TEXT: Frog God 
  Games
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  TB4: The Crucible
  TB4: The Crucible
  TB4
  TB4
  Richard Pett
  
  Credits
  TB4: The Crucible
  Frog 
  God 
  Games
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  Creative Director:  
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  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
  Greg A. Vaughan
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  FROG GOD GAMES IS
  Author
  Richard Pett.
  Developers
  Alistair Rigg and Greg A. Vaughan
  Producer
  Bill Webb
  Editors
  Alistair Rigg and Jeff Harkness
  Layout and Graphic Design
  Charles A. Wright
  Front Cover Art
  Felipe Gaona
  Interior Art
  Ed Bourelle, Peter Fairfax,  
  Jeremy McHugh, Terry Pavlet, 
  Richard Pett, and James Stowe
  Photography
  Richard Pett
  Cartography
  Robert Altbauer
  Playtesters
  These were the first unfortunates to walk 
  the crooked streets of the Blight, much 
  love and thanks to you for an awesome 
  session at PaizoCon UK— Brett Andrews, 
  Andrew Green, Clare Jones, Mark 
  Laverock, Pete Pollard and Ben Wenham. 
  You were lucky Brett,  
  next time I won’t roll a 1…
  Special Thanks
  Pete Pollard, Fellow Conspiritor
  Special Dedication
  Felipe Gaona’s excellent painting 
  “Umbrella” is dedicated to the creator 
  of the “Burning Woman in the Rain” 
  image that served as the inspiration for 
  this cover. I have seen the original piece 
  as a wallpaper online in many locations 
  and thought it perfectly captured the 
  atmosphere of The Crucible, but I 
  have never been able to track down the 
  identity of the creator. So here’s to you, 
  mystery artist. You managed to capture 
  a tiny piece of Richard Pett’s brain 
  with your art, an extremely dangerous 
  thing to do. May his tentacled cosmic 
  overlords never succeed in finding you.
  Adventures 
  Worth  
  Winning
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  
  2
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  GENERAL RESOURCES 
  Swords & Wizardry Complete S&W 
  The Tome of Horrors Complete PF, S&W 
  Tome of Horrors 4 PF, S&W 
  Tome of Adventure Design
  Monstrosities S&W 
  Bill Webb’s Book of Dirty Tricks 
  Razor Coast: Fire as She Bears PF 
  Book of Lost Spells 5e 
  Fifth Edition Foes 5e 
  The Tome of Blighted Horrors* 5e, PF, S&W
  Book of Alchemy* 5e, PF, S&W 
  THE LOST LANDS 
  Rappan Athuk PF, S&W 
  Rappan Athuk Expansions Vol. I PF, S&W 
  The Slumbering Tsar Saga PF, S&W 
  The Black Monastery PF, S&W 
  Cyclopean Deeps Vol. I PF, S&W 
  Cyclopean Deeps Vol. II PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast: Heart of the Razor PF, S&W 
  Razor Coast: Freebooter’s Guide to the Razor Coast PF, S&W 
  LL0: The Lost Lands Campaign Setting* 5e, PF, S&W
  LL1: Stoneheart Valley PF, S&W 
  LL2: The Lost City of Barakus PF, S&W 
  LL3: Sword of Air PF, S&W 
  LL4: Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms PF, S&W 
  LL5: Borderland Provinces 5e, PF, S&W
  LL6: The Northlands Saga Complete PF, S&W
  LL7: The Blight 5e, PF, S&W
  LL8: Bard’s Gate 5e, PF, S&W 
  LL9: Adventures in the Borderland Provinces 5e, PF, S&W
  QUESTS OF DOOM 
  Quests of Doom (Vol. 1) 5e 
  Quests of Doom (Vol. 2) 5e 
  Quests of Doom (includes the 5e Vol. 1 and 2, but for PF 
  and S&W only) PF, S&W 
  Quests of Doom 2 5e 
  Quests of Doom 3 5e, S&W
  Quests of Doom 4* 5e, PF, S&W
  PERILOUS VISTAS 
  Dead Man’s Chest (pdf only) PF 
  Dunes of Desolation PF 
  Fields of Blood PF 
  Mountains of Madness* PF 
  Marshes of Malice* PF
  Other Products from Frog God Games
  You can find these product lines and more at our website, froggodgames.com, and on the shelves of many retail game stores. 
  Superscripts indicate the available game systems: “PF” means the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, “5e” means Fifth Edition,  
  and “S&W” means Swords & Wizardry. If there is no superscript it means that it is not specific to a single rule system.
  * (forthcoming from Frog God Games)
  
  3
  The Crucible
  Table of Contents
  Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ Pg. 5
  Rumours in The Blight .................................................................................................................... Pg. 7
  For the GM: Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................... Pg. 7
  Sights, Sounds, and Smells in the Blight ........................................................................................ Pg. 8
  Running The Crucible in Other Cities ............................................................................................ Pg. 8
  Seasons and the Weather ................................................................................................................. Pg. 8
  Chapter 1: The Burning Ghats ................................................................................................................... Pg. 9
  Rumours about Singhh .................................................................................................................... Pg. 9
  Event 1: Street Justice ..................................................................................................................... Pg. 13
  Rumours about Mahaas .................................................................................................................. Pg. 14
  Chapter 2: The Grime Street Morgue ........................................................................................................ Pg. 15
  Rumors about Previous Victims ..................................................................................................... Pg. 15
  Non Nominus .................................................................................................................................... Pg. 16
  The Chain Ferry ............................................................................................................................... Pg. 16
  Rumours about Uriah Mean ........................................................................................................... Pg. 16
  Chapter 3: The Pawnbroker’s Tenement .................................................................................................... Pg. 18
  Bath Chairs and Pawnbrokers ....................................................................................................... Pg. 18
  Blight Stonemites ............................................................................................................................. Pg. 22
  Lungtaker Poison ............................................................................................................................. Pg. 25
  Arcanists and Their Thralls ............................................................................................................ Pg. 27
  Event 2: Rooftop Chase ................................................................................................................... Pg. 28
  Chapter 4: The Leviathan Dig .................................................................................................................... Pg. 30
  Rumours about the Leviathan Dig ................................................................................................. Pg. 30
  Becoming a Savant ........................................................................................................................... Pg. 32
  Leviathans, Ancients, and Fossils ................................................................................................... Pg. 33
  Rumours about the Organ Grinder ............................................................................................... Pg. 34
  Chapter 5: The Dislocated Pier .................................................................................................................. Pg. 36
  Siklight Cockroaches ....................................................................................................................... Pg. 36
  Event 3: A Lyme Bath ...................................................................................................................... Pg. 37
  Golem-Stitching and the Made ....................................................................................................... Pg. 39
  New Tome: The Secret of Creation ................................................................................................. Pg. 41
  New Drug: Absinthe ........................................................................................................................ Pg. 41
  Chapter 6: The Great Windmill .................................................................................................................. Pg. 44
  Rumours about the Great Windmills ............................................................................................. Pg. 44
  Fire and Water ................................................................................................................................. Pg. 47
  Event 4: The Ragefire Freed ........................................................................................................... Pg. 50
  Event 5: An Unexpected Complication .......................................................................................... Pg. 51
  Appendix A: New Monsters ....................................................................................................................... Pg. 53
  Dog, Fighting ..................................................................................................................................... Pg. 53
  Elemental, Ragefire ............................................................................................................................ Pg. 54
  Lyme Angler ....................................................................................................................................... Pg. 57 
  Sough-Eel ........................................................................................................................................... Pg. 58
  Spider, Gable ...................................................................................................................................... Pg. 59
  Wallow-Whale ................................................................................................................................... Pg. 61
  Appendix B: New Magic Items ................................................................................................................. Pg. 62
  Between Ring ..................................................................................................................................... Pg. 62
  Manual of the Crucible ...................................................................................................................... Pg. 62
  Searing Crucible ................................................................................................................................. Pg. 62
  
  4
  “…You’ve just entered the wrong side of town…”
  The Crucible is a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game adventure designed 
  for a party of four to six 7th-level PCs. It serves as a companion adventure to  
  Richard’s Pett’s The Blight and takes place in that twisted city as revealed in the 
  campaign setting published by Frog God Games.
  TB4: The Crucible
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  By Richard Pett
  
  5
  The furnace thundered, heat raging like fury from within. A column of 
  black iron rising into the arched roof of the giant windmill, hanging in 
  the cradle of four vast chains, swayed like a goliath metal coffin. Yet as I 
  approached, I suddenly became aware of another noise above the roar of 
  the fire: the howl of hunger. The furnace itself was alive …
  —The Artificer
  The streets of the Blight abound lately with stories of dreadful 
  immolations: of people rising in the night and suddenly becoming balls 
  of living flame; of searing, screaming souls blazing through the streets 
  being burnt alive. There seems to be no explanation for this spontaneous 
  combustion. Good people shiver in their beds for fear of suddenly catching 
  fire; folk shake on church pews hoping they will not be the next to burst 
  into flames. This nightmare is real, and it’s happening now to the good 
  people of this city, what few there might be …
  The Crucible focuses upon events surrounding a ragefire elemental, 
  a new monster imprisoned within a magical item known as a searing 
  crucible, an item created by the Artificer, the chief villain of the adventure. 
  The PCs experience various locations around Festival and the Great Lyme 
  River: the high-gables of the Festival parish during a rooftop chase; a site 
  where fossilized Leviathans are being exhumed; and a pleasure pier with 
  a rotting caravel in imminent danger of collapse into hungry mouths in 
  the river below. The adventure reaches its climax in one of the abandoned 
  Great Windmills on the Lyme as it becomes a raging inferno.
  In The Blight campaign, The Crucible primarily takes place in Festival 
  — the carnival isle of wererats. Two events also occur nearby on the 
  Great Lyme River, but all the information you need is included here. The 
  adventure can easily be modified for other urban settings, and suggestions 
  are given on how to use The Crucible in other campaign settings. The 
  story of The Crucible has a strongly evil theme and is ideally suited to 
  paladins and good clerics, inquisitors, and oracles.
  Adventure 
  Background
  The Artificer was, originally, only a minor user of magic, of a caste 
  barely above the street illusionists and corner-mages seen across the 
  whole of the Blight. Her only talent lay in her zealous research — an 
  addiction to scouring the ancient shops of BookTown, squinting through 
  mouldering shelves heady with the scent of old tomes and manuscripts for 
  clues and secrets, unknown spells, and hidden orders.
  The years, however, had rolled by and, as her faculties depleted, she 
  grew to loathe her lowly background and station in life, and the city and 
  its people that had caused them. Knowing that she had been destined for 
  great things, but now convinced that she would achieve none of them, she 
  sank into a deep depression. As her misery grew, she lost her lodgings and 
  began to roam the streets, often breaking into the book-filled corridors and 
  backrooms of the antiquarian booksellers and bibliophiles simply to find 
  shelter and rest. Until the night she found the tome.
  The tome seemed little more than a collection of children’s fairy stories, 
  though richly illustrated with etchings and with faded gilt-edged pages. 
  Unfortunately, it had been left somewhere damp; its binding hemorrhaged, 
  its pages stained. By the feeble light of a tallow candle, she read of princes 
  and dragons in tales of glory and betrayal until eventually, the tome itself 
  died through her use of it — collapsing into ruin in her lap, its pages 
  falling, its spine snapping.
  The Artificer moved the pieces to one side, preparing to make a fire 
  of what was left, when she noticed something within the corpse of the 
  tome. It was a diagram — or rather a series of diagrams, and instructions 
  written in ancient text — depicting a metal object of great size: a crucible. 
  As the tome had collapsed, so had the magic that had obscured its true 
  text with fairy stories! As the Artificer struggled in the gloom to translate 
  the words, fumbling with obscure phrases and technical terms, she grew 
  feverish as their meaning was revealed. In her growing excitement, the 
  years of anguish fell away to be replaced by feelings of hope, of ambition, 
  and a realization dawned upon her that Fortune had, finally, kissed her and 
  given her a gift that could be her salvation.
  This crucible was no mere melting pot for alchemy, no mundane 
  container for molten iron; it was a design for a prison, a prison for ragefire, 
  an intelligent, evil fire both terrible and beautiful, a sentient flame, a 
  whirlwind blaze created, the tome said, by drawing and combining the 
  blood of demons and efreet. The Artificer realized that the crucible could 
  be configured to draw this rarest of hateful elementals into the world 
  and then made to force the creature to multiply. It would make her the 
  master of creatures that feast on the living, that immolate what they touch, 
  and that grow — getting larger and larger as they gorge until they are 
  firestorms that can destroy entire cities, and leave nothing but ash. Drunk 
  on dreams of power and revenge, alive with hope and dizzy with ideas, 
  the Artificer carefully gathered the instructions and, hiding them on her 
  person, sank into an untroubled sleep for the first time in years.
  The cold dawn and an encounter with a caretaker refocused the Artificer 
  on her plight. She was alone, weak, and helpless. Yet she held in her hands 
  a secret of power. With control over ragefire, her fortune could be made. 
  She could use the elementals as weapons, harnessing their lethality, killing 
  at her whim. The Artificer — who had long ago given up her true name 
  as a worthless anchor from her earlier years — convinced herself that 
  she would only have to threaten the use of ragefire, that she would be 
  benevolent, and use the elemental not only for her own good, but for those 
  of others like her. She would use the gift wisely, and not for spite or anger.
  The Artificer had few friends. One, however, had shown kindness, of 
  a sort, in the past — the Organ Grinder, a low-caste street performer who 
  worked in the Lyme River pleasure town of Festival. The Artificer hid 
  aboard the chain ferry out to the island and discussed things with her old 
  acquaintance. The Organ Grinder, seeing a great personal opportunity, 
  invested what funds he had in the enterprise, hoping it would enable him 
  to eventually pay for the advancement of his study of golem-stitching.
  The Organ Grinder suggested the use of a great windmill as a base. The 
  great windmills, which lie in the broad part of the Lyme River, were often 
  used by golem-stitchers and homuncule-wives as places to carry out their 
  more troubling experiments undisturbed. The Organ Grinder arranged for 
  the present inhabitant of one great windmill to be “removed,” ensuring it 
  was vacant.
  For a year, the pair invested stolen wealth into the construction of their 
  crucible and, only last month, installed the final part before drawing a 
  Introduction
  Influences and inspirations
  Some of the key influences on, and inspirations for, this 
  adventure are listed below for GMs who would like additional 
  source material on how to portray various NPCs and convey the 
  flavour of the adventure:
  • The original 1931 Frankenstein film, starring Boris Karloff.
  • True histories of the Elephant Man, and the excellent film by
  David Lynch.
  • Images of claimed spontaneous human combustion, including
  from the cases of Mary Reeser, Anna Martin, and Dr. J. Irving
  Bentley in particular.
  
  6
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  ragefire elemental into the physical world. The creature was furious, and 
  railed against its imprisonment, but its hunger was all-consuming. 
  The creature’s hunger amazed the Artificer, who grieved at the 
  choice that circumstance had now given her: Feed the creature she 
  had worked for so long to summon to the Material Plane, or see it 
  die. 
  At first she fed the creature’s hungry demands with animal flesh 
  — pigs mostly — but the creature refused to devour ignorant flesh; 
  it hungered for the suffering that went with death by fire, a pain 
  that fed it properly. Soon the Artificer relented and fed the creature 
  a tramp who happened her way. As she saw the ragefire devour 
  him and grow on his suffering, she knew that to gain the power she 
  wanted, she would have to — regrettably, of course — make some 
  sacrifices: the sacrifice of others.
  While the Artificer continued her research and plotting, the Organ 
  Grinder carried out her commands. He organized regular shipments 
  of coal and timber to sate the creature’s most basic needs, and with 
  the help of Mahaas, a grotesquely deformed murderer with a penchant 
  for dissection, kidnapped citizens for her to sacrifice to it to make it 
  grow. After a few months, the creature reached a size where its spawn 
  could be harvested. The Artificer began carefully testing the ragefire 
  spawn upon those she thought would be little missed — orphaned 
  waifs and strays, prostitutes and beggars selected for her by the 
  Organ Grinder. With each attack, she was careful to ensure that 
  the spawn was slain by her magic after its deed was done — and 
  careful to cast it whilst veiled from sight. On two occasions, she was 
  simply able to push her burning victims into the Great Lyme River. 
  On others, her water- and cold-based magic sufficed to quench it. 
  Her careful work ensured that no suspicion fell on her, but rumours 
  of spontaneous combustion spread to every street corner with the 
  blame placed variously on witches of the Great Coven, demons, 
  devils, and acts of the angry gods that walked the streets of the 
  Blight unseen.
  Now, however, the Artificer’s experiments are at an end, and she 
  has chosen her first blackmail victim: Savant Edwina Spitewinter of 
  the Royal Underneath Society, who is presently working on Festival at a 
  great Leviathan dig. Following a demonstration of the power of ragefire, 
  the blackmail is going well, and the Organ Grinder has been able to collect 
  2,000 gold shekels from the Savant so far — money the accomplices 
  intend to use to land an even wealthier victim. Yesterday, however, an 
  unfortunate accident occurred.
  In a fit of pique, Mahaas used a ragefire spawn to immolate the 
  uncooperative apple of his eye at a mainland ghat, with the burning 
  prostitute running through the corpses of the area like a howling 
  spirit. While mere threats with the ragefire have worked admirably in 
  blackmailing Spitewinter for money, Mahaas was not so circumspect, 
  and word has now spread like proverbial wildfire that the dead are rising 
  to walk and burn as well as the living. This, inevitably, has led to dire 
  consequences for the ghat owner who is looking for help to solve the 
  riddle and restore his trade.
  And thus, as a gruel-dawn rises across the Lyme, word reaches the PCs 
  that the game is afoot …
  Adventure Summary
  The adventure begins with the PCs called in to investigate the case of a corpse 
  that burst into flames and then inexplicably rose and ran — screaming — into 
  the Lyme. Following initial clues, the PCs learn that it was not a corpse, but a 
  prostitute last seen in the company of a deformed local man known as Mahaas. 
  They may also discover further clues by working with the constabulary and by 
  making a visit to a creepy river morgue.
  The PCs find Mahaas’ lodgings on Festival in the tenements of 
  pawnbroker Uriah Mean, a bathchair-bound gnome illusionist with a 
  miserly disposition. Mahaas has already piqued the gnome’s interest; 
  Mean scryed on his tenant and learned that the deformed freak has some 
  “great treasure” in his grasp. Mean tries to befriend the PCs, but with the 
  intention of having them tailed throughout their investigations so that he 
  can attempt to take this alleged treasure when they find it. Learning where 
  
  7
  The Crucible
  Mahaas lives, a fight breaks out in the claustrophobic and trapped attic 
  garret, during which the PCs may first encounter a ragefire elemental, and 
  leads to a chase through the tenement, across rooftops, and into the streets 
  of Festival. Whether Mahaas escapes or not, the PCs discover the source 
  of the fires and a link to the Leviathan Dig, an excavation of a colossal 
  fossilized skeleton from the banks of the Lyme River.
  The Leviathan Dig is being conducted by the Royal Underneath 
  Society, which is led by Savant Edwina Spitewinter, The Organ Grinder, 
  who has already caused a terrible fire in Spitewinter’s private museum, 
  is blackmailing her. Unless the PCs handle the situation cleverly, they 
  trigger a fight with Spitewinter’s overly zealous guards. By questioning 
  Spitewinter and searching her burnt museum, the PCs discover clues 
  leading them to the Organ Grinder.
  The Organ Grinder is well known on Festival for his strange performance 
  that involves his curious musical instrument and a grotesque monkey, and 
  the PCs may even have seen the duo during their chase of Mahaas. The 
  PCs eventually find his strange home: a decaying caravel lashed vertically 
  to the end of the Dislocated Pier. The Organ Grinder is studying to become 
  a golem-stitcher, and his hovel is crammed with jars filled with preserved 
  organs and limbs. Here, the PCs are attacked by the Organ Grinder, his 
  homunculus familiar, and the twisted results of his awful experiments — 
  both failures and successes — including a necrocraft* he constructed from 
  the corpses of a minotaur and an ankheg. If desperate, the Organ Grinder 
  also releases a ragefire elemental into the fray, risking burning down his 
  home and the entire pier but perhaps trapping the PCs in the inferno. 
  As the battle progresses, the rotten ship might collapse into the 
  alchemical silt around the river. Here, in the poisonous slime, a wallow-
  whale takes a passing interest in events and could make trouble for the 
  PCs. Victorious, the PCs learn that the Organ Grinder regularly sailed to 
  one of the great windmills and, therefore, head there to locate the source 
  of the ragefire.
  Within the great windmill is the lesser searing crucible, which hangs on 
  great chains, 6-inches thick. The Artificer and a wing of loyal gargoyles 
  fight furiously to defend her creation, but in the heat of the battle (pun 
  thoroughly intended), the ragefire elemental escapes. Free, the hateful 
  creature rampages, setting the mill alight. As their investigation reaches its 
  climax, the PCs must choose between facing the poisonous waters of the 
  Lyme and its foul inhabitants, or trying to quench the raging conflagration 
  and prevent an Abyssal terror from ravaging the city.
  * See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4
  Adventure Hooks
  The adventure begins at the Burning Ghats, which lie on the banks of 
  the River Lyme, approximately half a mile away from Town Bridge on the 
  true right bank of the river. Use one, or a combination, of the following 
  three openings depending upon the goals and alignments of the PCs.
  The Long Arm of the Law
  This opening is suitable for PCs motivated to help the authorities, or at 
  least to gain their favour.
  The PCs are approached by Constable of the Watch Fidelus Crop 
  (NG male human expert 2/warrior 3), the local city watch constable acting 
  under the instructions of Streetclerk Felicia Kent (N female rogue 3), 
  who is in charge of law enforcement and other local matters in this area. 
  Kent is disinterested in what she sees as a trivial issue, but Crop is greatly 
  worried; he does not like the idea of walking corpses or people burning 
  to death on his watch and is looking for help. He is already inundated 
  with work (assaults and murders are common in the Blight), and word 
  has reached him about the PCs’ exploits and prowess. While he cannot 
  offer much in the way of financial reward, the friendship of the Office of 
  the Watch could prove useful in the long run for the PCs. Crop informs 
  the PCs of the location of Singhh’s ghat and also indicates that previous 
  victims are currently held at the Grime Street Morgue. The ghat is detailed 
  in Chapter 1 of this adventure, the morgue in Chapter 2.
  The Holy Inquisition
  This opening is suitable for paladins, clerics, inquisitors, and oracles 
  devoted to a good or lawful deity. The holy order of a PC’s god wishes 
  a full investigation to take place of all the burning victims. A church 
  intermediary approaches the PCs and charges them with finding out if the 
  matter is skullduggery aimed at somehow profiting from the incidents, 
  some act of wickedness which must be punished, or if it could potentially 
  be regarded as a miracle, in which case it must be properly recorded and 
  catalogued to qualify as an official miraculous sign. The PCs are furnished 
  with lodgings, religious authority, or simply money, and provided with 
  the rumours about Singhh, and about the previous victims (see the rumour 
  sideboxes in Chapters 1 and 2).
  The Sponsor
  This opening is suitable for all player characters. The Honourable and 
  Most Holy Guild of Crematoria Masters, who are very concerned about 
  corpses returning to life while in the charge of their members — not to 
  mention possible demands for refunds — charge the party with ensuring 
  that the issue goes away. They pay suitable remuneration, provide for 
  reasonable expenses throughout the investigation, and point the party 
  toward their member, Ghatmaster Singhh, as someone with whom to 
  begin their enquiries.
  For the GM: 
  Troubleshooting
  The Crucible is an urban horror mystery adventure. Clues lead the 
  players from one part of the investigation to the next, and even if some 
  are missed, the players should be able to unravel the mystery and reach 
  the climax at the great windmill. However, if the investigation comes to a 
  dead-end, you can use one or more of the following options:
  • Someone other than the PCs, such as Constable Crop, finds a clue and,
  knowing the PCs are investigating the matter, hands the clue over.
  • A clue or hint to a clue goes over and over at the back of a PC’s mind.
  The PC might wake with an image of the room that held the clue in his
  mind, for example. The PC is haunted by this image until the location
  of the clue is revisited.
  • An important NPC such as Mahaas or the Organ Grinder seeks out and
  attacks the PCs rather than waiting to be identified. The NPC trusts
  intermediaries to finish off the PCs, however, and the PCs can capture
  and compel these hirelings into revealing the location of the NPC.
  Alternatively, an NPC gets more ambitious and commits a new crime
  through which the PCs discover a new clue.
  • The PCs fail to resolve the mystery. Occasional failure can be a good
  thing, particularly in a long-running campaign, as it provides the
  Rumours in the Blight
  Rumour sideboxes appear throughout this adventure. Rumours 
  are essentially idle talk or gossip, and is the staple of daily life 
  in most places, but particularly in a crowded place like a city the 
  size of Castorhage. Rumours are always learned through the use 
  of Diplomacy to gather information, although in these adventures 
  very high checks don’t always reveal the truth, just wilder or less-
  common gossip. In all cases, higher results also reveal all the 
  information that lower results would reveal.
  
  8
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  option to reintroduce the NPC (who may have become more powerful) 
  at a later date so he can haughtily remind the PCs that he beat them 
  before …
  Sights, Sounds, and 
  Smells in the Blight
  This adventure takes place around the vile Great Lyme River, a 
  ubiquitous, filthy backdrop to the events of the investigation. The 
  chemical, excrement stench from its foul flow is a regular reminder of 
  its roiling presence; the distracting splashes and squelches of its lurking 
  denizens are frequent warnings of the horrors that call it home. The 
  corpses that occasionally roll into view from its turbid depths, only to be 
  dragged back under by some wan devourer, are chilling evidence of the 
  brutality of life along its course and the truth of sailors’ tales of its flesh-
  eating monsters. The more familiar the PCs are with the dark occupants of 
  the deep, the more frightening the specific parts of the adventure will be 
  where they face falling in.
  Festival is very noisy and smells of sugar, tar, and sweat. The Blight: 
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City details this area of the Blight and provides 
  GMs with more information to present its many locations and rich flavour.
  Seasons and the 
  Weather
  Although the basics of the adventure should remain unchanged, the 
  season when this adventure takes place may affect various encounters. 
  Refer to the Environment chapter of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Core Rulebook for general rules related to weather.
  Winter: Winter is cold, with a 50% chance each day for a cold snap that 
  lowers the temperature by a further 10° F. There is regular precipitation, 
  most commonly as freezing fog or snow, but occasionally as hail, sleet, 
  or heavy snow. The Lyme is nearly frozen, and anyone immersed in the 
  water must deal with the cold as well as its denizens. Snow and ice hang 
  on the rooftops, increasing the DCs of Acrobatics checks by 5.
  Spring: The spring weather is damp. Rain falls throughout the 
  adventure, which influences ranged attacks, visibility and balance on the 
  wet rooftops, increasing the DCs of Acrobatics checks by 2. The DCs 
  of Perception checks likewise increase by 2. Fires take longer to spread, 
  having only a 75% chance of spreading to surrounding squares each round 
  (see Fire and Water in Chapter 6).
  Summer: The final encounter in the great windmill takes place when 
  it is tinder dry. Fires spread twice as quickly, spreading to one adjacent 
  5-foot square per round for every square that is already burning. It is also 
  very dusty, increasing the DCs of Perception checks by 2.
  Autumn: Strong winds slash the city, and it rains often. These two 
  factors offset each other in respect to the spreading of fires, so there are 
  no game effects from that standpoint. However, if you determine it to be 
  raining or windy during any outdoor encounters, apply the appropriate 
  modifiers to movement, visibility, ranged attacks, etc., as provided in 
  Chapter 13 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook.
  Running The Crucible 
  in Other Cities
  For a GM who wishes to run The Crucible for his players 
  but does not want to set it specifically in a Blight campaign, the 
  locations within this adventure could easily appear in another 
  town or city.
  The Burning Ghats: A ghat is a religious site consisting of a 
  set of steps leading to water used for various purposes, including 
  cremation. Any crematoria or similar corpse-burning area can be 
  substituted, as can a site connected to a holy building appropriate 
  to your campaign, such as a small riverside temple. The site should 
  have few possible witnesses.
  The Pawnbroker’s Tenement: Any building with a high 
  rooftop is suitable, such as a tall manor divided into poor lodgings, 
  a tower, or townhouse. Some of the details of the chase may also 
  need to be modified.
  The Leviathan Dig: The dig can be moved quite easily or 
  changed without altering the flavour of the adventure. Instead 
  of mysterious ancient beings, the Leviathans could be giants, 
  dragons, dinosaurs or other more commonly known creatures. 
  This area could also be changed into an ancient dungeon setting 
  with the PCs helping to open the chambers below.
  The Dislocated Pier: The Limpet can be put on any pier or 
  docklands.
  The Great Windmill: If colossal feats of engineering are 
  inappropriate for your campaign, substitute a riverside tower or 
  a lighthouse for the windmill. No machinery is inside, but the 
  crucible hangs within the structure. 
  
