TEXT: EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
   
  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
  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 
  The Haunting of 
  Calrow Ruins
  a fantasy adventure for 
  4–5 pcs of 2nd–4th level
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  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 of the outer planes. The brood mother 
  feeds on psychic and magical energy—the minds 
  of dead mages and psionicists, 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.
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  Character Hooks
  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 of Good-aligned 
  characters 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.
  Scaling Gibberling Encounters
  Most of the enemies faced in Calrow Ruins are 
  gibberlings. In general, gibberling encounters 
  should start at a Medium difficulty, but if the 
  gibberlings are not dealt with swiftly (e.g. 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, 
  increasing the encounter to a Hard difficulty. 
  Likewise, if gibberlings in an area are alerted, 
  the difficulty of any gibberling encounter in that 
  area taking place within 1 hour increases by one 
  step. Use the following tables as a guideline for 
  how many gibberlings equate to an appropriate 
  challenge for your party.
  Number of Gibberlings for 2nd Level PCs
  Difficulty
  3 PCs
  4 PCs
  5 PCs
  6 PCs
  Easy
  2
  3
  3
  4
  Medium
  3
  4
  5
  7
  Hard
  5
  6
  7
  9
  Deadly
  6
  7
  8
  11
  Number of Gibberlings for 3rd Level PCs
  Difficulty
  3 PCs
  4 PCs
  5 PCs
  6 PCs
  Easy
  3
  3
  4
  6
  Medium
  5
  6
  7
  9
  Hard
  7
  8
  9
  11
  Deadly
  10
  11
  14
  16
  Number of Gibberlings for 4th Level PCs
  Difficulty
  3 PCs
  4 PCs
  5 PCs
  6 PCs
  Easy
  4
  5
  7
  8
  Medium
  7
  8
  10
  12
  Hard
  9
  11
  13
  15
  Deadly
  11
  14
  15
  20
  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 the outer planes, and a character 
  proficient in Arcana, Nature, or herbalism kit can 
  identify them and their nature (no check required). 
  Darkscape mushrooms can be consumed to cure a 
  creature of gibberslug infestation, and also act as 
  deadly poison if ingested by gibberlings, inflicting 
  26 (4d10 + 4) poison damage.
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  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 guards), 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 gp) 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.
   Alignment: Lawful Good
   Bond: Reclaim Calrow Ruins to honor her 
  father’s memory and leave a legacy for her family.
   Flaw: She’ll go to great lengths to cover up her 
  family’s role in the downfall of Calrow Ruins.
   Ideal: It is the duty of the nobility to look after 
  the welfare of those from lesser birth.
   Personality Trait: 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 he is a lord in title, Comsfor owns just a 
  Encounters
  1d10
  Encounter
  1
  Horned 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.
  2
  2d4 animals like boar, deer, ducks, egrets, 
  geese, hawks, rabbits, or ravens. 5% chance 
  of strange behavior due to the influence of the 
  forming gate to the Outer Planes.
  3
  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.
  4
  2d4 bandits—mercenaries employed by Lord 
  Polding—harassing traveling peasants, sharing 
  a liquor flask beneath a hanging corpse, or 
  ominously sharpening axes.
  5
  1d4 guards loyal to Lady Nydaridien trading 
  spooky stories over the campfire of the keep’s 
  fall and the gibberlings.
  6
  2d4 commoners headed south carrying bundles 
  of wood, truffles, or rabbit pelts.
  7
  An easy encounter with gibberlings that have 
  escaped beyond the confined of Calrow Ruins.
  8
  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.
  9
  1d2 perytons squabbling over the heart of a 
  recent kill.
  10
  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.
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  meager bit of land to the north with no castle 
  on it. The device on his banners—a peryton on 
  a fess argent over gules—was invented by none 
  other than himself after his father and older 
  brothers were slain by perytons. 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 a bandit captain) 
  camped at the southern edge of the Oakenfaust 
  wood, and he must hire adventurers to claim the 
  ruins in his name. He has 500 gp in his treasury, 
  though he offers the minimum he thinks they’ll 
  accept (starting at 40 gold split between all 
  adventurers). 
   Alignment: Neutral
   Bond: Claim a castle and surrounding lands for 
  his own to create a legacy for his family.
