Arcana) or Int (Religion) check. The 
  PCs can also discover this information documented in an occult tome in 
  Chelman’s office.
  The three other blessed nails are in the possession of the animated corpses 
  of Mattie the mechanic (in area C9), Luther the host (in area C12), and 
  Chelman, who has undergone a demonic transformation and who is likely 
  to be the final carrier found (in area C15). The corpses of the actors Brarl 
  and Cynthia (in area C13) are also animated, but they do not possess blessed 
  nails. If required, you can control the timing and pacing of the adventure 
  by having these creatures wander through the spookshow, enabling you to 
  strategically place these pitiful creatures in the PCs’ paths as they explore or 
  reserve them to draw PCs deeper into the corrupted attraction. 
  The Wandering Damned are human corpses animated by the recently released 
  mummified quasits from the display cases (C4). The employees’ corpses now 
  appear desiccated and drained of all life, though each has a now-bloated quasit 
  corpse riding on its back, its tiny claws deeply embedded through the corpses’ 
  flesh and into its spinal cord, manipulating it like a puppet. Despite how this 
  bizarre form of physical possession may appear, each strange symbiotic pairing 
  is a single fiendish undead with the quasits providing a simple animating force 
  without intelligence. The Wandering Damned are treated as zombies with 
  resistance to non-magical weapon damage.
  
  25
  The Crooked Nail
  Wandering Damned: AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee 
  slam (+3, 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poi-
  son; Resist non-magical weapon damage; Str +1, Dex –2, 
  Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvision 60ft; 
  Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with DC 5 + 
  damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Equipment blessed nail* (Mattie and Luther only)
  *See sidebox in Chapter 2
  Back of House
  The service areas remain largely unaffected by the corruptive presence 
  of the unsealed portal, and continue to click and whirl with the sounds 
  of grating machinery and pumping bellows. As before, these cramped 
  hallways are considered difficult terrain. 
  C7. Lower Service Hallway
  All manner of gears, levers, and bellows crowd this cramped 
  service hallway. 
  The formerly concealed entrance to this area is knocked askew, and 
  can be spotted with a successful DC 11 Wis (Perception) check. This 
  hallway provides access to the northeast corner where a blessed nail must 
  be replaced. This nail is now in the possession of one of the wandering 
  damned, however. Heavy machinery combining pneumatic and fleshy 
  animated components blocks the east-to-west expanse of the northernmost 
  corridor that leads to the northwest corner that once held the other blessed 
  nail, but this corner is accessible via the ladder that descends from the upper 
  service hallway (C9) or the secret panel in the Maze of Misery (C14).
  C8. Bedroom and Office
  What might have once been merely a crowded and disorderly 
  office is now a ransacked mess. 
  \
  The bed, wash basin, and desk in this bedroom office have been 
  overturned, and piles of pamphlets, papers, religious banners, and hanging 
  holy symbols have been chaotically tossed about.
  Treasure: Much of value remains here, however, including protective 
  items that did Chelman no good when the portal awakened. A detect magic 
  spell reveals several magic items stashed in the top desk drawer, including 
  2 potions of resistance (fire), an amulet of health, a small statuette 
  that is a figurine of wondrous power (onyx dog), and a wand of magic 
  detection. The bottom drawer contains assorted papers and invoices, as 
  well as a bound text containing the initiation rituals and practices of the 
  Fraternitatem Æternam. Should the characters attempt to learn the ritual 
  (a process that requires 4 weeks of study), the tome acts as an instructor 
  eager to teach. In addition, a section in the tome reveals the details of 
  blessed nails and their use by acolytes to disrupt open portals in the event 
  of a mishap. This information clearly indicates to the characters that they 
  must be replaced within 24 hours of the last one being removed to restore 
  the ward. A small locked strongbox (Dex (with thieves tools) DC 17) 
  contains 600 gp; Chelman has the key.
  C9. Upper Service Hallway (CR 1/2)
  Sputtering lanterns light the floor of this cramped service 
  corridor, reflecting from the metallic litter of unwound springs 
  and broken gears ejected from much of the machinery that 
  crowds this hallway.
  This corridor’s flickering lanterns cast eerie shadows as the hallway’s 
  machinery and bellows continue to pump and whirl despite obvious 
  damage. The cramped hallway remains difficult terrain. The Wandering 
  Damned fiendish zombie of Mattie the mechanic roams this area. This 
  zombie carries one of the blessed nails.
  Wandering Damned: AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee 
  slam (+3, 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poi-
  son; Resist non-magical weapon damage; Str +1, Dex –2, 
  Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvision 60ft, 
  passive Perception 8; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, 
  Con save with DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); 
  AL NE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Equipment blessed nail
  Spookshow
  C10. Haunted Hellmouth (CR 2)
  The open demonic mouth of the spookshow’s entrance 
  grimaces widely. The striped tunnel beyond the portal is no 
  longer spinning in its previous maddening gyre, but rather 
  abruptly jarring with a loud, repetitive thunk, as if stuck or 
  jammed. Sulphurous fumes seem to be drawn in and then 
  exhaled through the gaping jaw.
  Though the Hellmouth tunnel no longer spins, it is not free of dangers. 
  The interior decoration of the painted Faces of the Damned now gape and 
  leer in a foul approximation of life in a disturbing and horrific animation 
  caused by the abyssal presences that now haunt the theatre, creating a 
  unique trap.
  Trap: Grasping claws of demonic entities — previously mere macabre 
  décor — now warp the tunnel’s walls as they push through the fabric of 
  reality to attack passing PCs with magical energy.
  DEMONIC CLAWS TRAP
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 17 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect Melee +6, 2d4 acid damage; multiple targets (all 
  creatures passing through the tunnel)
  C11. Quasit Caves (CR 2)
  While the hidden crucibles that light this chamber still 
  cast its scorched plaster cliffs in a ruddy glow, the impish 
  automatons that once sprang forth from every nook and 
  crevice to surprise passersby now hang limply in mid-air, 
  ejected from their hiding places but still tethered to their iron 
  mounting rods, their miniature pitchforks dangling lifelessly 
  from tiny mechanical claws.
  The chamber’s cave-like appearance has not changed, though the 
  crucible’s flames seem more enlivened — fiercer — while their shadows 
  
