Introduction

Lord Fairfax was a wealthy and successful What’s Going On?

merchant. Having purchased and experienced Crawlers brought Lord Fairfax the
all the oddities the surface had to offer, Fairfax dream lotus, a flower that blooms in
became obsessed with the Shadowdark; that pure darkness of the Shadowdark
lightless realm that lies beneath the earth. and produces magic nectar.

Fairfax Keep was the destination of many a
crawler, bringing loot for his review. One day,
dark clouds formed over the castle. Crawlers
who ventured close said golden mist spilled
from the doorways and obscured the windows.
None who enter ever leave again. Locals call it
Castle Goldgloom and laugh when crawlers
take the old road that leads to its doors.
The lotus’s nectar grants the imbiber
sight into the dream sea, another
reality layered over the normal one.
Lord Fairfax learned to manipulate
the dream and weave reality out
of shadow. Farifax created a door
to the dream sea using this dream
magic and physically crossed over.

You’re no crawler, though. You are inhabitants
of the local village, toiling all your life under the
baking sun. These last few years, harvests have
been poor. The old duke was lenient with his
taxes. The new duke is not. All old debts have
come to call, and many villagers have been
dragged off to the chain gang when unable to
pay.
He left the dream door ajar. Nightmares
crossed back to the real world. The
fantasies that occupy the court can
survive thanks to the gold mist that
pours from the open door Lord Fairfax
built. Without it, these nightmares
would wither and disappear.

One evening, you and your friends gather in a

barn to drink. After many pitchers of wheat ale,
an accord is made.

You’ll go to Castle Goldgloom and find the treasure that Lord Fairfax left behind, mist be
damned. Soon the castle comes into view, looming in the darkness. You step forward into
the bailey, into your doom and glory.

Debts
Randomly assign a debt to each crawler - those that can’t pay at the adventure’s conclusion
are off to the stockades!

d6 Debt to the Duke

1 10gp fine for gamey meat sold to the duke
2 18gp for weak horses sold to the duke
3 40gp for your cousin, uncle, brother-in-law, mother and adopted grandpa’s debts
4 6gp for providing sub-par wheat
5 6gp for being unsightly in the duke’s presence
6 25gp for ‘leering’ at the duke’s wife
 1. Castle Bailey

You stand in the castle’s bailey, the grounds choked with verdant
plants. A collapsing stable occupies the rightmost part of the
bailey. Two fountains dominate the center of the area. Past are
doors leading to the keep. The doors hang open, and a low golden
mist rolls out of them in slow waves, twinkling in your torchlight.

Inner Door
Golden mist spills from the open wooden doors, glittering in your
Leads to 2. torchlight.

Stable
Debris Collapsing stable coated by thick ivy. Inside the bones of a horse
»» DEX DC9 and saddlebag—the structure groans.
»» 1D6

Pulling the bag free causes a further collapse. Easy DEX roll or
Saddle Bag take 1d6 from falling debris.
»» Rope
»» Dagger 5gp
»» Note Inside the saddlebag: coil of rope, a fine dagger (5gp) with a
butterfly carved into the handle, a note written by Lord Fairfax to
deliver the blade to town to have it sharpened.
Vegetation
WIS DC9 Alien ochre fronds, twisted death-head mushroom caps, purple
»» See hidden flowering blossoms.
face

Easy WIS roll determines plants are not local. These thrive off
darkness. Taking the courtyard in, a strange impression forms:
hanging ivy drapes across a shoulder, the fountains become
lidded eyes, the topiaries a mouth. It’s a woman’s face in serene
repose, rendered by plants.
Fountains
INT DC12 Fist-sized lotuses float in the pool. Buzzing like TV static. Its petals
»» Pass: gain vibrate and drip rainbow nectar. Spreads in oily sheens.
dreamsight
»» Fail: Take
1d6 Touch the delightful lotus and make an INT roll.
»» On success, your eyes turn kaleidoscope and gain dreamsight
for the rest of the scenario.
»» On failure, take 1d6 damage from a heart attack. Your hair turns
white, and a look of abject terror falls over you. Survivors recall
the world transforming into a nightmare filled with horrors, such
that their minds have blacked out the details.

Harvest the lotus with a WIS roll and a container.

