TEXT: writing  Aaron Infante-Levy
  color art  Sade
  maps  Mike McCarthy
  editing  James J. Haeck
  layout  Eric Life-Putnam
  “You can hear them at night when the mist creeps in 
  off the lakeshore, jibber-jabbering like madmen trying 
  to form words. For years they’ve haunted me, but still 
  I can’t fathom what it means, as if some half-formed 
  mind yearns for the power to speak for itself…”
  —Ser Paviss, Knight Overwatch of Calrow Ruins
  The Haunting of
  Calrow Ruins
  Introduction
  Gibberlings infest Calrow Ruins. When the mists 
  blow in off the shores of Lach Gwyren, snaking 
  through crumbling arches and shattered barbicans, 
  the gibberlings’ terrible wailing can be heard 
  for miles. These leering, furry abominations 
  are spawned from captives by an ancient 
  brood mother lurking beneath the ruins. Once 
  imprisoned in a magic tapestry deep within the 
  keep, the brood mother is close to finally escaping 
  thanks to the meddling of a vengeful lady-in-
  waiting. Amidst a noble feud to reclaim the ruins, 
  the characters are faced with solving the mystery 
  of the gibberlings.
   Lady Bridgette Nydaridien wishes to clear her 
  family’s ancestral holdings of the monstrosities, 
  and offers the characters land as her vassals 
  should they help her retake the ruins. Her rival, 
  Lord Comsfor Polding, argues that Nydaridien’s 
  family didn’t have the strength to hold the keep 
  and so a new claimant should be allowed to stake 
  his claim; he offers the characters great wealth 
  should they help him retake the ruins. Whoever 
  they side with, their actions bring them into 
  a WOIN fantasy adventure 
  for 4–5 grade 5 pcs
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  contact with Ser Paviss, a knight who keeps lonely 
  vigil over the keep in the name of his former lord, 
  Lady Nydaridien’s father. Yet it is clear Paviss is 
  not right in the head, and it is clear more 
  horrifying secrets lurk in Calrow Ruins than 
  anyone could realize. 
  Background
  Calrow Keep was once a bastion of security and 
  justice in a dangerous wilderness. However, three 
  calamities reduced the keep to ruins and paved 
  the way for the rise of the gibberlings.
   The first befell the keep nearly a century ago 
  when rampaging horned trolls of the Murkhorn 
  tribe destroyed Calrow’s walls in pursuit of 
  adventurers who stole their treasures. Descendants
  of these horned trolls live to the north in forest 
  caves, plotting the day they can recover the 
  preserved head of the shaman who once lead the 
  pack which is displayed in the stateroom (Area 19) 
  of Calrow Ruins as a trophy. Among the trolls’ 
  treasures was the grim tapestry (Area 12) with 
  the likeness of a hunchbacked, grinning creature in 
  black robes embroidered on its surface. This 
  creature magically trapped within the tapestry is 
  the gibberling brood mother, a twisted, deranged 
  horror from distant planes. The brood mother
  feeds on psychic and magical energy—the minds 
  of dead mages and clerics, and the brash emotions
  of noble men and women, give it power.
   The second calamity befell the keep twelve 
  years ago when the ruler of the keep, the widower 
  Baron Ulrich Nydaridien, offended Lord Mattier 
  de Freh of a neighboring province by refusing the 
  hand of Lord de Freh’s daughter Arista. Baron 
  Nydaridien, fearful of those who sought to usurp 
  him, had taken to consulting the brood mother in 
  the tapestry; it telepathically warned him of foes 
  both real and imaginary while drinking deep of his 
  fear. Distraught, Arista cast her would-be wedding 
  ring, a band of gold clasping an onyx gem, off the 
  parapets. Gravely offended, Lord de Freh laid 
  siege to the keep. Though Lord de Freh was 
  defeated and beheaded for his treachery, the 
  destruction was so extensive that the Nydaridiens 
  were forced to vacate the ruined keep. 
   Gradually, Calrow Keep was reduced to a 
  minimal retinue of servants and a handful of 
  guards led by the inimitable Ser Paviss who had 
  long been in the service to the Baron. Arista de 
  Freh was spared her father’s fate and made a 
  lady-in-waiting of House Nydaridien, though she 
  never forgave the Nydaridiens for what befell her 
  father. When repairs on the keep were delayed 
  by battles and matters of governance, the Baron 
  moved his court elsewhere and the tapestry was 
  all but forgotten. That is, until Arista returned to 
  the keep in search of her ring. The guileful brood 
  mother promised Arista her revenge, returning 
  the onyx wedding ring which had slipped 
  between the cracks in the keep’s blasted masonry. 
  There is was imbued by foul energies with the 
  power to turn the blood and body of anyone its 
  wearer touched to onyx. In exchange, all Arista 
  had to do was lead the knight Ser Paviss to the 
  tapestry, and so she did one stormy night. Amidst 
  terrible flickering lights, a nightmarish, slug-like 
  creature crawled from the tapestry’s embroidery 
  and into Paviss’ ear. Arista fled, the knight’s dying 
  screams ringing behind her, to seek her revenge 
  on the Nydaridiens.
   Two years ago, the tapestry commanded 
  Arista to arrange for the Nydaridiens to return to 
  Calrow. During their visit, a terrible quake shook 
  the surrounding lands and all but collapsed the 
  keep. Arista was forewarned of the quake by the 
  tapestry, and sought to use the disturbance to end 
  the entire Nydaridien bloodline. Amidst the 
  calamity, vengeful Arista used her ring’s power 
  to turn the Baron to onyx, but she was betrayed 
  by its foul magic. Her task complete, Arista had 
  outlived her usefulness and died alongside the 
  Baron she so despised, turned to onyx herself. Her 
  dying sight was the image of the hunchbacked 
  figure stepping from the tapestry into the world. 