  26
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  dance and play at the edges of the PCs’ vision with more animation than the 
  licking flames seem to otherwise indicate. A secret door is concealed behind 
  the rock façade near the room’s exit that leads to the upper service hallway 
  (C9). It can be spotted with a successful DC 12 Wis (Perception) check.
  Though their animating machinery in the upper service hallway 
  (C9) was damaged by the warping Abyssal energies of the reawakened 
  summoning circle, the very same energies have given new life to the 
  quasit-like automatons, who clamber from their mounting brackets as 4 
  impish idols to attack the PCs once they turn the room’s corner. They 
  attempt to flank the party, two to a side.
  Impish Idols (4): AC 10; HP 27 (5d8+5); Spd 15ft, fly 15ft; 
  Melee slam (+3, 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune poison, 
  psychic damage; charmed, exhaustion, frightened, para-
  lyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone; Str +1, Dex +0, Con +1, Int 
  –5, Wis +0, Cha +0; Senses passive Perception 10; AL N; CR 
  1/2; XP 100.
  C12. Gory Maelstrom (CR 2)
  The scenes of an eroded shore on a black river have changed 
  little in this room, though the room’s glass floor covering the 
  spinning vortex below is now covered in a slippery gore.
  Creatures who enter the room may become subject to the maelstrom’s 
  vertigo effect (as described in A12 in Chapter 1). The apparatus here is 
  not jammed by malfunctioning machinery, but rather part of a rotten foot 
  and the stinking entrails of a hideously captured creature: the Wandering 
  Damned corpse of Luther, the theatre host. The fiendish zombie of the 
  unfortunate man is disgustingly macabre, one of his feet having been 
  partially torn off and lodged in a seam in the floor’s aperture, which has 
  also twisted and stretched his entrails from his torso after having been 
  caught in the floor’s snapping mechanism. The zombie immediately 
  moves to attack, but also remains partially immobilized by the floor trap, 
  and as a result cannot leave the confines of the room due to the leash of 
  stretched intestines. His mutilated corpse also serves as part of a trap as 
  described below.
  Wandering Damned: AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee 
  slam (+3, 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion http://
  www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/01/22/city-
  estimates-400-000-protesters-at-nyc-women-s-march--no-
  arrests.html, poison; Resist non-magical weapon damage; 
  Str +1, Dex –2, Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses 
  darkvision 60ft; Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con 
  save with DC 5 + damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL 
  NE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Equipment blessed nail
  Trap: Damaging the zombie partially releases the tension binding the 
  malfunctioning aperture, and one of the panels of the aperture immediately 
  snaps open. There is a 25% chance per attack that any PC in the room is 
  standing on a panel that abruptly opens beneath them. As before, PCs can 
  avoid this involuntary fate and retreat to the edge with a successful DC 
  15 Dex save.
  SNAPPING APERTURE TRAP
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 17 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect 10-ft.-deep pit (1d6 falling damage); DC 15 Dex 
  avoids; single target (one target in a 15-ft.-square area)
  C13. Corpse Pit (CR 2)
  The flickering light of an askew light reflector creates a 
  strange strobe effect in this chamber, as unearthly shadows 
  dance and play on the plastered-rock walls like an insane 
  children’s magic lantern.
  The gory maelstrom aperture (C12) dumps PCs into this dimly lit, cave-
  like chamber. Its previous ghostly projection is now malfunctioning, the 
  projector flickering with its disorienting, strobe. The thick cushions that 
  normally break patrons’ falls remain pushed aside and now smoulder with 
  a foul stench. A thick haze of smoke makes the flickering light even more 
  disturbing. The room’s exit is open. The zombies of the actors Brarl and 
  Cynthia emerge through the smoke and lights as 2 Wandering Damned 
  to attack any who arrive in this chamber, while a sabotaged trap from the 
  previous visit remains, but in an even deadlier form.
  Wandering Damned: AC 8; HP 22 (3d8+9); Spd 20ft; Melee 
  slam (+3, 1d6+1 bludgeoning); Immune exhaustion, poi-
  son; Resist non-magical weapon damage; Str +1, Dex –2, 
  Con +3, Int –4, Wis –2 (+0), Cha –3; Senses darkvision 60ft; 
  Traits undead fortitude (upon 0hp, Con save with DC 5 + 
  damage taken, then drop to 1hp); AL NE; CR 1/2; XP 100.
  Equipment blessed nail
  Trap: In addition to the threat of the zombies, the formerly sabotaged 
  flame jets are still in operation here, never having been corrected by the 
  theatre employees, and rekindled if the PCs disabled it. Any creature 
  moving adjacent to the back wall triggers the trap, which is now enhanced 
  by Abyssal energies.
  FLASHING FLAMES TRAP
  Perception DC 15; Disable DC 12 Dexterity with thieves’ tools
   
