secret

bastard
dungeon a little coffin
 secret
bastard
dungeon
An introductory adventure location for fantasy tabletop adventure
games. Suggested for a party of 3-4 level one adventurers. Suggested
rules: The Pink Hack.

words by N. Masyk

some artwork used with permission by Charles Ferguson-

Avery of Feral Indie Studio.

other art used with permission by Jason Glover.

the Random Adventure Jam is thanks to Chris Bisette.

The Chrysocolla Inheritance
Duke Nigenard spent decades tirelessly in the
pursuit of forbidden magicks to produce the
‘perfect heir.’ When he at last succeeded, she
had him assassinated almost immediately by
bricking him up in his secret laboratory.
Centuries later, rumours persist that beneath
the ruins of Lady Chrysocolla’s summer
palace lies the old Duke’s dungeon, haunted
by the Lady’s bastard siblings...
 Lady Chrysocolla’s Summer Palace
Brimstone and cinnabar in the air. It’s humid, despite the
crashing of seafoam against the cliffs below. Crumbled and
shattered pink marble glitters in the noonday sun, a
monument to wealth and vanity stripped bare by time.

This is not a place of honor.

1. A Melted Golden Sarcophagus.

Out of the sun, sheltered by a drunkenly-leaning column in
what was once a family crypt. The fire-sloughed silhouette
hints at features of a terrible beauty; hook-nosed and
imperious, all harsh angles and curves. There are fingerprints
melted into the sides of the coffin.

The lid of the sarcophagus is too heavy to be moved by less

than three people. Within, stairs spiral downward.

Entrances: Stairs within the sarcophagus lead down to the bottom of

the well beneath Room 3.

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2. Crumbling Statue of Lady Chryscolla.
Remnants of a marble statue depicting the Lady in repose:
lissom, supine, demanding of obeisance. In her shattered face
there is contempt, but also hunger. At her feet there is an
offering bowl.

An offering of blood, freely given, reveals a crawlspace

beneath the statue: iron rungs leading downward, into the
earth.

Entrances: The crawlspace beneath the statue descends downward to

the bottom of the well beneath Room 3.

3. The Rope and the Dying Elf.

A well, or perhaps a privy-pit; black and foul and descending
out of sight. A fraying rope has been secured to a tumbled
column and the rope leads downwards. From the bottom of
the pit, harsh breathing.

The rope will not support much weight and if tested will snap,
dropping whoever is climbing down it for 3d6 damage.

At the bottom of the well is an elf with shattered bones. They

have slipped from their rope and plummeted to their doom; if
found by the PCs they are quite dehydrated and in shock from
the fall and the elements. Unless healed magickally they will
die. The elf wears a light chain coat (medium) and carries an
envenomed dagger and a moss agate (25 G). Their name is
Beryl and will join the PCs as a hireling (HD 1) if rescued.

Entrances: The elf’s frayed rope leads downwards to the bottom of

the well. A tunnel with stairs leads upwards, to Room 1. Another
smaller, more concealed hole in the ceiling leads upwards to Room 2. A
set of wrought-iron double doors in the south wall leads to Room 4. A
small single wooden door in the east wall leads to Room 5.

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 4. Cursed Sword in a Basket.
Square, squalid, and dimly torchlit. The wall-sconces cast a
pallid blue glow on the stone and cause shadows to lurch
forbiddingly. A collection of waist-tall wicker baskets fill the
room, choked with a collection of rusty, mouldering and ill-
maintained cutlery. Most of the blades crumble or rot away at
a touch, and only a few of them look like they could survive
more than a single swing.

There is a 1-in-6 chance that any basket contains a functional

sword - a Curse Blade (One hand, Close, 5+). Each carries a
random curse (1d6).

1. Vainglorious: Demands perfection; wielder is compelled

to repeat an action until the results are without flaw.

2. Avarice: Never clean enough, never sharp enough.

Demands constant maintenance.

3. Malcontent: A belittling inner voice; your best efforts are

never good enough.

4. Ravenous: Cannot be sheathed without a thorough

coating in fresh blood.

5. Bloodthirsty: Unerringly steered towards necks.

6. Languor: Slow, heavy. The balance is always a little off.

Entrances: A door to the southwest leads to Room 7. A door to the

southeast leads to Room 8. A tunnel set in the east wall leads to Room
6.