  9
  The Crucible
  This chapter covers the investigation as the PCs seek out the source of 
  the latest burning rumours and look into the case involving the ghat of 
  M’hajeet Singhh. It is primarily roleplaying and skill-based activities, so 
  XP awards are designated for the PCs uncovering certain clues. 
  The Strange Case of 
  M’hajeet Singhh
  The initial investigation of the PCs should begin at the ghat of the holy 
  man M’hajeet Singhh (area A1). If the PCs wish to gather information on 
  the ghatmaster and the previous day’s events before going to the scene, use 
  the rumour table in the sidebox to determine the information they acquire.
  A1. Singhh’s Ghat
  Locating Singhh’s ghat at Angelsgate on the banks of the Lyme is 
  simple and does not require a skill check. If the PCs aren’t locals and 
  don’t already know, anyone they ask can point them in the right direction.
  Here, the poisoned river gurgles at the foot of a line of 
  stone steps, their surfaces smoothed by age and tattooed 
  with colourful tikkas and dyes. Above, the streets frown upon 
  a singular space; within are six great slabs, and one bears a 
  corpse laid atop a huge pyre of sweet-smelling timber, straw 
  and spices. The redolence of sandalwood and exotic oils 
  mingles with the more subtle smell of putrefaction from the 
  body and, stronger, the distant stink of the river. Nearby, a 
  painted and singing holy man is lighting coals.
  Angelsgate is named for the stone angel atop the nearby Angel Church, 
  and also because it connects the streets beyond to the river and was once 
  used as a dock. Originally called “Angel Gate,” it ceased to be a viable 
  dockland area after the Angel Gate Fire in 1596, which consumed a dozen 
  warehouses that lay not far from the dock 
  and which were reached 
  via a broad cobbled street that still 
  remains today. A disused drinking 
  trough in the shape of a whale 
  lies about 50 feet away from the 
  ghat; faded markings state that it 
  was “Donated by the Angel Gate 
  Import and Storage Company” in 
  1582. The ghat has been here 
  since 1597 when the local 
  traders, the ancestors of the 
  current Singhh running the 
  place, became more pious in 
  the hope of work returning. 
  Their 
  prayers 
  were 
  answered in 1599 when 
  renowned miller Halibut 
  Quentin Crane (1534–1601) 
  built a dye works on the 
  land left by the warehouses. 
  Unfortunately for Crane, a 
  succubus enthralled him, stole 
  his soul and took him to the 
  Abyss. His eldest son, Sald 
  Crane (1590–1688), took over. 
  The dye works are still active 
  today but use the canals for 
  transportation.
  Chapter One:
  The Burning Ghats
  Rumours about Singhh
  DC
  Rumour
  10
  “Did you hear about the ghat that Singhh runs? 
  Well, yesterday he was busy burning the dead 
  and preparing them for the river when one of 
  those corpses stood up and ran! Why, Beltane 
  himself never made so bold a robbery!” 
  15
  “I heard Singhh has paid dearly for his walking 
  corpse, and now locals won’t go near his 
  ghat at Angelsgate unless they’re going to 
  the Angel Church. Who can blame thtem? 
  Once someone’s dead they should have the 
  decency to remain so.”
  20
  “Some say Singhh has fallen on hard times  
  and pulled the stunt himself using a niece of his.  
  I heard that a member of the Watch suggested 
  that stringing him up and asking questions 
  afterward would likely reveal a more natural than 
  supernatural cause for this walking corpse.” 
  
  10
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  The holy man is the ghatmaster M’hajeet Singhh (NG male human 
  adept 4), who owns and operates the ghat here on the riverbank at 
  Angelsgate. Singhh, who is usually very cheerful, is a slight but strong man 
  of Jaata descent. However, the events of yesterday have robbed him of his 
  spirits and trade. Anyone taking an interest in the ghatmaster soon finds 
  themselves overwhelmed by his thanks and worries. The ghatmaster had 
  at least five corpses to cremate this morning, but after yesterday’s events, 
  four people have withdrawn their loved ones for fear of them getting 
  up and coming home. Singhh is so anxious to get his story out and so 
  grateful for any potential help and interest that he babbles excitedly. This, 
  combined with his thick Jaatin accent, makes him difficult to understand. 
  A successful DC 15 Diplomacy or Intimidate check is required to calm 
  him sufficiently to get the bulk of his story out in a concise manner. If 
  the PCs fail this check, a DC 10 Linguistics or DC 15 Intelligence check 
  allows the PCs to understand his flurry of words.
  The “rising corpse” mentioned in the rumour was on a raised stone slab 
  at point X on the map. Singhh sleeps in a small, improvised flotsam shack 
  (actually nothing more than four posts and a roof of wood and barrel parts) 
  at point S.
  Singhh’s Story
  Singhh’s life fell apart yesterday morning at the 6th hour of the prime 
  (6 AM). He remembers the Angel Church clock (A2) striking the hour. It 
  was very misty — he could barely see farther than his hands before his 
  face — and the morning was still. He could hear that the workers repairing 
  the church (A3) had just started their work.
  If pressed to describe what happened when the corpse rose, he recalls 
  that he heard voices — two voices, in fact: a man and a woman — and that 
  they might have been arguing, though he did not hear any of the details of 
  the exchange. He admits he had only just awoken.
  Lenice Quarn — the corpse in question — was wearing a white pyre 
  gown, a common burial attire, then arose, dashing past him wreathed 
  in fire. She screamed, ran down the steps, and leapt into the water. The 
  constabulary later assumed the corpse was taken by slop-sharks (see 
  sidebox) because they couldn’t find the body when they dragged the water. 
  In fact, Lyme Constable Crop, the local Constable of the Watch, sent a 
  couple of lads out in a boat with a hook and chain. But these searchers 
  spent little more than 5 minutes looking, partly due to fear and partly due 
  to the stench and stinging in their eyes caused by the recent dumping of a 
  load of alchemical rot in the river here. Singhh thought the dragging was 
  somewhat cursory, and assumes they would have looked harder if Crop 
  had stayed to supervise. If questioned about the local gossip that his niece 
  was the walking corpse, Singhh looks confused and explains that he has 
  no niece.
  What Really Happened
  Yesterday, Mahaas, the deformed hireling of the Organ Grinder, 
  waylaid the prostitute Constance Chanterelle near the ghats just before 
  the 6th bell. The air was thick with the Canker; visibility was a handful of 
  feet. Constance wore a plain white dress, which in the light could easily 
  be mistaken for a funeral shroud like Lenice’s. Mahaas was obsessed with 
  Constance — many men were — but she found him repulsive and always 
  refused his advances. After she had done so again yesterday, Mahaas 
  threatened her with a vial of fire he had stolen from the Organ Grinder. 
  Constance started to run, and Mahaas, in a fit of frustration, threw the vial 
  at her, little knowing what would happen. The vial smashed when it struck 
  the girl, releasing a tiny ragefire spawn (see Appendix I) that immediately 
  attached to her flesh and clothing. As the poor girl struggled, consumed 
  in the devilish fire, she staggered into Singhh’s view, her face wreathed 
  in flame and obscured. Screaming, she ran to the water and leapt in. As 
  she plunged under the water, she was carried by a submerged current and 
  became caught in the rusting embrace of an old iron fishing vessel sunken 
  just off shore. While the ragefire spawn was destroyed, extinguished by 
  its immersion in the water, the damage had been done and, too weak to 
  escape the snag, there the poor girl drowned.
  Singhh’s attention was on the dress: a white dress identical — so he 
  thought — to one worn by one of his clients’ corpses. While Singhh’s 
  attention was wholly taken by what the ghatmaster thought was one of his 
  
  11
  The Crucible
  Slop-Sharks
  The terror of all who use the river as their main 
  way across the city, slop-sharks are one of the many 
  predators lurking just beneath the rubbish and waste-
  strewn surface of the Lyme. Also known as Lyme 
  anglers, from the smaller juveniles to the massive 
  specimens that are the stuff of nightmares, all slop-
  sharks resemble ragged sacks of putrid flesh about 
  to burst open with a glowing lantern-like appendage 
  dangling from between their eyes. They have great wide 
  mouths filled with rows of ragged teeth, and their horrific 
  diseased bite causes awful infections that frequently kill anyone 
  lucky enough to survive the trauma. Lyme anglers (aka slop-sharks) 
  are further detailed in The Tome of Blighted Horrors by  
  Frog God Games. 
  
  12
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  charges — risen, burning, and screaming — Mahaas saw the corpse in the 
  white dress and spontaneously contrived a plan. He quickly swallowed a 
  potion of ant-haul and snatched the white-shrouded corpse, stuffing it into 
  a nearby handcart belonging to the pie-seller Master Cookcroft (A4). He 
  then fled with it into the Canker. Having hidden the stolen corpse in the 
  river upstream, Mahaas believed he had committed the perfect murder and 
  returned to his home on Festival.
  Recovering the Body
  Constance’s body has not been eaten by slop-sharks yet because of the 
  foul alchemic effluent dumped here last night (which also quickly drove 
  the searchers off), and it is still lodged in the rusting skeleton of a small 
  fishing vessel 30 feet out from Singhh’s ghat (point C) and under 15 
  feet of water. This is where she died and where the ragefire spawn was 
  likewise snuffed out.
  Local children sagely inform anyone they see examining or entering the 
  river here that it is full of slop-sharks in these parts and warn them against 
  swimming out. If the PCs are nice to the children or reward them for their 
  volunteered information, one of them remembers seeing some men from 
  the local dye works dumping some barrels into the river upstream the day 
  before yesterday. The child overheard them laughing and saying “It’s not 
  like anyone drinks from the river, ’cept the sharks, o’course, and this’ll 
  give ’em what for! They’ll be outta’ here like a flash!”
  The waters are inky black, and visibility beneath the surface is only 
  2 feet, beyond which is total darkness without a light source. Anyone in 
  the cold water can feel things moving about around them, and objects 
  suddenly come into their view — an odd boot (perhaps with a foot still 
  in it), a corn doll, a blind white slug. A DC 26 Perception check made 
  by an individual in the water is required to locate Constance’s body. If 
  successful, it suddenly appears — wan and terribly burnt — out of the 
  murky waters. The corpse can be disentangled easily from the metal and 
  dragged back to shore. A DC 15 Perception check while examining the 
  recovered body reveals that the majority of burns are on her face and 
  neck, and that the shape of these burns resemble claw marks. A DC 20 
  Heal check identifies the cause of death as drowning from the water in her 
  lungs. When Constance leapt into water, the ragefire was snuffed out, and 
  she was close to death. Too weak to swim or fight the minimal current, she 
  was pulled under, became lodged in the wreck, passed out, and ultimately 
  drowned. What remains of her dress is white and plain, and she wears no 
  shoes. The wreckage of her face is drawn into an eternal, silent scream. 
  On the back of her shoulder is a crudely rendered tattoo with the image 
  of a black rose.
  Development: If the PCs find Constance’s body, they can find a local able 
  to identify her. A DC 15 Diplomacy check to gather information succeeds in 
  this task, but identifying a body is an unpleasant business, and the PCs stir 
  up suspicion, anger, and resentment, triggering Event 1 below.
  Ad Hoc XP Award: If the PCs successfully determine the cause of 
  death as drowning, award XP for a CR 2 encounter. If they correctly 
  identify the body, award XP for a CR 3 encounter.
  A2. Church of the Angel
  Currently wreathed in bamboo scaffolding (A3), the church steeple 
  is being repaired. A DC 20 Perception check or DC 15 Knowledge 
  (engineering) check reveals that a lightning strike caused the damage. The 
  church is consecrated to Maelstrom, the Archangel of Vengeance. The 
  interior decoration and stained-glass windows speak of revenge and the 
  punishment of sin.
  A3. The Workmen
  Enoch and Dillard Sheldon (N male human expert 3), 2 steeplejacks 
  from the East Ending, are currently repairing the church steeple. Both are 
  men of few words and do not like to stop working to talk, as they are paid 
  upon completion of the job, not by the hour. They do not respond to shouts 
  from the street below. 
  PCs wishing to question them must scale a series of three thin ladders 
  (DC 10 Climb) that ascend 60 feet before meeting sparse bamboo 
  scaffolding to traverse (DC 15 Climb), which extends outward from the 
  spire over the street below via an overhang (DC 25 Climb unless secured 
  to one of the roped harnesses like the Sheldon brothers). Of course, they 
  could use some other means of reaching the men. Alternatively, PCs can 
  wait until the end of the day when the pair descend. However, at this time, 
  both are anxious to return to their families and move briskly through the 
  city streets, not stopping without good reason. 
  A DC 15 Diplomacy or Intimidate check gets the taciturn brothers 
  speaking. Dillard was working on the upper steeple in the morning when, 
  alerted by screams and Singhh’s yells, he saw the burning figure run and 
  leap into the river. Enoch, however, also recalls seeing a hooded man in a 
  multi-coloured patchwork coat hastily pushing a handcart away from the 
  ghat just afterward. He assumes it was a local thief, taking advantage of 
  the diversion. 
  Ad Hoc XP Award: If the PCs acquire this information from the 
  workmen, award them experience for a CR 2 encounter.
  A4. The Pieman
  Master Cookcroft (NG male human expert 2) is a huge, bald man 
  who makes fine pies, including a mint lamb and a very passable minced 
  beef and ale that he sells for 1 sp each in his nearby shop. If the PCs 
  enquire about his handcart, the pieman tells the PCs that his cart vanished 
  yesterday while he was making a delivery near the ghats, but that he found 
  it later near the river upstream where the amiable Cookcroft suspects 
  that children were playing a trick and hid it. A DC 25 Perception check 
  to examine the cart reveals curious oil stains on the top. A DC 25 Craft 
  (alchemy) or Knowledge (local) check identifies these stains as traces of 
  the perfumed oils and resins used by Jaata holy men to prepare corpses 
  for cremation. A DC 20 Perception check (automatic success to a PC or 
  animal companion with the scent ability) reveals more stains within the 
  cart. Cookcroft can show the PCs where he found the cart (A6) if they ask. 
  The route goes right past a fruiterer’s shop (A5).
  Ad Hoc XP Award: Identifying the oil stains earns XP equal to a CR 
  1 encounter.
  A5. Gorse & Sons Fruit
  A DC 10 Diplomacy check to make enquiries at the fruiterer’s reveals 
  that Gorse, the owner, saw the hooded man in the patchwork coat pushing 
  the pieman’s cart up the street at about 6th hour but didn’t want to get 
  involved. He, too, assumes it was a rogue who soon slipped over a nearby 
  rickety canal bridge (A6) and into the Canker. He lets the PCs know that 
  he’s seen this hooded man before, hanging around the working girls at 
  Armington’s Tenements (A7).
  Constance and 
   Speak with Dead
  The PCs can learn what happened to Constance by using 
  speak with dead on her corpse. When the spell is cast, the corpse 
  animates with a scream before it is consumed with sobs and moans. 
  Coughing up foul river water, it answers the PCs’ questions in a 
  gurgling voice that a deformed man called Mahaas abused her with 
  colourful language when she refused his advances, and threatened 
  her with a “burning terror in a crystal flask” before she turned to 
  run. Then the flask hit her, and she was engulfed in flames that tore 
  at her neck like claws. She jumped into the river and the fire went 
  out, but she became caught on something and couldn’t get free. 
  Other than describing Mahaas’ appearance (see B8-13), the corpse 
  knows little else of use to the PCs.
  
  13
  The Crucible
  A6. Rickety Canal Bridge
  A pair of planks cross an open sewer here. Presently, a dead dog lies 
  beached on an isle of filth 10 feet directly below the bridge, which creaks 
  ominously as it is crossed but remains whole and sound.
  A7. Corpse of Lenice Quarn
  A DC 30 Perception check to search the river near where the cart 
  was found uncovers the body of Lenice Quarn, the corpse Singhh was 
  supposed to cremate and which he thought had burst into flames and run 
  into the river. Like Constance’s body, it, too, has remained unmolested by 
  aquatic predators due to the dye factory’s chemical dumping upstream. 
  Heavy stones from the docks have been used to keep the corpse, still clad 
  in its white but now stained and dirty funeral dress, from floating to the 
  surface. It has patches of abraded skin and several dislocated joints which 
  a DC 30 Heal (or excellent player deduction) reveals to mean that the 
  corpse has recently been forced into a small space.
  Ad Hoc XP Award: If the PCs correctly deduce that the body had been 
  stowed in the pie cart resulting in its damaged state, award XP for a CR 
  2 encounter.
  A8. The Angelsgate 
  Working Girls
  The local doxies lodge in Armington’s Tenements, which lie two streets 
  back from the river, close to the Crane Dye Works. The dye workers are 
  good customers of the girls, and nights can get rowdy in the seemingly 
  endless number of local gin shops, alehouses, and taverns. After dark, 
  rogues, cutpurses, or worse set upon PCs who become embroiled in the 
  violent drunkenness that plagues this district. 
  A DC 15 Diplomacy check to gather information reveals that Constance 
  was being plagued by a vile character by the name of Mahaas, a two-
  headed freak who lives somewhere on Festival. However, unless the PCs 
  are careful not to implicate Mahaas in Constance’s murder, the girls may 
  decide to visit vengeance upon Mahaas themselves.
  Event 1: Street Justice (CR 8)
  If the locals learn that the PCs have Constance’s body, the Angelsgate 
  working girls soon arrive with their pimp and his gang. They do not want 
  the body interfered with, especially by vile and unnatural speak with dead 
  spells, and demand that it be cremated properly. They are prepared to fight 
  for it if necessary. The group consists of 12 Angelsgate doxies and a trio 
  of burly Angel Gang enforcers. Their pimp and gang leader, a strange 
  looking fellow known as the Cherub, leads them. Muscled and tattooed, 
  he is an albino, his shock of white hair and unblemished pale skin making 
  him look almost angelic, but his knowing smile is anything but. If the PCs 
  do not accede to the gang’s wishes, they are willing to take the body by 
  force, cheered on by the rowdy girls, who will not baulk at the odd kick, 
  punch and choice language equating to an Intimidate check (+6).
  THE CHERUB 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200
  Male human rogue 2/swashbuckler 6 (Pathfinder Roleplay-
  ing Game Advanced Class Guide “Swashbuckler”)
  N Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +7; Perception +11
  AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +4 Dex, +1 dodge) 
  hp 60 (2d8+2 plus 6d10+6 plus 8) 
  Fort +3; Ref +13; Will +2 
  Defensive Abilities charmed life 4/day, evasion, nimble +1
  Speed 30 ft. 
  Melee +1 anarchic falchion +12/+7 (2d4+7/18–20) 
  Special Attacks deeds (derring-do, dodging panache, 
  kip-up, menacing swordplay, opportune parry and 
  riposte, precise strike, swashbuckler initiative), panache 
  (1), rogue talent (bleeding attack +1), sneak attack +1d6, 
  swashbuckler weapon training +1
  During Combat The Cherub fights haughtily, singing hymns 
  of the Holy Mother as he does so. He prefers to single out 
  opponents, and challenges them to duels of “just you and 
  me.” Of course, he cheats whenever he can. Strangely, he 
  is fair and much loved by his girls, and when he succeeds in 
  any great way in combat, he moves (with a 5-foot step or 
  move action) to one of the girls to receive a kiss (a free ac-
  tion that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity). 
  Morale Too important to die, the Cherub bows and tries 
  to flee if reduced to half his hit points, and bows and 
  surrenders if reduced to 10 or fewer hit points, knowing his 
  friends in high places will pay his ransom. How this develops 
  is left to you. 
  Str 17, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 12 
  Base Atk +7; CMB +10; CMD 26 
  Feats Blind-fight, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus 
  (falchion), Weapon Specialization (falchion) 
  Skills Acrobatics +13, Appraise +6, Bluff +12, Climb +8, Dis-
  guise +6, Escape Artist +7, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (local) 
  +13, Perception +11, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +13 
  Languages Common, Halfling, Undercommon 
  SQ swashbuckler finesse, trapfinding +1 
  Combat Gear potion of blur; Other Gear chain shirt, heavy 
  waxed fisherman’s coat, +1 anarchic falchion, dandy attire 
  including a fine gold ring depicting a whale swallowing a 
  ship full of nuns (700 gp), coil of black pudding in a brown 
  paper bag
  LEMON, KIND KARG, and FETID, 
  ANGEL GANG ENFORCERS (3) 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200 
  Male human fighter 4/rogue 1 
  N Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +2; Perception +7
  AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +1 dodge) 
  hp 45 (4d10+8 plus 1d8+2 plus 4) 
  Fort +6; Ref +5; Will +3 (+4 vs. fear)
  Defensive Abilities bravery +1
  Speed 30 ft. 
  Melee battleaxe +9 (1d8+6/x3) 
  Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6
  During Combat The enforcers try to gain flanking positions to 
  sneak attack with their axes. If they can’t close to a melee 
  position, they attempt to demoralize instead.
  Morale If the Cherub flees or is defeated, the enforcers flee 
  or surrender; otherwise, they fight to the death.
  Str 18, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 9 
  Base Atk +4; CMB +8; CMD 21 
  Feats Alertness, Blind-fight, BludgeonerUC, Dodge, Iron 
  Will, Weapon Focus (battleaxe), Weapon Specialization 
  (battleaxe) 
  Skills Acrobatics +6, Appraise +4, Bluff +6, Climb +9, 
  Intimidate +6, Perception +7, Sense Motive +6, Sleight of 
  Hand +6, Stealth +10 
  Languages Common 
  SQ armor training 1, trapfinding +1 
  Gear leather armor, buckler, battleaxe, pouch with 30+2d10 
  gp in assorted coins, knick-knacks such as a lucky human 
  toe mounted in a silver plate worth 12 gp (Lemon), a set of 
  
  14
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  worn dice carved with rude images (Kind Karg), and a jar of 
  roll-mop herrings (Fetid)
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  ANGELSGATE DOXIES (12) 
  CR 1
  XP 400
  hp 11 (Pathfinder RPG GameMastery Guide “Prostitute”)
  Gear dagger, sap
  During Combat The doxies shout abuse at anyone fighting 
  the gang and protect any badly injured friends by trying to 
  shield them with their bodies and provide cover for them, 
  attacking anyone who comes too close with their saps and 
  daggers.
  Morale If the Cherub flees or is defeated, or if half their num-
  ber are defeated, the doxies flee or surrender.
  Tactics: The group, like most in the Blight, automatically assume 
  the PCs have some dirty reason for taking the girl’s body, or worse, are 
  responsible for her death and come calling like a baying mob. The PCs 
  can diffuse the situation by convincing the Cherub of their authority 
  or good intentions, but, aided by his gang and girls, he is difficult to 
  convince. Treat the large group as being able to continually “take 20” on 
  Sense Motive checks for a result of 31 versus the PCs’ Bluff checks, and 
  its starting attitude as unfriendly with a DC 31 for the PCs’ Diplomacy 
  checks. Showing a symbol of some sort of office in the investigation, such 
  as a written authority by Lyme Constable Crop, gains a +2 bonus on one 
  of these check. Any attempt to Intimidate the gang, however, immediately 
  leads to hostility. If the PCs manage to escape them with the body, the 
  gang resorts to finding where the PCs lodge through their extensive list 
  of local contacts if necessary. You can assume in this case that unless the 
  PCs left the area magically, or used some cunning escape that you feel 
  deserves a reward for ingenuity, they find them within 1d6 hours.
  Development: Fighting these thugs causes complications both 
  immediately as locals refuse to speak to the PCs for fear of gang reprisals 
  (increase social skill DCs in the area by 10), and at later dates as relatives 
  and friends of the gang and their girls come looking to settle the score. 
  How and when this reprisal occurs is left to you, but it should involve 
  a CR 8 encounter with rogues from the local arm of the Thieves’ Guild 
  (a.k.a. The Guild).
  The Trail of Mahaas
  Having learnt the identity of the murderer, the PCs likely wish to gather 
  information about Mahaas. If so, use the results in the sidebar table but 
  impose a −5 penalty if the information gathering is not conducted on Festival.
  Rumours about Mahaas
  DC
  Rumour
  20
  “One can only pity so poor a soul, stricken 
  as he is with the second-head fluke*. He 
  hides that terrible second face away under 
  a great hood, which he wears to spare the 
  fear of those he passes. He has many such 
  hoods — some bright and gay, some dark and 
  shadowy.”
  25
  “That freak has been seen lurking around 
  Festival for years. They say his second head is 
  alive and that it talks to birds and beasts!”  
  30
  “There’s more to him than meets the eye. He 
  has lodgings with that Uriah Mean, and we all 
  know about that miserly pawnbroker. They say 
  Mahaas keeps the same sort of dark company 
  and has friends willing to die for him.”
  *See The Tome of Blighted Horrors by Frog God Games
  
  15
  The Crucible
  If the PCs wish to gather information about any similar burning deaths 
  in recent weeks, use the results in the sidebox table.
  At the Morgue
  PCs making a DC 15 Diplomacy check to gather information can obtain 
  directions to the Grime Street Morgue if they don’t already have them. 
  Run by Underclerk Ernest R. Wigmore (N male human expert 3), the 
  morgue rests at the edge of the Hollow and Broken Hills district of the 
  city, roughly 100 yards from the Chain Ferry, and consists of a small office 
  cluttered with wooden filing drawers and ledgers. A door locked with a 
  good lock (DC 30 Disable Device) leads to a short flight of steps down to a 
  large lime-washed cellar with a dozen wooden biers for incoming bodies. 
  Ernest is a stickler for duty, and for the PCs to gain any kind of access 
  to the cellar, he must be convinced of their good intentions with a DC 
  25 Diplomacy or Intimidate check. Mentioning Lyme Constable Crop’s 
  name grants the PCs a +4 circumstance bonus on either check. 
  So far, the first three bodies have been subjected to speak with dead 
  spells by the authorities and all questions and answers studiously recorded 
  in a ledger. PCs can gain access to the ledger only by stealing it or by 
  making an additional DC 20 Diplomacy or Intimidate check. The ledger 
  reveals that, in each case, a standard set of questions was asked and the 
  answers were similar:
  Q: Were you attacked? A: Yes
  Q: Did you know your attacker? A: No.
  Q: What attacked you? A: Living fire. It burnt so bad!
  Q: Did the living fire say anything? A: No.
  The first three have all been questioned with the spell within the last 
  week, so the PCs will be unable to use new speak with dead spells on 
  them at this time. However, it can be used on the remaining two. Likewise, 
  if the PCs have other divinatory means at their disposal and contrive to 
  learn more from the decedents, the basic story is the same for each victim. 
  They were sleeping alone in the streets and awoke under attack from a 
  fire creature that hung onto their flesh and burnt them to death. In their 
  suffering, none of the victims saw the Artificer nearby, carefully noting 
  the effects of her vile attack.
  If asked, Ernest can confirm that the bodies were all found on the isle of 
  Festival. PCs making a DC 25 Sense Motive check notice something about 
  Ernest when he mentions the name Festival. In truth, the Underclerk has 
  heard the rumours about the isle — that it is home to a nest of wererats. If 
  pressed by a DC 25 Diplomacy or Intimidate check, he reveals that getting 
  the bodies back over to the morgue was an issue. The current Festival 
  Watch Captain, Edrin Grast (see area F5), is luckily dealing with an 
  internal matter, and the main City Watch were able to demand the bodies. 
  In truth, Ernest suspects that knowing the Watch over on the island, this 
  matter would not have come to light but for the hysteria that greeted it.
  The bodies retain their clothes, mostly charred to nothing in places with 
  bits of metal from rings or necklaces actually melted into the scorched 
  flesh, but shreds do remain. Any belongings are kept in a drawer in the 
  corpse’s bier clearly marked as “Victim’s Personal Effects” and are 
  detailed below.
  Each victim marked O shows signs of the aqueous orbAPG spell used 
  by the Artificer to quench the fire and kill the ragefire. These effects are 
  detailed on the first victim Rosie for reference.
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide
  Victim #1, Rosie Weft (O): The horribly burnt body of this young 
  woman shows signs of the Artificer’s use of an aqueous orb spell to 
  extinguish the ragefire elemental. A DC 25 Perception check finds signs 
  that the body was immersed in water although it was found on dry land. 
  Her clothing has been burnt, but close checking (a DC 30 Perception 
  check or DC 20 Heal check) reveals curious bruising and tearing of her 
  subcutaneous tissues consistent with being struck by a force from the 
  front, more or less evenly across her whole body. A DC 20 Perception or 
  DC 15 Heal check shows that the burns resemble claws digging into flesh 
  in at least two places.
  Victim #2, Edmund Hyde: The Artificer pushed this victim into the 
  Lyme. The corpse again shows signs of fiery claws that PCs can discern 
  with a DC 20 Perception or DC 15 Heal check. Edmund’s burnt clothes 
  are the ragged garb of a low-caste person or beggar. Ernest can confirm 
  that the constabulary knew Edmund, and he was a sad case. His wife ran 
  away with a sailor 12 years ago, and he’d been drowning his sorrows in 
  gin ever since. If asked, Ernest can provide the PCs with the address of 
  the Grinning Lacedon, a public house on Festival where Hyde was known 
  to drink. For more information on that ghastly drinking pit, see Further 
  Leads below.
  When hired by the Organ Grinder, Mahaas told him of a number of 
  people on Festival whom he thought “could easily go missing,” and two 
  were people he’d seen frequenting Mean’s pawnshop. Hyde was one of 
  them, and the other was the navvy (Victim #5 below). 
  Victim #3, Eugene Wolkman (O): Eugene was a loner who slept on the 
  docks where he worked. Three locals saw him running through the streets, 
  his body a blazing pyre of flame. Their statements are included in Ernest’s 
  ledger. All three witnesses claim to have seen a sudden globe of water the 
  size of a man strike the victim, quenching the flames, and believe it was 
  a sign from the gods to protect them from injury. One witness, Goodwife 
  Blacksyrup, claims to have heard a strange chanting just before the ball 
  of water struck. A DC 23 Spellcraft check can identify the eyewitnesses’ 
  Chapter Two:
  The Grime Street Morgue
  Rumours about  
    Previous Victims
  DC
  Rumour
  10
  “The constabulary have five previous victims of 
  spontaneous combustion interred in the Grime 
  Street Morgue.”
  15
  “The five victims were all loners.”
  20
  “Did you hear about the strange rain that fell 
  on the nights they died? Storms whipping out 
  of nowhere and vanishing as soon as they start-
  ed. Mighty strange coincidence if you ask me.”
  