  Effect Jets of flashing flame (2d4 fire damage and blinded 
  for 1 minute, DC 15 Dex save halves damage and ne-
  gates blindness); multiple targets (all creatures within 15-ft. 
  of west wall)
  C14. Maze of Misery (CR 1)
  The mirrors of this reflective maze are now warped and 
  bowed, as if half-melted by some hellish heat.
  The closer the PCs get to Darmathon’s Domicile (C16), the more the 
  demon’s wretched influence warps the original design and intent of the 
  spookshow. This is no more obvious than here in the mirror maze, where 
  the viewer’s tortured reflections now carry real consequences. As before, 
  the maze is difficult to navigate, but the room’s warped machinery has 
  made this endeavor somewhat easier, as many of the shifting floor plates 
  and swinging panels are stuck in place. Traversing the room now takes 4 
  rounds minus 1 round for each point by which a creature exceeds a DC 11 
  Int check (minimum 1 round). The effects of the various mirrors, however, 
  are no longer mere lighting and mechanical tricks, but debilitating 
  consequences of the nearby Abyssal influence. Each round spent in the 
  chamber, a PC experiences the effects of one of the shifting mirrors that 
  the maze places in front of him. See the sidebox for details.
  The distortion of the mirror maze has fully exposed the secret panel 
  leading into the lower service hallway (C7), an area PCs need to enter in 
  order to replace the blessed nails and shut down Darmathon’s portal.
  