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5. A Glass Curio-Case.
Remains of a menagerie. Shattered glass crunches underfoot;
the air is stale and unnaturally chill. A rectangular room lined
with a mildew-infested carpet and a half-dozen wooden
plinths that once acted as display cases; they have long since
been smashed. Atop the plinths are a series of objects that
look valuable at first glance but upon closer inspection are
worthless (2d6):

2. Glittering crown 7. Pig-porcelain false eye

polished to a mirror-
finish; crafted from tin,
not silver or platinum,
and the jewels are paste.
3. Copper-wrapped water-
finding rod inscribed
with the sigil of the
Dowser’s Guild. A
falsified seal; possession
would be a death
sentence on Tower.
4. Fossilized skull of some
terrible dragon-like
creature; a cunning but
ultimately worthless
forgery.
5. “Alicorn,” whorled spiral
with a pearlite finish.
Just a painted aurochs
horn.
6. Handful of verdigris-
spotted coins bearing
unfamiliar likenesses.
Copper, counterfeit, and
likely blasphemous.
Entrances: A single wooden door in the north wall leads to Room 3.
with the iris painted
upside-down.
8. Writing-brush with an
“ivory” handle. The ivory
is a lacquer-painted
tibia.
9. Tiny glass phial of
brackish liquor. Label
reads “Painless
Praveena’s Maracle
Tonic.” The misspelling
appears to be
intentional.
10. Leather pouch filled with
Black Glass. Actually
corundum dust.
11. Jar of pickled pears.
Edible, if you’re into that
sort of thing.
12. Half-melted Babylon
Candle. Tar, and gives off
a foul smell.

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 6. Stuffed Gnome Barbarian.
Taxidermy lab. A workbench stocked with gleaming surgical
tools, well-maintained; stone floor stained a ruddy brown;
stale air bruised with death-rattles and strangled howls. A
selection of stuffed humanoids; orqs, dwarfs, elfs, a faun - all
frozen in horror, posed to cower beneath a gnomish figure
looming over them, wielding a terrible cold iron mace (Two-
hand, Close, 3+). There is a small, black-iron key affixed to a
chain about the gnome’s neck. This is the key that opens the
Mouth-Shaped Gate in Room 9.

Entrances: A tunnel in the north wall leads to Room 4. A hidden

passage in the south wall leads to Room 8.

7. Sacrificial Altar.
Freezing cold; the floors are slick with frozen condensate and
breath puffs and fogs about the mouth and lips. A
preternatural gloom obscures vision beyond a handful of
paces. Dim blueish-white wall-sconces glitter like dead stars
on a winter’s night sky.

In the center of the room is a statue of the Lady Chrysocolla

(as Room 2) but intact and cold iron instead of pink marble.
No offering-bowl here; a worn ironwood plinth and a
crescent-bladed ax embedded in it. The ax (Two-hand, Close, 4+)
is double-headed, each blade resembling a phase of the moon,
one waxing and one waning.

Living beings slain by the ax while in this chamber resurrect

1d6 hours later as revenants bound to whomever held the ax.
They possess half the HD they had in life and are
supernaturally bound to obey their killer; they may resist
commands but at a great expenditure of willpower. A slain
revenant is severed from the Loom, forever.

Entrances: A door to the north leads to Room 4. A door to the south

leads to Room 9.

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8. Portrait of the Duke.
Unnaturally warm, almost hot; tasteful wood panelling, a
plush carpet, a roaring, crackling fire of a slightly-jarring
amber. The room smells faintly of pipe-smoke and aged
liquor. Several plush stuffed armchairs and a divan are
arrayed before the hearth. Ornate bookcases of rich
mahogany line the walls, host to an impressive collection
(2d6):

2. The Compendium of 8. The Rites of Nabera, a

Flames, a set of carved
wooden slates contained
in a leather case.
3. The Vision of Iptiyash, a
heavy compendium
bound in leather.
4. The Lexicon of al-Ad, a
folio of parchments
contained in an elm box
inlaid with brass.
5. The Leaves of Wigo, an
eldritch compendium
bound in steel plates and
locked.
6. The Oph-Rhotan
Apocrypha, a set of
scrolls contained in a
rowan puzzle box.
7. The Scripture of Arus,
an obscure compendium
written in pitch.
cryptic grimoire written
upon faded papyrus.
9. The Codex of al-Shabii, a
compendium written
upon parchment.
10. The Enchiridion of
Worms, a cryptic tome
written upon powdery
vellum.
11. The Tome of Amenmes,
an obscure libram bound
in carved wood plates.
12. The Susuma Tablets, a
set of engraved copper
plates contained in a
leather case.

Overlooking the library is a gilt-framed portrait of Duke

Nigenard; a sneering, imperious fellow glowering through
half-moon spectacles and bristly, heavily-waxed moustachios.
The eyes of the portrait follow you about the room.