  16
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  descriptions as resembling the effects of an aqueous orb spell. The DC is 
  increased to reflect the secondhand nature of the information.
  Victim #4, N.N. Number One: An apparent tramp, this young man’s 
  corpse shows all the hallmarks of a ragefire attack. The head is terribly 
  burnt, in particular. He was found floating among the docks last week.
  Victim #5, N.N. Number Two (O): Apparently a navvy (dock 
  labourer), this victim was found 3 days ago. He shows the signs of the 
  ragefire’s attacking claws. A search of the victim’s belongings uncovers 
  a pawnbroker’s ticket along with 3 gp, 7 sp, and an iron key, all of which 
  have also been logged by Ernest. The ticket is for a rapier pawned for 5 gp 
  and is signed “Uriah Mean, Riverside Tenement Pawnbroker, Festival.”
  So Far, So Good?
  By this stage of their investigation, it is hoped the PCs should know two 
  key pieces of information. First that they are searching for a man called 
  Mahaas who suffers from second-head fluke and who lives somewhere 
  on Festival, and second that there is a link from two previous victims 
  to a pawnbroker on the same isle. Luckily for the PCs, visiting the 
  pawnbroker’s tenement on Festival leads them straight to their quarry. 
  The PCs can get to Festival on the Chain Ferry (see sidebox), which costs 
  1 sp per passenger; they can also arrange a more private and convenient 
  crossing by private charter for 10 gp.
  Festival
  When the PCs finally reach Festival, read or paraphrase the following 
  description:
  Festival up close is even more insane than seems feasible. 
  A vast bloated isle of garish colour rises from a wide, crowded 
  shore of bright buildings, seemingly a freak gust of wind 
  away from tumbling into the silty waters about her. Banners 
  and hoardings and signs proclaim the last chance to see the 
  “Dreadful Supper of Four Broken Men as One,” the “Awful 
  Whale-Girl,” and “Foul Mother Broken.” These signs compete 
  for height and colour and size, obscuring Festival as it rises 
  through crooked streets to a great fayre at its summit.
  And as the chain ferry clanks to the harbour, there is a rush 
  of entertainers: a dwarf in red cries out an invitation to see the 
  Great Ape of Dark Libynos; an impossibly tall man wearing a 
  hood with a single eyehole holds out a vast hand for alms; and a 
  curious and ugly organ grinder sends his human-faced monkey 
  to collect coppers while he plays his strange-looking organ.
  The organ player is in fact the Organ Grinder, an NPC with a significant 
  role in the adventure, with his pet Blight monkey. Whilst presently he has 
  no interest to the PCs, nor any knowledge of them, them later recalling 
  this meeting may help the PCs to deduce where the villain’s performing 
  patch encompasses. More information is detailed further in this adventure. 
  If the PCs wish to gather information on the pawnbroker, Uriah Mean, 
  use the table in the sidebox to determine the information they acquire. The 
  table below assumes the PCs make the checks on Festival. If they try other 
  parts of the city where Mean is virtually unknown, the checks are made 
  at +6 to their DCs.
  Non Nominis
  The designation “N.N.” is used in the City-State of Castorhage 
  to indicate an individual whose name is not known, much like 
  the use of John Doe in the United States. It is from the ancient 
  language of High Boros and means “Non Nominus,” or “Name 
  Unknown.”
  Rumours about Uriah Mean
  DC
  Rumour
  15
  “Mean by name, mean by nature. He has no 
  soul, that vile gnome. All he loves is money, 
  and his every waking thought is driven by 
  how to acquire more of it. His tenement lies at 
  the edge of the Isle of Festival, very near the 
  Chain Ferry in a part of the district known as 
  the Footings. You can’t miss it — it’s the place 
  that looks like it’s falling into the river. It’s one 
  of the worst in the area. Leaks and holes, 
  rot and mould — that’s what thrives there. 
  I wouldn’t give you a fourthling to spend a 
  night there although he lives in that barge 
  outside.”
  20
  “They say Mean was crippled during a hunt 
  and that he can’t stand by himself, but I’ve 
  heard different. I’ve heard he 
  25
  “Some people say Mean is one of the Family 
  — the ruling clan of wererats who have Festi-
  val held in their small sharp teeth. The Family 
  take care of their own, they say, and to cross 
  any of them is dangerous.” 
  30
  “Oh, he’s in the Family alright! He has that 
  thug Mister Mackerel to watch over his affairs 
  and to deal with anyone who annoys him. 
  You need to tread lightly ’round old Mean 
  lest you’re paid a visit in the night.”
  The Chain Ferry
  The Chain Ferry to Festival is a large, flat-bottomed barge pulled 
  by a chain across the river. It is teeming with pleasure seekers, and 
  has a large number of traders, puppeteers, and actors who ply their 
  trades during its 10-minute crossing, which costs 1 sp. The Blight: 
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City gives more details of this ferry and 
  the occupants.
  
  17
  The Crucible
  Other Possible leads on Festival
  The locations of the locales used across Festival are detailed on the 
  area map. Two locations have been mentioned in passing: the Grinning 
  Lacedon and the Festival Watch Station, both of which are detailed below 
  and numbered occurred to their tag on the overall map of the city provided 
  in The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City. If the PCs need to locate 
  these places without directions, a simple DC 12 Diplomacy check to 
  gather information suffices, although it might lead to a later encounter 
  with rogues if you wish.
  The Grinning Lacedon
  The Lacedon lurks in a mouldy corner of the Footings. Even from the 
  outside, it looks to be on its last legs; within, it is even more decayed.
  Here is a curiosity: This building literally sags. It leans 
  between its neighbours, a dying building of dying timber and 
  dying stone. The stone resembles rotting teeth in a swollen 
  timber mouth. Above hangs a revolting object, a mummified 
  ghoul, its leering face grinning directly down at the doorway.
  Within, the twisted ornamentation grows and festers. Here is an 
  obsessive collector’s lifetime of obsession — about lacedons. There are 
  paintings of their demise at the blades of heroic nobles, several bones 
  in walnut cabinets, an obsessive amount of religious protection from 
  both Brine and Mother Grace, and in one corner is a whole preserved 
  lacedon skeleton labelled as a curiosity from the Physician’s Institute in 
  BookTown (area B18). 
  Wintry Theram (LN female human aristocrat 3/expert1), a sour-faced 
  old witch who last smiled in 1693 accordingly to local legend, owns the 
  Lacedon. PCs seeing Theram and making a DC 25 Sense Motive check 
  can discern her breeding beneath the decay in her bearing and may even 
  spot a ratty old fur coat hanging behind the bar if they make a similar 
  DC Perception check. Theram hates her station in life, and longs for the 
  Capitol from which — regrettably — she was exiled after offending a 
  member of the Tredici Family. The comings and goings and base humour 
  of commoners revolts her, but if someone notes her breeding and uses the 
  correct etiquette (a DC 20 Diplomacy or Knowledge [nobility] check is 
  enough to know the right way of such things and reduce the Diplomacy DC 
  below by 10). Characters of high caste (if you use such PCs) automatically 
  know the right way to do things. Theram takes a shine to such PCs and 
  brings out a bottle of fine vintage wine (only offering it to the PCs that 
  impressed her, and drinking most of it herself), although she soon gets 
  boring with her one-track talk about the magnificence of the Capitol and 
  her grand stained-glass windows, lofty gardens and good manners.
  A DC 30 (or 20, see above) Diplomacy check gets the aloof owner to 
  recall that Hyde (she never refers to anyone by their first name) had been 
  flush with coin recently, having sold his wife’s dresses to the pawnbroker 
  Uriah Mean. “What a revolting, degenerate thing to do and to what a 
  revolting and degenerate individual,” she editorializes. She barred Mean 
  from the Lacedon on sight, but she does know where he lives and can 
  provide the PCs with details (see Chapter 3).  
  F5. The Festival Watch
  A squat, rather dirty stone tower rises from the quayside. 
  It has become home to seagulls and crows, and its sides are 
  streaked with years of their droppings.
  Some of these fowl operate as familiars for members of the Family; it 
  pays to know what is occurring in the local watch.
  The Festival Watch consists of 32 constables (NE male halfling rogue 
  1/fighter 2), recognizable by their emblazoned grey and green uniforms 
  and the short scourges they wield to carry out their duties — which 
  generally revolve around dealing with drunks and minor scuffles. There 
  are also 5 Sergeants of the Watch (NE male halfling rogue 2/fighter 4) 
  led by Watch Captain Edrin Grast (NE male halfling afflicted wererat 
  rogue 5/fighter 5/duelist 1).
  Grast is presently away — at the behest of one of the ruling families of 
  Festival — and his place is taken by Acting Captain Pleasant Fumitory 
  (NE male halfling afflicted wererat ranger 6). Fumitory is a classic bully, 
  and easily kowtowed by another. A DC 18 Intimidate check works far 
  better than a DC 23 Diplomacy check for improving his attitude toward 
  the PCs, which needs to be changed from unfriendly to friendly to get any 
  information. He knows little (and frankly cares less) about the strange 
  deaths; strange deaths happen all the time on Festival, and a talk with him 
  reveals little except his love of licorice — which he stuffs in his fat mouth 
  constantly. The PCs should really come away with how indifferent the 
  Watch are — they may even make jokes about the victims. This should 
  give the PCs a higher personal sense of justice and worth than the local 
  law; if it were left to them, the deaths would remain unsolved.
  
  18
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Uriah Mean, the infamous pawnbroker, is a bath-chair-bound gnome 
  wererat illusionist and an honourary member of the Family — the 
  amalgamation of wererat clans who rule Festival. The infamous pleasure 
  island secretly operates in the name of the Rat Queen — one of the 
  so-called “gods” of the Blight who, like many of its deities, actually 
  physically live in the city. 
  Mean operates from his river barge, which is anchored at a small jetty at 
  the foot of his tenement building that overlooks the Chain Ferry as marked 
  on the map. As is frequently seen across the urban sprawl of the Blight, 
  structures have converged and Mean’s barge has merged with and become 
  a part of his tenement building. It is a mass of alterations and extensions, 
  enhancements, add-ons, and botched improvements. Mahaas lodges in the 
  attic garret of the tenement and is one of Mean’s many tenants.
  Chapter Three:
  The Pawnbroker’s Tenement
  Bath-chairs and Pawnbrokers
  A bath-chair is an early type of wheelchair for invalids. They are 
  usually pulled by an animal that the driver controls with reins, like 
  a light, one-man cart. Fairly rare in other parts of Akados (though 
  not entirely unheard of among the most cosmopolitan population 
  centres), they occasion little comment within the urban sprawl of 
  Castorhage.
  A pawnbroker offers secured loans to people, with items of 
  personal property used as collateral. If an item is pawned for a 
  loan, the pawner may redeem it for the amount of the loan plus 
  some agreed-upon amount for interest within a certain contractual 
  period of time. The amount of time and rate of interest is usually 
  governed by the pawnbroker’s policies. If the loan is not paid (or 
  extended, if applicable) within the time period, the pawned item 
  is offered for sale by the pawnbroker. Pawnbrokers may also sell 
  items that have been sold outright to them by customers. The most 
  famous (or infamous) pawnshop in Castorhage is the Soiled Sow 
  Inn on Festival.
  
  19
  The Crucible
  Uriah Mean, a Villain 
  for All Seasons
  Uriah Mean is an ugly old gnome with withered, useless legs and bushy 
  white eyebrows that prop up a faded old sea captain’s cap. He slumps in a 
  rusted bath-chair resting on squeaking wheels. A harnessed boar with tiny, 
  bloodshot eyes, coarse grey fur and yellow tusks pulls the contraption. 
  The gnome uses reins tied to the boar’s tusks to control the beast. A large 
  black crow perches on the back of the chair, struggling to keep its balance 
  and cawing loudly as the contraption lurches with every snap of the reins 
  in the gnome’s hands.
  URIAH MEAN (GNOME FORM) 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Male gnome natural wererat illusionist 8 (Pathfinder 
  Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Lycanthrope, Wererat”)
  NE Small humanoid (augmented humanoid, gnome, 
  shapechanger)
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
  AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +2 Dex, +1 size)
  hp 49 (8d6+16)
  Fort +4; Ref +4; Will +7 (+9 vs. illusions)
  Speed 1 ft., bath-chair 10 ft.
  Melee mwk dagger +4 (1d3–2/19–20)
  Ranged mwk light crossbow +8 (1d6/19–20 plus poison)
  Special Attacks curse of lycanthropy (DC 15)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th):
  At will—invisibility field (8 rounds/day)
  6/day—blinding ray (30-ft. ray, ranged touch +6)
  1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 13), prestidigitation 
  (DC 12), speak with animals
  Illusionist Spells Prepared (CL 8th):
  4th—phantasmal killer (DC 18), scrying, shadow conjuration 
  (DC 18)
  3rd—blink, displacement, fly, lightning bolt (x2, DC 16)
  2nd—blur, hypnotic pattern (x2, DC 16), invisibility, mirror 
  image
  1st—color spray (DC 15), identify, illusion of calmUC, mage 
  armor (already cast), silent image (DC 15), ventriloquism 
  (DC 15)
  0 (at will)—haunted fey aspectUC, acid splash (ranged touch 
  +6), detect magic, message
  Opposition schools Abjuration, Necromancy
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  Str 6, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 14
  Base Atk +4; CMB +1; CMD 13
  Feats AlertnessB, Brew Potion, Casual IllusionistARG, 
  CosmopolitanAPG (Bluff, Sense Motive), Craft Wand, Effortless 
  TrickeryGoG, Scribe Scroll
  Skills Appraise +17, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +6 (+10 with rats 
  and dire rats), Disguise +5, Fly +15, Intimidate +5, Knowledge 
  (local) +14, Linguistics +7, Perception +5, Profession 
  (pawnbroker) +14, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +14, Stealth 
  +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
  Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, 
  Giant, Gnome, Infernal, Orc, Sylvan
  SQ arcane bond (crow familiar—Lovely), change shape 
  (gnome, hybrid, and dire rat; polymorph), extended illusions 
  (4 rounds), gift of tongues, lycanthropic empathy (rats and 
  dire rats)
  Combat Gear potion of cure serious wounds, wand of 
  lightning bolt (CL 8th: 13 charges), 2 crossbow bolts wax-
  sealed with blue whinnis poison,; Other Gear circlet of 
  persuasion (concealed as the band of his sea captain’s 
  cap), masterwork dagger, masterwork light crossbow, 8 
  crossbow bolts, spell component pouch, key ring with keys 
  to door of barge (B1) and trunk (B3)
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race 
  Guide
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  GoG See Pathfinder Companion: Gnomes of Golarion
  URIAH MEAN (HYBRID FORM) 
  CR 8
  NE Small humanoid (augmented humanoid, gnome, 
  shapechanger)
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +6
  Defense
  AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural, 
  +1 size)
  hp 57 (8d6+24)
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +8 (+10 vs. illusions)
  DR 10/silver
  Speed 10 ft.
  Melee mwk dagger +7 (1d3+1/19–20), bite +1 (1d4+1 
  plus disease and curse of lycanthropy)
  Ranged mwk light crossbow +9 (1d6/19–20 plus poison)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th):
  At will—invisibility field (8 rounds/day)
  6/day—blinding ray (30 ft. ray, +7 ranged touch)
  1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 13), prestidigitation 
  (DC 12), speak with animals
  Illusionist Spells Prepared (CL 8th):
  4th—phantasmal killer (DC 18), scrying, shadow conjuration 
  (DC 18)
  3rd—blink, displacement, fly, lightning bolt (x2, DC 16)
  2nd—blur, hypnotic pattern (x2, DC 16), invisibility, mirror 
  image
  1st—color spray (DC 15), identify, illusion of calmUC, mage 
  armor (already cast), silent image (DC 15), ventriloquism 
  (DC 15)
  0 (at will)—haunted fey aspectUC, acid splash (ranged touch 
  +6), detect magic, message
  Opposition schools Abjuration, Necromancy
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  Str 12, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14
  Base Atk +4; CMB +2; CMD 15
  Feats AlertnessB, Brew Potion, Casual IllusionistARG, 
  CosmopolitanAPG (Bluff, Sense Motive), Craft Wand, Effortless 
  TrickeryGoG, Scribe Scroll
  Skills Appraise +17, Bluff +12, Diplomacy +6 (+10 rats and 
  dire rats), Disguise +5, Fly +16, Intimidate +5, Knowledge 
  (local) +14, Linguistics +7, Perception +6, Profession 
  (pawnbroker) +15, Sense Motive +11, Spellcraft +14, Stealth 
  +7; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
  Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, 
  Giant, Gnome, Infernal, Orc, Sylvan
  SQ arcane bond (crow—Lovely), change shape (gnome, 
  hybrid, and dire rat; polymorph), extended illusions (4 
  rounds), gift of tongues, lycanthropic empathy (rats and dire 
  rats)
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race 
  Guide
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  GoG See Pathfinder Companion: Gnomes of Golarion
  Curse of Lycanthropy (Su) A natural lycanthrope’s bite 
  attack in animal or hybrid form infects a humanoid target 
  with lycanthropy (Fort DC 15 negates). If the victim’s size is 
  
  20
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  not within one size category of the lycanthrope, this ability 
  has no effect.
  Disease (Ex) Filth fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 17; onset 
  1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 
  1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  LOVELY 
  CR —
  XP —
  Female crow familiar (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 
  “Familiar, Raven”)
  NE Tiny magical beast (augmented animal)
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
  AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, +2 size)
  hp 28 (8 HD)
  Fort +1; Ref +4; Will +8
  Defensive Abilities improved evasion
  Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
  Melee bite +8 (1d3–4)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks deliver touch spells
  Str 2, Dex 15, Con 8, Int 9, Wis 15, Cha 7
  Base Atk +4; CMB −2; CMD 10
  Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Finesse
  Skills Appraise +7, Bluff +1, Fly +17, Knowledge (local) +7, 
  Linguistics +0, Perception +9, Profession (pawnbroker) +10, 
  Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +7, Stealth +10
  Languages Common; speak with birds, speak with master
  SQ empathic link, share spells
  MANGE, INFERNAL THRALL 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  hp 16 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Devil, Imp”)
  Tactics: As it rarely leaves his presence, Mean’s thrall is usu-
  ally encountered as a boar pulling its master’s bath-chair. 
  It can escape its harness by changing back into imp form, 
  which it does as soon as it is aware of an attack. Mange 
  makes frequent use of invisibility to sneak up on opponents 
  and deliver attacks with its poison stinger before acrobati-
  cally flying away to safety. It uses its suggestion ability only at 
  Mean’s direction. As a thrall, Mange has no option but to lay 
  down its life for its master.
  MEAN’S BATH-CHAIR
  Medium land vehicle
  Squares 1 (5 ft. by 5 ft.; 2 feet high); Cost 30 gp
  AC 13 (+3 Diplomacy); Hardness 10
  hp 20 (9)
  Base Save +3 (+3 Diplomacy)
  Maximum Speed 60 ft. (twice the speed of the pulling crea-
  ture –20 ft.); Acceleration 30 ft. (the speed of the pulling 
  creature –10 ft.)
  CMB +3 (+3 Diplomacy); CMD 13 (+3 Diplomacy)
  Ramming Damage 1d4
  Invalids often use this four-wheeled, metal-and-leather chair 
  as a form of transport.
  Propulsion muscle (pulled; 1 Medium creature)
  Driving Check Handle Animal or Profession (driver) (in the 
  case of creatures with animal intelligence pulling the vehi-
  cle), Diplomacy or Intimidate (in the case of intelligent crea-
  tures pulling the vehicle)
  Forward Facing toward the creatures pulling the vehicle
  Driving Device reins
  Driving Space the square of the chair
  The notorious pawnbroker and slum tyrant Uriah Mean is a bitter and 
  miserly cripple whose apparent obsession with crushing his tenants and 
  debtors’ hopes for better lives is matched only by his acquisitive, endless 
  greed. Whilst in rat form, a huge tomcat (the magically enhanced familiar 
  of a local wizard) mauled the gnome, leaving him unable to use his legs 
  — and with an irrational fear of cats. He spends most of his time confined 
  to a rickety bath-chair that is pulled around by a trained boar (actually his 
  thrall, an imp called Mange) that rarely leaves his presence.
  His crow familiar, Lovely, always perches at his side during business deals 
  and negotiations, is known to sometimes accost visitors to Mean’s barge, 
  demanding to know their business in its screeching voice, and to deliver 
  messages for its master. With its ability to talkt to other birds, it has become 
  the matriarch of a large murder of crows that roost on Mean’s tenement 
  building, teaching them to hunt stray cats and cry warnings of intruders.
  A member of the Family, Mean’s claims of “powerful friends” are no 
  idle boast. If Mean survives the events of this adventure, he may become 
  a recurring villain in the campaign, complicating the PCs’ lives with his 
  manipulations and greed. For more information about the Family, see The 
  Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City.
  Tactics: Mean casts mage armor daily. If he suspects trouble and has 
  time to prepare, he casts illusion of calm, and ventriloquism. A competent 
  liar, he tries to talk his way out of threatening situations before resorting 
  to violence. During combat, Mean raises his invisibility field and then 
  casts fly as soon as he can, allowing his thrall to cover his retreat out of 
  his enemies’ reach. Once clear, he assumes hybrid form, releases Dogg, 
  and then casts his attack spells as appropriate, usually leading with a 
  shadow conjuration of a spiked pitAPG to catch heavily armoured foes, 
  and phantasmal killer on lightly armoured foes, before using lightning 
  bolt and color spray on any who remain. He resorts to defensive spells 
  immediately if seriously threatened.
  In hybrid or rat form, Mean is able to use his crippled legs slightly but at 
  a greatly reduced speed. He highly values his own life and seeks to escape 
  if reduced to 20 or fewer hit points. If prevented from fleeing, he curls 
  into a cringing ball and begs for mercy, though it will certainly not be long 
  before he is plotting his revenge if permitted to live. 
  Of potential interest to PCs is that Mean is terrified of cats. If he sees 
  one, he shrieks in fear and either demands its removal or attacks it using 
  his wand or his thrall. In either case, he is shaken for as long as the cat is 
  within sight and for 1d4+2 minutes thereafter.
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide
  Development: When the PCs first meet Mean, he acts friendly and 
  obsequious toward them, just the typical oily junk dealer looking to 
  score some coin from potential customers. However, Mean is cunning 
  and wants to know what the PCs know. He asks questions, offers help, 
  and may even sponsor the PCs financially if he feels it would bear fruit, 
  though ultimately he betrays them. If the PCs start asking questions about 
  missing customers, Mean secretly recalls both but claims to know nothing 
  about either of them. If told of their murders, he becomes very interested 
  and asks many questions, trying to glean what the PCs know about them. 
  If asked about Mahaas, Mean says he may be able to help, but wants to 
  know as much as the PCs will reveal about why they want to locate him 
  and what their motives are. When he has gleaned as much information 
  from them as he thinks he can, he’ll reveal that Mahaas is his tenant and 
  that his garret can be reached by climbing the ladder at the front of the 
  tenement (B4). Regardless of the outcome of this initial meeting, if he 
  survives, Mean arranges for the PCs to be followed.
  If the PCs have learnt that Mahaas lodges in Mean’s tenement though 
  gathering information, it is possible that they may not seek out Mean and 
  begin searching through the building instead. If this occurs, Lovely accosts 
  the PCs and demands that they seek permission to enter the building from 
  Without his spells active, Mean’s statistics in hybrid form are 
  AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 17 and in gnome form AC 13, touch 
  13, flat-footed 11.
  
  21
  The Crucible
  its owner lest they be treated as thieves. If the PCs do not comply, Lovely 
  informs Mean, who prepares for combat and seeks them out, with Dogg (B2) 
  in tow. If the PCs do not treat the gnome with respect, combat may ensue.
  Assuming that Mean survives his meeting with the PCs, a number of 
  events are likely to follow. Mean sends his crow familiar to tail the PCs 
  and report back on a regular basis what they are doing. Lovely surrounds 
  herself with other ravens and crows as she follows them, ensuring that 
  without specific investigation, the PCs will not realize that they are being 
  watched; crows are a common sight in the Blight after all. If discovered, 
  however, Lovely flees back to Mean. If the PCs discover the raven before 
  attacking the Organ Grinder (see Chapter 5), Mean reluctantly gives up. 
  However, he may attempt to resume his surveillance if the PCs involve 
  him again. 
  If Mean is attacked and killed, the Family learns about it unless the PCs 
  have been sufficiently careful in covering their tracks and likely come 
  looking for them. If Lovely is still watching the PCs when they learn 
  about the great windmill, she arranges for Mean’s mob (see Event 5 in 
  Chapter 6) to follow them there.
  B. Barge Pawnshop 
  and Tenement
  Read the following when the PCs first lay eyes on the abode of  
  Uriah Mean.
  A river barge hangs crippled at the foot of an exhausted stone 
  tenement that rises spastically beneath dislocated gables. 
  The whole structure appears diseased — thick lichens hang 
  from walls from which stones protrude like broken limbs. A 
  chain lashes the barge tightly to the slum, so that the vessel is 
  suspended partly above the tainted waters, almost as though it 
  appears reluctant to touch them. The whole place — building 
  and barge — are strangled by straining moss-choked timbers 
  that look as if they could snap at any moment and bring the 
  whole place down.
  Three iron balls — the guild-sign of the pawnbroker — hang 
  over the barge. Pails, cast-iron street lanterns, handcarts, 
  rope, and a confusion of other miscellany are all marked for 
  sale, and the whole structure seems to groan under the sheer 
  mass of the wares. Everything, it seems, has a price, even down 
  to the hastily chalk-scrawled “10 shekels” on the rusting iron 
  anchor of the barge itself.
  An unkindness of mangy ravens lurks on the teetering gable 
  above, cawing as you approach, and picking at the remains of 
  what looks like a dead alley cat.
  