  27
  The Crooked Nail
  C15. Prison of the Damned (CR 2)
  Extreme heat seems to have melted the walls and displays of 
  this chamber; the wire framework and clockwork mechanics 
  of the boulders that once stood here are now exposed in 
  scorched, jumbled, and half-melted piles. The silver tracings 
  of the visible half of the summoning circle arcs across the floor, 
  and the exit lift beckons from beyond.
  The former locations of the mechanical boulders here are now little 
  more than tangled wire and levers, and those areas are considered rough 
  terrain. Due to the thick smoke leaking from the room’s portal, the 
  visibility in this room is lightly obscured.
  From the gloom lurches the broken form of the demon-warped 
  Chelman, the proprietor of the theatre. Unlike the zombies of his former 
  employees, Chelman’s death at Darmathon’s hands caused a brutal 
  transfiguration within the confines of the summoning circle. His legs have 
  been torn off below the knees, and his limp and broken body is bloated 
  like a waterlogged corpse, infused with a viscous, writhing black tar that 
  oozes from every wound. The final blessed nail that the PCs need to shut 
  down the Theatre Infernalis’ portal is plunged squarely in an oozing and 
  smouldering wound in the crown of the pathetic creature’s head. Before 
  revealing itself, the demon-warped creature unleashes its fetid cloud 
  ability as it lurches toward the PCs to attack.
  Demon–warped Chelman, Dretch: AC 11; HP 18 (4d6+4); 
  Spd 20ft; Melee bite x2 (+2, 1d6 piercing), claws (+2, 2d4 
  slashing); SA fetid cloud (1/day, 10ft radius, poisoned con-
  dition, DC 11 Con save avoids), Immune poison, poisoned; 
  Resist cold, fire, lightning; Str +0, Dex +0, Con +1, Int –3, Wis 
  –1, Cha –4; Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 9; 
  Traits telepathy (works only with creatures that understand 
  Abyssal, 60ft); AL CE; CR 1/4; XP 50.
  C16. Darmathon’s Domicile (CR 3)
  The lift shudders in place as its frozen gears continue their 
  fruitless attempts to raise it. Its rib bone gate is closed, and its 
  abrupt jerking motions make it appear as the laughing belly of 
  some giant skeletal beast.
  After decades trapped between worlds, the once-mighty demon 
  Darmathon is now a mere figment of its former self, robbed of power 
  and diminished in form but awash in the infernal energies issuing from 
  the reopened portal, slowly festering with hate and bile. Originally a 
  greater ooze demon, Darmathon’s ignoble captivity reduced him to the 
  status of a lesser ooze demon, and he has lost his ability to summon 
  other demons.
  Darmathon, Male Lesser Ooze Demon: AC 12; HP 90 
  (12d8+36); Spd 30ft; Melee +5 (bite, 4d6+3 acid), +5 (claw 
  x2, 4d4+3 acid); Immunity acid, lightning, poison damage; 
  paralyzed, petrified, poisoned; Resistance nonmagical 
  weapon damage, cold, fire; SA multiattack (1 bite, 2 
  claw); Str +3, Dex +0, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0; Sens-
  es darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 10; Traits telepathy 
  (works only with creatures that understand Abyssal, 100ft); 
  AL CE; CR 3; XP 700. (Appendix)
  Tactics: When PCs enter the Prison of the Damned (C15), the demon 
  hides in the darkness of the adjacent disabled lift, using the final blessed 
  nail lodged in Chelman’s transformed corpse as bait to draw the PCs in 
  closer. This lift is currently stuck in place on the lower level, its shuttering 
  cage a shadowed retreat for its lone occupant — the malformed and 
  weakened body of the ooze demon Darmathon. 
  Hazards of the Maze of Misery
  One of the following effects occurs each round in the shifting 
  mirrors that the maze places in front of any PCs that are in the maze 
  that round. The effects of these mirrors only affect a single PC in any 
  group viewing them (determine the affected PC randomly). If the PCs 
  split into multiple groups within the maze, then one effect occurs each 
  round per group (again, only one PC is affected per group). Roll 1d6 
  each round, rerolling any previously obtained result. 
  1d6
  Result
  1
  A cackling demonic automaton draws back 
  a hammer and seems to shatter the mirror, 
  cracking the viewer’s reflections into a thou-
  sand pieces. The viewer must succeed on a 
  DC 11 Wis save or suffer a –2 penalty to Wis 
  saves and AC for 10 minutes from the tempo-
  rary damage to his psyche.
  2
  Small winged creatures tug and pull on the 
  four corners of this mirror, horrifically stretching 
  the subject’s reflection. The viewer inflicts only 
  half damage on Strength-based attacks for 
  1d4 minutes, as if affected by ray of enfee-
  blement. A successful DC 11 Con save reduc-
  es this penalty by half.
  3
  Skeletal demons animate and claw at the 
  subject’s reflection, which begins to rot and 
  deteriorate to a skeletal remnant of itself as 
  flames rise to lick the subject’s feet. The view-
  er must succeed on a DC 11 Wis save or be-
  come paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. A paralyzed 
  subject exudes a carrion stench that causes 
  all living creatures in a 10-foot-radius spread 
  to become sickened for as long as the sub-
  ject remains paralyzed (DC 11 Con save ne-
  gates).
  4
  Two automated imps turn a large crank, tor-
  turously compressing the subject’s reflection, 
  which lets out a powerful scream audible only 
  to the reflected creatures. The target crea-
  ture is deafened for 1 round and takes 1d6 
  points of sonic damage. A successful DC 11 
  Con save negates the deafened effect and 
  halves the damage.
  5
  A ruddy hue halos the viewer’s reflection 
  before its image bursts into violent flames, 
  melting his flesh. The viewer takes 2d4 fire 
  damage and catches fire. A successful DC 11 
  Dex save halves the damage and prevents 
  the target from catching fire. If the reflected 
  subject is set alight, creatures adjacent to the 
  subject must each succeed at a DC 11 Dex 
  save or take 1d4 points of fire damage. The 
  flames enshrouding the original target can be 
  extinguished as a full-round action.
  6
  Chittering, demonic skulls set in a frame gape 
  and leer at the subject, whose reflection 
  grows increasingly demonic in appearance. 
  The viewer must succeed on a DC 11 Wis 
  save or become frightened 1d4 rounds. While 
  under this effect, the viewer takes on the re-
  flected demonic appearance, as if under a 
  disguise self effect.
  