»» On success, gather a vial full (20gp). Drinking grants dreamsight.
»» On failure, you’ve touched the delightful lotus. (see above)
1. Castle Bailey

Dreamsight
Roll DC12 INT to alter something about the castle for 1d4 rounds.
Let them get crazy – things go back to how they were 1d4 rounds
later.

Inner Door
Golden mist spills from the open wooden doors, glittering in your
torchlight. Leads to 2.

Serafina (only visible to dreamsight)

The dream child Serafina is playing with a sack doll near the Serafina
fountains. Serafina has long dark hair, a dark complexion and Dream child
kaleidoscope eyes. She wears a pristine blue silk dress. »» inoccent
girl
»» kaleidscope
Roll reaction, on hostile she flees. eyes
»» blue dress
Knows.
»» The master of the castle, Lord Fairfax, created her out of dream. Wants
»» friends
»» The castle is filled with nightmares. They survive on the gold
mist.
»» A shimmering doorway in the castle supplies the mist. If the door
is closed, the nightmares will end.
»» The great hall is dangerous. Take the basement stairs.

Wants.
»» Serafina is lonely. She wants a friend to join her in the dream.
She encourages crawlers to find the doorway.

After conversation, Serafina’s body opens up into a lotus flower,

and collapses into gold mist. She’ll meet the crawlers in Room 12.

Light your torch, crawler

It’s dark here at the castle. Torches required.

Random Encounters
Check for random encounters every 3 crawling rounds.
1 in 6 chance of random encounter.
 2. Grand Hall

A grand hall with vaulted ceilings, darkness wreathed in golden

gloom. A long table laid out with a feast. Sitting at the banquet
are skeletons regaled in fine outfits, enjoying the full spread. They
eerily mime laughter and wag jaws in silent conversation. The
stillness is broken only by the rustling of their clothes and the clink
of glasses. The lord of the feast sits at the head, stroking a fine
crossbow.

Cellar Stairs
A rotten wooding door, hanging open. Stone steps lead down into
Leads to 5. a damp basement, whose floor is covered in black water.

Main Hall - Floor

Quicksand The stone floor here is quicksand.
floor »» Hard STR roll to pull yourself free or become restrained.
»» DC12 STR,
then
»» Another Hard STR roll, or start taking 1d6 damage a round as you
»» DC12 STR or drown.
take 1d6 »» Other creatures can try to help you free with a Hard STR roll.
Failure by 5 or more means they get pulled in too.
DEX DC12
»» Sneak past Furniture/carpets float. Crawlers could paddle or hop from
skeletons furniture to reach Rooms 3, 4.
DEX DC18
»» Steal goblet To sneak past skeletons, succeed a DEX roll. Come up with an
(30gp) / explanation on how they accomplish this.
crossbow

Skeleton Feast
»» 15 skeleton 15 skeleton nobles feasting and one king with a crossbow. King
nobles shoots anyone he spots. Nobles attack anyone who draws near
feasting
but won’t leave the table.
»» 1 skeleton
king with
xbow The king alternates between drinking from his ruby studded
Skeleton Noble goblet worth 30gp to stroking his finely crafted crossbow with his
AC 13 HD 2 (11) bandolier of 10 arrows.
ATK 1 junk-toss (near) +0
1d4 or grapple (close) Hard
STR to pull into quicksand A creature could attempt a Hard DEX roll to steal the cup or
MV - S +1 D +0 C +2 I -2 W crossbow or an impossible DEX roll to get both. On a failure, they
+0 Ch -1 AL C nab it and get noticed.
Skeleton King
AC 13 HD 2 (11)
ATK 1 crossbow (far) +0 1d4
MV - S +1 D +0 C +2 I -2 W
+0 Ch -1 AL C
Skeleton King
»» Goblet
(30gp)
»» Crossbow
3. Kitchen

This room is thick with golden mist that glitters in your

torchlight. Through the haze, you see a well-stocked kitchen
where everyday objects have transformed into gold: Golden
rolling pins lie next to a golden basket of golden loaves; golden
butcher knives hang from golden hooks over a golden statue of a
golden pig haunch.