  22
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Disguised among the ravens is Lovely, Mean’s crow familiar. The 
  familiar lurks, ever watchful for trouble, and if it senses it — someone 
  sneaking about, a group of people acting unusual or suspicious, or 
  weapons being drawn — it shares the information with its master, who 
  readies for combat accordingly.
  LOVELY, CROW FAMILIAR 
  CR —
  XP —
  hp 28 (See above)
  Mean’s river-barge is of the type commonly used by river-gypsies here 
  in the city. It has an upper deck that is little more than a flat outer level built 
  around the central cabin, its own floor some 3 feet below the surrounding 
  deck. This cabin is divided into two areas, one for living quarters and one 
  for cargo. Mean’s barge is rotten, and if two of the four chains holding it 
  to the dock are broken (hardness 10, hp 15, break DC 30), the entire vessel 
  begins to sink and go fully under after 1 minute. Outside the cabin, the 
  deck is covered in goods, making space so cramped that anyone moving 
  at greater than half speed must make a DC 10 Acrobatics check or trip 
  and fall prone. Mean himself is used to the cramped living and ignores 
  this effect.
  Upon the barge, the air smells of damp and rot, the miasma of the 
  vessel’s own decrepitude. Those who search among the goods risk 
  disturbing powdered rat droppings and contracting filth fever (DC 17 
  Fortitude save). The entire boat is so cramped and filthy, inside and out, 
  that it imparts a −4 penalty on attacks with two-handed melee weapons 
  and ranged attacks.
  The tenement building fares little better. Built of stone which is rapidly 
  being eaten by the acidic smog of the river and Blight stonemites (see 
  sidebox), the tenement is falling apart. The surface of the walls is so 
  crumbly and unstable that a DC 30 Climb check is required to scale them. 
  The building has five stories plus an attic space (which has been converted 
  into Mahaas’ garret), is 75 feet high at the peak of its roof, 120 feet long, 
  and 40 feet wide. It has four dwellings per floor (not including the attic), 
  each 20 feet wide and 50 feet long. A rotting interior stair, a trio of 
  exposed ladders outside, a knotted rope ladder, and a small timber bridge, 
  can be used to reach the apartments within the tenement. The tenants of 
  this riverside tenement are mostly meek, mild, and afraid of Mean and of 
  the consequences of talking about him or the Family to strangers.
  A framework of rotting timbers — the remains of scaffolding put up 
  years ago — strangle the whole place, barge and tenement. A timber plank 
  of one of these scaffolds breaks as soon as weight of at least 50 pounds is 
  placed upon it. What windows there are, are barred with 1-inch-thick iron 
  bars, and so grimy they cannot be seen through.
  B1. Pawnshop and Living Area 
  (CR varies)
  The deck of the mouldering boat is cluttered with countless 
  mundane or strange objects, but pathways along the sides are 
  clear to allow passage. A small ramp enters the barge’s cabin. 
  Beyond in the murk inside, the place looks even more cluttered.
  This is where Mean spends most of his day. Countless objects from 
  rattraps to wedding dresses, hatpins to grandfather clocks clutter the 
  deck. A simple hatch (usually open during daylight hours) allows access 
  within via a steep ramp. The hatch can be closed and locked with a good 
  lock (DC 30 Disable Device), to which Mean carries the only key, and it 
  usually is locked at night. Below, amongst even more junk. a hefty oak 
  counter stands along one wall, and a small door leads to the kennel (B2).
  Uriah Mean is a local tyrant and may become a recurring villain if he 
  survives and the GM so chooses. Motivated solely by profit, he is a hard 
  bargainer but is always interested in new stock; he generally pawns an 
  item for 25% of his assessment of its value (Appraise +17). His tenant 
  Mahaas already intrigues Mean, and the arrival of the PCs with their 
  questions further piques this interest. He has already learnt something of 
  Mahaas’ value through scrying. Over the past couple of days, Mean has 
  heard Mahaas talking to himself (which he frequently does) about some 
  “new weapon” and a fortune that’s to be had. Mean intends to keep an 
  ear and an eye on Mahaas to learn more. With Mean when the PCs first 
  encounter him are his crow familiar Lovely and his “boar” Mange.
  URIAH MEAN 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  hp 49 (See above)
  LOVELY, CROW FAMILIAR 
  CR —
  XP —
  hp 28 (See above)
  MANGE, INFERNAL THRALL 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  hp 16 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Devil, Imp”)
  Tactics: As it rarely leaves his presence, Mean’s thrall is usu-
  ally encountered as a boar pulling its master’s bath-chair. 
  It can escape its harness by changing back into imp form, 
  which it does as soon as it is aware of an attack. Mange 
  makes frequent use of invisibility to sneak up on opponents 
  and deliver attacks with its poison stinger before acrobati-
  cally flying away to safety. It uses its suggestion ability only at 
  Mean’s direction. As a thrall, Mange has no option but to lay 
  down its life for its master.
  Treasure: Mean keeps a loaded masterwork light crossbow behind the 
  counter at all times. The bolt’s tip is wax-sealed with blue whinnis poison. 
  The pawnshop’s stock is worth around 1,000 gp in total but it would take 
  several weeks to sell in its entirety. A small till hidden behind the counter 
  contains 25 gp, 25 sp and 25 cp.
  Blight Stonemites
  In a city as dismal as Castorhage, where it is almost constantly 
  damp, foggy, and chilled — except for when it’s unbearably hot and 
  muggy, thick with the smells of decomposing garbage, unwashed 
  bodies, and worse things — and nicknamed for a particularly 
  hazardous strain of fungus*, it’s really not particularly surprising 
  to anyone that even something as pernicious and annoying as 
  termites have their ugly stepbrother. That stepbrother would be the 
  Blight stonemite.
  Never confirmed to exist anywhere else beyond the bounds of 
  the city, the Blight stonemite is a horrible, blood-red insect about 
  6 inches long that make an unsettling grinding noise as it gnaws 
  through solid stone masonry and the softer mortar between. These 
  creatures work much slower than a termite in their destruction 
  but are no easier to remove once an infestation occurs. They are 
  thought to be a favoured food of the Blight’s other ubiquitous 
  dweller of cellars and crawlspaces, the night-slug**, proving at 
  least some use for those disgusting scavengers. Stonemites are 
  not only damaging to structures in the long term, they have a 
  tendency to swarm when it gets very hot and humid, resulting in 
  the collapse of major civic buildings on several occasions over 
  the centuries during unusually sultry summers. Stonemites are not 
  particularly dangerous to humanoids beyond causing itching and 
  annoying welts from bites for those who sleep too close to a nest 
  of the feeding insects. Nevertheless, apocryphal stories exist of 
  unfortunate stonemasons or exterminators who have fallen victim 
  to voracious swarms of the vermin, being reduced to little more 
  than boneless, bloodless bags of flesh riddled with the tiny burrows 
  of the creatures in their delving to feed on the calcification of the 
  victim’s skeletal structure.
  *See Blight in The Tome of Blighted Horrors.
  **See Night-Slug in The Tome of Blighted Horrors.
  
  23
  The Crucible
  B2. Kennel (CR 3)
  Nothing more than a kennel, this section of the boat’s cabin 
  has been left to fill with excrement and shed dog hair. The 
  stench of an animal pen fills the air.
  The floor is profusely covered in a dog’s mess, and a DC 10 Acrobatics 
  check is required for a two-legged creature to move herein at anything 
  greater than half speed. Mean keeps a particularly large and nasty guard 
  dog chained up in this room, an advanced retch hound, a sickly looking, 
  four-eyed canine with oozing sores covering its mangy hide. Mean 
  subdued the beast by long years of cruel training, and now the creature, 
  which he calls Dogg, obeys its master’s instructions out of fear. If Mean is 
  present and being attacked, he instructs Dogg to defend him. Dogg’s chain 
  is long enough to allow him to reach any point in areas B1–B3.
  DOGG 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  Male advanced retch hound (The Tome of Horrors Com-
  plete 513)
  NE Medium magical beast 
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +8
  Aura stench (DC 15, 10 rounds)
  AC 21, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +7 natural)
  hp 28 (3d10+12)
  Fort +7; Ref +7; Will +4
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee bite +7 (1d6+6 plus trip)
  Special Attacks breath weapon (10-ft. cone, 2d6 acid 
  damage plus nauseated 1d3 rounds, Reflex DC 15 for half 
  and not nauseated, usable every 8+1d4 rounds)
  Str 18, Dex 19, Con 19, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 8
  Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 21 (+25 vs. trip)
  Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Survival)
  Skills Perception +10, Survival +11 (+15 tracking by scent); 
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when tracking by 
  scent
  B3. Bedchamber (CR 9)
  A filthy four-poster bed dancing with lice-covered furs fills 
  this chamber. A chamber pot sits by its side along with a large 
  iron trunk. An improvised ramp rises to a small hatch at the 
  rear of the barge.
  The rear ramp leads to an entrance that is always locked with a poor 
  lock (DC 10 Disable Device) and is swollen shut with the dampness 
  (Break DC 8 even if unlocked). The room is filthy, with nothing of value 
  or interest beyond the iron trunk and a small dagger coated in wax-sealed 
  blue whinnis lodged between the headboard of the bed and the mattress 
  (DC 20 Perception check).
  Trap: The trunk is locked with a good lock (DC 30 Disable Device) 
  and is trapped. Unless the key that Mean keeps on his person is turned two 
  complete clockwise revolutions, a number of hidden blades are launched 
  across the room, targeting everyone in the chamber.
  SPRINGING BLADES TRAP 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 29
  Trigger touch; Reset manual
  Effect Atk +15 ranged (1d4+4 plus giant wasp poison); multi-
  ple targets (all targets in room)
  Treasure: Mean keeps his funds in the locked iron trunk in six neat 
  leather bags, each containing 200 gp. These lie above his spellbook, 
  which contains all his prepared spells and all the common arcane cantrips 
  plus burning hands, disguise self, magic aura, magic missile, negative 
  reactionUC, shocking grasp, unseen servant, vanishAPG, scorching ray, 
  
  24
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  minor dreamARG, and rainbow pattern. 
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race Guide
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  B4. Perilous Ascent
  A rusting ladder, clumsily anchored to the powdery and 
  crumbling outer walls of the tenement, climbs 60 feet up the 
  side to a balcony off the attic.
  A DC 15 Knowledge (engineering) check or DC 25 Perception check 
  reveals that, due to the corroded stone, the ladder is likely not to be secure. It 
  is easy to climb, but if more than 1 Medium or 2 Small creatures climb upon 
  it at the same time, it breaks away from the wall after the topmost climber 
  has ascended 1d6x10 feet, dropping anyone on it to the jetty below.
  A narrow balcony hangs 60 feet above the jetty. Mahaas has greased 
  the roof above the balcony with pig grease, which can be noticed with a 
  DC 20 Perception check by anyone within 10 feet. While the climb onto 
  the roof from the balcony is relatively easy (DC 10 Climb check), anyone 
  crossing the greased area must make a DC 17 Acrobatics check or slip 
  and slide toward the edge of the roof. A DC 20 Reflex save is required to 
  prevent a fall to the ground 60 feet below.
  An unlocked door with flaking red paint leads into the garret.
  B5. Kitchen (CR 6)
  The room beyond the red door is a vile place. At least forty 
  mangy street cats skulk in a large number of cages behind piles 
  of rubbish, and a pair of wild-looking terriers stare out from 
  the ruptured decay of a horsehair chair. Below a glass window 
  so thick with grime that it resembles a blackboard sits a larder-
  cupboard and a tiny iron stove. Nearby, a dripping tap fills an 
  iron pot to the brim with rust-coloured water.
  Mahaas cooks and eats in here with the help of some of his pets (which 
  occasionally make more of a contribution than just assistance). The larder-
  cupboard is very well stocked at present with a whole ham and three jugs 
  of cider. The 2 Blight terriers bark if they detect intruders on the balcony 
  or entering the room, though they are fairly cowardly and try to escape 
  attackers or cower and whimper if prevented from doing so. They are far 
  more scared of something other than the PCs, though. Mahaas has a pet he 
  stole from a flesh dealer in BookTown — a monstrous abomination that the 
  dealer referred to as the Child of Spines. Like many Between creatures, 
  the Child possesses a rudimentary intelligence. This one’s Between gate, 
  a fragmentary and fickle gateway near a place children use to play, is 
  perhaps why the thing giggles and mumbles nursery rhymes to itself 
  occasionally. The creature is small and revolting, superficially 
  resembling a boneneedle but with a distended flaccid fleshy sack 
  within which can be seen rudimentary childlike hands — and 
  occasionally a childlike face — trying to push outward. When 
  it was captured, its previous owner trained it like a dog. These 
  beatings left it fearful of whomever wears a Between ring like that 
  which Mahaas also stole. The caged cats are used to feed the thing; the 
  dogs just try to stay out of its way. When the PCs first enter the room, a PC 
  making a DC 20 Handle Animal check or a DC 30 Perception check notices 
  the terriers are looking at the oven within which the Child of Spines lurks.
  BLIGHT TERRIERS (2) 
  CR 1/4
  XP 100
  The Tome of Blighted Horrors “Familiar, Terrier”
  N Tiny animal
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
  AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 natural, +2 size)
  hp 5 (1d8+1)
  Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +3
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee bite +2 (1d3 plus death shake)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Str 11, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7
  Base Atk +0; CMB –2 (+2 grapple); CMD 10 (14 vs. trip)
  Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
  Skills Acrobatics +2 (+6 jumping), Intimidate –2 (+10 vs. rats 
  [including swarms]), Perception +8, Survival +1 (+5 in burrows 
  and underground); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival in burrows 
  and underground, +12 Intimidate vs. rats (including swarms)
  Death Shake (Ex) If a terrier makes a successful bite attack 
  against an opponent of its size or smaller, it makes a grapple 
  check as a free action without provoking attacks of oppor-
  tunity. If the grapple check is successful, the terrier imme-
  diately shakes its head violently in an attempt to break the 
  neck or back of its opponent. This attack deals 2d3 points of 
  damage. A terrier automatically does death shake damage 
  in any round that it maintains its grapple. Against an oppo-
  nent that is a four-legged animal that dwells in underground 
  burrows or dens, the terrier can use this attack against a 
  creature up to one size category larger than it is and gains 
  an additional +4 bonus to the grapple check.
  CHILD OF SPINES 
  CR 6/BA 9
  XP 2,400
  Female Between-born lesser boneneedle (The Tome of Hor-
  rors Complete 79, The Tome of Blighted Horrors “Between 
  Creature”)
  N Small vermin
  Init +7; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 90 ft., low-light vi-
  sion; Perception +8
  Aura emotion (50 ft., DC 15)
  AC 21, touch 19, flat-footed 13 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natu-
  ral, +1 size)
  
  25
  The Crucible
  hp 56 (3d8+3 plus 40); fast healing 5
  Fort +4; Ref +10; Will +2; second saveMA
  Defensive Abilities all-around vision, dislocated (displace-
  ment), distorted (75%), evasion; DR 10/cold iron and magic; 
  SR 20
  Weaknesses aversion to daylight
  MA See Pathfinder Roleplaying Games Mythic Adventures
  Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
  Melee bite +10 (1d3–1 plus poison)
  Spell-like Abilities (CL 9th):
  1/day—blink, mirror image
  3/day—invisibility (self only), spider climb (self only) 
  Str 8, Dex 25, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 3
  Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 18 (30 vs. trip) 
  Feats Ability Focus (poison), Acrobatic StepsB, DodgeB, Lightning 
  ReflexesB, MobilityB, Nimble MovesB, Step Up, Weapon Finesse B
  Skills Climb +15, Perception +8, Stealth +17; Racial Modifiers 
  +4 Perception, +6 Stealth, modifies Climb with Dexterity
  Languages Aklo, Common
  SQ crowd
  Crowd (Ex) These monsters crawl over each other in an at-
  tempt to swarm an opponent. Up to three boneneedles can 
  occupy a single 5-foot space.
  Poison (Ex) Boneneedle Poison; Sting—injury; save Fort DC 
  14; frequency 1/round for 2 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex; second-
  ary effect: target takes an extra 1 point of damage from 
  crushing or bludgeoning attacks until all Dex damage is 
  healed; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Tactics: The Child lurks in cover behind the oven, waiting for a chance to 
  take lone prey; this includes any of the animals herein, although the frequent 
  beatings it has taken at the hands of its owners has honed its hatred for men 
  and it always attacks humans in preference to others. It prefers to quickly 
  move, attack with poison, and then escape. However, it does not attack 
  anyone wearing the Between ring Mahaas presently wears, and ideally waits 
  undiscovered until the PCs pass and then scuttles out behind them to attack. 
  The Child is quite cowardly, and seeks escape over attack. If the opportunity 
  of a wide-open door presents itself, the thing scuttles away, a flaccid body 
  on too many legs. If this occurs, make sure a PC sees it fleeing.
  B6. Aviary (CR 7)
  The roof is fractured here, and a long rotting purlin is 
  exposed to the elements. Birds fly in and out of the hollow this 
  opening has created.
  Mahaas keeps many animals, and his stirges are his favourites. This 
  room has a ruptured ceiling with a few holes that allow the 12 stirges who 
  roost here to go in and out. The floor is littered with the bloody droppings 
  that remain from their hunts in addition to the bones and carcasses of 
  rodents, gulls, pigeons and small cats that they were able to carry away. 
  Lovely’s murder knows to keep away from this place.
  STIRGES (12) 
  CR 1/2
  XP 200
  hp 5  (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Stirge”)
  B7. Trapped Corridor (CR 8)
  This dusty, rubbish-strewn corridor bears a trap left by the paranoid 
  Mahaas. He never comes this way himself.
  Trap: Halfway along the corridor, a small pressure plate beneath a 
  loose floorboard triggers a poison vapor trap.
  POISON VAPOR TRAP 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20
  Trigger location; Reset repair
  Effect poison gas (lungtaker poison); never miss; onset de-
  lay (1 round); multiple targets (all targets within 10 ft. of the 
  trapped square)
  B8–13. Attic Living Areas (CR varies)
  Mahaas spends most of his time in his private chambers with his 
  accomplices, 2 wererats that are outcasts from the Family, and his demon 
  thrall Lump. Whilst he can be encountered anywhere in the garret, he 
  spends most of his time in the living area (B12).
  Mahaas’ Story
  Mahaas is friendly with a number of unsavory characters on Festival, 
  including two outcasts of the Family, the group of wererats who rule this 
  island. One other associate prefers to keep his distance and does business 
  in disguise: the Organ Grinder. The Organ Grinder has recently been using 
  Mahaas to assist in extorting money from Savant Edwina Spitewinter, a 
  member of the Royal Underneath Society. Spitewinter is conducting a 
  dig to uncover the fossilized remains of a Leviathan, one of a huge and 
  twisted ancient species whose bodies occasionally emerge from the silt 
  and stone of Castorhage’s bedrock. Spitewinter has organised a temporary 
  camp on Festival to excavate it.
  The Organ Grinder has been paying Mahaas to help. They visited 
  Spitewinter and, after causing a fire with a ragefire spawn, persuaded the 
  savant to part with cash for protection. On the last three occasions, the 
  Organ Grinder has had a pair of quartz flasks in his possession and has 
  suggested to the savant that, unless she pays, he will smash the flasks 
  for her to see what caused the fire. Afterward, Mahaas stole one of the 
  flasks so that he could carry out the Organ Grinder’s threats if it came to 
  it. Unable to control his anger in an unrelated incident, however, Mahaas 
  smashed one of the flasks at the ghats yesterday, resulting in the death of 
  the prostitute Constance Chanterelle. The Organ Grinder is not aware of 
  this incident.
  If the PCs manage to intimidate and question Mahaas, he knows only 
  that his employer is generous, and required a little ugly help to persuade 
  a wealthy toff to part with some money. This toff, Savant Edwina 
  Spitewinter, is at a nearby worksite digging into the rock under the city. 
  He can provide directions to it. Mahaas does not know where the Organ 
  Grinder is, but knows he performs across Festival.
  Mahaas is a poor soul unmade by the gods. His voluminous attire is 
  colourful, if faded, with sewn remnants of at least a hundred other items 
  Lungtaker Poison
  This insidious inhaled poison strikes directly at the victim’s 
  lungs and can cause swift suffocation. It first appeared in 
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Magnimar, City of Monuments by 
  Paizo Publishing. It is reproduced here for your convenience.
  LUNGTAKER
  Type inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 17
  Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds
  Effect 1d6 Str; Cure 2 saves. 
  If this poison’s accumulated Strength damage 
  ever exceeds the victim’s Strength score, the victim 
  immediately begins to suffocate (see Chapter 13, 
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook). A DC 
  17 Heal check (or any amount of magical healing) is 
  enough to stop this suffocation before the victim dies.
  
  26
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  made into one eye-catching patchwork. However, not one but two heads 
  fight for space through his torn collar, and while one is handsome, with 
  an oiled moustache and neatly groomed hair, the second is a sack of 
  cankerous flesh. At least three mouths open up from this monstrosity, 
  and a look of blind idiocy crosses the abstract features of this unwelcome 
  additional visage. Mahaas wears a dull grey metal Between ring on his 
  left index finger. Occasionally, the ring tightens up so much that it hurts.
  MAHAAS 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Male human alchemist (vivisectionist) 7/rogue (roof runner) 
  2 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide 
  “Alchemist”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic 
  “Vivisectionist”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate 
  Combat “Roof Runner”)
  NE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +8; Perception +14
  AC 26, touch 18, flat-footed 18 (+2 armor, +4 shield, +8 Dex, 
  +2 natural)
  hp 62 (9d8+18)
  Fort +7 (+11 vs. poison); Ref +19; Will +2
  Defensive Abilities evasion, fortification 25%
  Speed 30 ft.; roof running, tumbling descent
  Melee mwk rapier +13/+8 (1d6/18–20), mwk sickle +13 (1d6)
  Ranged hand crossbow +14/+9 (1d4/19-20) or dagger +14 
  (1d4/19-20)
  Special Attacks sneak attack +5d6 plus 5 bleed
  Alchemist Extracts Prepared (CL 7th):
  3rd—burst of speed
  2nd—cat’s grace (already used), certain gripUC, cure 
  moderate wounds, spider climb
  1st—expeditious retreat, jump, polypurpose panaceaUM, 
  shield (already used), urban graceARG
  Before Combat If Mahaas becomes aware of intruders, he 
  drinks his mutagen and then extracts of cat’s grace and 
  shield. These effects are included in his stats.
  During Combat Mahaas uses Acrobatics to flank and sneak 
  attack with his rapier and sickle, applying black adder ven-
  om to a blade as a swift action each round. He saves his 
  ragefire spawn until things get desperate, only flinging it at 
  an opponent if cornered or if losing the fight.
  Morale If reduced to 40 hp or less, Mahaas uses his expedi-
  tious retreat extract in anticipation of escape. If reduced 
  below 30 hp, he uses burst of speed and flees via the es-
  cape hatch (see B12) and across the rooftop.
  Base Statistics Without his mutagen and extracts Mahaas’ 
  statistics are Init +4; Perception +14; AC 16, touch 14, flat-
  footed 12; Ref +15, Will +3; Dex 18, Wis 12.
  Str 10, Dex 26, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 8
  Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 24
  Feats AlertnessB, Brew Potion, Die for Your MasterUM, Extra 
  Discovery (3), Throw Anything, Two-Weapon Fighting, 
  Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +20, Climb +12, Craft (alchemy) +10 (+17 to 
  create alchemical items), Disable Device +14, Escape Artist 
  +20, Heal +4, Knowledge (local) +14, Knowledge (nature) 
  +6, Perception +14, Sense Motive +2, Sleight of Hand +12, 
  Spellcraft +6, Stealth +20, Survival +7
  Languages Common, Giant, Gnome
  SQ discoveries (bleeding attack, parasitic twin, preserve 
  organs 25%, tumor familiar (weasel named Entrail), vestigial 
  arm [x2]), swift poisoning, heart of the streetsARG, mutagen 
  (Dex), poison use, rogue talents (ledge walker), swift 
  alchemy, torturous transformation
  Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, black 
  adder venom (5), bottled ragefire spawn (see below); Other 
  Gear murderer’s blackclothUE, his hooded multi-colored 
  patchwork coat is a cloak of arachnida, Between ring (see 
  Appendix B), crossbow bolts (10), dagger, hand crossbow, 
  masterwork rapier, masterwork sickle, 5 gp. 
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race 
  Guide
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  UE See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Equipment
  UM See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic
  ENTRAIL
  CR —
  XP —
  Male weasel tumor familiar (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Bestiary “Familiar, Weasel”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Ultimate Magic “Tumor Familiar”)
  NE Tiny magical beast
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +13
  AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural, +2 size)
  hp 31 (7 HD); fast healing 5 (when attached)
  Fort +5; Ref +10; Will +3
  Defensive Abilities improved evasion, evasion
  Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee bite +10 (1d3–4 plus attach)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks deliver touch spells
  Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 5
  Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 12 (16 vs. trip)
  Feats Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +22 (+18 jump), Climb +22, Disable Device 
  +3, Escape Artist +11, Perception +13, Sleight of Hand +3, 
  Spellcraft +0, Stealth +26, Survival +5; Racial Modifiers +8 
  
  27
  The Crucible
  Acrobatics, +4 Stealth
  Languages speak with master
  SQ empathic link, share spells
  LUMP 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  Dretch thrall (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Demon, 
  Dretch”)
  hp 18
  During Combat Lump releases a stinking cloud before resorting to 
  its claws and bite. It uses cause fear on the first that fights back.
  Morale Lump guards Mahaas with its life. Thralls are drawn 
  into the world as part of a pact and cannot flee.
  Mahaas carries a bottle holding a trapped ragefire spawn. If the bottle 
  is broken, the ragefire spawn emerges and immediately begins taking out 
  its anger on anyone in sight.
  RAGEFIRE SPAWN 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 22 (See Appendix A)
  During Combat The ragefire spawn’s primary motivation — 
  which it follows with a terrifying single-mindedness — is to kill 
  sentient humanoid creatures. See “Development” below.
  Morale The ragefire spawn exists to consume life and unre-
  lentingly fights to the death.
  OUTCASTS OF THE FAMILY (2) 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  Male natural wererat (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 
  “Lycanthrope, Wererat”)
  hp 20
  During Combat The wererats work with Mahaas to flank op-
  ponents, tumbling into position if necessary.
  Morale The wererats assume rat shape and flee if reduced 
  to 10 or fewer hit points or if Mahaas flees. They do not fol-
  low Mahaas onto the rooftops, however. If caught, they 
  are able to tell the PCs about the blackmail as Mahaas has 
  been bragging about it. They are aware of the bottled fire 
  creature, but don’t know where it came from or what it is.
  Development: Whenever a ragefire is released, it has the potential 
  to become vast, growing and swelling in size as it consumes flesh and 
  combustible material. A more serious danger comes from its inherent 
  nature: When a ragefire elemental spends a full round in an area containing 
  combustible material, the whole area it is in catches fire. Such fires spread 
  unless quickly dealt with. For more information, see area E2-4 in Chapter 6.
  B8. Junk Room
  This room and its jumbled contents lie under a thick film of 
  lichen and mould caused by leaks in the roof. It is filled with junk.
  A thorough search finds a saw, a file, and two spades.
  B9. Library Laboratory
  Hundreds of books line shelves in this room. The books 
  glower over a peculiarly fleshy alchemist’s laboratory while 
  grinning masks and hoods hang from hooks nearby.
  Most of the books here are about alchemy, anatomy, surgery, or 
  vivisection. Many are deeply disturbing, showing an absolute lack 
  of empathy for the subjects. Some, however, are valuable. A DC 15 
  Knowledge (arcana) or Craft (alchemy) check can locate three books 
  worth 100 gp each to an appropriate buyer: Hugot’s Thrall Pacts, Spade’s 
  Making Animals Useful and Palwin’s Alchymye in Scyence. Mahaas also 
  keeps his formulae book here, which contains all his prepared extracts 
  plus 1st—anticipate peril, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, 
  deathwatch, keen senses; 2nd—anthropomorphic animal, barkskin. 
  There are many more hoods than masks, and most of the hoods are 
  double ones. Among the disturbingly fleshy pigskin hoods, hoods made 
  from sacks with eyes cut out, and single huge hoods is a saggy double 
  hood that has had the second hood sewn into it at some time. A DC 25 
  Perception check notices this. The first hood is identical in effect to a 
  circlet of persuasion. Although he rarely uses it, Mahaas is aware of its 
  effects. The masterwork alchemist’s laboratory is presently being used to 
  experiment on cats.
  B10. Stores
  This is another junk room cluttered with oddments Mahaas has collected.
  Treasure: A DC 25 Perception check while searching the room uncovers 
  a trio of gold earrings set with tiny jet stones worth 25 gp each that have 
  fallen down the back of a horsehair seat. A small tapestry worth 50 gp 
  that depicts knights on chargers and a stuffed teddy bear are easily found 
  without requiring a skill check. The teddy bear has a Small masterwork 
  silvered dagger hidden in its mouldering chest cavity.
  B11. Bedroom
  A mangy horsehair bed with goose-down pillows dominates this room. 
  A large tarpaulin stretches across several small leaks in the roof to prevent 
  rain dripping onto the bed.
  B12. Living Area and Menagerie 
  (CR varies)
  This is a cluttered living room with comfortable oak chairs, a 
  large table, and a small stove. The walls have several cupboards, 
  while across the chamber are several cages and huge bell jars; 
  the animals within are screaming and yelling and howling.
  Arcanists and their Thralls
  Any moderately fashionable arcanist in the Blight must have 
  his thrall — and the more powerful the thrall, the more respect 
  the arcanist is afforded by his colleagues. A thrall is not a familiar 
  — indeed, the relationship between the thrall and familiar is often 
  a complex one — but rather a physical guardian of its master; 
  arcanists generally don’t lower themselves to fisticuffs of any sort.
  Thralls are generally bound by a pact to serve the arcanist for an 
  agreed period, often 40 years plus a day. This is a curious length 
  of time when considered but one which, inexplicably, is most 
  common in all pacts between mortals and fiends or other outsiders. 
  Arcanists often have genies or lesser demons or devils as thralls; 
  the most powerful occasionally have more than one. Thralls tend 
  to squabble among themselves, however, over the affection of 
  their master and often end up jealously killing one another.
  A common situation between warring arcanists is to settle 
  their dispute by thrall duel in which their thralls battle it out in a 
  final combat to decide which master was in the right. The losing 
  arcanist is bound by a sacred and ancient pact to acknowledge the 
  victor as being correct in the matter.
  