  28
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  While PCs are preoccupied with combatting Chelman’s infernal 
  form in the adjacent chamber, Darmathon hides in the shadows here, 
  watching and waiting. The lesser ooze demon uses its telepathy to 
  mysteriously taunt PCs as they deal with the threat of Chelman, taking 
  turns asking cryptic questions of individual PCs such as “Why have you 
  taken so long?”, “Do you wish to share the old one’s fate?” and “Will you 
  suffer the long years of endless torture as well as I?” When PCs appear in 
  either their greatest moment of desperation or on the verge of triumph — 
  or if they recover the nail from Chelman’s tortured body — Darmathon’s 
  oozing, blackened, vaguely crocodilian form immediately charges the 
  nearest opponent from his hidden location and fights to the bitter end.
  Development: If PCs manage to replace all of the blessed nails in 
  the theatre’s four corners, the portal immediately snaps shut, once again 
  trapping Darmathon between worlds if the demon has not already been 
  defeated. The Abyssal influences on the theatre’s trappings persist over 
  the course of the next week or so, with the save DCs against effects 
  diminishing by 2 each day that passes until the Theatre Infernalis 
  becomes an inert, ruined shell no longer full of nervous laughter and 
  frightful screams.
  Concluding the 
  Adventure 
  The PCs have experienced the finale of the Theatre 
  Infernalis’ long tenure in Castorhage. If Darmathon 
  is destroyed, the open portal still poses a threat, 
  particularly from inquisitive quasits and worse that 
  leak forth to explore the mortal realm over the course of 
  subsequent weeks. Replacing all of the theatre’s blessed 
  nails prevents this, though if removed once more by 
  vandals or vagrants, the problem may again arise. The 
  theatre itself, its property contested and unclaimed, lies 
  vacant for some time, its gaping façade daring others 
  to enter and explore. And indeed, if the nails are 
  disturbed, the location may come to house 
  more accumulated Abyssal threats — 
  slowly at first, but with increasing 
  frequency — and become a source 
  for new adventure in the future. 
  But eventually, and quietly, the already 
  decrepit theatre will be 
  found mysteriously burned and thereafter razed, and its property claimed 
  by new powers, a final act that removes the foul stain of the Fraternitatem 
  Æternam’s old infernal injustices with it.
  If the PCs fail to destroy Darmathon, the creature gains 1 HD per day 
  until he regains his former terrifying stature as a greater ooze demon over 
  the course of the next week, at which point he permanently breaks free of 
  the portal’s influence. If left unchecked, the demon sloughs his oily bulk 
  from the ruined theatre once he regains his full form and escapes onto the 
  dark sewers of Castorhage. He continues to grow in power and influence, 
  and may once again rise to threaten those within the city. Members of 
  important families may find themselves targeted by the vengeful creature 
  for their blood relation to deceased Fraternitatem Æternam members who 
  originally imprisoned it, and future PCs in your campaign may be called 
  upon to discover what foulness is stalking the dark alleys of the Blight.
  <
  