  From the shadows came terrible gibbering, 
  jabbering, and wailing as gibberlings broke 
  up from the tunnels below in numbers beyond 
  counting.
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  Character H ooks
  You can use any of the following hooks to get the 
  characters involved with Calrow Ruins.
   Grim Treasure Hunters. Following legends 
  of either the grim tapestry or the onyx ring, the 
  characters have traced one or both of these 
  infamous treasures to Calrow Ruins. They may 
  be seeking these items for their own power, as 
  elements in an ongoing campaign, or as part of a 
  mission to destroy corrupting magical artifacts.
   Noble’s Behest. One of the two nobles 
  approaches the party, asking them to reclaim 
  the keep in their name. Parties known for good 
  deeds are approached by Lady Nydaridien, while 
  more mercenary parties are approached by Lord 
  Polding. What each of these nobles can offer to 
  entice the characters is outlined under their NPC 
  descriptions.
   Return to the Keep. One or more of the 
  characters may have survived the quake and the 
  ensuing gibberling massacre that resulted from 
  Arista de Freh’s betrayal. Haunted by the horrors 
  they witnessed, the characters take it as a matter 
  of personal honor to vanquish the gibberlings that 
  caused so many they once called friends.
  Understanding Encounters 
  Most of the enemies faced in Calrow Ruins are 
  gibberlings. In general, gibberling encounters 
  should start small (one for each PC), but if the 
  gibberlings are not dealt with swiftly within 2–3 
  rounds, a particularly loud racket is raised, or 
  another story event occurs, then more gibberlings 
  enter the fray from other areas of the ruins at a 
  rate of one per round.
     The statistics for most creatures can be found in 
  a WOIN bestiary or in the online WRRD.
    Creatures from the WRRD include mountain 
  trolls, bandits, peasants, ghosts, harpies, 
  gibbermouths, knights, skeletons, and a terror 
  dog.
    New creatures (gibberlings and the gibberling 
  brood mother) can be found at the end of this 
  adventure.
  Encounter Table
  The following encounter table can be used to 
  populate the region surrounding Calrow Ruins 
  and enhance the adventure’s themes at the GM’s 
  discretion.
  Darkscape Mushrooms
  Darkscape mushrooms are marbled grey mush-
  rooms found in the Moat Fissure, Kitchen Court, 
  and Yew Court. They are nature’s response to an 
  incursion from other planes, and a character 
  proficient in herbalism can identify them and their 
  nature with a Routine [10] LOG check. Darkscape 
  mushrooms can be consumed to automatically 
  cure a creature of gibberslug infestation, and also 
  act as deadly poison if ingested by gibberlings, 
  inflicting 4d6 poison damage.
      Additionally, darkscape mushrooms cure non-
  permanent blindness. Like all herbs, a character 
  can only benefit from a specific herb once per day.
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  NPCs
  Lady Bridgitte Nydaridien
  Bridgitte Nydaridien is a proud noble in her mid-
  thirties and the daughter of Baron Ulrich 
  Nydaridien, the same Baron under whose rule 
  Calrow Keep fell into ruins. In addition to 
  reclaiming the keep for her family’s honor and 
  legacy—embodied in the ancestral crest of two 
  argent swans addorsed on a field of sable—she 
  also wishes to recover her father’s corpse, or 
  at least learn how he died. Bridgitte’s personal 
  guard is meager (12 watchmen), just enough to 
  protect her encampment and her bodyguard, Ser 
  Caomhan (knight), and must enlist adventurers 
  to claim the ruins in her name. Unfortunately, her 
  coffers have been depleted by paying Ser Paviss 
  and his knights’ stipend for keeping watch over 
  the ruins. What she can offer the characters is a 
  dozen acres of arable land each as her vassals. If 
  desperate, she will offer a simple star rose quartz 
  (50 gc) from about her own neck, claiming that it 
  belonged to her father and there may be more in 
  the keep and the characters may keep the gems if 
  they find them.
  Goal. Reclaim Calrow Ruins to honor her 
  father’s memory and leave a legacy for her family.
  Secret. She’ll go to great lengths to cover up
  her family’s role in the downfall of Calrow Ruins.
  Outlook. It is the duty of the nobility to look 
  after the welfare of those from lesser birth.
      Traits. Does not suffer fools or liars.
  Lord Comsfor Polding
  A feudal noble, Comsfor Polding is the third son of
  a lord of little importance. Possessed of neither 
  brawn nor charisma, Polding has relied on his 
  cunning ability to figure out what people desire 
  and leverage that to his disadvantage. He is a 
  portly man in his forties, roughly shaven, with a 
  perpetual sneer on his jowls, and ready to offer a 
  false smile that hides a long and vengeful memory. 
  While a lord in title, Comsfor owns just a 
  Encounters
    2d6 Encounter
  2 
  A mountain troll of the Murkhorn Tribe, which 
  always have loathsome limbs due to mutations 
  caused to the tribe by the brood mother in the 
  tapestry long ago.
  3 
  2d6 woodland creatures like boar, deer, ducks, 
  geese, hawks, rabbits, or ravens exhibiting 
  strange behavior due to the influence of the 
  forming gate to other planes.