  28
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  The animals, fish and vermin herein reflect the diverse nature of the 
  city and Sister Lyme. Among the various blind fish, mice and enormous 
  vermin are a Small gable spider, a half dozen giant fleas, and a spore 
  rat. Hidden in a bell jar under a faded tapestry depicting the Capitol is a 
  floating eye that, if uncovered, uses its hypnotic gaze attack.
  SMALL GABLE SPIDER 
  CR 1/2
  XP 200
  hp 5 (See Appendix A)
  GIANT FLEAS (6) 
  CR 1/2
  XP 200
  hp 5 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 “Flea, Giant”)
  SPORE RAT 
  CR 1
  XP 400
  The Tome of Horrors Complete 505
  N Small plant (fungus)
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +8
  AC16, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
  hp 13 (3d8)
  Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +5
  Immune plant traits
  Spd 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee bite +6 (1d4–2 plus spores)
  Special Attacks spore cloud, spores
  Str 6, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 4
  Base Atk +2; CMB –2; CMD 11 (15 vs. trip)
  Feats Alertness, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Climb +12, Perception +8; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to 
  modify Climb and Swim 
  Spore Cloud (Ex): Twice per day, a spore rat can 
  release a cloud of noxious spores in a 5-foot radius. 
  Creatures adjacent to the spore rat must succeed on 
  a DC 11 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Strength 
  damage. The cloud lasts a single round. The save DC is
  Constitution-based.
  Spores (Ex): The bite of a spore rat injects a living 
  creature with miniscule spores that cause nausea for 1 
  round. A successful DC 11 Fortitude save negates the 
  nausea. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  FLOATING EYE 
  CR 1/3
  XP 135
  The Tome of Horrors 
  Complete 288
  N Diminutive magical 
  beast (aquatic)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 
  60 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +4
  AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 
  (+2 Dex, +4 size)
  hp 5 (1d10)
  Fort +2; Ref +4; Will –3
  Speed swim 60 ft.
  Melee bite +0 (1d2–5)
  Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks hypnotic gaze (DC 10, 1d6+1 rounds)
  Str 1, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 1, Wis 4, Cha 2
  Base Atk +1; CMB –8; CMD 4
  Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +14 (+22 to hide), Swim +10; 
  Racial Modifiers +8 on Stealth checks to hide
  Environment any aquatic
  Organization school (3–12)
  Hypnotic Gaze (Ex) Creatures meeting the gaze of a float-
  ing eye must succeed on a DC 10 Will save or stand and 
  stare blankly at the floating eye (similar to the effects of a 
  hypnotism spell) for 1d6+1 rounds. A swimming creature that 
  fails its save does not sink, but floats on the surface of the 
  water. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Treasure: Tossed about the room are a sack of 250 sp, a pair of copper 
  candlesticks depicting swans worth 30 gp, and a small tapestry depicting 
  The Ice Fayre of Castorhage worth 75 gp. An alchemy lab and a set of 
  thieves’ tools are on the table. Sitting by the stove is a curious large object: 
  a fossil that looks like a tail covered in barbs, with holes for eyes, or 
  maybe mouths, and ending in a sphincter with teeth. The object has clearly 
  only recently been dug up as it still has mud on it. Anyone who makes a 
  DC 15 Knowledge (local) check recalls that the excavation of a Leviathan 
  — an ancient species whose fossilized remains are occasionally found in 
  the silt of the city — is currently taking place not far from here. A DC 10 
  Diplomacy check to gather information on strange fossils uncovers the 
  same information. Above the entrance to B9 is a hidden cupboard (a DC 
  25 Perception check is required to notice it). The cupboard door is hinged 
  to the ceiling and contains 4 bags of gold shekels (400 gp in each).
  B13. Roof Bridge 
  A clockwork mechanism connects to a secret door on the outside. The door 
  can be found with a DC 25 Perception check along with the tiny metal stud that 
  operates it. If the stud is pressed, the door opens and a clockwork bridge snaps 
  forward across to the adjacent rooftop, stretching 15 feet from sill to sill, 60 
  feet above the cobbled street below. A 15-foot-long jump is required to cross. If 
  pressed, Mahaas and his henchmen flee this way to escape across the rooftops 
  (see Rooftop Chase below for more details). As he crosses the bridge, Mahaas 
  hits another hidden trigger as a free action that causes the bridge to collapse 
  behind him, leaving the 15-foot gap to somehow be navigated.
  B14. Tenement Roofs
  Beyond the secret entrance, jagged rooftops and gables spill away over 
  the streets far below.
  Event 2: Rooftop Chase (CR 7)
  This encounter uses a variant of the chase rules from the Pathfinder RPG 
  GameMastery Guide. The modifications attempt to keep the mechanics of 
  the chase embedded within a shared time structure and environment yet 
  lend a dynamic feel to the encounter. 
  
  29
  The Crucible
  When running a chase encounter, it is important to remember that there 
  are many other ways in which PCs might move or overcome obstacles. 
  Detailed descriptions are provided to help the players understand each 
  stage of the chase, including the route it is taking and any obstacles 
  encountered. Allow PCs to substitute other skills or abilities when it makes 
  sense, but balance the DCs for substituted skills or abilities in relation to 
  the presented DCs. Of course, spells such as fly or dimension door could 
  alleviate the need for checks altogether.
  Structure of the Chase
  The chase occurs in stages over the rooftops of Festival. It has a number 
  of different routes that different PCs may choose — or be forced — to 
  take as they come to each obstacle. The chase assumes Mahaas opens his 
  secret door, and gets across the bridge. For every round of delay Mahaas 
  gets a further stage away (assuming he doesn’t fail the check). The chase 
  assumes a speed of 30 feet, and each stage is roughly 120 feet in length for 
  the purposes of spells and ranged weapons. The PCs have visibility and 
  line of sight for only up to 1 stage ahead. A PC moving only 20 feet falls 
  behind by 1 stage for every 3 stages traveled.
  If Mahaas gets 3 or more stages ahead, he escapes but is very likely to 
  tail the PCs and come back afterward. If he reaches the final stage ahead 
  of the PCs, he descends to a busy Festival crowd and tries to slink away. 
  Chase Stages
  Skills marked with a superscript M are the options that Mahaas attempts 
  under normal circumstances unless the PCs somehow prevent him from 
  doing so. All Acrobatics DCs assume at least a 10-foot running start; 
  otherwise, double the DCs accordingly.
  A. Over the Bridge
  This crosses the initial 15-foot gap from B13. Mahaas does not require 
  a skill check to cross since the bridge is still in place when he does so. 
  Everyone else must make a DC 15 Acrobatics check or a 15-foot-long 
  jump is required to cross. The drop is 60 feet.
  B. To Higher Ground
  This route involves ascending to the higher roof peaks of the building 
  across from Mahaas’ flat and past its smoking chimneystacks. It has three 
  different route options:
  1. Around the narrow edges: Acrobatics DC 20 or Climb DC 15.
  2. Up the drainpipe:M Climb DC 10.
  3. Between the smoky chimneystacks: Fortitude save DC 13; failure
  means PCs get smoke in their eyes and take a −4 penalty on their next check.
  C. Jump, Man, Jump! 
  This crosses from the roof of one building to the next over a 20-foot 
  gap. The drop is 120 feet. It has three different options:
  1. Jump the gap: Acrobatics DC 20
  2. Balance over the washing line: Acrobatics DC 25
  3. Swing on the hidden rope:M Perception DC 25, Acrobatics DC 10
  D. Alley Bridges
  Rickety bridges cross an alley from one roof to the other. They span 
  a 60-foot-wide gap. The drop is 120 feet. It has three different bridge 
  options:
  1. The broad path: Acrobatics DC 10, but the bridge is deliberately
  weakened. Perception DC 30 to spot and avoid the weak spot, Reflex save 
  DC 20 to avoid a fall if the weak spot is stepped on.
  2. The narrow path:M Acrobatics DC 20
  3. The winding path: Acrobatics DC 15 but lose 1 round
  E. Over the Pleasure Wheel
  A small Ferris wheel straddles a street, its axle mounted into the 
  buildings on either side. To cross requires climbing down onto the axle 
  and then through its spokes to come out on the other side; timing a jump 
  down to try to pass between two of its spokes and land on the axle on the 
  far side; or simply making an all-out jump for the top of the wheel and 
  trying to skip directly across to the opposite roof. The drop is 40 feet from 
  the axle or 60 feet from the top of the wheel.
  1. Cautious climbing: Climb DC 10, but lose 2 rounds to take the easiest way
  2. Time the jump: Acrobatics DC 15, but lose 1 round to take the safer course
  3. Go for it:M Acrobatics DC 20
  F. Up the High Wall
  A high wall blocks the wall and must be surmounted with either a 
  ladder, a stairway, or by climbing. Any fall is 1d6 x 10 feet.
  1. Up the stair: Lose 1 round
  2. Up the ladder: The ladder is loose, Climb DC 10 to avoid falling
  3. Straight up the wall:M Climb DC 20
  G. Down, down, deeper and down
  The path leads down from the high rooftops and onto the crowded 
  upper streets of Festival. The roofs here are 60 feet above ground level. 
  There are three possible methods:
  1. Descend the rickety ladders: Lose 1 round
  2. Rappel down a rope:M Climb DC 15
  3. Take the plunge: Jump from the roof for 6d6 points of falling damage
  (or 4d6 and 1d6 nonlethal with Acrobatics DC 15), but gain 1 round
  1G: Through the Crowded Streets
  If Mahaas makes it here before the PCs, he has a chance to escape. 
  He moves into the crowd, gaining +4 to his Stealth check to do so. If 
  the PCs succeed at 2 consecutive Perception checks against him as he 
  moves through the crowd, they can catch up with him. If not, they lose 
  him. Every round the PCs are behind Mahaas requires an additional 
  consecutive Perception check.
  
  30
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  A member of the Royal Underneath Society, Savant Edwina Spitewinter 
  is a noted expert on the Ancients — creatures of old also referred to as 
  Leviathans. These huge fossilized horrors are found occasionally beneath 
  the silt and stone of the city, and are sometimes the subject of furious 
  and unsubstantiated rumours. Anyone seeking information about the 
  Leviathan Dig in Castorhage can make Diplomacy checks to gather 
  information (see sidebox below).
  A Royal Underneath 
  Society Dig
  Spitewinter uncovered this particular site by accident while spending 
  time on Festival with her children. As she strolled the Merry-Go-Round, the 
  streets and boardwalks that lie at the foot of the Festival itself, at low tide 
  she spotted what she thought was an Ancient in a nearby sandbar and soon 
  began to dig furiously from a raft at an exposed embankment of river silt. 
  Now, two months into the dig, three strange creatures are being uncovered.
  Recently, however, Spitewinter has been subject to blackmail from 
  the Organ Grinder, who has been threatening to ruin the dig and 
  destroy Spitewinter’s work unless paid handsomely to protect it. Up 
  until recently, Spitewinter has paid the Organ Grinder; however, after 
  having paid 2,000 gp and realising that the blackmail was unlikely to 
  stop, Spitewinter has brought in some hired muscle to protect the site. 
  Her nervousness is being transmitted to these hired men, and they have 
  already deposited three sightseers into the river through an “attack first 
  and question later” policy.
  C1. Guarded Dock (CR 8)
  The festering footings overlook a curious site, an excavation 
  of some sort on a sandbar some way from shore. It seems to 
  have excited a lot of local interest based on the many onlookers 
  keeping a careful distance from the bridge that leads out to 
  the dig.
  Anyone observed approaching this area is accosted by 4 mercenary 
  guards who lurk on the dock. Unless their attitude can be changed from 
  hostile to at least indifferent (a DC 25 Diplomacy or DC 20 Intimidate 
  check), they draw their weapons and threaten to attack. They follow 
  through with this threat unless visitors leave immediately. If they can be 
  made friendly or helpful, they lead visitors to the dig site.
  ALBRIGHT GUARDIANSHIP COMPANY GUARDS (4) 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  Male human fighter 5 
  LN Medium humanoid (human) 
  Init +2; Perception +5
  AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+6 armor, +2 Dex, +1 shield) 
  hp 47 (5d10+15) 
  Fort +6; Ref +3; Will +1 (+2 vs. fear)
  Defensive Abilities bravery +1
  Speed 30 ft. 
  Melee longsword +9 (1d8+4/19–20) 
  Ranged heavy crossbow +7 (1d10/19–20) 
  Special Attacks weapon training (heavy blades +1)
  Before Combat The guards try to Intimidate opponents first 
  as they threaten attack. If this fails, they draw their weapons.
  Morale The guards uphold the good name of the 
  Albright Guardianship Company by fighting until clearly 
  overpowered (fewer than 10 hit points) before offering to 
  “walk away.”
  Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 11 
  Base Atk +5; CMB +8; CMD 20 
  Feats AntagonizeUM, Blind-fight, Flanking FoilUC, Point-blank 
  Shot, Power Attack, Swap PlacesAPG, Weapon Focus (long-
  sword) 
  Skills Acrobatics –2, Bluff +1, Heal +1, Intimidate +8, Percep-
  tion +5, Sense Motive +1, Swim +2 
  Languages Common 
  SQ armor training 1 
  Gear chainmail, buckler, heavy crossbow, longsword
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  UM See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic
  Chapter Four:
  The Leviathan Dig
  Rumours about  
  the Leviathan Dig
  DC
  Rumour
  10
  “Just what are they digging for? These Savants 
  are the cause of all the trouble in this city! 
  They’ll not be happy until they’ve dug their 
  way to Hell.”
  15
  “They say they’ve found one of the Ancients, 
  like the one they dug up at the Seminary last 
  year. Unholy things of teeth and tusk, with 
  great bloated heads. I’ve heard them Sa-
  vants say these creatures came from the stars. 
  Came from Hell, more like!”
  20
  “They’ve found some sort of object with this 
  one — an idol or totem, or some such thing. I 
  say what’s buried should stay buried!”
  25
  “I’ve heard tell that they’ve been having trou-
  ble at the dig, and Savant Spitewinter has had 
  to hire guards — what for I can’t guess!”
  
  31
  The Crucible
  C2. The Flotsam Walkway 
  (CR 0 or 8)
  A precarious walkway of timber planks is lashed to a number 
  of inflated pigs’ bladders and sealed barrels. It links the isle 
  that is the focus of activity to the shore.
  An iron dock ladder leads down between 15 and 20 feet (depending on 
  the tide); no check is required to use the ladder. The planks beyond are 
  not so easy to use, as they move about unpredictably. A DC 8 Acrobatics 
  check is required to use them without falling. Characters falling at high 
  tide must make a DC 10 Swim check and a DC 15 Climb or Acrobatics 
  check to clamber back onto the walkway without help. At low tide, it is a 
  different matter: Characters fall waist deep (if they are Medium) into the 
  cloying silt of the bay here. The silt behaves exactly like quicksand.
  Characters watching the shore for a while notice that several dirty 
  children throw offal and the odd creatures (but not rats or cats — they have 
  differing fortunes here on Festival; rats abound, cats do not) such as mangy 
  old chickens and the odd stray puppy into the water and watch the fun 
  develop. A pair of sough-eels has taken to catching and eating the prey, and 
  ignoring the odd rock throw by the children. The sough-eels are close by, 
  and if anything drops into the water, they appear 1d3 rounds later.
  SOUGH-EELS (2) 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400
  hp 76 (See Appendix A) 
  
  32
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  C3. Dig Site
  Barely visible above low tide waters is a mucky islet, little 
  more than a sandbank in Sister Lyme. Yet this sandbank is 
  now a hive of activity: A raised area of timbers has been lashed 
  together and a tent has been erected on it, while nearby is 
  the burnt-out husk of a shed. Not far away, a large hole has 
  been dug below the water level, though a wall of high planks 
  holds the river back. A dark stack of strange, hexagonal stones 
  stands nearby on the edge of the sandbank.
  The islet is reached by a rickety set of boardwalks, planks, and barrel-
  lids supported by bladders and sealed barrels (C2). The dig site is on a 
  sandbar that provides relatively stable footing. All other areas beyond the 
  dig, though, are thick, black Blight mud, which has the same properties as 
  quicksand (see Marsh Terrain in Chapter 13 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying 
  Game Core Rulebook). All boardwalks, barrel-lids and planks are unfixed 
  and wobbly, requiring a DC 5 Acrobatics check to cross.
  Savant Edwina Spitewinter (N female human expert 8) presently 
  resides in a small tent on the dig site itself. She has two reasons for this: 
  First, she is afraid of being attacked, and second, the dig is reaching an 
  exciting phase, with parts of a third most-unusual creature being revealed. 
  Objects clutter Spitewinter’s tent; she has been labelling and cataloguing 
  the most interesting fragments from the dig. A dozen large trunks 
  containing hundreds of small sample boxes fill the interior.
  Spitewinter is a tall, slender woman who favours dark, foul-smelling 
  Black Radge Shag tobacco in her pipe, and who walks with the aid of a 
  cane. At the dig, she is usually found covered in malodourous mud and 
  wielding a small trowel. She is a Savant of the Royal Underneath Society. 
  An expert in her field, she has overseen a dozen digs in the city. This dig, 
  however, particularly excites her as she has not only uncovered a shard of a 
  honeycomb totem, but also a type of Leviathan she has never seen before.
  If the PCs can change her initial unfriendly attitude to friendly by 
  convincing her that they are here to help rather than sabotage her dig 
  (a DC 31 Diplomacy check), she tells them what she knows about her 
  blackmailer (see below). If the PCs return the Leviathan tail sample from 
  Mahaas’ garret to her, she immediately becomes friendly.
  What Spitewinter Knows
  Although she does not know his name, Spitewinter has made several 
  observations. First, she knows what the Organ Grinder looks like (see 
  below) and that he has a curious monkey following him — a monkey with 
  an unsettlingly human appearance. Secondly, she believes her blackmailer 
  must be local, as his drawl is unmistakably a Festival accent. Finally, she 
  knows he has an accomplice, a vile-looking fellow who appears to have 
  second-head fluke — a most regrettable sickness (see Mahaas, C8–13). 
  She is particularly annoyed at this accomplice who took it upon himself 
  to take a beautiful tail sample that she had recovered. She would dearly 
  like it returned if the vile man is ever brought to justice. Spitewinter has 
  considered having the men tailed but is so engrossed in the dig that so far 
  Becoming a Savant
  Savant is a title seldom given. To earn the title, the claimant 
  must have at least 8 ranks in the related skill, Skill Focus in the 
  related skill, and must also have performed some valuable or 
  acclaimed service for one of the Universities, most of which are 
  located in BookTown.
  Savants receive a salary of 1d4+1 x 100 gp per month to conduct 
  their studies, lodgings at the University that sponsors them, 
  unlimited time to study (occasionally interrupted by a requirement 
  to lecture), and the use of the University’s facilities. University 
  facilities invariably include masterwork workrooms and libraries 
  that enhance associated skill checks.
  
  33
  The Crucible
  she has only taken the step of hiring guards, incensed after the men almost 
  destroyed her samples. 
  Spitewinter had been using a wooden shed to store samples that she has 
  discovered here and shows its burnt remains to anyone she feels is trying 
  to help her (C5).
  Spitewinter plays no further role in this adventure, but you may wish 
  to use her and her dig as a way of introducing future adventures to your 
  players — perhaps she unearths a glass vessel in the dig, an opaque thing 
  that intrigues her. She accidentally drops the glass one night, breaking it, 
  and something terrible emerges and slithers into the city night. Horrified, 
  she remembers the strangers and their confidence — and she seeks them 
  out to help her find the escaped thing. 
  C4. The Leviathans
  Three Ancients are being unearthed here, their fossilized 
  remains exposed and the tidal waters kept back by thick 
  plank dikes. The first was a hulking snake-like brute with an 
  enormous maw. The second was more jaw than body, with 
  three tooth-filled mouths. The final creature is barely visible, 
  but clearly unusual. Its flank and tail were covered in small-
  tusked mouths, and it had a triple tail ending in four bony 
  scythes, and what appears to be a shoulder structure that looks 
  like it connected to a wing.
  The fossilized skeletal remains of three Leviathans are being unearthed 
  here by the Royal Underneath Society. During the day, 2d4+2 student 
  volunteers (LN male or female human expert 1) are around, assisting in 
  the dig. At the eastern end of the dig is the “honeycomb totem” (see below).
  Honeycomb Totem
  At the edge of the site, a small shard of dark stone rises 
  from a series of hexagonal granite slabs. Weathered hexagons, 
  rather like those found in a beehive, cover the shard itself.
  These structures, known as honeycomb totems, are a common feature 
  of Leviathan sites, as anyone making a DC 25 Knowledge (history) check 
  is aware. Their significance has not yet been determined.
  C5. Burnt Sample Store
  Little is left of this plank building save charred wood, ash, 
  and ruin.
  Spitewinter relates the events that occurred here as she sees them. Ten 
  days ago, she noticed a plume of smoke from the store and quickly ran to 
  it to save her specimens. When she arrived, the blackmailer appeared with 
  his accomplice and monkey, said that fires in the Festival were spreading 
  and that, unless he was paid 2,000 gp, he could not guarantee that the 
  Savant herself would not be caught in some fire and horribly burnt. He 
  added that “some fires burn where they are told to.” Panicked, she agreed 
  and, after saving her most precious specimens, paid the men who then left. 
  This event prompted her to hire guards.
  A search of the charred wreckage finds little, but a DC 25 Perception 
  check reveals a very strange curiosity: the silhouette of something burnt 
  upon the remains of one wall — a thing vaguely humanoid in shape, with 
  long claws.
  A DC 25 Diplomacy check to gather information in the immediate 
  vicinity brings a pair of local waifs — Jib and Grag (NE male human 
  afflicted wererats) — to the PCs’ attention. The youths claim to have 
  seen something. They have no truck with officialdom, but if the PCs can 
  convince them (a DC 23 Diplomacy or DC 13 Intimidate check suffices), 
  they tell their tale.
  “We was playin’ hoopla when we saw ’em — a man, a monkey wiv 
  an ’orrible human face, an’ a fella wiv two ’eads — enter the building. 
  Finkin’ ’em a bit odd, we spied on ’em frew a gap in’t wall and saw t’ 
  ’ooded man fling a vial against t’wall. The stuff inside looked strange and 
  sticky an’ when it hit t’wall, it gave out a sort of baby-like cry, and then, 
  suddenly, it was a flamin’ gargoyle thing that started burning everythin’. 
  Then t’ ’ooded man got worried and said somefin’ about it growin’ an’ 
  ’think what it could do if left to feed’ ’e said. Then ’e drank something and 
  suddenly a great big ball o’ water appeared and swallowed the burnin’ 
  thing right up an’ we legged it.”
  The boys describe the Organ Grinder’s use of the ragefire elemental and 
  a subsequent use of a scroll of aqueous orb he had from the Artificer for 
  just such an occasion. Embellish these details as much as you wish. 
  Locating the  
  Organ Grinder
  In a parish full of freakshows, street entertainers, and diversions, 
  finding a man with a human-faced monkey is not as easy as it might seem. 
  However, the Organ Grinder has to earn a living — including returning 
  to his blackmail victim for more money. The PCs have options to locate 
  the man that include laying low near the site and awaiting his return or 
  by getting out onto the streets of Festival and trying to see him in action. 
  The Grinder is alert; he’s aware that Spitewinter has hired some thugs and 
  that she might just send them after him. The problem he has is that people 
  watch him — that’s his job after all. He relies upon his Perception to spot 
  suspicious characters, and that could be his downfall.
  The organ the Grinder uses is a curious animated object that offers a 
  further option to pursue the Grinder back to his lair — if the PCs wish to 
  do so. The Grinder has his organ with him only when he works.
  Bear in mind finally that the Blight is a violent place, low-life street 
  attacks occur daily — particularly in Festival — and the PCs are almost 
  certainly going to be witnessed if they attack, but no one is likely to lift a 
  finger to help their victim.
  Development: The PCs can scour Festival, but it’s a big place. A DC 
  25 Knowledge (local) check confirms that most street performers have 
  particular territories — except puppeteers, who are a different bunch 
  entirely — so that similar acts don’t clash. If the PCs have already seen 
  the Organ Grinder as they arrived and remember him (don’t prompt them 
  Leviathans, Ancients, 
  and Fossils
  The terrible Ancients are buried beneath the city streets; their 
  fossilized bodies have laid, it is speculated, for eons beneath the 
  ground. Practically nothing is known about the creatures save the 
  clues given by their fossilized bones and the strange ruins that 
  occasionally lie nearby. Their forms were an affront to the gods 
  — indeed many cults and religions have ascribed their demise to 
  some offended deity. Their bodies take several forms, yet all are 
  linked by some commonality. They are always large — at least 
  10 feet long — and often much, much larger. They show signs of 
  both reptilian and insectoid ancestry. Their bodies were covered 
  in barbed chitinous plates, and their jaws were able to dislocate to 
  enable them to swallow large prey. Some show snake-like forms, 
  whilst others resemble lizards. Some are so strange to look upon 
  that it has been impossible to categorise them as anything other 
  than aberrations. Various worthies have discussed the creatures, 
  and continue to conjecture, but as more information appears, the 
  mystery deepens and the number of questions increases.
  