Entrances: A door to the north leads to Room 4. A door to the south

leads to Room 9. A hidden passage in the north wall leads to Room 6.

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 9. Mouth-Shaped Gate.
Unassuming yet foreboding antechamber of bleak, blank
stone. A portal in the shape of a maw dominates the south-
facing wall; cruelly twisted lips curled in a sneer, perfectly-
arranged teeth barring entry, sharpened incisors heavy with
threats and promises both. A small keyhole in the left-most
incisor hints at some form of entry; the edges of the keyhole
are scorched, as if something hot to the touch was once thrust
within.

The teeth can be forced open, through the collaboration of

two or more people pushing at them; this will case the mouth
to snap shut. Those not quick enough to clear the shutting
maw suffer 3d6 damage. The mouth will open - and stay open
- after snapping shut.

Entrances: A door to the north leads to Room 7. A door to the east

leads to Room 8. The eponymous gate leads to Room 10.

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10. Chamber of the Misbegotten.
Cavernous hallway with a groined ceiling disappearing into
the black above and countless alcoves disappearing into the
gloom on each side. Wall-sconces burn a pallid green,
illuminating a series of tall glass tubes filled with a greasy-
looking liquid swirling with bubbles and topped with a raft of
effluvium. Half of the tubes are empty; the others contain
desiccated bodies, some infant, some adolescent, and some
elderly. Most bear a passing resemblance to the Duke (though
some could be twin to the Lady Chrysocolla) save for a horrid
malformation: a multiplicity of eyes, hooked tentacles,
vestigial wings, and strange, fleshy protuberances. The
occupants of the tubes are all mercifully deceased.

Each tube bears a nametag.

Entrances: Can only be accessed through the mouth-shaped gate in

Room 9.

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 Encounters
There is always something. Every turn, roll 1d6. On 1 the
Travelers have a random encounter (2d6):

2. Ortan (HD 2, Cryptic, Wolfish, werewolf pelt AV 2).

Swaggering, fingering his rapier.
3. Clodette (HD 1, Wiry, Precise, four legs, moves double distance).
Wears a bloody apron and clutches a rusty cleaver.
4. Palamedes (HD 2, Towering, Beatific, never tests morale).
Quick hands, constantly doing legerdemain.
5. Cainabeth (HD 3, Pockmarked, Hawkish, too many eyes to be
taken by surprise). Pockets clink with stolen treasures.
6. Judea (HD 6, Statuesque, Slow, poison blood). Mud-covered
knees, dirty fingernails, a pair of gardener’s shears.
7. Solomon (HD 4, Braided, Willowy, darkvision). Salty, sodden,
coated in netting and seaweed.
8. Tristram (HD 1, Impish, Delicate, petrifying gaze). Homespun
and leather. Scatters deadfall traps in his wake.
9. Abella (HD 5, Soft, Short, network of scars AV 2). Surrounded
by a cloud of noxious fumes.
10. Florian (HD 1, Aggressive, Lanky, fused bone structure AV 2).
Slips from shadow to shadow, heedless of intervening
distance.
11. Calpurnia (HD 6, Oily, Bloated, knows 1d6 random Words of
Creation). Night-black robes and a pointed hat.
12. Maurius (HD 3, Cautious, Vengeful, twisted spine, cannot be
taken by surprise). The clink-clank of heavy armor.

On doubles, the Old Duke (HD 6, +1d6 damage, knows 1d6

random Words of Creation, regenerates 1d6 Stamina/Round, immune
to Fire and Cold, vulnerable to Silver, Salt, and Cold Iron) appears to
inflict a sudden violence. The Duke knows no reason or
loyalty; only an alien intelligence and a fathomless hunger.

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Treasures
There is always something. Every turn, roll 1d6. On 6 they
have made a discovery (2d6):

2. Mammoth-fur saddlebags filled with pre-Universal War

travel rations.
3. Blood-splattered bonesaw (One-hand, Close, 5+).
4. 1d6 obsidian coins minted with the face of Lady
Chrysocolla as a child.
5. Ancient supersoldier serum.
6. Retro-human ray-fusil (Two-hand, Far, One Shot, Firearm,
2+).
7. Chrysocolla construct control rod (unpowered).
8. Void-wasp leather bodysuit (AV 4).
9. Gog-era zircon broach.
10. Horned helmet taken from a Truenundarian War-God.
11. Starmetal spear (Two-handed, Near, 4+).
12. Seed of an Archtree, turned to stone.

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MONKEY’S PAW
GAMES

Curator of Fantastic Role-Playing Games

Campaigns Playable with
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