  4 
  Strange winds carrying sounds of gibbering 
  and mad howling through the trees, across 
  the grasslands, and down the river. NPCs and 
  beasts are unnerved for the next hour, and 
  attempts to command or calm them made with 
  disadvantage.
  5 
  1d6 bandits—mercenaries employed by Lord 
  Polding—harassing traveling peasants, sharing 
  a liquor flask beneath a hanging corpse, or 
  ominously sharpening axes.
  6
  1d6 watchmen loyal to Lady Nydaridien 
  trading spooky stories over the campfire of 
  the keep’s fall and the gibberlings.
  7
  1d6 peasants headed south carrying bundles of 
  wood, truffles, or rabbit pelts.
  8
  An encounter with 1d6 gibberlings that have 
  escaped beyond the confined of Calrow Ruins.
  9
  Eerie hallucinations plague one or more 
  characters until the next encounter check or 
  sunrise, taking the form of shapes moving 
  in their peripheral vision, the likeness of a 
  screaming face underwater, or the hollow of a 
  tree suddenly seeming to blink at them.
  10     2 harpies squabbling over the heart of a 
  recent kill.
  11    The ghost of Arista de Freh hovers momentarily 
  as if trying to warn others of something, but 
  black blood runs from her mouth forming 
  into stones, choking her; she only attacks if 
  provoked or in the presence of someone of the 
  Nydaridien bloodline.
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  12
  1d6 goblins looking for somebody to bully. 
  They flee if more than one is killed.
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  meager bit of land to the north with no castle 
  on it. The device on his banners—a harpy on a
  fess argent over gules—was invented by none 
  other than himself after his father and older 
  brothers were slain by harpies. He deems the
  Nydaridiens incompetent fools, and intends to 
  “liberate” Calrow Ruins from their rule. However, 
  Comsfor Polding only has a small troupe of 
  mercenaries (16 bandits and and a bandit knight) 
  camped at the southern edge of the Oakenfaust 
  wood, and he must hire adventurers to claim the 
  ruins in his name. He has 500 gc in his treasury, 
  though he offers the minimum he thinks they’ll 
  accept (starting at 40 gold split between all 
  adventurers). 
     Goal. Claim a castle and surrounding lands for 
  his own to create a legacy for his family.
     Secret. His ambitious eye exceeds his grasp. 
     Outlook. No one will give us what we do not 
  take for ourselves.
     Traits. Jaded and sardonic with a dark sense of 
  humor.
  Ser Miel Paviss
  Ser Miel Paviss is a lanky knight standing head 
  and shoulder above the soldiers under his 
  command. Sunken brooding eyes and a faint 
  yellow scar at the base of his skull are the only 
  physical clues that the knight is controlled by 
  a gibberslug. He served under Baron Ulrich 
  Nydaridien, and both were betrayed by Arista de 
  Freh. One fateful night, Arista led Paviss to the 
  grim tapestry, where the aberrant forces within the 
  tapestry reached out and forced a gibberslug 
  inside his skull. Unlike other gibberslug victims, 
  Paviss did not turn into a gibberling. Instead, the 
  unusual gibberslug gained sentience, killed the 
  knight, and took control of his body. 
  The creature masquerading as Miel Paviss is 
  currently charged by Bridgitte Nydaridien with 
  ensuring the gibberlings stay confined to the 
  ruins and do not infest the lands beyond. He is 
  aided by 4 watchmen who remain loyal to him.
  The guards under his command are forgiving of 
  their commander’s oddities but secretly suspect 
  something is wrong. The creature within Ser 
  Paviss is driven by an urge to understand its 
  current state and how it is connected to the 
  gibberlings. To this end, it serves the subtle 
  telepathic commands of the gibberling brood 
  mother and seeks a way to liberate her from the 
  confines of Calrow Ruins. Currently this means 
  luring outsiders to the Keep, and let its horrors fill 
  them with terror and rage, tumultuous emotions 
  that will feed the brood mother until she is 
  powerful enough to gain total freedom from the 
  grim tapestry.
  Goal. Understand the gibberlings that
  occupy Calrow Ruins—what motivates them, 
  why they gibber at night, and where they came 
  from.
  Secret. Can’t resist setting others on edge, 
  playing on fears, or pitting them against each 
  other.
      Outlook. This mortal flesh is impure and 
  deserves to be remade in the image of something 
  greater.
  Traits. Ser Paviss remembers those who died in
  the gibberling massacre, and he occasionally 
  suffers a twitch while suppressing this memory.
  Calrow Ruins
  Calrow Ruins overlooks Lach Gwyren, a 
  freshwater lake blanketed by fog and ringed 
  by poplars, aspens, and cottonwoods. The keep’s 
  disrepair is evident from even a mile away. A 
  moat was dug around the portion of 
  the keep not buttressing the lake. The moat 
  was filled by channels connected to the lake, 
  but the earthquake two years ago caused the moat 
  to drain. This left behind a ditch with only 
  shallow water that becomes a muddy mire after 
  rains. A stone bridge spans the moat leading to 
  the gatehouse, however it was broken in Lady 
  Nydaridien’s flight from the keep to prevent the 
  gibberlings from following.
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  The Outer Bailey
  Calrow Ruins’ outer bailey is the only way in or 
  out of the keep without navigating Lach Gwyren. 