  34
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  but reward them if they mention it), then they know he must be local 
  anyway. Otherwise, they may go off around Festival looking and have 
  other encounters as you see fit. In addition, the PCs can attempt to gain the 
  local gossip on the Organ Grinder by asking around (see sidebox).
  A DC 30 Perception check locates the Organ Grinder working on 
  the street. If the PCs scour the right places, the DC is reduced to 25. A 
  suggested locale area is indicated on the Festival Map for the encounter. If 
  he is located and followed, allow the Grinder to try a series of 4 Perception 
  checks to spot anyone following him. If he makes 2 checks in a row, he 
  drinks his potion of invisibility and flees back to his lodgings (see Chapter 
  5). At that stage, his monkey and organ also flee via the rooftops. If you 
  like, you could run a short chase to resolve this pursuit, or you could 
  simply require the pursuing PC(s) to succeed in a DC 20 Climb check 
  to avoid a 40-foot drop and a Perception check opposed to the monkey’s 
  or organ’s Perception (as they watch for a tail) to follow it back to the 
  Dislocated Pier in Chapter 5.   
  If the PCs have not yet located him, the Grinder appears 4 days after the 
  PCs arrive at the dig to strong-arm Spitewinter, but doesn’t go himself — 
  he sends his monkey at night to her tent. It tells Spitewinter to get a gem 
  worth 1,000 gp ready for the night after, or there’ll be big trouble. As his 
  monkey delivers the message, the Organ Grinder watches from the point 
  marked X at the southwest corner of the Leviathan Dig map. He returns 
  the night after, sending the monkey with the elemental in a flask. If the 
  gem isn’t handed over, the flask is smashed in Spitewinter’s face.
  The Organ Grinder
  This man’s face appears almost like a caricature: His head is too fat for 
  his body, and a pendulous, bulbous nose dangles on it like a swaying sack. 
  His attire is fairly mundane for a performer, but his top hat is held at a 
  rakish angle to his fat face as he plies his instrument.    
  THE ORGAN GRINDER 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  Male human alchemist (Preservationist) 8/bard (Street Per-
  former) 3 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide “Alchemist,” “Street Performer”; Pathfinder Roleplay-
  ing Game Ultimate Magic “Preservationist”)
  LE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +6; Senses deathwatch; Perception +14
  AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +6 Dex, +2 natural)
  hp 75 (11d8+22)
  Fort +9 (+11 vs. poison); Ref +15; Will +5 (+1 vs. illusions and 
  mind-affecting magic); +4 vs. bardic performance, sonic, 
  and language-dependent effects
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee mwk rapier +15/+10 (1d6/18–20) or mwk scorpion 
  whip +15/+10 (1d4)
  Ranged mwk light crossbow +15 (1d8/19–20 plus poison)
  Special Attacks bardic performance 10 rounds/day (distrac-
  tion, fascinate), bomb 10/day (3d6+2, DC 16), discoveries (al-
  chemical zombieUM, infusion, smoke bomb, tumor familiarUM)
  Bard Spells Known (CL 4th):
  1st (2/day)—innocenceAPG, silent image (DC 13), unseen ser-
  vant, vanishAPG
  0 (at will)—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 12), mage hand, 
  mending, open/close, prestidigitation (DC 12)
  Alchemist Extracts Prepared (CL 8th):
  3rd (2/day)—eruptive pustulesUM (DC 15), summon nature’s 
  ally IV (owlbear)
  2nd (5/day)—blur, cat’s grace, fire breathAPG, see invisibility, 
  vomit swarmAPG
  1st (5/day)—crafter’s fortuneAPG (DC 13), cure light wounds, 
  disguise self, expeditious retreat, shield
  Before Combat The Organ Grinder drinks his mutagen (in-
  cluded in stats) and casts blur, shield and eruptive pustules.
  During Combat He seeks to gain flank during combat, then 
  attacks by hurling his bottled ragefire spawn. He follows up 
  by summoning an owlbear. He’ll then attack with flame 
  breath and vomit swarm in addition to his combat abilities 
  and bombs. If things begin to go against him, he flees to the 
  Hold Menagerie (area D7) for a final stand, releasing the 
  creatures as detailed.
  Morale A tough opponent if trapped in his own lair with 
  his beloved experiments, the Organ Grinder is not likely to 
  surrender until severely injured (5 or fewer hit points). If at-
  tacked outside, he flees immediately and tries to get home 
  using his potion of invisibility as detailed above.
  Base Statistics When not under the effects of wormwood 
  bile, the Organ Grinder’s stats are as follows: hp 84; Fort +10; 
  Will +5 (no penalty vs. illusions and mind-affecting magic); 
  Bard CL 3rd; Cha 12
  Str 10, Dex 22, Con 16 (2 Con damage), Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 14
  Base Atk +8; CMB +8; CMD 24
  Feats Boon CompanionPPC:AA, Brew Potion, Craft Construct, 
  Craft Magic Arms & Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Evolved 
  FamiliarUM, Improved Familiar, Throw Anything, Weapon Fi-
  nesse
  Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +16 (+26 to imitate voices), Climb 
  +4, Craft (alchemy) +16 (+24 create alchemical items), 
  Craft (carpentry) +6, Craft (leather) +16, Diplomacy +6 (+7 
  influence crowds and gather information), Disable Device 
  +12, Disguise +16, Handle Animal +13, Intimidate +2 (+3 influ-
  ence crowds), Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (local) 
  +17, Knowledge (nature) +6, Linguistics +6, Perception +14, 
  Perform (act) +16, Perform (keyboard instruments) +10, Spell-
  craft +12, Use Magic Device +11
  Languages Common, Halfling, Rivercant
  SQ arcane familiar (variant homunculus named Scat), ar-
  cane thrall (salt mephit named Lott), bardic performance 
  (disappearing act [1 ally], harmless performer), bottled ally 
  I–III, swift poisoning, gladhanding, mutagen, simple reanima-
  tion, streetwise, swift alchemy, versatile performance (act), 
  well versed
  Combat Gear 3 crossbow bolts treated with hag’s spittle 
  poisonPCS:RG, arcane scroll (CL 5: aqueous orb), potion of 
  invisibility in a pot and red glass potion bottle; Other Gear 
  +1 padded armor, masterwork rapier, masterwork scorpion 
  whipUC, masterwork light crossbow, crossbow bolts (10), belt 
  Rumours about  
  the Organ Grinder
  DC
  Rumour
  15
  “He’s a strange one that Organ Grinder. They 
  say he’s addicted to absinthe and that his 
  monkey talks to him. He looks odd too, got a 
  nose too big for his face; a fat face at that, 
  which looks like it’s about to burst, and those 
  red spectacles. There’s something up with 
  that chap.”
  20
  “He’s not called the Organ Grinder for nothing. 
  He ’angs around the Seminary hoping to get 
  tips from the Physicians. They say ’e’s a go-
  lem-stitcher!”
  25
  “He lives in an old ship hung on the Dislocated 
  Pier. Have you seen it? ’angs above the water 
  as though waitin’ to drop in. I wouldn’t send my 
  worst enemy into that dangerous place. We all 
  know the things that live in t’river …”
  
  35
  The Crucible
  of mighty constitution +2, bracers of the glib entertainerUE, 
  deathwatch eyesUE, mummer’s ruffUE, entertainer’s outfit, 
  alchemy crafting kit, spell component pouch, surgeon’s 
  tools, masterwork thieves’ tools, formulae book (contains all 
  prepared extracts plus summon nature’s ally I and II), key to 
  area D1 designed to look like a wallow-whale devouring the 
  sun with copper and obsidian eyes worth 75gp.
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  PCS:RG See Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Rival Guide
  PPC:AA See Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  UM See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic
  UE See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Equipment
  Organ Grinder’s Monkey 
  The Organ Grinder’s familiar is a vile little creature: a bald, pink-faced 
  monkey, with clever fingers, and a long mangy tail covered in balding 
  patches. The thing has an altogether unsettling human look about it, right 
  down to its fez and clown’s costume. Called Scat by the Organ Grinder, 
  the creature is an enhanced homunculus created in the form of a monkey 
  with a human face. This homunculus can talk, albeit in a strangled, 
  somewhat stuttering way. It sounds like a squeaky child’s toy with words 
  thrown in at random.
  SCAT 
  CR —
  XP —
  Male variant evolved homunculus tumor familiar (Pilferer) 
  (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Homunculus”; Path-
  finder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Magic “Tumor Familiar”; 
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive “Pilferer”)
  LE Tiny construct
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +12
  AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +6 natural)
  hp 37 (8 HD); fast healing 5 (when attached)
  Fort +7; Ref +11; Will +6
  Immune construct traits; SR 16
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
  Melee bite +9 (1d4−1 plus poison)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks deliver touch spells
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th):
  Constant—nondetection (DC 23)
  Str 8, Dex 15, Con —, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 7
  Base Atk +8; CMB +8 (+12 steal); CMD 17 (19 vs. steal)
  Feats Ability Focus (poison), Improved StealAPG
  Skills Acrobatics +11, Climb +10, Disable Device +6, Escape 
  Artist +7, Handle Animal +9, Perception +12, Sleight of Hand 
  +11, Spellcraft +7, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics
  Languages Common; telepathic link
  SQ empathic link, evolution (skilled [Acrobatics]), share 
  spells, sneak
  Gear clown’s outfit, fez, tin cup
  Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/minute 
  for 60 minutes; effect sleep for 1 minute; cure 1 save. The 
  save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bo-
  nus.
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  The Organ
  There’s something unsettlingly dislocated in the way this object sits. 
  It’s made up of a grinning devil body, with many-jointed limbs and a 
  grinning face within the mouth of which is a kitten. The limbs are clearly 
  preserved flesh from some sort of monster. It has wheels, but almost looks 
  like it could get up and walk of its own accord. 
  THE ORGAN 
  CR 3
  XP 800 
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Animated Object” 
  N Small construct 
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception –5
  AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size) 
  hp 21 (2d10+10) 
  Fort +0; Ref +1; Will –5 
  Defensive Abilities hardness 5; Immune construct traits
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft. 
  Melee slam +3 (1d4)
  During Combat The Organ is very cowardly, with no interest 
  in fighting. It usually sits quietly out of the way hoping it won’t 
  be seen, like a sloth in the jungle. 
  Morale If it takes damage, the Organ flees, its legs unfolding 
  below the wheels. It likes to climb, as it knows the rooftops 
  are safer — usually. If separated from the Organ Grinder, it 
  slips across rooftops back to the Limpet (Chapter 5)   
  Str 10, Dex 12, Con —, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1 
  Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 12 
  Skills Acrobatics +1 (+5 jump), Climb +8 
  SQ construction points
  RAGEFIRE SPAWN 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 22 (See Appendix A)
  During Combat The ragefire spawn’s primary motivation — 
  which it follows with a terrifying single-mindedness — is to kill 
  sentient humanoid creatures.
  Morale The ragefire spawn exists to consume life and unre-
  lentingly fights to the death.
  
  36
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  The Dislocated Pier is one of hundreds of piers that thrust intrusively 
  out into the Lyme. These piers allow further real-estate development out 
  over the waters, but so expensive is their maintenance cost that many are 
  in terrible states of repair and are dangerous to use. Some have officially 
  been closed, although such places, of course, make useful places to hide.
  The Dislocated Pier lies in Liquorice, a part of Festival famous for 
  imported liquorice. As well as several nearby merchants and traders, this 
  pier specialises in gaudy freakshows and minor plays in tiny theaters. The 
  Limpet — the Organ Grinder’s boat home — itself lies at the very end of 
  the pier, and while the journey to it is by no means dangerous, the fragility 
  of these structures is readily apparent.
  This crippled pier leans and sags as it drags itself away from 
  Festival and out over the sick, black waters of the Lyme. Like 
  a dislocated limb, it writhes and bends its way for a hundred 
  feet above the water, its back groaning beneath a confusion of 
  stalls and shops, tiny theaters and freak shows. The pier ends 
  abruptly — like a broken arm with a severed hand — above the 
  river, its final palsied moments spent in obeisance to the sky 
  above, its entrails exposed to the air and rotting.
  Lashed to the end of this ruined appendage is a ship — the 
  carcass of a mildewed keelboat — bow raised as though praying 
  to the gods themselves for release. This prisoner, wreathed in 
  iron and wire, rope and rust, hangs perilously from the broken 
  pier, looking as though at any moment its confinement will 
  end and its stern will drop into the poisonous embrace of the 
  dark waters beneath.
  The Lyme’s current is sluggish around the dislocated pier (Swim DC 
  10). The lower piers are slippery with seaweed and rot, however, and a DC 
  20 Climb check is required to get out of the river onto them. A mud bank 
  lies 120 feet from the end of the pier with the shore 60 feet farther on. The 
  mud is difficult terrain, and anyone entering it is entangled and unable to 
  move unless they make a DC 10 Strength check each round. 
  The Limpet
  The Limpet is an old keelboat that has been raised from the water 
  vertically, lashed to the pier, and converted for use as a dwelling. The 
  interior is thus a confusing stack of rooms, and poor alterations to its 
  architecture have made it dangerous. The whole structure is in danger of 
  collapse, with tie lines, chains, and ropes badly corroded or worn. Coal 
  dust and wood chips lie in plentiful amounts throughout the Limpet. This 
  is the result of the Organ Grinder’s frequent visits to the great windmill 
  aboard the Blackleg, a coal and timber merchant’s vessel (see the end of 
  the chapter for further details).
  The stairs are tricky to use; they have not been properly converted. A 
  DC 5 Acrobatics check is required to safely navigate them, with a failure 
  resulting in a fall. The Organ Grinder and his followers have grown used 
  to this inconvenience and do not need to make any checks. The inner walls 
  of the ship are infested with hundreds of old fittings, planks and remnants 
  of interior walls; those wishing to clamber about along them rather than 
  take the stairs must make a Climb check (DC 10).
  Chapter Five:
  The Dislocated Pier
  Siklight Cockroaches
  Smaller, more nauseating cousins of the pyrebeetle, these 
  creatures feed on waste and give off an insipid, pallid light when 
  they are awake. Siklight cockroaches are a common sight in poorer 
  parts of the Blight. A siklight cockroach costs 8 cp and, if properly 
  cared for, will live for a year or more. Siklight cockroaches have 
  a hard chitinous shell (hardness 3) and 1 hit point. If their shell 
  is pierced, the cockroaches explode like alchemist’s fire. The 
  cockroaches are also prone to sudden changes in temperature and 
  certain conditions of the Canker (see The Blight: Richard Pett’s 
  Crooked City), and small explosions and fires are a common sight 
  in areas lit by them. For this reason, the siklight cockroach has 
  many nicknames among the populace, including Devil’s Spark, 
  Trust-Me-Not, Tricklight, Mother’s Misery, Beltane’s Fart and a 
  host of other, less-polite curses and cant-words.
  
  37
  The Crucible
  The doors are damp and tend to stick; they must be forced open with a 
  DC 5 Strength check.
  Siklight cockroaches (see sidebox) light all the rooms. The overpowering 
  musk of the Organ Grinder’s various creatures makes use of the scent 
  ability impossible within the Limpet.
  Combat in the Limpet
  So ruptured, rotten, and unstable is the ship that any major damage to 
  the Limpet, such as by an area effect spell, can cause it to collapse. Most 
  area effect spells cause half damage to the Limpet’s structure, but sonic 
  attacks cause full damage. After removing hardness 3 from any damage, 
  keep a running total of the damage of such spells and consult the table 
  below. Remember that not just the PCs’ attacks damage the ship.
  Total 
  Damage
  Effect
  5–24
  The ship shakes and groans; plates fall off 
  tables, and mice scuttle for cover.
  25–49
  Ropes securing the ship to the pier snap, and 
  the whole structure becomes unstable. All 
  attack rolls made while onboard take a –2 
  penalty until the damage to the ship is repaired. 
  Spellcasters must make a concentration check 
  (DC 5 + 1/spell level) to successfully cast spells.
  50–74
  The whole ship sags forward. Each round 
  anyone onboard who moves any distance 
  greater than a 5-foot step must make a DC 10 
  Acrobatics check or fall prone.
  75+
  The whole structure collapses into the River 
  Lyme (see below). Those onboard must make a 
  DC 15 Reflex save or take 2d6 points of damage 
  from falling objects and the fall into the river, 
  where they may be trapped and drown. Each 
  round after the fall, those onboard must hold 
  their breath and make either a DC 20 Escape 
  Artist or Strength check to escape the wreckage 
  of the ship. On a successful save, they take only 
  1d6 points of falling damage and are thrown 
  clear of the ship.
   Event 3: A Lyme Bath (CR 8)
  If the Limpet sustains more than 50 points of damage, objects falling 
  from it into the water attract a wallow-whale. The whale arrives 2d6 
  rounds later and attacks anything that drops into the water — objects and 
  creatures alike. If the Limpet itself falls into the river, the wallow-whale 
  takes 8d8 points of damage as the stern rams into it (DC 20 Reflex save 
  for half). The wallow-whale is not hungry, just curious, and will not use its 
  swallow whole ability. If it gets into a fight with the PCs, it loses interest 
  after 1d4 rounds or after taking 40 hp of damage and slips back 
  into the black waters to swim away. 
  GARGANTUAN WALLOW-WHALE 
  CR 12/BA 1
  XP 19,200
  hp 173 (See Appendix A)
  Ad Hoc XP Award: If the PCs battle the wallow-
  whale, award them XP for a CR 8 encounter.
  D1. Entry (CR 7)
  The bow rises ten feet above the pier, and a single hefty oak 
  door inset in the vessel’s deck forms a grand entrance. This 
  portal has iron bindings and a six-inch-square, leaded-glass 
  window. A small, carved wooden gargoyle sits on the lintel and 
  smiles wickedly. 
  The door is locked and trapped. If someone tries the handle of the door 
  without first unlocking it, a poison arrow trap is triggered.
  WYVERN ARROW TRAP 
  CR 7
  XP 3,200
  Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 25
  Trigger touch; Reset repair
  Effect Atk +15 ranged (1d8/x3 plus wyvern poison)
  
  38
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  
  39
  The Crucible
  D2. Lesser Hold (CR 7)
  Beyond the door is a cluttered chamber. Racks of knives lie 
  under piles of books, and iron-shod boots hang, laces taut, 
  from the arms of an iron octopus. A tight little spiral stair 
  descends through an access point in the floor.
  Hanging directly above the entry door, the Organ Grinder has hung a 
  foul exhibit — the head and forelegs from a lion, neatly sawn in half and 
  mounted on a varnished wooden plaque. This lion trophy is a creation of 
  golem-stitching called a Made (see sidebox), mummified in an alchymic 
  wash, and attacks with its rending ghoulish claws and bite. It grapples 
  paralyzed prey and proceeds to try to feed on it, ignoring other opponents. 
  If the Organ Grinder is expecting a visitor, he removes the lion trophy for 
  storage in a closet to ensure their safety.
  LION-TROPHY MADE 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  Necrocraft modified lion (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bes-
  tiary “Lion”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 “Necro-
  craft”)
  NE Medium undead
  Init −1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
  AC 13, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (−1 Dex, +4 natural)
  hp 31 (4d8+13)
  Fort +2; Ref +0; Will +4
  DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits
  Weaknesses vulnerability to fire
  Speed 0 ft.
  Melee bite +7 (1d8+4 plus paralysis), 2 claws +7 (1d4+4 plus 
  grab and paralysis)
  Special Attacks paralysis (1d4+1 rounds, DC 13, elves are 
  immune to this effect), rend (grapple, 2d4+9)
  Str 19, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 13
  Base Atk +3; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 16
  Feats ToughnessB
  SQ construction points (extra attack [bite], extra strength [2], 
  flammable, grab, mostly zombies, paralysis, rending claws, 
  slower [3])
  Rend (Ex) If the lion trophy manages to grab an opponent, 
  it can cause tremendous damage each round that 
  it maintains a grapple (including the first round of the 
  grapple). Once the lion trophy grabs an opponent, it 
  can only make bite attacks but still deals rend damage 
  automatically. If a grappled opponent is paralyzed or 
  otherwise helpless, the lion trophy can maintain its grapple 
  and deal rend damage with a single claw and use its other 
  claw to fight normally.
  Treasure: Searching among the confusion of objects cluttering the 
  room, a DC 20 Perception check reveals a fine gold candlestick worth 200 
  gp, a stag’s head with an old purse inside its mouth containing 4 amethysts 
  worth 100 gp each, a single (right) boot of friendly terrainUE and a flask 
  of alchemist’s fire.
  UE See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Equipment
  The spiral stair descends to D3 and is completely exposed, without 
  railing or cover. This room has a guardian instructed to remain here 
  and deter visitors, an alchemically preserved four-armed gargoyle fast 
  zombie the Organ Grinder refers to as the Crooked Doorman. It is a new 
  addition to the Limpet, its corpse having been recently given to the Organ 
  Grinder by the Artificer as partial payment for his services. It reeks of an 
  acrid preservative fluid.
  THE CROOKED DOORMAN 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  Male four-armed gargoyle fast zombie (Pathfinder Adven-
  ture Path #48: Shadows of Gallowspire “Four-Armed Gar-
  goyle”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Zombie”)
  NE Large undead (earth)
  Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0
  AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +3 natural, –1 size)
  hp 66 (12d8+12)
  Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +8
  Immune undead traits
  Speed 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (clumsy)
  Melee 4 slams +15 (1d8+7), bite +15 (1d8+7), gore +15 
  (1d4+7) or 4 claws +15 (1d6+7), bite +15 (1d8+7), gore +15 
  (1d4+7)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks quick strikes
  Before Combat If anyone knocks on the door, the Crooked 
  Doorman answers in a hissing troubled breath that the mas-
  ter isn’t at home.
  During Combat The zombie is fairly brutish, and simply 
  launches itself at prey, flailing randomly. 
  Str 25, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 10
  Base Atk +9; CMB +17; CMD 29
  Feats ToughnessB
  Skills Fly −8, Perception +0, Stealth −2
  Quick Strikes (Ex) Whenever a fast zombie takes a full-attack 
  action, it can make one additional slam attack at its highest 
  base attack bonus.
  D3. Storage
  A narrow spiral stair descends into this room, which is 
  crammed with objects, piled in tea chests, hanging from beams 
  or forced onto crude crooked shelving.
  This room is so cluttered that when the door is opened several objects 
  fall to the ground. Within the clutter are three street signs (Three Needles 
  Street, Folgate Road, and Fanshaw Street), a portable ram with a head 
  like a twisted giant’s, a battered leather backpack containing straw, 
  numerous household items, a large jar of very hefty coach-bolts and long 
  nails, a pair of wall supports, and a large amount of rubbish. An enormous 
  Golem-Stitching and the Made
  As well as being his home, the interior of the Limpet is a 
  gallery for the Organ Grinder’s twisted art of golem-stitching, a 
  sadly growing trade in the city and one which demands increasing 
  amounts of flesh to sculpt. The creations of golem-stitchers are 
  called Made and vary greatly depending upon the power of the 
  creator. “Made” is actually a catchall term for a variety of animated 
  dead and constructs. Some made are alchemical zombies, some are 
  necrocraft, some are flesh or carrion golems or even homunculi, 
  others are stranger still. The art of golem-stitching is one that 
  transcends the boundaries of art, guardianship, and trap with 
  such creations often fulfilling all three functions at once. There 
  is a flourishing market in Made, and these monstrosities can be 
  bought and sold at the Flea Markets and Souks in Golem Town. 
  The Organ Grinder learnt his trade through the acquisition of a 
  secret (see D5).
  
  40
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  number of spiders are in this room, but whilst they are big, fast, hairy, and 
  demonstrate an uncanny ability to settle on anyone with arachnophobia, 
  they are otherwise harmless.
  D4. Dissectory (CR 7 and 8)
  In this polished chamber’s centre is a dissecting table, 
  complete with straps. A bloody white tarpaulin on the table 
  covers something larger and feral smelling. Shelves around 
  the room are crowded with a gruesome display of pickled or 
  mummified body parts in glass jars. Some of the specimens still 
  wriggle and move, even though they are simple biological forms 
  such as tentacles, the forepaws of a cat, a human tongue, or a 
  monkey’s hand. In one corner, an object lies covered by a hefty 
  woolen throw with swirling red and orange woven patterns.
  The Organ Grinder keeps his workshop for creating Made scrupulously 
  clean. The floors are so well-polished that a DC 5 Acrobatics check is 
  required to move more than 30 feet per round. The specimens are Made 
  created by the Organ Grinder and are pathetically poor things worth 
  nothing to anyone.
  Currently, the Grinder is amusing himself most of the time with his 
  latest creation — a collage of body parts from a minotaur and an ankheg 
  that he, unimaginatively, calls an ankhetaur. To protect himself, he has 
  fitted the creature with an iron muzzle and straps that hold it in place. 
  While muzzled, the creature cannot attack. Removing the muzzle is a full 
  round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Four straps (hardness 
  2, hp 5, Break DC 23) bind the creature’s hands and feet.
  NECROCRAFT ANKHETAUR 
  CR 7
  XP 1,600
  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Ankheg,” “Mino-
  taur”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 “Necrocraft”
  NE Large undead
  Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0
  AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+6 natural, –1 size)
  hp 45 (7d8+14)
  Fort +3; Ref +2; Will +5
  Immune undead traits
  Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +10 (1d6+6 plus 1d4 bleed and grab), bite 
  +10 (1d8+6 plus 1d4 acid and grab)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks blade fists, spit acid
  Before Combat The ankhetaur is muzzled and strapped 
  down. If a strap is severed (hardness 1, hp 3), the creature is 
  able to use its claws to release the other straps in 1 round.
  During Combat The biped is deranged, and spits acid and 
  attacks wildly.
  Morale If reduced to 20 hp or less, the creature’s instinct 
  kicks in and it burrows through the ship using both its claws 
  to try to tear through the hull and escape. If it breaches a 
  section of the hull (hardness 3, hp 25), it leaps into the river 
  to escape (and likely feeds the wallow-whale in Event 3). If 
  it escapes in this way, remember to add this damage to the 
  overall ship damage as detailed above. 
  Str 23, Dex 11, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 13
  Base Atk +5; CMB +12; CMD 22 (24 vs. overrun and trip)
  Feats ToughnessB
  SQ construction points (acid, additional movement [burrow], 
  blade fists, extra attack [bite], extra legs, grab, slower)
  Spit Acid (Ex) Once every 6 hours, the necrocraft can spit 
  a 30-foot line of acid. Creatures struck by this acid take 
  4d4 points of acid damage (Reflex DC 14 halves). Once it 
  uses this attack, it must wait 6 hours before using it again. 
  Additionally, during this time period, its bite attack does 
  not inflict any additional acid damage. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based.
  Development: The object beneath the throw is a wooden pedestal 
  supporting a great jar of vinegar with the head of a medusa penanggalen 
  trapped within. The jar is secured by an iron screw-top lid sealed with 
  wax; a DC 10 Strength check is required to open it (the occupant cannot 
  open it from the inside). If the Organ Grinder retreats through this room, 
  he may choose to knock the jar from its pedestal and then close the door 
  behind him, trapping Leyak within to attack any pursuers
  Whenever the PCs first see the trapped head, read the following:
  The severed head of an ebony-skinned woman floats in a 
  sealed glass jar filled with an amber fluid. Floating viscera trails 
  from the ragged stump of her neck. Her hair is a multitude 
  of grey eel-like serpents that twist and writhe to fix their gaze 
  upon you as the woman’s eyes suddenly flick open, though they 
  close again just as suddenly. She is alive! She begins desperately 
  mouthing pleas for help, her expression one of indescribable 
  anguish and fear with her eyes clenched tightly shut.
  This creature is Leyak, and she has been trapped in this jar for many years. 
  Her host body was destroyed long ago. Her petrifying gaze is ineffective 
  through the distortion of the glass. She has been traded around the golem-
  stitching community ever since she was first sold by her initial captor but none 
  of her “owners” has been brave enough to release her. The Organ Grinder won 
  her several months ago and still hasn’t decided what to do with her.
  Leyak’s voice is just audible through the thick glass with a DC 20 Perception 
  check. She pleads for release, promising anything they require of her, 
  including information on anything or anyone they seek. She explains that she 
  was a human slave brought to Castorhage and that she is not truly a monster 
  but has been experimented upon to look as she does. She is a consummate liar, 
  however, and unfortunately, her promises are all Bluff (Sense Motive checks 
  receive a –4 penalty due to the muffling and distorting ). If she is released, her 
  awful hunger utterly consumes her and she attacks without mercy.
  LEYAK 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Female medusa penanggalen (Pathfinder Roleplaying 
  Game Bestiary “Medusa”; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Bestiary 3 “Penanggalen”)
  LE Medium undead (augmented monstrous humanoid)
  Init +8; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +25
  AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +9 natural)
  hp 76 (8d8+32); fast healing 5
  Fort +6; Ref +10; Will +8
  Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 5/silver and 
  slashing; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10
  Weaknesses light sensitivity, penanggalen weaknesses
  Speed fly 60 ft. (good)
  Melee bite +12 (1d6+3 plus disease), slam +12 (1d4+3 plus 
  grab and wither), snake bite +7 (1d4+1 plus disease and 
  poison)
  Special Attacks blood drain (1d4 Constitution), create 
  spawn, disease (DC 18), petrifying gaze
  Before Combat Starving for blood, Leyak closes her eyes so 
  as not to petrify her victims. This does not blind her, however, 
  as she can still see through her snakes’ eyes. Aware of what 
  lies beneath the tarpaulin, Leyak’s first action if freed is to 
  bite through one strap as a standard attack.
  During Combat Leyak focuses her bite and slam on one PC, 
  trying to grapple so that she can use her blood drain. Her 
  
  41
  The Crucible
  snakes strike at any others within reach.
  Morale If reduced to 25 hp or fewer, Leyak resorts to using 
  her petrifying gaze while attempting to flee. 
  Str 16, Dex 19, Con —, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 19
  Base Atk +8; CMB +11 (+15 grapple); CMD 25
  Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Bluff +20, Disguise +12, Fly +23, Intimidate +15, Perception 
  +25, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +23; Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, 
  +8 Fly, +12 Perception, +8 Sense Motive, +8 Stealth
  Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal
  SQ separate
  D5. Study
  This study is crammed with books and dominated by a fine 
  roll-top desk. The complete skeleton of an ape hangs from a 
  beam, its articulated bones held together by wire, and glass 
  cases display two preserved and stuffed exotic birds. A ladder 
  descends steeply into the gloom via a hole broken in the floor.
  The ladder descends 20 feet to D6. The desk contains several ledgers 
  that show that, over the past several months, the Organ Grinder has been 
  ordering several tons of coal each week from Sallow & Son Coal and 
  Timber Factors to be delivered to a single location. Each order for a barge 
  load of coal and timber lists a charge of 100 gp, and there have been 15 
  total orders. The latest order is due for delivery tomorrow to the usual 
  place: one of the great windmills at the mouth of the Lyme. 
  A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) check identifies one of the birds as an 
  albino dodo and a DC 18 Knowledge (arcana) check identifies the other as a 
  paradise cockatrice. A paradise cockatrice is identical to its more mundane 
  cousin save in one regard: It has the most exquisite plumage — a rainbow 
  display of violet, turquoise, and emerald. Costumers and spellcasters alike 
  prize their feathers. The Organ Grinder keeps the key to the chest hidden in 
  his chamber (see D6) in the dodo’s mouth. The silver key is tiny, and can be 
  found only with a DC 35 Perception check as a part of a thorough search of 
  the room unless the PCs specifically open the case and search the dodo, in 
  which case it can be found with a DC 20 Perception check.
  Treasure: The desk has a very fine writing set worth 75 gp and three 
  bottles of Devil’s Wormwood absinthe (see sidebox). Only two of the 
  bottles still contain a worm as the Organ Grinder has already eaten one 
  and gained its benefits. The desk itself has a hidden cache (a DC 30 
  Perception check is required to notice the hidden door that lies behind a 
  section of removable shelving). Within the space is a small leather-bound 
  book containing The Secret of Creation (see sidebox). The stuffed birds 
  are worth 100 gp and 500 gp to the right collector. 
  New Tome
  THE SECRET OF CREATION
  This book, bound in the softest goatskin, contains 
  a curious codex of sigils, runes and oddly disturbing 
  drawings. 
  Trigger: Deciphering the trigger requires a month’s 
  study of the text and a successful DC 20 Linguistics 
  check.
  Reward: The reader understands the rudiments of 
  creating Made, essentially learning the ability to cre-
  ate a necrocraft creature (Pathfinder Roleplaying Bes-
  tiary 4). The character is able to cast animate dead 
  and make whole once per week as though a 5th-level 
  cleric, provided he has the minimum required Wisdom 
  required to cast these spells, and can use the book as 
  reference by remaining within 50 feet of the tome at 
  all times during the casting. The book also serves as a 
  spellbook containing the arcane versions of animate 
  dead and make whole. 
  Consequence: Although able to create Made (see 
  above), the creatures constructed are crude and 
  miserable attempts at true necrocraft. They rarely last 
  more than 6 months before falling apart, although 
  they still strangely twitch and occasionally sob. When 
  created, the creator must make a Will save (DC 15 
  + 1/HD of necrocraft creature being created); if the 
  save fails, the creation lasts only 1d6+2 months before 
  falling apart. If the save is successful, a true necrocraft 
  creature is created. 
  In addition, the owner of the book is troubled by 
  dreams in which the animated parts of created crea-
  tures stalk him. This has no game effect and is unpleas-
  ant enough to warrant the owner being constantly 
  troubled about keeping the tome.
  The Secret of Creation is worth 1,300gp. 
  New Drug: Absinthe
  This highly intoxicating green beverage is common in the 
  Blight. It is usually taken with water and is commonly called 
  “green fairy” or “Devil’s wormwood.” A shot can cost anywhere 
  from 1 gp to 30 gp but various magically or alchemically enhanced 
  versions exist which cost a lot more. A few of the more specialized 
  versions of absinthe are detailed below. Their effects and damage 
  given are alchemic in nature.
  GREEN FAIRY
  Green fairy is taken by artists who claim it enhances 
  creativity.
  Type drug, ingested; Addiction moderate, Fortitude 
  DC 16
  Price 20 gp
  Effect 1 hour; +1 alchemical bonus to Charisma-based 
  checks, –2 penalty on saves against illusions and 
  mind-affecting effects
  Effect after 1 hour; for 1d4 hours, user must make a 
  caster check to cast spells, DC 15 + spell level
  Damage 1d2 Con damage
  DEVIL’S WORMWOOD
  Said to have been distilled in Hell, this vile liquid has 
  a fat worm floating in each bottle. Eating the worm 
  exposes the consumer to a poison which may extend 
  the effects of the drug if it doesn’t commit them to a 
  nightmare-filled coma (see Devil’s worm below).
  Type drug, ingested; Addiction severe, Fortitude DC 
  18
  Price 500 gp
  Effects 1–3 hours; +1d4 Cha, +1 arcane caster level, –4 
  penalty on saves against illusions and mind-affecting 
  effects
  Damage 1d4 Con damage
  DEVIL’S WORM
  Each bottle of Devil’s wormwood contains a 
  poisonous Devil’s worm. A person under the effects of 
  the Devil’s wormwood who consumes a Devil’s worm 
  and is affected by its poison will extend the duration 
  of the drug’s effects.
  Type poison, ingested; Save Fortitude DC 18
  Onset 1 minute; Frequency 1/minute for 4 minutes
  Effect 1d4 Wis damage, +1 caster level; Cure 1 save
  Special If Devil’s worm poison affects a creature un-
  der the effects of Devil’s wormwood, the duration of 
  the drug is extended to 1–3 months.
  