Trap Mist
The mist transforms anything it touches to solid gold. Every round DC 12 CON
in this room, make Hard CON roll. »» Limb turns
to gold. Roll
»» On a failure, roll on the Midas Mist table. on Midas
Mist table
Crawlers looting gather 2d10gp golden objects a round (max
100gp). You can throw gear into the mist to double its value. Max
50gp can be created this way before mist disperses. Clever crawlers Gold Stuff in
could fan mist away or lasso. Mist
»» Gather
2d10gp /
Midas Mist Table round
(max
d6 Result 100gp)
»» Throw gear
1 A body part turns to gold and falls off: (1) left arm (2) left leg into mist to
(3) right arm (4) right leg (5) chest (6) head. Worth 15gp. double its
2-3 As 1 but remains attached. Golden arms act as clubs, value
(max 50gp)
golden legs halve speed, golden chest’s grant permanent
chainmail armor and golden heads do nothing.
4 A piece of gear on them turns to solid gold (double its
worth).
5 A useless item turns to gold, adding 2d10gp worth of value
to their inventory.
6 The gold mist thins. Golden objects still unlooted return to
normal.
 4. Clerk’s House

A well-appointed clerk’s office contains a writing desk, filing

cabinet and plush couches where tea is laid out. A gilded birdcage
containing a mummified songbird stands on the table; the bird is
wearing clothes and a monocle.

Desk
Desk Drawer Contains records of crawlers coming and going from the
»» Driftwood Shadowdark, along with descriptions of their finds: a magic crystal
Whisky
ball, cursed sarcophagus, gold, jewels, stone idol of a blood demon.
(gain 1d6
temp hp/
revive dead) Inside a drawer is Driftwood Whiskey. A crawler who downs
Secret
the last of the bottle gains 1d6 temporary hp. If fed to a downed
Passage crawler, they return to life.
»» Leads to 5.
A slight breeze can be felt on the edges of the desk. Moving it out
of the way reveals a secret passage to Room 5.
Bircage
Birdcage A fine filigree birdcage (5gp) containing a mummified bird with a
»» 5gp tophat and monocle.

It begins squawking if disturbed and only quiets when something

is thrown over the cage, or its body is destroyed.
5. Cellar of Horror

The floor here is covered in knee-deep black water. A long

hallway ends in a door. Four hallways adjoin this one. Each side
passage contains wooden racks. Each passage winds out of
sight. At the doorways of each side passages, there is a winch
and iron portcullis.

Side Passages
Each side passage has a raised portcullis that can be pulled down. Side
passages
»» Portcullis
Old wooden shelves line the side passages. Carefully searching
to block
the shelves reveals 12gp of ancient wine. tentacles
Old shelves
»» 12gp wine

Central Chamber
Wooden flotsam bob in the murk. »» Fish Face
»» 4 tentacles
A stone podium bearing a chest stands in the center of the room.
Fish Face
On close inspection, the chest and podium are uneven and
AC 13, HD 3 (12), ATK 1 bite
glistening. +3 (1d6), MV close, S +3,
D +0, C +2, I +0, W +0,
Ch -2, AL C
If the chest is disturbed, Fish Face emerges from the water - a
horrible fishman head. Green scales. Yellow glowing eyes. Circle Tentacle of the
Nightmare Sea
mouth filled with jagged teeth. The chest hangs off its forehead AC 9, HD 1 (4),
like a mole or deep-sea lure to attract prey. ATK 1 slam +1 (1d4), MV n/a,
S +2, D +0, C +0, I -3, W -2,
Ch -1, AL N
Its rubbery face can squeeze into hallways to pursue but won’t
leave the basement. When reduced to 0hp, it has enough and Skeleton
retreats back into the brackish murk. »» mace
»» holy symbol
»» backpack
In the dead-end of the central room, a skeleton sits on an old wine »» torch
rack, empty bottles floating around it. On the body is an iron mace
hollowed out to function as a censer, a holy symbol hangs around
its neck, and a leather backpack next to it contains a torch.
 6. Depository

This room is dominated by six glass cases that contain various

archeology objects and art. Plush couches line the wall along with
a lacquered cabinet as tall as a man. A collection of pillows are
piled in the corner around a large hookah.