  A pair of guards, Hamson and Glamock, stand 
  futile watch over the shattered barbican leading 
  into the outer bailey. These guards are loyal to Ser 
  Paviss, though their time in and around the ruins 
  has warped their minds toward paranoia. Both 
  Hamson and Glamock believe they’re fulfilling 
  critical duties in guarding the barbican and cannot 
  be convinced otherwise. Hamson, in particular, 
  believes that the horned trolls are massing for a 
  raid on the keep, and he demands anyone wishing 
  to pass prove they’re not trollish collaborators (for 
  example, by demonstrating they don’t regenerate 
  wounds). Glamock, on the other hand, believes 
  the keep and surrounding lands are cursed and 
  encourages characters to turn back for their own 
  good… unless Glamock realizes a cleric is among 
  them, in which case he is keen to invite the cleric 
  (and just the cleric) inside to negotiate with his 
  commander, Ser Paviss. 
  Exploring the Outer Bailey
  The outer bailey is where the peasants serving 
  the Nydaridien family once dwelled. Massive 
  boulders, now overgrown with moss and 
  artistically engraved with runes by the keep’s 
  former occupants, are scattered across the 
  grounds. Ruins of workshops, stables, livestock 
  stalls, granaries, and servants’ quarters occupy 
  much of the outer bailey. 
  Meeting with Ser Paviss
  Ser Paviss is brooding and distant, apparently 
  occupied with his grim duty of standing watch 
  over a ruined keep, but will meet with the 
  characters to provide them with information (and 
  deliberate misinformation) about what they can 
  expect within the keep. During this meeting, he 
  attempts to ascertain as much as he can about the 
  characters while giving away as little about his 
  true nature as possible. Characters conversing 
  with him may make a Routine [10] INT check to
  learn one of the following about Ser Paviss: his
  Goal, Secret, Outlook, or Traits. Ser Paviss
  knows the following:
  ▶ Some gibberlings have the vague likeness of
  former servants or knights. They have raided
  the garrison, and are armed. (True)
  ▶ Gibberling activity is confined to within the
  walls of the ruins thanks to the efforts of Ser
  Paviss’ guards and the moat. (False)
  ▶ A general layout of the castle, including the
  main areas the Garrison wing, the Great Hall,
  the Kitchen wing, and the Keep. He also
  knows about the postern entrance. (True)
  ▶ There are no other hazards or monsters in the
  ruins besides gibberlings. (False) 
  Methods of Entry
  Bridge
  This stone bridge spans 20 feet, supported by 
  three pillars rising from the muck with arches 
  forming beneath it. Razorvine crawls up the edges 
  and threatens to spill over the stone railings. The 
  last ten feet of the bridge are broken, ostensibly to 
  keep the gibberlings inside. Characters jumping 
  across this gap or climbing up from the moat 
  below, enter the gatehouse (Area 10).
  Moat Fissure
  Murky water about 2 feet deep is all that remains 
  of the moat. A PC who searches this area will 
  discover a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms with 
  a Challenging [13] INT check.
   
  Exploring the moat area outside the cellars 
  (Area 4) reveals a narrow fissure in the stone 
  leading to the cellars, mostly hidden by 
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  overgrown moss that a small creature could
  squeeze through. The fissure can be widened 
  to allow medium creatures to squeeze through by 
  dealing 30 points of blunt damage, damage from a 
  pick, force damage, or sonic damage. However the 
  noise created by such activity will attract 
  gibberlings, raising the difficulty of encounters in 
  the cellars by adding two extra gibberlings to each.
  Postern
  Exploring the perimeter of the keep on the lake 
  side reveals a concealed postern entrance on 
  the northwestern side, disguised via an optical 
  illusion created by masterful stone-laying so 
  it is only visible when viewed from within 60 
  feet. This narrow passage only permits creatures 
  through in single file, leading into what was once 
  the garrison (Area 8).
  Area Descriptions
  1. Arming Room
  Once used to store equipment used to defend
  against a siege, this chamber is mostly empty,
  filled with broken ladders, leaking barrels of oil,
  heavy rocks, nets, etc. The oaken double doors
  leading into the garrison court (Area 9) are intact.
  An old but still functioning ballista (900 pounds)
  rests in the western end of the room with six
  ballista bolts stacked against the wall (40 pounds
  each). Aiming, loading, and firing the ballista each
  require one action.
  Ballista Bolt 
  INT attack (4d6 piercing damage; range 16)
   The gibberlings in the base of the armory tower 
  (Area 2) will attack this room if they hear loud 
  sounds or see bright lights coming from it.
  2. Armory Tower
  A gibberlings encounter awaits here, though
  these gibberlings are equipped with scraps of
  armor granting them SOAK 4, as well as handaxes
  and spiked clubs.
  Spiked Club
  4d6 (2d6+2 blunt/piercing damage)
  They employ slightly more advanced tactics than 
  other gibberlings, throwing their handaxes from 
  behind cover before charging into melee en masse. 
  When the fighting starts, a “runner” gibberling 
  begins scrambling up the spiral stairs (difficult 
  terrain); if it reaches the top of the tower (90 feet of 
  spiral stairs above), it begins screeching, alerting 
  any gibberlings in alerting any gibberlings in 
  Areas 1, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 16.
   The armory was located at the base of this 
  watchtower, and a few shields, handaxes, maces, 
  and shortswords may be recoverable. Severe 
  damage to the upper parts of the tower have 
  scattered chunks of stone large enough for Small 
  creatures to gain three-quarters cover behind. 
  Spiral stairs lead up to the top of the tower, 
  though they are broken in two places creating 5 
  foot gaps; while jumping these with a running 
  start is easy for most characters, the stone is 
  unsteady and a Challenging [13] AGI check is
  required to safely distribute one’s weight after 
  landing otherwise a large chunk of the stairs falls 
  out, dealing 2d6 blunt damage to any creatures
  below, widening that gap to 10 feet, and leaving 
  the character dangling above a precipitous drop. If 
  the check is failed by 5 or more, the character falls. 