   Flaw: His ambitious eye exceeds his grasp.
   Ideal: No one will give us what we do not take 
  for ourselves.
   Personality Trait: 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 guards 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.
   Alignment: Neutral Evil
   Bond: Understand the gibberlings that occupy 
  Calrow Ruins—what motivates them, why they 
  gibber at night, and where they came from.
   Flaw: Can’t resist setting others on edge, 
  playing on fears, or pitting them against each 
  other.
   Ideal: This mortal flesh is impure and deserves 
  to be remade in the image of something greater.
   Personality Trait: 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.
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  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 DC 11 Wisdom (Insight) 
  check to learn one of the following about Ser 
  Paviss: his Bond, Ideal, Flaw, or Personality Trait. 
  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 proficient in Arcana, Nature, 
  or the herbalism kit who searches this area will 
  discover a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms.
   Exploring the moat area outside the cellars 
  (Area 4) reveals a narrow fissure in the stone 
  leading to the cellars, mostly hidden by 
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  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 bludgeoning damage, 
  damage from a pick, force damage, or thunder 
  damage. However the noise created by such 
  activity will attract gibberlings, raising the 
  difficulty of encounters in the cellars by one step.
  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.
  Ranged Attack—Ballista Bolt: +5 to hit, range 120/ 
  480 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d10) piercing damage.
   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 medium gibberlings encounter awaits here, 
  though these gibberlings are equipped with 
  scraps of armor granting them an AC of 14, as 
  well as handaxes and greatclubs.
  Melee Attack—Greatclub: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning 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 DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) 
  check is required to safely distribute one’s weight 
  after landing otherwise a large chunk of the stairs 
  falls out, dealing 11 (2d10) bludgeoning 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 
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  a variety of states of transformation from human 
  (or dwarf, elf, or halfling) 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 must make 
  a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be affected by 
  the confusion spell for up to 1 minute. 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 DC 8 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check; if any 
  character fails, a medium 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. An easy 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 (25 gp) 
  bearing some minor noble crests on its surface; 
  a DC 12 Intelligence (History) check recognizes 
  the crests as belonging to Ser Paviss’ line. The 
  scabbard fell when Arista betrayed him.
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  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 swarms of insects 
  (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 must make a DC 12 Constitution 
  saving throw or be 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 gp 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 DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) 
  or Intelligence (Religion) 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 Possession trait as a medium difficulty 
  skeletons encounter emerges from the crypts (use 
  the Scaling Gibberling Encounters table); once 
  expelled from a possessed character she 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 
  DC 10 Strength (Athletics) 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 hard 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 an easy gibberlings encounter 
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  with all the gibberlings’ hit points 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 AC 19, hp 30, and resists 
  the first 15 points of damage from any source.
   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 animated armor, two 
  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, requiring the character to 
  make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become 
  frightened of the tapestry for the next three 
  rounds 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 conjuration 
  magic if viewed with detect magic. 
   At night, the gibberling brood mother is 
  freed from the tapestry, and is accompanied by a 
  medium gibberlings encounter. A protection from 
  evil and good 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 a rug of smothering that has the 
  following additional trait:
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
   ▶ When reduced to fewer than half hit points, 
  as a reaction the brood mother can turn 
  the rug into a cloud of black vapor that 
  streaks to the breeding grounds (Area 3) or 
  stateroom (Area 19) at fly speed 40 ft. While 
  in this form, the rug cannot damage others or 
  be damaged.
  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 hard 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 medium 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. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 
  range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeon-
  ing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 
  Constitution save or be 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 proficient in Arcana, Nature, or the 
  herbalism kit who searches this area will discover 
  a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms.
   A gibbering mouther 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 Gibbering trait, the mouther 
  emerges to use Blinding Spittle 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.
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  17. Oratory 
  This quiet prayer room echoes with unintelligible 
  ghostly voices. Clerics and paladins intuitively 
  understand that they can use Channel Divinity to 
  make the voices louder and intelligible, revealing 
  a cryptic warning: “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 (commoner), 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 affected by the confusion spell for 
  1 minute.