Glass Cases
Glass cases The glass cases put on Rashomon’s Orb
»» Invisible
display the following A cloudy crystal ball the size of two fists.
rock (5gp) A pair of electric eyes float in the center,
objects:
peering balefully back at you. “Do you
»» Rashomon’s Sphere
Empty Case. An invisible seek power from the lord of thundering
(150gp) doom, mortal?”
»» Stone Idol rock rests on the velvet
(grants +1 CON) pillow inside. Worth 5gp.
»» Coil of Snake Skin Pact. Rashomon will contact the holder
(can make armor) Glass Ball. Rashomon’s and allow them some power, if they
»» Assassin’s Tableau
Sphere. pledge their soul to his service.
(cursed, 80gp)
Animated Benefit. Roll DC12 INT to cast lightning
sarcophagus Stone Idol. A grinning, four-
bolt, rendering the orb inert. On failure,
»» ATK +3 (1d6) armed devil with dried
and suffer a tier 1 wizard mishap.
blood on it. If a creature
smears fresh blood on the
Curse. The pledged creature owes a
idol, they sprout black
favour to Rashomon. During the next
horns and gain +1 CON.
thunderstorm, he comes to collect.
Works once.

A Coil of giant snake skin. Intrepid

crawlers could have it fashioned Assassin’s Tableau (80gp)
into leather armor that occupies A painting of a man recently
no gear slots. murdered, with an assassin
sheathing his blade.
Painting. Assasin’s Tableau
Curse. After hung, 1d4 days
Sarcophagus. Animates and later a 2-dimensional painted
attempts to crush anyone. assassin slips from the pic-
ATK +3 (1d6). ture to murder anyone in the
room with a shortsword.
Hookah
Hookah The hookan pip is filled with
»» 2 Lotus delightful lotus nectar.
nectar
Enough for 2 doses (40gp)
(5gp)
7. Trap Hallway

The intersection of this hallway has the following plaque on the

wall:
Yellow bellied intruders beware.
The Fairfax blues defend this hallway.
We’ll paint the walls red with your blood.
Best turn around when you see us.

At the end of the hallway, three full suits of armor stand in

the corner with longswords at the ready. Each suit of armor is
painted head to toe in a different color: red, blue, yellow.

Suit of Armor Trap

When a creature comes in range, each of the suits attacks with Animated
armor
their sword (3 attacks +3, 1d6). The suits have 7hp each if attacked.
»» 3 ATK +3
(1d6)
If a creature turns its back to the armor and walks past, the armor »» Avoid by
does not react. walking
backwards
Three longswords are usable, but the armor is for display only and
scrap (5gp) Suits of
Armor
»» Three
longswords
»» Scrap (5gp)
 8. Blasketball Court

This room has wooden floors and is lit by flickering torches. Two
nets fixed to backboards are set on either side of the room, 5 feet
in the air. Eight dog-headed humanoids in athletic uniforms play
some sort of game. The game involves bouncing a head-sized
leather ball, passing it back and forth and throwing it into the
nets. Nearby, a wolf-headed man dressed in a silk bathrobe sits on
a chair and applauds at the show.

Rinald
Rinald Rinald is a brown-furred, sunken eyed houndmaster of the castle.
»» Dogman
»» Wants
to play
Roll reaction, On hostile, he barks madly at the intruders along
Blasketball with his blasketball team but doesn’t attack unless harmed.

Knows.
»» 8 dogmen
»» He is houndmaster of Lord Fairfax.
»» Fairfax was obsessed with the Shadowdark and paid for oddities.
Fairfax Dogmen
»» One day gold mist filled the halls, and everyone disappeard.
AC 10, HD 1 (4), Rinald went to steal gold from Fairfax’s but found the hookah in
ATK 1 bite +0 (1d6), the depository, and learned how to master dreamsight.
MV close, S +1, D +2, C +0,
I -2, W +2, Ch +0, AL L
Wants.
Teamwork. Have »» His favorite game is Blasketball. He wants the crawlers to play
advantage when you gang
up on a target with other
against his squad. He proposes a wager, up to 200gp (which
Dogmen. Rinald can dream into being).
Blasketball To play Blasketball, do the following:
Blasketball
»» Wagers up Step 1. Everyone rolls DC12 STR (GM rolls # dice = crawlers). Highest
to 200gp gets the ball, and that team is on the offensive.
»» Shield as
prize for Step 2. Everyone rolls DC12 DEX. (GM rolls # dice = crawlers). If the
good sports
offence gets more successes, highest roller on offense can try to
Blasketball dunk or throw. On failure, return to Step 1.
Rules »» Dunk. Roll DC12 STR. On success, one player is pinned to the wall
»» Step 1
DC 12 STR
by unseen force, taking 1d4. On failure, return to Step 2.
»» Throw. DC14 DEX. On success, two players are pinned to the wall
»» Step 2 by unseen force, taking 1d4. On failure, the other team gains
DC 12 DEX possession of the ball and return to Step 2.
»» Dunk
DC 12 STR
Step 3. Repeat Step 2 until one team has eliminated all players
1 POINT from the other team.