  29
  The Crooked Nail
  Abyssal Larva
  This creature looks like a puffy and bloated human-sized whitish-yellow 
  maggot with purplish veins pulsating under its fleshy form. A vaguely 
  humanoid head sits atop its body and its facial features are twisted and 
  distraught as if the creature was in a constant state of pain. A pair of 
  large, downward-curving horns juts from its head, just above its sunken 
  eyes. Its mouth is lined with filthy and sharpened fangs.
  Abyssal Larva
  XP 200 (CR 1)
  CE Medium Fiend
  Init +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12 (natural)
  HP 18 (4d8)
  Resistance acid, cold, fire damage
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20ft
  Melee +1 (bite, 2d4 piercing plus 1d4 acid)
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 10 (+0), Dex 10 (+0), Con 11 (+0), 
  Int 3 (–4), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 7 (–2)
  Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 10
   
  TRAITS
  Maggot Spray: Once per day, an abyssal larva can regur-
  gitate and fire a stream of maggots at a single opponent 
  within 10 feet. This requires the abyssal larva to succeed 
  on a +2 ranged attack. If the attack succeeds, the oppo-
  nent is poisoned for 1d2 rounds. A successful DC 10 Dex 
  save reduces the sickened condition to 1 round.
  Tortured Mind: An abyssal larva’s mind is warped and 
  twisted, providing it immunity to all enchantment spells. A 
  creature attempting to cast an enchantment spell on the 
  larva must succeed on a DC 12 Wis save or be affected 
  as if by a confusion spell for 1 minute.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment the Abyss
  Organization mob (4–7), brood (8–17)
  Abyssal larvae are believed to be the final form of an evil soul deemed 
  too weak to become a demon and too weak to become the servant of 
  a demon. Another theory suggests that the larvae are the imprisoned forms 
  of slain demon princes and lords. Whatever their true origin, abyssal 
  larvae are plentiful throughout the Abyssal planes, and are some of the 
  most disgusting aznd loathsome creatures encountered.
  These creatures feed on anything they can consume, be it rotting 
  carcasses, freshly slain creatures, and even waste. Consumables are first 
  liquefied through a process requiring the abyssal larva to regurgitate 
  stomach acids onto its meal. As the food breaks down, the larva slurps it 
  up and consumes it.
  While loathed by the more civilized, some demons, such 
  as dretches and babaus, savor the juicy flesh of these creatures and often 
  engage in hunting expeditions across the Abyss, killing and devouring as 
  many of these creatures as they can find.
  Acting as if almost mindless, abyssal larvae attack any living creature 
  they encounter. They have no real tactics other than swarming a foe and 
  biting relentlessly. These creatures fight until destroyed.
  Copyright Notice
  Author Scott Green.
  Ningyo
  Ningyo
  XP 200 (CR 1)
  NE Small Humanoid
  Init +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 14
  HP 27 (6d6+6)
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20ft, swim 40ft
  Multiattack 2 claws
  Melee +3 (claw, 2d6+1 slashing)
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 8 (–1), Dex 13 (+1), Con 12 (+1), 
  Int 6 (–2), Wis 15 (+2), Cha 11 (+0)
  Languages Aquan
  Skills Athletics +1, Stealth +3
  Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 12
   
  TRAITS
  Nocturnal Undeath: A slain ningyo rises as undead each 
  night an hour after sunset. An undead ningyo gains im-
  munity to poison damage and the poisoned condition 
  and undead fortitude as as zombie (if reduced to 0 HP 
  by non-radiant, non-critical damage, the undead ningyo 
  must make a Con save with a DC of 5+damage taken; 
  on success the ningyo drops to 1 HP instead). Ningyo with 
  their heads and limbs removed do not rise in this fashion, 
  but will rise if the parts are reunited. Corpses that were 
  burned or torn apart do not rise.
  Poisoned Flesh: Any creature that bites or swallows any flesh 
  of a ningyo becomes poisoned for 2d4 hours. A successful 
  DC 12 Con save halves this time.
  Startle: If a ningyo attacks with surprise, its target must make 
  a DC 11 Wis save or be frightened for 1d4 rounds. Crea-
  tures with 6 or more hit dice are immune to this ability.
  Swarming: Two ningyo can occupy the same space and 
  receive advantage on all attacks or grapple checks 
  against a single adjacent target.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment warm oceans
  Organization solitary, pair or shoal (3–22)
  Legend speaks of the ningyo, small scavengers and hunters who 
  sometimes attack fishermen, divers and inhabitants of coastal villages. 
  Swarms of these creatures sometimes attack en masse in the night, 
  destroying entire settlements. Slain ningyo can return as undead, 
  vengefully seeking out their killers.
  Copyright Notice
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 4, “Ningyo”
  Monster Appendix
  