  19. Stateroom
  Lavishly decorated with oil paintings, statues, 
  and smashed ivory figurines (five pieces each 
  worth 30 gp 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 gp) that was once the Baron’s 
  cousin. The onyx statues include the Baron’s 
  brother and two knights who were betrayed by 
  Arista. A detect magic spell cast on one of the two 
  intact oil paintings (200 gp each) or one of the 
  three whole statues (500 gp each) in this room 
  reveals they are each enchanted by abjuration 
  and necromantic magic—a glyph of warding that 
  triggers Evard’s black tentacles 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 DC 20 Intelligence (Nature) check or a detect 
  poison or disease spell 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 roper.
   The black sludge is effectively a black pudding 
  with 42 hit points, without a climb speed, and 
  without the ability to Split as a reaction. It does 
  not attack unless a character attacks it first or 
  steps in 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 
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  (Area 5); a trail of black slime leading down into 
  the darkness.
   A character proficient in Arcana, Nature, or the 
  herbalism kit who searches this Area will discover 
  a cluster of 3 darkscape mushrooms.
  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 sealing a forming breach to 
  the outer planes beneath Calrow Ruins.
  EN World EN5IDER | The Haunting of Calrow Ruins
  
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  Monster Index
  Gibberling
  XP 50 
  CR 1/4
  Chaotic Neutral Small aberration
  Initiative: +2
  DEFENSE
  AC: 12
  hp: 9 (2d6 + 2)
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 30 ft., burrow 5 ft.
  Melee Attack—Mace, Shortsword, or Handaxe: +4 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeon-
  ing, piercing, or slashing damage.
  STATISTICS
  Str  13 (+1) 
  Dex 14 (+2) 
  Con 12 (+1)
  Int 5 (–3) 
  Wis 7 (–2) 
  Cha 8 (–1)
  Languages: –
  Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8
  TRAITS
  Gibber: When in a group of 10 or more, gibberlings col-
  lectively cause creatures within 100 feet to become 
  frightened unless they succeed on a DC 9 Wisdom 
  saving throw. The fear lasts until the gibberlings can 
  no longer be seen or heard. Once a creature makes its 
  save it cannot be affected by this feature for 24 hours.
  Overrun: A gibberling does not provoke opportunity 
  attacks when it moves out of an enemies’ reach.
  Sunlight Sensitivity: While in sunlight, the gibber-
  ling has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: temperate, subterranean
  Organization: Horde (10–500) 
  Gibberling Brood Mother
  XP 200 
  CR 1
  Chaotic neutral Medium aberration
  Initiative: +2
  DEFENSE
  AC: 12
  hp: 52 (8d8 + 16)
  OFFENSE
  Speed: 30 ft., burrow 5 ft.
  Melee Attack—Multiattack: The gibberling brood 
  mother makes two bite attacks.
  Melee Attack—Bite: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target 
  must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be 
  afflicted by gibberslugs.
  Ranged Attack—Gibberslug Spit: +4 to hit, range 30 
  ft. one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) acid damage, and the 
  target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw 
  or be afflicted by gibberslugs.
  STATISTICS
  Str 14 (+2), Dex 14 (+2), Con 14 (+2), Int 11 (+0), Wis 12 
  (+1), Cha 8 (–1)
  Languages: telepathy 60 ft.
  Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
  TRAITS
  Gibberslugs: A creature afflicted with gibberslugs has 
  one round in which fire can be applied to the place 
  where the slug burrowed, killing the slug. If the slug 
  is not removed, the creature takes 2 (1d4) damage 
  at the end of its turn each round until it is reduced 0 
  hit points at which point the slug reaches its brain. 
  A lesser restoration spell kills a gibberslug, as does 
  eating a darkscape mushroom. A creature reduced to 
  0 hit points by a gibberslug drops into a nightmarish 
  coma for 1d20 + 4 hours during which it undergoes a 
  horrific transformation into a gibberling. It can only 
  be awakened from its catatonic state with remove 
  curse or greater restoration, at which point the 
  creature is dying.
  Sunlight Sensitivity: In sunlight, the gibberling brood 
  mother has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as 
  on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  ECOLOGY
  Environment: Temperate, subterranean
  Organization: Solitary, leading gibberling horde
  The Haunting of Calrow Ruins | EN World EN5IDER
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 047 - Haunting of Calrow Ruins.pdf