»» THROW Outcome. Rinald pays up on any lost wager, demands payment

DC 12 DEX on a won wager. Win or lose, he also awards the strongest crawler
2 POINT
a steel shield as a participation trophy. The kite shield bears a
golden hound on a black field.
9. Rollercoaster

The hallway ahead plummets into a black abyss. A rickety looking

set of tracks extends out into the darkness. At the mouth of the
dark tunnel, a huge minecart is retrofitted with upholstered red-
leather couches. A lever sits on the floor next to the minecart,
with four positions: neutral, straight ahead, to the left or to the
right. A upside down placard is fixed to the wall that reads:

Take a ← for wicked party

Take a → for a pile of gold.
Take ↓ to the shadowdark.

Placard Placard
»» ← for
Since the placard is upside down: wicked
Lever Left. Takes crawlers to Room 11. party
Lever Right. Takes crawlers to Room 10. (Room 10)
»» → for a pile
Straight Ahead. Takes crawlers to Room 12.
of gold.
(Room 11)
The fall into the chasm is infinite. If crawlers become convinced »» ↓ to the
the puzzle solution is mass suicide, take it easy and have them fall shadow-
into Room 12 taking 1d4. dark.
(Room 12)
»» Jumping
Walking on the tracks is exhausting. Roll Easy CON or slip and off (death)
fall. Another crawler could roll STR to catch you, on fail they fall
too.
CON DC9
»» Walk on
tracks
STR DC12
»» Catch
falling allies
 10. Ballroom

A wooden floored ballroom with detailed panel walls and a

sparkling, lightless chandelier. Your light reveals powered ladies
and lords in velvet coats and silk dresses in the darkness, drinking
red wine from goblets. As your light falls over them, the group
turns towards you and excited murmurs spring up.

Nobles
»» # Endo- The nobles are excited to see new guests and inquire about their
morphis = health or lineage.
crawlers
Endomorphis After the crawlers become boring or insulting, one noble raises
AC 9, HD 1 (4), ATK 1 attack his glass to toast the arrival of the main course. The group laughs
+1 (1d4), MV near (fly), S -1,
D +1, C +0, I +1, W -1, Ch +1, and throw their glasses aside, revealing their insect nature: men’s
AL C noses grow to probiscus and hands jagged claws to rend; ladies
carriages extend into thorax’s and mouths split into mandibles.
Pupae. Can pretend to be
a regular human.
There is no control to send the cart back. Crawlers will need to
Predation. Targets reduced climb the tracks.
to 0hp are consumed and
slain immediately.
11. Vault of Thoughts

Your cart slides to a stop before a massive circular metal door set
in the stone wall. The door is firmly locked, and has 4 dials on its
surface. A ruby pip is set above each dial. The dials themselves
are covered in each letter of the alphabet.

Engraved on the door in gold foil is the following:

A fortress of stone and steel presents the prisoner a challenge,

one they can seek to overcome. The perfect prison is one you
build yourself. One you don’t want to escape from.

Puzzle Door
The dials can be set to any four letter word. Puzzle Door
»» 4 letter
dials
LOVE opens the door. »» LOVE
FOUR LETTER EXPLETIVES causes a mysterious sad trombone opens
noise to play. Ruby pips
»» 16gp
The ruby pips are worth 4gp each and can be pried off.