  From the top of the 40-foot high watchtower, clear 
  lines of sight are possible across the garrison court 
  (Area 9), inner bailey (Area 14), kitchen court 
  (Area 16), yew tree court (Area 20), and the 
  surrounding lands.
  3. Breeding Grounds
  Low steps from the cellars (Area 4), as well as
  a fissure in the moat, lead to this low-ceilinged
  root cellar. The floor is flooded with water and
  a thin layer of slippery pond scum, causing all
  of the chamber to be difficult terrain. The only
  natural light comes from the fissure and a solitary
  high window. However, it is a wholly alien place
  now, with strange living sacs of semi-transparent
  flesh and undulating fur holding humanoids in
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  a variety of states of transformation from human 
  (or dwarf, elf, or smallfolk) into gibberling.
  Bloody fur seems to grow from the walls like 
  moss, and a whispering jibber-jabber sets the 
  hairs on the back of the neck on end. Characters 
  who spend at least 1 minute in this room or who 
  investigate any of the gibberling “breeding” sacs 
  are attacked by a 4d6 mental attack, and are 
  muddled (affected creatures jibber-jabber for the 
  duration, quietly at first, but grow gradually 
  louder). Crossing this room without bumping 
  into any sacks requires a group Routine [10] AGI 
  check; if any character fails, a gibberlings 
  encounter ensues as newly-spawned gibberlings 
  tear free from the fleshy sacs in a frenzy of claw 
  and fur.
  4. Cellars
  Wine and ale, most soured, are stored here in large
  oak casks. A gibberlings encounter awaits here,
  though they lurk in the shadows attempting to
  ambush characters entering. A life-like black onyx
  “statue” of an imperious young woman with a
  look of shock on her face staring at her hand
  missing its ring finger stands before an open secret
  door on the west wall. This statue is the body of
  Arista de Freh whose abuse of the powers of the
  onyx ring destroyed her. The fate of the onyx ring is
  left for the GM to decide. The secret alcove
  apparently once held a tapestry judging by the
  hooks on the wall (the grim tapestry). On the
  ground is a scabbard of exceptional quality (250 gc
  bearing some minor noble crests on its surface;
  a Challenging [13] LOG check recognizes the crests
  as belonging to Ser Paviss’ line. The scabbard fell
  when Arista betrayed him.
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  5. Undercroft
  This unfinished earthen-floor room was meant
  to be an expansion of the crypt, however the quake
  toppled the keep and the resulting rubble
  completely cut it off from crypt (Area 6). In
  addition, the quake opened up a fissure to the
  infinite darkness below. 4 gibberslugs dwell in this
  room, ferociously attacking anything that enters
  but not pursuing creatures into Area 20 if it is
  daylight. A character hit by their bite is afflicted by
  gibberslugs (see the gibberling brood mother
  description).
  6. Crypt
  When the keep above collapsed, the eastern half of
  the Nydaridien family crypt was buried in rubble.
  Several sarcophagi have been cracked, however,
  revealing treasures buried with the skeletons
  (4 art objects worth 25–50 gc each). Here, the ghost
  of Arista de Freh habitually berates the corpses of
  Nydaridien nobility for thinking themselves better
  than her and for giving birth to the “pompous
  Baron Ulrich and his simpering mule of a
  daughter.”
  If not already hostile towards the characters, she 
  requests they bring her Lady Nydaridien’s head so 
  she can finally give her father justice and go to her 
  peace. Characters conversing with the ghost may 
  attempt a Challenging [13] INT check to realize that 
  the ghost actually feels guilty for someone she 
  betrayed and only repairing the effects of her 
  betrayal will put her to rest. 
  Outright rejection of her offer or hostility causes 
  the ghost to attack the offending character with her 
  telekinesis as 5 skeletons emerge from the crypts;
  she then vanishes to let the skeletons fight for her.
  7. Garderobes (toilets)
  These stone toilets have narrow slightly slick shafts
  leading down 30 feet to outside the castle walls into
  the moat or lake, depending on location. They
  could be used as a means of escape or covert entry
  by particularly bold characters, though
  medium sized characters will need to squeeze.
  Ascending or descending without ropes requires a 
  Routine [10] STR check.
  8. Garrison
  A barricade of spiked shields encircling the
  postern is all that remains of the defender’s last
  stand during Lady Nydaridien’s flight from the
  keep. This is where the soldiers’ barracks once
  were located. A few skeletons impaled on spears
  are all that remain of the defenders’ last stand. The
  oaken double door leading to the garrison court
  (Area 9) has been hewn through, along with the
  door to the arming room (Area 1) as if by a
  frenzied mob of attackers.
  9. Garrison Court
  A  gibberlings encounter awaits here, though
  during the day the gibberlings are partially
  burrowed into the exposed earth where they sleep
  clumped in one or more heaps of writhing fur.
   This courtyard, with its ivy-covered walls, is 
  littered with sparring dummies of wood and 
  straw, as well as signs of battle like broken spears, 
  chunks of stone debris, and torn banners. Stairs 
  to the south of the courtyard lead up to the top of 
  the armory tower (Area 2), but were broken in the 
  middle by large stones falling from the damaged 
  tower.