  30
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Lesser Ooze Demon
  This creature appears as a humanoid-shaped swirling form of blackish 
  ooze. Its head is crocodilian and its mouth is lined with sharpened teeth.
  Lesser Ooze Demon
  XP 3 (CR 700)
  CE Medium Fiend
  Init +0
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 12
  HP 90 (12d8+36)
  Immunity acid, lightning, poison damage; paralyzed, petri-
  fied, poisoned
  Resistance bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage 
  from nonmagical weapons, cold, fire
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30ft
  Multiattack 1 bite, 2 claw
  Melee +5 (bite, 4d6+3 acid), +5 (claw x2, 4d4+3 acid)
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 17 (+3), Dex 10 (+0), Con 17 (+3), 
  Int 10 (+0), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 11 (+0)
  Languages Abyssal
  Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 10
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment the Abyss
  Organization pair, gang (2–5) or mob (6-11)
  Lesser ooze demons are soldiers in the abyssal army of the Faceless 
  Lord and the servants in his abyssal lair. They are relatively weak demons 
  and are often pushed around and controlled by superior demons. Lesser 
  ooze demons stand about 7 feet tall.
  Lesser ooze demons charge into combat and pound their enemies with 
  their fists, or bite with their sharp teeth. They rely on their acid to fell 
  their foes and depend on their damage reduction and spell resistance 
  to protect them from harm. Ooze demons usually flee if the battle goes 
  poorly, though if under the command of a more powerful demon (such as 
  a greater ooze demon leading a squad of lesser ooze demons into battle), 
  they do not retreat and always fight to the death.
  Copyright Notice
  Authors Scott Greene and Jim Collura.
  Pickled Punk
  Pickled Punk
  XP 200 (CR 1)
  NE Tiny Undead
  Init +1
   
  DEFENSE
  AC 13
  HP 22 (9d4)
  Resistance bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from non-
  magical weapons
   
  OFFENSE
  Speed 15ft
  Multiattack
  Melee +3 (bite, 4d4+1 piercing)
   
  STATISTICS
  Str 3 (–4), Dex 13 (+1), Con 10 (+0), 
  Int 4 (–3), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 13 (+1)
  Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 11
   
  TRAITS
  Attach: On hit, punk grapples target and can inflict bite 
  damage automatically each round.
  Death Throes: When a punk is killed, it dissolves into stinking 
  sludge. Any adjacent creatures must make a DC 10 Con 
  save or be poisoned for one round.
  Irritant: The fluid in a pickled punk’s jar is irritating to living 
  creatures. Any creature that comes in contact with a 
  pickled punk, by natural weapon, unarmed attack or 
  other means, must make a DC 11 Con save or take a –1 
  penalty to all Dex and Cha based rolls for 24 hours.
   
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any
  Organization solitary
  At first glance, pickled punks are grotesque, deformed humanoid 
  fetuses kept in jars of embalming fluid by necromancers. In reality they 
  are hostile creatures that sometimes twitch and move spasmodically in 
  their prisons. If freed, picked punks attack nearby creatures immediately, 
  hungry for flesh and blood. 
  Copyright Notice
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Bestiary 4, “Pickled Punk”
  
  31
  The Crooked Nail
  
  32
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  GM Map
  
  33
  The Crooked Nail
  Players Map
  
  34
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  GM Map
  
  35
  The Crooked Nail
  Players Map
  
  36
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
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  System Reference Document © 2000. Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors 
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax 
  and Dave Arneson.
  Tome of Horrors, Copyright 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc. 
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  37
  The Crooked Nail
  Wesley Schneider, Tork Shaw, and Russ Taylor.
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; 
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  TB1: The Crooked Nail, © 2017, Frog God Games, LLC; Author: Brandon 
  Hodge.
  
  38
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  
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