  42
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  D6. Organ Grinder’s Chamber 
  (CR varies)
  This chamber takes up much of the old lower hold of the ship. 
  It comprises three levels connected by rickety ladders, with an 
  open central section such that it is possible to leap between them. 
  Each floor is cluttered with oddments and objects, including a 
  large amount of books and several crude canvases.
  The ladders are not tied to the walls and can easily be knocked down 
  as a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The bottom floor 
  is the sloped stern of the ship, and its surface is slick and requires a DC 
  10 Acrobatics check to move on at greater than half speed. The Organ 
  Grinder, his monkey-like familiar Scat, and his salt mephit thrall Lott, 
  spend most of their time here. In addition, his barrel organ usually shuffles 
  about in this chamber when he is present. When the Organ Grinder is 
  out, Lott generally remains within the Limpet feeding (or more usually, 
  tormenting) the creatures in the menagerie (D7).
  THE ORGAN GRINDER 
  CR 10
  XP 9,600
  hp 75 (See Locating the Organ Grinder, Chapter 4)
  SCAT 
  CR —
  XP —
  hp 37 (See Locating the Organ Grinder, Chapter 4)
  THE ORGAN 
  CR 3
  XP 800 
  hp 21 (See Locating the Organ Grinder, Chapter 4)
  LOTT, SALT MEPHIT THRALL 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 19 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Mephit, Salt”)
  During Combat The mephit is careful to use only its dehy-
  drate attack when the Organ Grinder is more than 30 feet 
  away — it is not remotely concerned about the others — 
  but itches to see the effects of its special attack. In general, 
  it moves away from the Grinder and uses this ability early in 
  combat if it can. The mephit then uses its glitterdust ability 
  and breathes as often as possible, whilst trying to avoid be-
  ing attacked.
  Morale Lott guards the Organ Grinder with its life. Thralls are 
  drawn into the world as part of a pact and cannot flee.
  RAGEFIRE SPAWN 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 22 (See Appendix A)
  During Combat The ragefire spawn’s primary motivation — 
  which it follows with a terrifying single-mindedness — is to kill 
  sentient humanoid creatures.
  Morale The ragefire spawn exists to consume life and unre-
  lentingly fights to the death.
  Treasure: The books are generally about anatomy, healing and alchemy. 
  However, a few are notable. The first — Granthim’s Treatise upon 
  Outsider’s Souls — is richly illustrated in gilt and crimson diagrams and is 
  worth 350 gp. The second, a huge, untitled folio of images of speculative 
  beasts of Between is worth 400 gp. Finally, a copy of Kathrill’s Arcanum 
  contains the spells beast shape 1, contagion, dimension door and solid 
  fog. Within the pages of this book, bound into the spine of the book as an 
  end-piece and covered in dust of disappearance (DC 40 Perception check 
  to locate), is an arcane scroll (CL 15: horrid wilting, mage’s sword).
  The Organ Grinder keeps his treasure in a chest hidden behind a small 
  secret panel (DC 25 Perception). It is locked with a superior lock (DC 
  40 Disable Device) that has a tiny keyhole, the key to which is hidden in 
  his stuffed dodo’s mouth (D5). Within the chest, he keeps his formulae 
  book; 1,250 gp in a large leather sack; a whalebone and walrus tusk 
  jagging wheel set with gold bands worth 600 gp; an engraved whale-
  tooth depicting a swarm of ravens with obsidian-encrusted wings worth 
  700 gp; and three smoky coloured and decorated achaierai eggs (DC 15 
  Knowledge [planes] to identify) set with tiny emeralds and gold filigree, 
  each worth 500 gp. 
  D7. Hold Menagerie (CR varies)
  A feral stench prowls this room, and a dozen rickety wooden 
  cages line the trio of clumsily made wooden floors that were 
  clearly once the ship’s bulkheads. Again, planks and ladders 
  connect this crooked space, while buckets of water, coarse 
  tubers and plants, and fly-speckled cuts of meat hang from 
  nails variously spaced along the walls. 
  The Organ Grinder is very proud of his menagerie of animals that he has 
  collected from around the known world. It fills the old upper hold of the 
  ship, which contains 12 wooden cages each held shut by a simple wooden 
  peg that requires a move action to remove. The bars of the cages are close 
  enough to prevent attack by the creatures within, and the cages are as tall 
  as they are wide. If the Organ Grinder retreats here, he releases one caged 
  animal at a time while climbing away if attacked. While not all animals 
  here are aggressive (caged birds make up the rest of the menagerie), 
  those that are offer him a last line of defence and are detailed below. He 
  releases these in preference to any others although, if desperate, he may 
  release other creatures in the hope that their flight distracts enemies. Each 
  released creature emerges from its cage to look for food. It attacks anyone 
  it can reach. The cages with creatures (and their occupants) are marked 
  on the map.
  Like D6, the bottom floor is the sloped stern of the ship, its surface 
  slick with a slurry and animal droppings, and requires a DC 10 Acrobatics 
  check to move upon. 
  DIRE WOLVERINE 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  hp 42 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “wolverine, Dire”)
  DIRE APE 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 30 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Ape, Dire”)
  LION 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 32 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Lion”)
  DIRE WEASEL 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 32 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4 “Weasel, Dire”)
  KRENSHAR 
  CR 1
  XP 400
  hp 13 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2 “Krenshar”)
  Development: If the PCs defeat the Organ Grinder, they can interrogate 
  him. He is essentially a coward and pleads for his life, providing them 
  with the information he knows in return for their mercy. The information 
  he spills includes the location of the Artificer, the “creator of the living 
  fire,” at the great windmill (Chapter 6). He explains about the “strange 
  metal contraption that she calls the Crucible,” and the constant supply of 
  coal and timber that is required to keep it alight. He admits that he was to 
  sail with a new shipment from Sallow & Son to the mill on the morrow.
  If the PCs kill the Organ Grinder, they might recover some of this 
  information by using speak with dead, but the corpse attempts to deceive 
  them if it makes its Will save, and its answers will be brief and cryptic 
  if not. The link to Sallow & Son Coal and Timber Factors can also be 
  
  43
  The Crucible
  gleaned from the ledgers on his study desk (D5). If the PCs want to head 
  straight to the great windmill, boats and skiffs are easy to hire at only 5 gp 
  per day, or the PCs may make arrangements to buy a boat for themselves. 
  Alternatively, they may decide to first visit Sallow & Son.
  Sallow & Son Coal 
  and Timber Factors
  The ragefire elemental requires a constant supply of combustible material 
  to be forced to spawn, and coal and timber have been used in huge quantities 
  to that effect. The Artificer has used Sallow & Son Coal and Timber Factors, 
  as she knew their business was on its last legs and likely would go under 
  without her patronage. John and Jacob Sallows’ loyalty is therefore assured 
  through their fear of bankruptcy and personal ruin.
  The merchants’ warehouse, a shoddy building with living 
  accommodation upstairs and a 6-foot-high wall surrounding it is indicated 
  on the Festival map. Unpopular, but not an enemy of the wererats, the 
  warehouse is rundown within and clearly understocked for the size of the 
  yard. It contains no timber at all. A low iron gate, which is never locked, 
  opens into the yard. The Blackleg, the pair’s ship, moors just outside the 
  warehouse. The pair have a large, emaciated heavy fighting dog loose in 
  the yard; it is very hungry and aggressive, and attacks anyone who tries to 
  enter the yard without one of the pair present. Killing the dog lowers the 
  pair’s attitude toward strangers by one category. 
  PIT-MASTIFF (HEAVY FIGHTING DOG) 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  hp 26 (See Appendix A)
  Development: The coal merchants are dupes in the plot and desperate 
  enough to appear secretive. John Sallow (N male human expert 6; Wis 
  12, Cha 13, Sense Motive +8) is a tall, sturdy man whose usual attire is 
  coal dust. His son Jacob (N male briny* expert 4) is quick-tempered. 
  Getting any kind of information out of the coal merchants is not easy. 
  They have been sworn to secrecy, and John knows that without his regular 
  order from his “friends at the Great Windmill,” he will go out of business 
  and be at the mercy of his ruthless creditors and the bankruptcy courts — 
  and he is not sure which is worse. While the men are civil, their initial 
  attitude is unfriendly. If the PCs can come up with a clever ruse (such as 
  posing as a friend of the Organ Grinder and insisting on accompanying 
  the latest shipment), force the information out of the pair, or explain what 
  they’re involved in as an appeal to their better natures, they can be made 
  to reluctantly talk. 
  If convinced to talk, John and Jacob reveal that they have been 
  delivering coal and timber for months to one of the great windmills and 
  acquiesce to take the PCs in their coal barge with tomorrow’s delivery. 
  They can give a description of their employer, the Artificer (see E2), 
  and relate that she has told them she is “engaged upon an arcane 
  experimentation” that requires a constant supply of tinder. Jacob 
  has caught a brief glimpse of the crucible and can give them a 
  very basic description of the crucible itself, swearing by the all 
  saints that he thought the device was alive, sure that he heard 
  deep roars from within.
  Thick iron plates on the Blackleg’s hull reinforce the 
  merchant’s vessel to enable the pair to safely draw 
  their barge up to the windmill and make deliveries 
  without their ship being smashed by the rocks. 
  * See The Blight: Richard Pett’s 
  Crooked City for details.
  
  44
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  If the PCs wish to gather information about the Great 
  Windmills, use the information in the sidebox. No 
  information is available on the Artificer, however, as 
  she has done well in keeping her identity and activities 
  secret. A Knowledge (local) check may also be used to 
  allow the PCs to know the information below.
  The Great Windmill is a vast building that stands in 
  the mouth of the Great Lyme River on a squat manmade 
  island located in the estuary of the river, approximately 4 
  miles from Festival and shown on the location map. The 
  isle is little wider than the windmill itself, with a short 
  timber jetty allowing access by boat. 
  Built of heavy timbers soaked in oil to prevent rot, the 
  mill is 100 feet tall and 30 feet wide with a stout wooden 
  door at its base. A steeply conical roof of slate tiles rise 
  25 feet farther. The walls are easy to Climb (DC 15), the 
  roof less so (DC 20) due to its slippery nature (it has been 
  treated often with grease to keep out rain). 
  The central floors of the structure have been 
  removed to accommodate the lesser searing crucible, 
  leaving only stubby balconies connected by ladders 
  tied to them with wire. The entire place is very hot, 
  and if anyone unprotected from severe heat enters the 
  building, they immediately begin to sweat and must 
  make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 
  15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points 
  of nonlethal damage (see heat dangers, Pathfinder 
  Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).
  Chapter Six:
  The Great Windmill
  Rumours about the Great Windmills
  DC
  Rumour
  10
  “You can see ’em from most eastern parts of the city — vast 
  places built on manmade islands in the river. Many of ’em 
  have burnt down, or been blown over, or fallen, but there 
  must be a good score of ’em left.”
  15
  “Most were built about seventy years ago. The mills were 
  supposed to replace water power for the millers. Course, 
  most of the bigger millers use accursed fleshgines and foul 
  treadmills now so they became obsolete. They milled their 
  last flour over forty years ago, I’d guess.”
  20
  “D…d…dangerous places! One exploded. Exploded! They 
  say the hot machinery ignited the flour dust and the place 
  just blew!”
  25
  “One of the main reasons for their demise was how 
  awkward it was to land at ’em. Now, o’ course, they’re 
  places best avoided: pirates, smugglers, briny-boys, 
  golem-stitchers, and even sea-devils are rumoured to 
  populate ’em. Hah, one of the things that made ’em so 
  awkward is now one of their strengths! Handy bases for 
  keeping outta sight if ya wanna do unseen things …”
  
  45
  The Crucible
  Reaching the  
  Great Windmill
  The estuary is a tricky place to navigate at times, as the Canker springs 
  up and curious — but still hazardous — sandbanks form. Some even say 
  sea devils or skum deliberately form the sandbanks to trap vessels when 
  the Canker is at her deepest. If the PCs are travelling by their own means, 
  you could make this part of the adventure as tricky or easy as you wish. 
  As written, the PCs either go with the coal merchants or under the own 
  methods, and since these could vary considerably, the approach is left 
  open for you to consider.
  When the PCs draw within 200 yards of the Great Windmill, read or 
  paraphrase the following description:
  A vast dark shape looms from the water; like some primal 
  dragon or kraken, it is monstrous and brooding. Its great sails 
  hang ossified on her seaward side, barely moving in the wind. 
  Whilst its flanks soar into the sky to nearly 130 feet, its feet 
  grip the stone upon which it is built almost in desperation. 
  This structure has a tiny footprint and virtually suffocates the 
  rock upon which it perches. A low jetty seems to be the only 
  landing point on this strange outpost, yet even this looks a 
  tricky proposition as the tide is rough and the rocks about it 
  are jagged. 
  As the PCs draw even closer to the island, a DC 20 Perception check 
  notices that the water around the island seems more populated than 
  expected with dark shapes that swim below. The Artificer and her gargoyle 
  accomplices, eager to ensure that unwanted visitors are kept away, have 
  been chumming the waters to draw predators.
  E1. Jetty (CR varies)
  A low timber jetty with a single moored jolly boat extends out 
  from the foot of a vast towering edifice of great timber beams, 
  which squats like a cuckoo in an inadequate nest. The jetty sits 
  atop razor-like rocks. This great windmill almost appears to be 
  dipping its toes into the waters and, by the look of the salt scars 
  around its base, the place is frequently inundated by storms.
  The rocks, like many forming isles hereabouts, are indeed razor sharp. 
  A combination of skill checks is required to reach the isle by boat if using 
  mundane methods. A DC 25 Profession (sailor) check allows the boat to be 
  held within 10 feet of the rocks for 5 rounds while it loads or unloads on the 
  jetty. A DC 25 Strength check can be substituted for the skill if necessary. 
  If either of these checks fails, the boat grinds its hull against the rocks, 
  inflicting 3d6 points of damage to whatever vessel the PCs have. A DC 20 
  Acrobatics check (to jump) or a Climb check is required to disembark from 
  the boat onto the jetty, and those who fail the check fall into the waters and 
  immediately find out the identities of the dark shapes lurking below. 
  Even if all the PCs safely disembark, they still are left with the problem of 
  what to do with their vessel. If they allow it to drift, it soon gets dragged away 
  
  46
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  by the strong currents. If they leave it moored, it is soon damaged beyond 
  repair by being repeatedly ground against the rocks by the actions of the 
  waves. If the PCs arrive aboard the Blackleg, they discover that its reinforced, 
  iron-plated hull foregoes the need for any of the normal checks and can 
  remain lashed to the jetty for hours if need be. In addition, its gangplank also 
  allows access from the boat to the jetty without any sort of check.
  If the PCs examine the outer walls of the Great Windmill, they notice a 
  heavy metal flue emerging from the roof and rising 30 feet above the mill. 
  This flue vents off the crucible’s smoke and is easily visible during daylight 
  hours. A DC 10 Perception check reveals that it is a recent modification 
  added to the windmill. A DC 15 Perception check also allows the PCs to 
  make out a balcony high above. This perch (E4) hangs 100 feet above the 
  ground entrance. The wind sails of the mill are each 70 feet long and 25 
  feet wide at their distal ends, and they move with almost imperceptible 
  slowness. PCs who are able to reach them can Climb along them (DC 15) 
  to reach their intersection at the base of E4. 
  A gargoyle sits on watch, hidden amongst the rocks of the shore (Stealth 
  +17) keeping an eye out for unexpected visitors. In addition, the waters 
  around the island are infested with aquatic carnivores, the most dangerous 
  of which are 3 slop-sharks that keep the other predators at bay and move 
  quickly to attack anyone they perceive in the water. The slop-sharks are 
  bloated and have an unpleasant crimson hue.
  GARGOYLE 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  hp 42 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Gargoyle”)
  Before Combat The gargoyle is used to seeing John and 
  Jacob Sallow on the Blackleg, but not a full crew. If it sees 
  more than three people, it flies stealthily but quickly to the 
  perch (E4) to alert the Artificer.
  SLOP SHARKS (3) 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  hp 52 (See Appendix A “Lyme Angler”)
  E2. Main Chamber (CR varies)
  The interior of the great windmill has been stripped of 
  furnishings and floors to accommodate a singular construction 
  — a cyst of iron, a vast metal cocoon that gives off a nimbus of 
  heat and the smell of hot iron — which dominates the space. 
  This cyclopean object is suspended from great timber beams 
  high above by a single iron chain and has heavy doors sealed 
  at its base, where it hangs just above the floor. Several large 
  scars and dents mar the iron plating of the construction as 
  if something powerful within had tried to escape in the past. 
  Piles of coal and several wheelbarrows lie nearby, ready to 
  feed the inferno within. What were once the upper floors of 
  the mill are now little more than a single balcony connected 
  by a rickety ladder. Most disturbing of all though is the noise 
  — the steady hateful roar of something within the object itself.
  This entire area is sweltering from the proximity of the crucible. The 
  area is considered to be severe heat (averaging approximately 120o F) and 
  requiring a DC 15 Fortitude save (DC +1 for each previous check) every 
  10 minutes or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Characters in heavy 
  clothing or armor of any sort take a –4 penalty on this save. If a character 
  goes unconscious in here, he begins taking 1d4 points of lethal damage 
  every 10 minutes. The occupants of the room have grown acclimated to 
  these effects.
  The coal piles are used to feed the elemental within the crucible. Lying 
  amongst them is a heavy cloth the gargoyles use to open the door levers to 
  ensure they do not take damage while doing so (see E3 below). The ladder 
  is safe, and the floor above creaks but is solid enough. The mechanism that 
  holds the mill’s great sails is a rusting mass of iron 60 feet above the floor.
  The Artificer spends her every waking hour attending the thing she has 
  created, and is now nurturing it with the intention of drawing off a large 
  
  47
  The Crucible
  number of ragefire spawn. With these, she intends to attack shipping far 
  out to sea where there will be no witnesses and no way for her elementals 
  to escape after the carnage. She is helped in her task by a quasit thrall and 
  a small wing of 3 gargoyles that fear and respect her ever since she killed 
  their four-armed patriarch and fed several more dissenters to the crucible. 
  While most of the remaining gargoyles are now loyal to the Artificer, they 
  are petty, treacherous and vindictive creatures and remain ready to exploit 
  any perceived weakness. One in particular, the old matriarch, is waiting 
  for an opportunity that the PCs are likely to create.
  The Artificer is busy tending her beloved elemental; however, it is 
  getting angrier and angrier. She’s managed to quell it over the last few 
  days with use of her cone of cold, but knows the thing wants to escape. 
  The outer shell of the crucible is already scored with unnaturally large 
  punch marks from within. Unfortunately, the gargoyles, sick of the 
  beatings they get and extremely amused by what may happen if the thing 
  within is freed, have already plotted to help it (see “Tactics” below for 
  more details). The Artificer is obsessive about her prisoner, and knows it 
  is her way to fortune and power. She’ll never give it up.
  When first seen, the Artificer is almost shocking in her near nakedness. 
  She’s lithe and oily and dirty, and has grown accustomed to working in 
  the intense heat of the windmill. She wears hefty boots and a cloak that 
  barely covers her body. A leather belt from which dangle a few pouches 
  and tools hangs at her waist.
  THE ARTIFICER 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800
  Female human sorcerer (crossblooded) 12 (Pathfinder Role-
  playing Game Ultimate Magic “Crossblooded”)
  CE Medium humanoid (human)
  Init +1; Perception +2
  AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +1 Dex, +2 deflection)
  Fire and Water
  Fire
  A fire elemental or ragefire elemental, including ragefire spawn, sets 
  alight any combustible material in its squares if it remains in one place 
  for a full round. These fires may then spread. Each round at initiative 
  count 10, the fires spread to one adjacent 5-foot square for every two 
  squares that are already burning, rounded down (for example, a fire 
  of four 5-foot squares ignites two more, a fire of seven 5-foot squares 
  ignites three more, and so on). A fire burning in only a single 5-foot 
  square has a 50% chance per round of spreading to an adjacent square.
  Whenever a PC moves into a square that is on fire or starts her turn 
  in a square that is on fire, she must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save 
  or catch on fire, taking 1d6 points of damage that round and every 
  round she remains on fire (see “Catching on Fire” in Chapter 13 of 
  the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook for full rules for 
  catching on fire).
  If half or more of the squares in an area are on fire, at the GM’s 
  discretion, the smoke may become too thick to breathe without effort; 
  characters must make a DC 15 Fortitude save (+1 per previous attempt) 
  at the beginning of their turn each round or spend that round choking 
  and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 
  1d6 points of nonlethal damage (see “Smoke Effects” in Chapter 13 of 
  the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).
  A PC can extinguish a 5-foot square of fire with a successful DC 
  15 Survival check; for every 5 points by which the check exceeds the 
  DC, the PC extinguishes 1 additional adjacent square within his reach. 
  Casting create water or drench has a 50% chance of extinguishing 
  a square, while higher-level spells with the cold or water descriptor 
  extinguish a number of squares equal to their spell level squared (1 
  square at 1st level, 4 squares at 2nd level, 9 squares at 3rd level and 
  so on to a maximum of the number of squares covered by the spell’s 
  area of effect) unless the spell specifies otherwise. Encourage players 
  to come up with other creative ways of extinguishing flames.
  If fires grow too large, the burning debris creates thick black 
  smoke that pours into the sky above Castorhage, and a fire brigade 
  eventually arrives, followed by one or more units of the City Watch. 
  PCs emerging from burning areas after the authorities have arrived 
  may be detained and have some explaining to do.
  Water
  The ragefire elemental (see Appendix A: New Monsters) is an 
  Abyssal variant of the fire elemental. In the description of its water 
  vulnerability, it describes the damage caused by contact with water. 
  A ragefire elemental fully immersed in water takes damage equal to 
  one-third of its maximum hit points per round. Likewise, even if not 
  immersed, a ragefire elemental takes 1 point of damage per 15 gallons 
  of water that it is exposed to (though the water is usually evaporated 
  in the process). As the plot of The Crucible so heavily involves 
  these effects, the results of using certain spells and magic items are 
  summarized below.
  Aqueous OrbAPG: A Large or smaller ragefire elemental is engulfed 
  by the 10-foot sphere of water produced by this spell if it fails its 
  Reflex save. An engulfed ragefire is considered immersed and takes 
  damage accordingly. If a ragefire elemental of size Huge or larger fails 
  its save, it is not engulfed but still takes damage on a failed save as if 
  coming into contact with a 5-foot square of water, dealing 6d6 points 
  of damage.
  Create Water: This spell creates 2 gallons of water per level. At 8th 
  level, this would be sufficient to deal 1 point of damage to a ragefire 
  elemental.
  Decanter of Endless Water: This magic item is fairly ineffective as 
  a weapon except with the geyser which creates 30 gallons per round 
  and deals 2 points of damage as opposed to 2d4 listed in the item 
  description.
  Drench*: This orison has no effect on a ragefire elemental other 
  than to irritate it.
  GeyserAPG: This spell creates a spout of boiling water filling a 5-foot 
  square. If in the square where the geyser appears, a ragefire elemental 
  takes 6d6 points of damage per round. The droplets of water falling 
  in the surrounding squares are of insufficient quantity to damage the 
  elemental.
  Hydraulic PushAPG: The quick blast of water produced by this spell 
  is the equivalent of 30 gallons of water and deals 2 points of damage 
  to a ragefire elemental that occupies the targeted square.
  Hydraulic TorrentAPG: This blast of water in a 60-foot line deals 
  1d6 points of damage/level (max 10d6) to a ragefire elemental but is 
  considered to have struck something that it cannot push past when it 
  hits the ragefire.
  Sleet Storm: Every round that a ragefire elemental remains within 
  the area of effect of a sleet storm, it is the equivalent of standing in a 
  5-foot square of water and takes 6d6 points of damage.
  SlipstreamAPG: If a ragefire elemental fails its saving throw against 
  this spell, it takes 6d6 points of damage as its square is covered by the 
  water conjured by the spell. However, that water evaporates after 1 
  round, leaving the square dry once again.
  These rules can also be applied to other spells, and to other creatures 
  that are composed wholly or partly of elemental fire or that have the fire 
  subtype, at the GM’s discretion. While GMs could suggest that water 
  might damage creatures composed of fire, it is recommended that 
  these specific rules are left to be discovered in game by resourceful, 
  and experimental, players.
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide
  * See Book of Lost Spells by Frog God Games
  
  48
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  hp 68 (12d6+24)
  Fort +8; Ref +7; Will +8
  Resist fire 10
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee dagger +5/+0 (1d4−1/19–20)
  Ranged dagger +7/+2 (1d4−1/19–20)
  Sorcerer Spells Known (CL 12th):
  6th (3/day)—disintegrate (DC 22)
  5th (6/day)—cloudkill (DC 21), cone of cold (DC 21), over-
  land flight
  4th (7/day)—dimension door, emergency force spherePC:-
  CEoD, greater infernal healingPCS:ISWG, greater invisibility, resilient 
  sphere (DC 20)
  3rd (7/day)—aqueous orbAPG (DC 19), dispel magic, elemental 
  auraAPG, protection from energy, slow (DC 18), vampiric touch
  2nd (7/day)—bear’s endurance, blur, eagle’s splendor, pro-
  tection from arrows, resist energy, see invisibility, web (DC 18)
  1st (8/day)—alarm, endure elements, illusion of calmUC, infer-
  nal healingPCS:ISWG, mage armor, magic missile, shield
  0 (at will)—detect magic, drench* (DC 16), light, mage 
  hand, mending, prestidigitation (DC 15), ray of frost, read 
  magic
  Bloodlines arcane, destined
  Before Combat The Artificer casts greater invisibility, mage 
  armor, shield and blur when she becomes aware of intruders 
  at the great windmill.
  During Combat She leads with disintegrate followed by 
  cloudkill. Use other spells at your discretion, but try to keep 
  her to the edges of combat. The Artificer never attacks the 
  ragefire elemental — even if it attacks her — until all her en-
  emies are dead, at which point she’ll seek to quell it and get 
  it back into the crucible. She has no qualms about ordering 
  any of her wretched followers to die to protect a hair on 
  herself.
  Morale This is the Artificer’s only chance of power; she’s 
  been wretched before and knows how hard that is in this 
  city of all places. She’ll die before abandoning her plans at 
  the windmill.
  Str 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 20
  Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 18
  Feats AlertnessB, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Eschew Ma-
  terials, Extend Spell, Improved Familiar, Maximize Spell, Spell 
  Focus (conjuration), Spell Focus (evocation)
  Skills Appraise +5, Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Fly +9, Intimidate 
  +9, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (engineering) +9, 
  Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge (local) +4, Linguistics +2, 
  Perception +2, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +16; Racial Modi-
  fiers +2 Sense Motive
  Languages Abyssal, Common, River Cant
  SQ arcane familiar (quasit named Suffer), bloodline arcana, 
  eye for talentARG, fated, metamagic adept (3/day)
  Combat Gear empower lesser metamagic rod, 3 quartz 
  flasks of ragefire spawn; Other Gear dagger, cloak of resis-
  tance +2, ring of protection +2, ring of minor fire resistance
  APG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s 
  Guide
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race 
  Guide
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  PC: CEoD See Pathfinder Companion: Cheliax, Empire of Devils
  PCS:ISWG See Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea World 
  Guide
  * See Book of Lost Spells by Frog God Games
  SUFFER 
  CR —
  XP —
  Female quasit familiar (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Besti-
  ary “Demon, Quasit”)
  CE Tiny outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
  AC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +8 natural)
  hp 41 (12 HD); fast healing 2
  Fort +5; Ref +6; Will +9
  Defensive Abilities improved evasion; DR 5/good or cold 
  iron; Immune electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 
  10; SR 17
  Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect)
  Melee 2 claws +10 (1d3−1 plus poison), bite +10 (1d4−1)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks deliver touch spells
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th):
  At will—detect good, detect magic, invisibility (self only)
  1/day—cause fear (30 ft. radius, DC 11)
  1/week—commune (six questions)
  Str 8, Dex 14, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 11
  Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 15
  Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +2, Appraise +2, Bluff +6, Diplomacy +4, Fly 
  +22, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (planes) +7, Linguistics +2, 
  Perception +7, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +13, Stealth +16, 
  Use Magic Device +3
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy (touch)
  SQ change shape (bat or wolf; polymorph), empathic link, 
  share spells
  Poison (Ex) Claw—injury; save Fortitude DC 19; frequency 1/
  round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dexterity; cure 2 consecutive 
  saves. The DC includes a +2 racial bonus.
  GRIEVE 
  CR 3
  XP 1,200
  Male advanced quasit thrall (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Bestiary “Demon, Quasit”)
  CE Tiny outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
  Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
  AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (+4 Dex, +4 natural, +2 size)
  hp 22 (3d10+6); fast healing 2
  Fort +3; Ref +7; Will +6
  DR 5/cold iron or good; Immune electricity, 
  poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10
  Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect)
  Melee 2 claws +9 (1d3+1 plus poison), bite +9 (1d4+1)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th):
  At will—detect good, detect magic, invisibility (self only)
  1/day—cause fear (30 ft. radius, DC 11)
  1/week—commune (six questions)
  Str 12, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 15
  Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 16
  Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +8, Fly +22, Intimidate +8, Knowl-
  edge (planes) +8, Perception +9, Stealth +18, Use Magic 
  Device +8
  Languages Abyssal, Common; telepathy (touch)
  SQ change shape (small centipede, or toad; polymorph)
  Poison (Ex) Claw—injury; save Fortitude DC 15; frequency 1/
  round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dexterity; cure 2 consecutive 
  saves. The DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial 
  bonus.
  