  10. Gatehouse
  The old gate is jammed shut by a tangle of rotting
  fur and flesh from dozens of gibberlings which
  were caught within the gear mechanism during
  the castle’s evacuation. During the day, the fur
  and flesh seems to pulse and occasionally a
  blinking eye or writhing arm can be seen within
  it grasping out slowly in the direction of living
  beings. However, at night the gate becomes more
  dangerous, taking the form of a living wall of
  flesh and limbs covered with vaguely human
  faces. Treat it as a gibberlings encounter
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  with all the gibberlings’ HEALTH added together 
  into the same pool, but a SPEED of 0. Attacking 
  the wall causes it to scream loudly as it fights 
  back, alerting any gibberlings in Areas 2, 9, 10, 13, 
  and 14. The wooden gate has DEFENSE 12, 25 
  HEALTH, and SOAK 5 (vulnerable 1d6 fire).
   There are a few ways to bypass this hazard 
  besides combat:
  ▶ The living wall of gibberlings can be
  charmed or tricked into lifting the gate
  it’s fused with using its many limbs either
  through magic or by characters disguised as
  a gibberling.
  ▶ Darkscape mushrooms are poisonous to the
  living wall of gibberlings as well. If killed
  through poisoning, the living wall dies in a
  bloody convulsion, but not before several
  human arms extend from it and turn the
  mechanism, opening the gate.
  ▶ The gate is shaded from direct sunlight
  exposure by the overhang of the gatehouse,
  but the living wall detests sunlight. If
  characters expose it to sunlight, the living
  wall attempts to climb up the gate into the
  gap in the walls where it will be shaded, and
  in so doing raises the gate with it.
  11. Great Hall
  This massive feast hall is dominated by a long
  table and a masonry hearth on east wall above
  which rests the head of a horned troll, a peryton,
  and a brown bear. The west passage leads into
  what was once the foyer but is now where the
  grim tapestry (Area 12) is kept; hides of dripping
  flesh and fur hang from the arch like a grotesque
  curtain.
   Six life-like onyx “statues” of knights stand 
  beside the table, protecting a life-like “statue” of 
  the Baron who is staggering backward with a 
  look of terror while reaching for his sword. Close 
  examination of the Baron’s eyes reveals the 
  trapped image of Arista de Freh in them as he 
  saw her at the moment of his death. The ghost 
  of Arista de Freh makes a fleeting appearance, 
  circling the Baron with a vindictive glare before 
  vanishing through the north wall. If the characters 
  have been hostile with the ghost before or are 
  in the employ of Lady Nydaridien, then the onyx 
  “statues” animate as knights, one animating per 
  round. Alternately, if it is daytime and the brood 
  mother is trapped in the tapestry, black vapors 
  stream from Area 12, animating two “statues” at a 
  time.
  12. Grim Tapestry
  This small chamber was once the foyer to the great
  hall (Area 11), but the entrance from the inner
  bailey (Area 14) was barricaded by the Baron in
  an act of desperation, then further barricaded
  by gibberling and humans corpses, cutting it off
  completely from the inner bailey. Any character
  peering into this room through one of the arrow
  slits in the inner bailey witnesses an illusion of
  unremitting horror and is subject to a 4d6 mental
  attack or become afraid (severe Fear status) of the
  tapestry (and scream for the duration, alerting the
  gibberlings in Area 14).
   The grim tapestry hangs against a wooden board 
  erected in the center of this chamber, with withered 
  corpses of spellcasters and psionicists the brood 
  mother has drained, hoping to gain the power it 
  needs to break free of the tapestry completely. The 
  tapestry depicts a grey-cloaked hunchback with 
  long curling claws, seething white eyes, a hideous 
  grin, and a face that seems to shimmer and blur as 
  one views it from different angles. It radiates 
  abjuration and creation magic if viewed with
  suitable means.
   At night, the gibberling brood mother is freed 
  from the tapestry, and is accompanied by a  
  gibberlings encounter. An enchantment cast on the
  tapestry compels the brood mother to return to 
  being trapped inside it until the next night, though 
  she may now animate it as described below.
   During the day, the brood mother is unable to 
  manifest in physical form, but she can animate the 
  tapestry as follows:
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  13. Guard Room
  A one-legged gibberling wearing a sallet helm
  and wielding a spear paces about in this room
  jibber-jabbering, occasionally stopping to gnaw on
  its fingers or the bloody stump of its missing leg.
  This gibberling, once a guardsman who colluded
  with Arista, is oblivious of other creatures unless
  they try to attack it. The northeastern wall bears
  an inscription as if carved hastily with a dagger:
  Forgive me. She has betrayed us. My fate is—.
  14. Inner Bailey
  The inner bailey is filled with ruin and decay. The
  grass is dead and riddled with earth mounds.
  Debris from the collapse of the upstairs keep
  litters the northern section of the bailey. A layer of
  mist lightly obscures the bailey in the evening and
  early morning.
   A gibberlings encounter awaits here. During 
  the day they’re burrowed just below the earth 
  where they sleep so that they’re not visible until a 
  character is within 5 feet; if damaged but not 
  killed, a gibberling screams and wakes the others. 
  At night they’re cavorting, wailing, wrestling, 
  digging, smashing, and scavenging.
  15. Kitchen
  What was once a cherished part of the keep has
  become a cesspit of foul concoctions and jars full
  of writhing gibberslugs and preserved gibberslug
  husks. The tables drip with oozing, pustulant grey
  flesh. Among the jars is a bloating floating head
  which awakens if charm magic is used on it; the
  head is left as an open-ended tool for the GM to
  use as they see fit; perhaps it belongs to an NPC
  with whom the characters are familiar!