Inside the Vault

Inside is a small room with painted blue walls and ceiling. The Dreamer (150gp)
ground is made of green grass meadow. It blows in unfelt breeze. Finely carved
Tiny kaleidoscope-colored butterflies flutter around the room. A ashwood inlaid with
winding path allows visitor to view various sculptures. rainbow-colored
butterflies. Sized for
The first is a sculpture of a young boy crying while two stern use with one hand.
parents look on. The label says ‘Stop daydreaming.’
+1 attack, Far (1d4),
The second sculpture is a young man in exercise uniform holding Loading
a blasketball and wearing a medal. “Material accomplishment is
what matters”. Rainbow butterflies
emerge from the
The third sculpture is two caskets that say “Inherited wealth is no crossbow when fired.
accomplishment”.
Curse. On a nat 1,
The fourth sculpture shows a bored looking man sitting on a your obscured by
throne. “Accomplishment loses its luster.” fluttering rainbow
butterflies, lost in
The fifth sculpture shows the man standing before a door. daydream until the
“Imagination was the only thing that made me happy.” end of your next turn.

A pedestal at the end of the room bears a pearl ring (50gp), a fine
hand crossbow (Dreamer) and 10 bolts.
 12. Master Bedroom

Ahead, a glow pierces the gloom. The minecart rumbles into

a finely appointed bedroom. A canopy master bed, clawed tub,
writing desk, couches, plants set in small pots. Two glass doors on
the far wall lead out onto a balcony that overlooks the bailey. Light
comes from a glowing square hovering in center of the room.
Golden mist spills forth in waves from the opening. An ornate iron
door hangs next to the glowing square, like it was attached.

Serafina
Serafina If a crawler convinced Serafina earlier, she’ll be here waiting. She
»» Wants encourages at least one of the crawlers to enter the doorway and
crawlers to
enter the
stay with her. Otherwise she hangs back. If she’s still in reality when
doorway the door is closed, she dies along with the rest of the dreams.

Doorway
INT DC12 Closing the door decisively is the best bet. If the crawlers do so,
»» Pass: see Ending.
Endure
dream sea.
»» Fail: Die. Crawlers who enter the doorway arrive in the dream sea and must
roll INT.
Those that »» On a failure, they are lost to dream and destroyed.
endure »» On a success, the crawler finds themselves standing on a beach,
dream sea: looking out on a glowing golden sea that stretches to the horizon.
»» Stay: die
»» Leave :
Black skies above are filled with stars, planets and nebulas. The
+1 INT crawler finds they can form or dissipate things at will. Looking
back, they also see the door getting dimmer and dimmer.
»» To stay here is to be lost to the real world.
»» If crawlers decide to return to reality, they permanently gain +1
Intelligence.

If the crawlers test the doorway by sticking their foot in and the
like, it attracts the attention of the dream demon Shigurth.
Shigurth
»» Shigurth

The doorway darkens. A pale hand reaches out of the gloom,

pulling free a nine-foot-tall humanoid. The creature is smooth and Shigurth,
naked, with shoulder length-hair and a primordial face like a skull. the Dream Demon
Its voice fills your mind, laced with tv static: low-fi and unclear. AC 12, HD 4 (18),
ATK 1 attack +4 (1d6),
MV close, S +3, D +1, C +1,
Roleplaying Tips. I +2, W +1, Ch +0, AL L
Low, menacing, evil. The less he says, the better.
Dream-Creature. Can
only exist in presence
Knows.
of dream-mist. If slain,
»» Shigurth was once a man but has spent eons in the dream sea reforms in the dream
and lost any trace of humanity. He feeds off the nightmares of sea (and can use an
mortals and has grown powerful over time. open dream doorways
»» The dream sea belongs to the sleeping god, and Shigurth rankles to return).
at living under his power. The nightmare sea is his, and it will
Waking Dreams. When
consume all. creatures try to attack
you, roll DC12 WIS or be
Wants. dazled by nightmare
»» Grow delightful lotus and open doorways to the dream sea. visions.
Eventually, the world will be bathed in dream
»» He’ll stop the crawlers from closing this door, and try to coerce Shigurth’s Gem
them into serving him. A small black gem
that fits into your
Monologue. hand. You see
»» Follow the chill down your spine, and you’ll find me. I am the yourself reflected in
shadow looming over your bed. The abject terror of the dream. its surface.
Call me Shigurth. Perhaps in your language, demon.
»» I see your dreams of gold and glory. You’ve gone too far. There is When the dream
no gold here, no glory. Only death. Turn back. demon wishes it, you
»» The lotuses are mine. Dream, condensed. Plant it elsewhere, see Shigurth’s visage
mortal. Serve my needs, and you’ll get to see the end. reflect instead. His
voice comes through,
a rasp overlayed with
radio static.
Fleeing
If the crawlers flee, Shigurth is happy to let them go. Crawlers Curse. When you
quickly find themselves outside again. Castle Goldgloom casts an roll a natural 1,
impossibly long shadow over their hasty retreat back to town. Shigurth contacts
you. Make a Hard
Resisting CHA roll. On success,
he is appeased. On
If the crawlers attack, Shigurth will fight to the death. If the door is
failure, he sends 1
closed, he takes 1d6 damage each round until perishing. Soon the
endomorphis per
rest of the castle fades from reality, and crawlers are left standing
your character
on a windswept hill where the castle once stood.
level during some
inopportune time to
drag your soul to the
nightmare sea.
Ending
The crawlers make their way back to town and find dozens of the duke’s men are waiting
for them, rumor already spread of the crawlers daring.
»» Crawlers can pay out their debts, or get hauled off to the stocks.
»» Crawlers can flee, leaving their families to pay the price.

Those that remain hunger for more adventure. They’ve had a taste of what the
Shadowdark offers, and want more.

Random Encounters

Check every 3 crawling rounds. 1 in 6 chance of random encounter.

d6 Random Encounter
1 A howling wind kicks up, extinguishing your torch
2 1d6 Endomorphis, on a promenade looking for entertainment.

3 A blasketball rolls into the room and bumps your foot. 1d6 Fairfax Dogmen
arrive looking for it.
4 1d4 Tentacles of the nightmare sea burst from the walls, and Fish Face
appears!
5 A thick golden fog rolls in, emulating the effects in the Kitchen.
6 A single rainbow butterfly lands on your person.

Endomorphis
AC 9, HD 1 (4), ATK 1 bite +1 (1d4), MV near (fly), S -1, D +1, C +0, I +1, W -1, Ch +1, AL C

Fairfax Dogmen
AC 9, HD 1 (4), ATK 1 bite +1 (1d4), MV near (fly), S -1, D +1, C +0, I +1, W -1, Ch +1, AL C
Teamwork. Have advantage when you gang up on a target with other Dogmen

Tentacle of the Nightmare Sea

AC 9, HD 1 (4), ATK 1 slam +1 (1d4), MV n/a, S +2, D +0, C +0, I -3, W -2, Ch -1, AL N

Fish Face
AC 13, HD 3 (12), ATK 1 attack +3 (2d6), MV close, S +3, D +0, C +2, I +0, W +0, Ch -2, AL C
Rubber. Can squeeze into spaces sized for small creatures.
Credits
Designer & Writer. Taylor Seely-Wright
Graphic Designer. Taylor Seely-Wright
Cover Art. Based on photo of Neuschwanstein Castle used under creative commons
Interior Art. Map drawn by Taylor Seely-Wright / icons from https://game-icons.net under
CC BY 3.0 / Art from Midjourney used under license / “The Murder of St. Stanislav” by Jan
Matejko used under creative commons / “The office of the count” by Rudolf von Alt used
under creative commons

Postword
I originally wrote this adventure in 2021. Crazy how time flies! This re-works the layout
and implements some balance changes for Shadowdark’s impending kickstarter/release.
I hope you enjoy it. Remember to reward smart thinking, detailed descriptions and fun
decisions. Players should see their future class foreshadowed in the misadventures they
go through. Run your players through the gauntlet!

Taylor Seely-Wright, 2023

Nightmare at Castle Goldgloom by Taylor Seely-Wright. All rights reserved. Permission

given to copy for personal use.

Shadowdark License. This is an independent product published under the Shadowdark

RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark
RPG © The Arcane Library, LLC.
 Light your torch, crawler.
The Shadowdark awaits.
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