   A gibberlings encounter lurks in the kitchen, 
  scouring cupboards, gazing fixedly at gibberslug 
  jars, or fighting over scraps of food. Their 
  preferred method of attack is improvised 
  throwing of various things in the room, including 
  gibberslug jars.
  Gibberslug Jar 
  4d6 (1d6 blunt damage; range 4; gibberslugs*)
  *Targets hit are infested by gibberslugs (see the
  gibberling brood mother).
  16. Kitchen Court
  What was once a lovely courtyard replete with
  an herb and rose garden has been absolutely
  demolished by the collapse of the servants’
  quarters above. Much of the stone appears to have
  liquefied and then re-hardened, with humanoid
  skeletons trapped within the stone. There are two
  bizarre life-like onyx “statues” of maid servants
  poised in horrific agony on the west side of the
  courtyard, servants who crossed Arista during
  her betrayal. Stairs to the west lead up to the top
  of the gatehouse (Area 10), while stairs to the east
  lead up to servants’ quarters which were mostly
  demolished by the quake.
   A character who searches this area will discover 
  a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms��������
  ���������������������������
  A gibber����� lurks at the bottom of the 20
  foot well and is responsible for the destruction 
  above. When it senses creatures within 60 feet, it 
  comes to the surface just out of sight and begins 
  gibbering, sounding as if a soft voice is speaking 
  unintelligibly from the well. Once creatures are 
  subjected to its Gibber ability, the ������mout� 
  emerges to use ����Acid Spit and attempts to grab a
  weak character and drag them down the well, the 
  walls of the well liquefying into a horrific scene of 
  blinking eyes that make climbing impossible.
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  Animated Tapestry
  HEALTH 33; DEFENSEs 15; 6d6 melee attack
  grabs and forms a suffocation dice pool. Attacks
  deal half damage to the smothered victim. At
  zero HEALTH, the tapestry turns into a cloud of
  black vapor that streaks to the breeding grounds
  (Area 3) or stateroom (Area 19) at fly SPEED 8.
  While in this form, the rug cannot damage
  others or be damaged.
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  17. Oratory
  This quiet prayer room echoes with ghostly voices
  whispering a cryptic warning heard by those who 
  make a Challenging [13] INT check: “Beware the 
  betrayer who begets betrayer. The undying mother will 
  truly end once her child is redeemed by the darkscape.” 
  This refers to Arista betraying Ser Paviss, hinting 
  that Ser Paviss can be freed from the sentient 
  gibberslug (allowing him to truly die) by feeding 
  him a darkscape mushroom, an event which also 
  releases Arista’s spirit.
  18. Oubliette
  A tiny prison cell with a single 5-foot wide grate
  on the floor echoes with piteous moans. Light cast
  down the grate reveals an old man in tatters who
  shields his face at the bottom of the oubliette. He
  identifies himself as Dellard (peasant), former
  castellan of the keep. His mind is mostly gone; he
  suffers memory gaps and violent fits of jibber-
  jabbering like the gibberlings. Closer examination
  of the man in bright light reveals his eyes are
  black, his hands crooked, his forearms covered in
  gruesome scars, his facial features slightly
  squished, and he has a wild black mane of hair
  and beard uncharacteristic for a man of his age.
  The Baron imprisoned Dellard when he 
  criticized him for refusing Arista as his wife. 
  Arista secretly offered to free him, but when he 
  refused, she threw a jar of gibberslugs down on 
  him to “make use of him one way or another.” 
  Multiple gibberslugs infested Dellard but he tore 
  them out with his bare teeth, and is now immune 
  to the gibberslugs. Dellard can prove a helpful 
  guide if rescued; however, if Dellard succumbs to 
  a gibberling’s Gibber trait, instead of becoming 
  frightened he is confused (as the severe 
  Cognizance condition) for 1 minute.
  19. Stateroom
  Lavishly decorated with oil paintings, statues,
  and smashed ivory figurines (five pieces each
  worth 30 gc are salvageable), this room was
  meant to impress visiting aristocrats. The room 
  now impresses adventurers with a grizzly scene: 
  dozens of shattered skeletons, covered with 
  dried gore, as well as three life-like onyx “statues” 
  poised in the middle of terrified combat. Where 
  the person they were protecting should be is a pile 
  of onyx dust (50 gc that was once the Baron’s
  cousin. The onyx statues include the Baron’s 
  brother and two knights who were betrayed by 
  Arista. Those able to detect magic find that the
  two intact oil paintings (200 gc each) and one of
  the three whole statues (500 gc each) in this room
  are each enchanted by abjuration and summoning
  magic—an alarm spell that summons a terror dog
  if a creature tries to remove or tamper with an oil 
  painting or statue.
   The ghost of Arista de Freh appears fleetingly 
  in this room, necrotic energy crackling from her 
  as she broodingly floats through the south wall to 
  the center of the room and vanishes into the floor.
  Stairs from here lead up to the ramparts.
  20. Yew Tree Court
  This once-beautiful courtyard was built around
  an old sacred yew tree. The tree is now sickly,
  and pestilent black sludge bubbles and gurgles
  around its base. Dozens of withered gibberslug
  husks lie scattered about the courtyard, their
  decomposition forming the odiferous black tar. A
  Difficult [16] INT check or poison detecting magic
  cast on the yew tree reveals the gibberslugs are
  corrupting into some form of aberration, and if
  not saved or destroyed within 5 days, will become
  a hideous monstrosity. It is left to the GM to deal
  with that, should it occur; it is beyond the scope of
  this adventure.
  The black sludge is acidic, and causes 2d6 acid 
  damage to any who touch it.
   The collapse of the keep littered rubble around 
  the courtyard’s north end, where a staircase 
  climbs to nowhere (where the noble family’s 
  quarters once were). The damage also caused 
  a gap in the northeast wall to drop into an old 
  unfinished section of the castle’s undercroft 
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  (Area 5); a trail of black slime leading down into 
  the darkness.
  A character who searches this area will discover 
  a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms with a 
  Routine [10] INT check.
  Conclusion
  If the characters perish, are transformed into 
  gibberlings, or retreat for more than a month, then 
  the gibberling brood mother accumulates enough 
  power to break entirely free of the grim tapestry, 
  leading a horde of her foul children to wreak 
  havoc in the countryside.
  If the characters liberate Calrow Ruins from 
  the gibberlings and slay the gibberling brood 
  mother, the threat is vanquished A conflict may 
  form between Lord Polding and Lady Bridgitte 
  Nydaridien as to whom will claim the keep, and 
  the characters may become involved for either 
  side, or perhaps decide to establish the keep as 
  their own stronghold. 
   Further adventures await: the characters may 
  be forced to seek out the Murkhorn trolls for the 
  secret of how to destroy the grim tapestry, or to 
  face the troll clan if the brood mother managed to 
  escape and consolidate its power among the trolls. 
  They may scour the caverns beneath the ruins for 
  the lost onyx ring, or seal a forming breach to 
  distant planes beneath Calrow Ruins.
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  Monster Index 
  Gibberling
  Small semi-sentient fey monstrosity  (4d6)
  Chaotic, insane monstrosities from another realm.
  STR 3 (2d6)  AGI 7 (3d6)  END 3 (2d6) 
  INT 4 (2d6)  LOG 3 (2d6)  WIL 3 (2d6) CHA 3 (2d6)  
  HEALTH 16 
  MELEE DEFENSE 18; RANGED DEFENSE 15; 
  MENTAL DEFENSE 10
  SOAK 0; VULN -
  INITIATIVE 2d6
  PERCEPTION 4d6 (darkvision 40')
  SPEED 4; BURROW 4; CLIMB 2; JUMP 14'/3' 
  CARRY 60lb (max lift 150lb) 
  ACTIONS 2 
  NATURAL DAMAGE 1d6+2
  Handaxe 4d6 (2d6 slashing damage)
  Skills perception 4 (2d6), swimming 4 (2d6), combat  1 
  (1d6)
  Gear handaxe, mace, or shortsword  
  Fey. Fey creatures can sense magic within 10' of them. 
  Gibber. When in a group go 6 or more, gibberlings 
  collectively cause creatures who enter or begin their 
  turn in a 60' aura to be subjected to a 3d6 mental 
  attack or become afraid (severe Fear status). Once a 
  creature successfully resists this attack, it cannot be 
  affected by it (even from other gibberlings) for 24 
  hours.
  Sunlight sensitivity.  Gibberlings fear the sun, which 
  hurts their eyes and skin; they suffer a -1d6 penalty to 
  all checks when in sunlight. 
  Pack attack. Gibberlings swarm their targets. Any 
  allies adjacent to the victim count as flanking, gaining 
  the +1d6 bonus to attack. When 4 or more gibberlings 
  are adjacent to the victim, the victim becomes weary 
  (mild Tiredness status) at the start 
  of its turn. 
  Gibberling Brood Mother
  Medium semi-sentient fey monstrosity (6d6)
  Nightmarish creature of chaos.
  STR 7 (3d6)  AGI 7 (3d6)  END 10 (4d6)
  INT 10 (4d6)  LOG 5 (2d6)  WIL 6 (3d6) CHA 4 (2d6)  LUC 
  3 (2d6)              
  HEALTH 36
  MELEE DEFENSE 25; RANGED DEFENSE 18; MENTAL 
  DEFENSE 11
  SOAK 0; VULN -  
  INITIATIVE 3d6
  PERCEPTION 6d6 (superior darkvision)
  SPEED 6; BURROW 6; CLIMB 3; JUMP 14'/7' CARRY 
  170lb (max lift 350lb) 
  ACTIONS 2
  NATURAL DAMAGE 2d6+3 
  Bite 6d6 (2d6+3 piercing damage; gibberslugs) 
  Gibberslug spit 6d6 (2d6 acid damage; range 5; gibberslugs)
  Skills perception 6 (3d6), hardy 3 (2d6), swimming 4 
  (2d6), dodging 4 (2d6), combat 6 (3d6)
  Gear -  
  Fey. Fey creatures can sense magic within 10' of them. 
  Gibberslugs. Victims hit by a bite or spit attack are 
  afflicted with gibberslugs. A character afflicted has one 
  round to apply to the place where the slug burrowed, 
  killing the slug. If not, the creature takes 1d6 damage 
  damage (which cannot be SOAKed) at the end of its turn 
  each round until it is reduced to 0 HEALTH, at which 
  point the slug reaches its brain. The creature then drops 
  into a nightmarish coma during which it undergoes a 
  horrific transformation into a gibberling - this is treated as 
  the creeping chills disease, but the final dementia stage is 
  replaced by the transformation. Eating a darkscape 
  mushroom kills a gibberslug automatically. 
  Sunlight sensitivity. The gibberling brood mother fears 
  the sun, which hurts its eyes and skin; it suffers a -1d6 
  penalty to all checks when in sunlight.
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/WOIN/OLD/WOIN - OLD Adventure - The Haunting of Calrow Ruins.pdf