  49
  The Crucible
  GARGOYLES (3) 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  hp 42 (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Gargoyle”)
  RAGEFIRE SPAWN (3) 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  hp 22 (See Appendix A)
  During Combat The ragefire spawn’s primary motivation — 
  which it follows with a terrifying single-mindedness — is to kill 
  sentient humanoid creatures.
  Morale The ragefire spawn exists to consume life and unre-
  lentingly fights to the death.
  Tactics: Each of the gargoyles (including the one attending the bellows 
  at E3) agrees that it would be highly amusing to see the elemental in 
  action. They know how to fully open the crucible, and the arrival of any 
  sword- and spell-wielding foes grants them cover to see their plan to 
  fruition. One (or all) of them move toward the main opening lever and 
  pull it, releasing the ragefire elemental (see E3 below) and then scatter to 
  watch the ensuing chaos. They regroup at the Perch (E4) to watch. They 
  leave this position only if attacked, in which case they attack as a quartet, 
  fleeing if any one of their group is slain.
  Treasure: The Artificer’s gear is scattered across the chamber. A 
  Perception check (DC 15) locates her formulae book; another similar check 
  finds an unlocked iron chest containing 2,500 gp and copies of various 
  shipping ledgers that detail voyages that the Company of Honourable 
  Seamen are due to make in the next 2 months. Three of these voyages 
  are circled, with the words “spice,” “silk,” and “brandy” scribbled beside 
  them, and the word “valuable” written and underlined beside them. These 
  are the first ships the Artificer plans to attack and rob as soon as they sail. 
  E3. The Crucible (CR 9)
  A vast construct of riveted iron plates fills the interior of the 
  windmill like a great metal child inside its womb. A great chain 
  holds it to the beams high above, while below it is so close to 
  the ground it can barely be crawled under. At the base, three 
  5-foot-wide doors are shut fast, levers at their sides, while a 
  curious brass tap protrudes just below. To one side, a set of 
  bellows can be pumped to keep the fires within roaring. The 
  entire contraption gives off an intense heat, while something 
  inside growls angrily.
  This vast construction is a lesser searing crucible (see Appendix B). 
  A furnace lies within the base of the crucible; the three iron doors allow 
  access, only one of which can be open at a time. Two doors are used to feed 
  the furnace, and the third is used to open the crucible and feed its prisoner. 
  Iron valves permit fumes to escape but keep the creature trapped within. 
  The tap is used to draw off essences of the ragefire as ragefire spawn with 
  a command word known by the Artificer. The iron chain at its top is 6 
  inches thick (hardness 10, hp 180 [90 causes the chain to snap under the 
  weight of the crucible], Break DC 35), and the beams from which it hangs 
  are 2 feet thick (hardness 5, hp 240 [120 causes the beam to snap under 
  the weight of the crucible], Break DC 30). If the chain or beams can be 
  severed or fail, the furnace falls and ruptures, allowing the elemental to 
  escape and filling the ground floor with burning coals to a depth of 5 feet 
  (exposure to which inflicts 10d6 points of damage per round). Characters 
  making a DC 25 Reflex save manage to dive out the door or leap onto an 
  exposed beam fragment (GM’s discretion) and take only half damage; 
  how those who make their escape manage to stay away from the coals, 
  which burn for another hour unless extinguished, is between them and the 
  GM. If the coals are dumped, the building also catches fire (see the Fire 
  and Water sidebox above). 
  The gargoyle matriarch attends the bellows that power the furnace and 
  feeds it fuel. This gargoyle, Shlarch, is drenched in sweat and filth. She is 
  the old matriarch of the wing who still burns with anger at the Artificer for 
  slaying her mate. Shlarch has been working the crucible for the Artificer, 
  observing, biding her time and plotting with her gargoyle followers. Not 
  only has she overheard and memorized the command word to make the 
  tap work, but she has also overheard the Artificer describing some of the 
  functions of the crucible to the Organ Grinder, including how the bound 
  creature can be released. When the PCs enter the mill and confront the 
  Artificer, Shlarch realizes that her opportunity has come. Anyone touching 
  the metal shell of the crucible or one of the levers takes 2d6 points of fire 
  damage unless they are suitable protected (for example, by using the cloth 
  lying in the coal heap in E2). Anyone entering the crucible takes 10d6 
  points of fire damage each round.
  SHLARCH, GARGOYLE MATRIARCH 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  Feale four-armed gargoyle (Pathfinder Adventure Path #48: 
  Shadows of Gallowspire “Four-Armed Gargoyle”)
  CE Large monstrous humanoid (earth)
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
  AC 24, touch 10, flat-footed 23 (+1 Dex, +14 natural, –1 size)
  hp 105 (10d10+50)
  Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +8
  DR 10/magic
  Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average)
  Melee bite +15 (1d8+6), 4 claws +15 (1d6+6/19–20), gore +15 
  (1d4+6) or bite +15 (1d8+7)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks rend (1d6+6)
  Str 23, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 11
  Base Atk +10; CMB +17; CMD 28
  Feats Great Fortitude, Hover, Improved Critical (claw), Pow-
  er Attack, Skill Focus (Fly)
  Skills Fly +18, Perception +15, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +2 
  Stealth (+6 in stony environs)
  Languages Common, Terran
  SQ freeze
  Development: When combat starts in the room, a gargoyle opens the tap 
  to release the elemental. The ragefire elemental starts to pour out through 
  these doors at the base of the crucible like liquid flame and pools beneath. At 
  this stage, a character can try to close the tap. This is a full round action that 
  provokes an attack of opportunity from any gargoyles that threaten the PCs. A 
  DC 15 Strength check is required, and those attempting this take 6d6 points of 
  fire damage as the elemental and contents boil outward. If the elemental is not 
  stopped, 3 rounds later, the Huge ragefire elemental emerges from the pool 
  and joins the fray (see Event 4 below). When this occurs, the other gargoyles 
  retreat from the fight to watch, with glee, what happens.
  E4. The Perch
  A larger fragment of the windmill’s flooring stands virtually 
  intact near the roof. Through a hole in the floor can be seen 
  the beams supporting the great behemoth in the room below. 
  The shimmer of super-heated air rises up through this hole 
  and makes this room uncomfortably warm.
  This room is considered to be severe heat like the rest of the tower 
  due to the vast crucible below. A narrow balcony has been made by the 
  gargoyles to allow their frequent raids into the city to collect carrion, steal 
  trophies to line their lair, abduct beggars and vagabonds to feed on, or to 
  find insects and small birds and mammals to slowly pull apart.
  Treasure: The gargoyles have kept various objects from victims fed 
  into the furnace, including a scorched wooden clog; a silver monocle set 
  with carved swans and angels that functions as a lens of detection; a glove-
  puppet two-headed crow bearing a minor illusion (CL 2) that occasionally 
  shouts out cuss-words for no discernible reason; a silver stirrup cup 
  shaped like a fox eating a dove worth 500 gp; a large bloody and soot-
  
  50
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  damaged smock; a desiccated human hand; and a fine pinafore dress set 
  with obsidians worth 200 gp and, again, stained with blood (the value 
  increases to 400 gp if properly cleaned and restored). 
  Event 4: The Ragefire Freed (CR 11)
  As the ragefire elemental has fed, it has grown and with this increase 
  in size has come an increase in its cunning. It wants nothing less than to 
  destroy its prison, kill the Artificer, and wreak havoc. It is about to get its 
  chance …
  HUGE RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800
  hp 136 See Appendix A)
  During Combat The ragefire elemental first focuses on kill-
  ing the Artificer, then on destroying the crucible by breaking 
  its chain and causing it to fall and rupture (see E2 above), 
  and then on killing anything else, all the while moving about 
  the windmill to set it alight. If it has the time, it takes the op-
  portunity to try to create spawn from any humanoid it kills.
  Morale The ragefire elemental wants to live. If it is reduced 
  to 50 hit points or fewer, it flees (see “Development” below).
  Tactics: The ragefire elemental and the ragefire spawn set the mill alight. 
  The walls, ladders, upper floors, and structural beams of the structure are all 
  made of wood that is very ready to burn. Any interior surface that is adjacent 
  to an elemental begins to burn. Refer to the Fire and Water sidebox for 
  rules on determining the speed with which the fire spreads. Rules for 
  tracking the effects of the fire as it spreads throughout the mill follow (refer 
  to “Heat Dangers” in Chapter 13 of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core 
  Rulebook for further details). All effects are cumulative.
  Squares 
  Affected
  Effect
  1–10
  The building is on fire and anyone inside 
  experiences severe heat; embers and smoke 
  begin to fill the interior. If the crucible ruptures, 
  refer to E3 for additional effects.
  11–20
  The flames spread, and anyone inside the 
  mill experiences extreme heat; smoke fills the 
  room and obscures vision, giving concealment 
  (20% miss chance) to anyone within it.
  21–30
  Over half the building is now on fire, and the 
  smoke has become too thick to breathe 
  without effort; anyone inside must make a 
  Fortitude save (DC 15 +1 per previous attempt) 
  at the beginning of their turn each round or 
  spend that round choking and coughing. 
  A character who chokes for 2 consecutive 
  rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
  31–40 
  Most of the building is now aflame; breathing 
  air in these temperatures deals 1d6 points of fire 
  damage per round (no save); the characters 
  also take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage from 
  the smoke effects (no save) but must make 
  a save each round to avoid coughing and 
  choking due to the smoke. These penalties 
  end when the character recovers from the 
  nonlethal damage she took from the heat.
  41+
  The building is now completely engulfed in fire, 
  and anyone within (regardless of what square 
  they’re in) must make a Reflex save (DC 15 +1 
  per previous attempt) or catch on fire. After 10 
  rounds of burning at this intensity, debris begins to 
  fall, and anyone within must make a DC 20 Reflex 
  save each round or be struck for 1d6 points of 
  damage. Anyone injured by falling debris must 
  make a second DC Reflex save or be knocked 
  prone. If a PC is knocked prone, the falling debris 
  makes a CMB +8 check to determine if the 
  character is pinned or not. A pinned character 
  continues to take an additional 1d6 points of 
  fire damage each round (regardless of other 
  damage being taken) because of the burning 
  wood that has pinned them. A pinned character 
  can escape by making a successful CMB check 
  against the debris’ CMD 20. After 15 minutes 
  of burning at this intensity, the roof of the great 
  windmill collapses, taking the structural beams 
  with it. The windmill collapse covers the entire 
  surface of the isle. Anyone upon the island when 
  this occurs is in the bury zone, and takes 8d6 
  points of damage or half that amount if they 
  make a DC 15 Reflex save. There is no slide zone. 
  Characters take 1d6 points of fire damage per 
  round while buried.
  Development: Once the windmill collapses, and the Artificer is dead, 
  the ragefire elemental seeks to escape the island. If Mean’s Mob are waiting 
  (see Event 5 below), they flee from the elemental rather than engage it. 
  If the elemental is not fleeing, it attempts to kill them. Ten minutes into 
  combat, a caravel (the Filthy Drake) approaches the isle’s jetty, eager to 
  help save anyone from the fire. The ship comes to within 25 feet of the 
  isle in this case. The elemental makes an Acrobatics check to leap onto 
  the ship, killing any of the crew who don’t immediately leap overboard 
  (whom the slop-sharks rapidly take care of), and the burning ship begins 
  
  51
  The Crucible
  drifting toward the city. If the elemental is not destroyed, in 20 minutes 
  the fragments of burning caravel draws close enough to a shore and the 
  elemental leaps off and onto the city docks. A large fire then breaks out 
  in the city as the elemental begins killing everyone in sight. If it is not 
  destroyed swiftly, the number of lives it may claim could transform it 
  into a greater ragefire elemental. These developments are dealt with in the 
  Conclusion below.
  Event 5: An Unexpected 
  Complication (CR 9)
  If Uriah Mean was able to have the party followed (see Chapter 3), 
  5 minutes after the PCs reach the island, Mean’s Mob arrives on the 
  jetty behind them. They scuttle any other boats at the jetty with heavy 
  spikes driven through the hull and, if a fight has already started within the 
  windmill, wait outside to deal with the victor and take the spoils. If a fight 
  has not yet broken out, they enter the windmill and start one. They flee to 
  the jetty if the windmill catches fire and depart entirely on their boat if it 
  becomes fully engulfed in flame and in danger of collapse.
  Mean’s Mob
  Uriah Mean keeps strange company, and has particular associates within 
  the lower echelons of the Family. He is particularly close to the Krabs, a 
  quartet of wererat acrobats of the little known Pensil Fair. The Krabs 
  are, in turn, close friends with Mister Mackerel, a kuwa oni who wanders 
  the town polymorphed as a tall fisherman who wears a long waxed coat.
  MISTER MACKEREL 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  Male kuwa oni ranger (skirmisher, urban ranger) 5 (Path-
  finder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3 “Oni, Kuwa”; Pathfinder 
  Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide “Skirmisher,” 
  “Urban Ranger”)
  LE Medium outsider (human, native, oni, shapechanger)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +16
  AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +6 Dex, +1 natural)
  hp 84 (10d10+30); regeneration 5 (acid or fire)
  Fort +11; Ref +11; Will +8
  SR 19
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee* +1 keen scythe +14/+9 (2d4+19/19–20/x4) or 2 claws 
  +13 (1d6+15)
  Ranged composite longbow +16/+11 (1d8+6/x3)
  Special Attacks favored enemies (elves +2, humans +4)
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th):
  3/day—darkness, fly
  1/day—charm person (DC 14), deep slumber (DC 16), invisi-
  bility (self only)
  * Includes Power Attack
  Str 22, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 14
  Base Atk +10; CMB +16 (+18 trip); CMD 32 (34 vs. trip)
  Feats Cleave, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Im-
  proved Trip, Power Attack, Pushing Assault
  Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 jump), Bluff +10, Climb +10, Disable 
  Device +12, Disguise +15, Fly +16, Intimidate +15, Knowledge 
  (arcana) +6, Knowledge (local) +15, Perception +16 (+18 
  locate traps), Sense Motive +10,  Spellcraft +6, Stealth +19, 
  Survival +16 (+18 tracking), Swim +10, Use Magic Device +6
  Languages Aquan, Common, Elven
  SQ change shape (any human; alter self), combat style 
  (two-handed weapon), favored terrain (urban +2), hunter’s 
  bond (companions), hunter’s tricks (upending strike, 5/day), 
  track, trapfinding +2, wild empathy
  Gear mithral shirt, mwk scythe, composite longbow (+6 Str) 
  with 20 arrows
  THE KRABS (4), HYBRID FORM 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  Male human natural wererat rogue (acrobat) 3 (Pathfinder 
  Roleplaying Game Bestiary “Lycanthrope, Wererat”; Pathfind-
  er Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide “Acrobat”)
  LE Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger)
  Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
  AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+3 armor, +3 Dex, +2 natural)
  hp 27 (3d8+10)
  Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +3
  Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 10/silver
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee mwk short sword +5 (1d6+3/19–20), mwk short sword 
  +5 (1d6+1/19–20), bite +0 (1d4+1 plus curse of lycanthropy 
  and disease)
  Ranged light crossbow +5 (1d8/19–20)
  Special Attacks curse of lycanthropy (DC 15), disease (DC 
  14), sneak attack +2d6
  Str 17, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 6
  Base Atk +2; CMB +5; CMD 18
  Feats Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Fo-
  cus (short sword)
  Skills Acrobatics +9, Climb +9, Disable Device +9, Escape 
  Artist +9, Knowledge (local) +5, Perception +8, Sleight of 
  Hand +11, Stealth +11, Survival +2 (+6 in urban and under-
  ground settings), Swim +9; Racial Modifiers +2 Sleight of 
  Hand, +2 Stealth
  Languages Common
  SQ change shape (human, hybrid, and dire rat; polymorph), 
  expert acrobat, heart of the slumsARG, rogue talents (peerless 
  maneuver 1/day), lycanthropic empathy (rats and dire rats), 
  second chance (1/day)
  Gear masterwork studded leather armor, 2 masterwork short 
  swords, light crossbow with 10 crossbow bolts
  ARG See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Race 
  Guide
  Tactics: Mackerel leads the group with invisibility, attempting to assess 
  the situation, and flies back to report and plan the best ambush. He tries 
  to charm any particularly tough fighters to step out of the way before 
  melee. The Krabs attack as a group, attempting to shift combat quickly 
  by overpowering single opponents and tumbling into position to try to 
  gain advantage from the flanks. If reduced below 25 hp, Mister Mackerel 
  attempts to flee using fly or darkness as needed. No heroes, a Krab flees if 
  reduced to 15 hp; if two flee, so do the rest.
  Development: If Mister Mackerel escapes, he may ask his oldest 
  friend, the Bilge Prince (see Conclusion), to help him exact his revenge.
  Conclusion
  Destroying the ragefire elemental and the Artificer ends this adventure. 
  However, the PCs may still need to make a quick escape from the burning 
  isle, and may be glad of help from the Filthy Drake, which approaches the 
  isle if it sees flames. PCs offering up the notes from among the Artificer’s 
  possession to the Company of Honourable Seamen, and by making a DC 25 
  Bluff or Diplomacy check to back up their story, receive a 500 gp reward 
  and may open up future opportunities for adventure with the Company. 
  If anyone from Mean’s Mob escapes, consider that they return to their 
  master and, if Mean is still around, he becomes an enemy for the PCs. 
  Mean is a nasty person to cross, but never likes to openly fight if he can 
  avoid it. He’ll send the occasional trouble the PCs’ way by means of his 
  shady connections.
  If the ragefire elemental escapes into the city, a great fire sweeps 
  through the East Ending, a poor district of the city. Many people are killed 
  in the 2 days of fire that grips the district. If the PCs do not seek it out and 
  
  52
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  slay it, the elemental escapes into the Underneath where, having advanced 
  to be a greater ragefire elemental, it hunts the denizens therein to try to 
  raise a brood of ragefire spawn with which to launch another attack. The 
  PCs should hear about this and must decide if they are willing to brave 
  the depths of the terrible Underneath to track it and kill it lest it unleash 
  another terrifying inferno on the citizens of the Blight. If they do not, 
  sooner or later a family of dwarves from Choketown (area U9), who suffer 
  greatly before finally vanquishing the creature, trace back what happened. 
  Elder Bartholomew Rothgrorr Haggrudd Formel Choke instructs a 
  party of dwarves (CR 12) to track down those responsible. The PCs soon 
  find themselves hunted by dwarves eager to place blame for their woes. 
  How this develops is left to the GM.
  Word of the PCs’ exploits eventually reaches the ears of the affable 
  Quentin Ruben Sollerman Hubbard, KC* (N male human ranger 14) 
  who has need of associates to gather obscure items from across the known 
  world (see area F21). He offers the PCs a chance to join him on a voyage 
  of discovery into the Unsea, an aspect of Between he is desperate to fish 
  and explore. The pay should be high enough to tempt the PCs. How that 
  adventure develops is left to the GM.
  * Knight of the City, a minor and obscure noble title of Castorhage
  Finally, if Mister Mackeral survives, he may have informed his friend 
  the Bilge Prince of their actions, at the GM’s discretion. If so, the Bilge 
  Prince takes umbrage at the assault upon his boon companion and seeks 
  vengeance upon the PCs at some inopportune time when they are on or 
  near the water. The Bilge Prince is a four-armed mutant sahuagin and can 
  be used as a long-term adversary of the PCs if you choose.
  THE BILGE PRINCE 
  CR 8
  XP 4,800
  Male mutant sahuagin ranger (skirmisher) 6 (Pathfinder Role-
  playing Game Bestiary “Sahuagin”; Pathfinder Roleplaying 
  Game Advanced Player’s Guide “Skirmisher”)
  LE Medium monstrous humanoid (aquatic)
  Init +3; Senses blindsense 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
  AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+5 armor, +3 Dex, +5 natural, 
  +1 deflection)
  hp 68 (8d10+24)
  Fort +8; Ref +11; Will +7; +4 vs. hot or cold environments and 
  to resist damage from suffocation
  Resist electricity 2
  Weaknesses light blindness
  Speed 30 ft., swim 60 ft.
  Melee mwk trident +12/+7 (1d8+5), mwk net +12/+7 (entan-
  gle), 2 claws +8 (1d4+2), bite +8 (1d4+2) 
  Ranged mwk underwater heavy crossbow +12/+7 (1d10/19–20)
  Special Attacks favored enemies (aquatic humanoids +2, 
  humans +4)
  Str 20, Dex 16, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 6
  Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 27
  Feats Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Net), Im-
  proved Two-weapon Fighting, Net AdeptUC, Net and Triden-
  tUC, Net ManeuveringUC, Two-weapon Fighting
  Skills Climb +16, Handle Animal +9, Intimidate +9, Knowl-
  edge (geography) +7, Knowledge (nature) +13, Perception 
  +13, Sense Motive +2, Stealth +14, Survival +13 (+16 to track), 
  Swim +24 (+28 to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion)
  Languages Aquan, Common; speak with sharks
  SQ blood frenzy (1/day), combat style (two-weapon com-
  bat), favored terrain (water +2), animal companion (shark), 
  hunter’s trick (upending strike, 5/day), track, wild empathy
  Gear +2 eel hide studded leather armorUE, ring of protection 
  +1, masterwork net, masterwork trident, masterwork under-
  water heavy crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts
  UC See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Combat
  UE See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Ultimate Equipment
  SHARK 
  CR —
  XP —
  Male shark animal companion (Pathfinder Roleplaying 
  Game Bestiary “Shark”) 
  N Small Animal (aquatic)
  Init +7; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +7
  AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +1 size, +6 natural)
  hp 19 (6 HD)
  Fort +7; Ref +6; Will +2
  Defensive Abilities evasion
  Speed 0 ft., swim 60 ft.
  Melee bite +5 (1d4+3)
  Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2
  Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 16 (can’t be tripped)
  Feats Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative
  Skills Perception +7, Stealth +7, Swim +10
  
  53
  The Crucible
  Dog, Fighting
  This vicious-looking dog is heavily-muscled and scarred from many 
  battles.
  BLIGHT-BULL (LIGHT FIGHTING DOG) 
  CR 1/2
  XP 200
  N Small animal
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
  AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+2 armor, +2 Dex, +1 natural, 
  +1 size)
  hp 13 (2d8+4)
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +1
  Defensive Abilities ferocity
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee bite +5 (1d4+3 plus jawlock)
  Str 14, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base Atk +1; CMB +2 (+6 grapple); CMD 14 (18 vs. trip)
  Feats Weapon Focus (bite)
  Skills Acrobatics +6 (+14 jumping), Perception +5; Racial 
  Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping
  SQ tricks (attack, defend, down, exclusive, flank, menace)
  PPC:AA
  Gear leather barding
  PPC:AA See Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive
  Environment urban
  Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–12)
  Treasure none
  Jawlock (Ex) A fighting dog can lock its jaws when 
  it hits with a bite attack. This works like the grab 
  special ability for creatures up to its size and the 
  attach special ability for larger creatures. Each 
  round the dog successfully maintains its grapple, 
  the creature it is locked onto takes bite damage.
  PIT-MASTIFF (HEAVY FIGHTING DOG) 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  N Medium animal
  Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
  AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +1 nat-
  ural)
  hp 26 (4d8+8)
  Fort +6; Ref +6; Will +2
  Defensive Abilities ferocity
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee bite +7 (1d6+4 plus jawlock)
  Str 16, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 8
  Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 18 (22 vs. trip)
  Feats Light Armor Proficiency, Weapon Focus (bite)
  Skills Acrobatics +6 (+14 jumping), Perception +8; Racial 
  Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping
  SQ tricks (attack, defend, down, exclusive, flank, menace)
  PPC:AA
  Gear studded leather barding
  PPC:AA See Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive
  Environment urban
  Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–12)
  Treasure none
  Dogs bred and trained specifically to fight are much tougher than 
  normal breeds. They are typically garbed in light barding and have 
  been taught to lock their jaws to bring opponents down. Their training 
  has suppressed some of their natural instincts and rendered them quite 
  specialized; consequently, they aren’t of much use for other activities, 
  such as tracking, but continue to fight well past the point when other dogs 
  would no longer be able to continue.
  Animal Companion: A druid or other character with the ability 
  to select an animal companion may gain a fighting dog with the 
  following statistics:
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 40 ft.; AC +2 natural; 
  Attack bite (1d4); Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, 
  Wis 12, Cha 8; Special Attacks jawlock; Special Qualities 
  low-light vision, scent.
  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Attack 
  bite (1d6); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex 
  –2, Con +2.
  Appendix A:
  New Monsters
  
  54
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Elemental, Ragefire
  The rage and hatred that emanate with the white-hot heat from this 
  demonic fire are palpable.
  RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  Environment any land (Abyss)
  Organization solitary, pair, or inferno (3–8)
  Treasure none
  Create Spawn (Su) As a full-round action, a Huge, greater, 
  or elder ragefire elemental can create ragefire spawn by 
  incinerating the corpse of a non-evil humanoid of at least 5 
  HD that it has killed within the last 10 rounds. Ragefire spawn 
  are under the control of the ragefire elemental that created 
  them and remain enslaved until its death, or until they feed 
  and become ragefire elementals themselves. They do 
  not possess any of the abilities they had in life. A ragefire 
  elemental may have enslaved ragefire spawn totaling no 
  more than twice its own HD; any ragefire spawn it creates 
  that would exceed this limit become free-willed ragefire 
  spawn.
  Feed (Su) As a full-round action, a Tiny, Small, Medium, or 
  Large ragefire elemental can incinerate the corpse of a 
  non-evil humanoid of at least half the elemental’s HD that 
  it has killed within the last 10 rounds to gain a growth point. 
  It gains a bonus equal to its growth point total on attack 
  rolls, CMB rolls, Fortitude and Reflex saving throws, and 
  skill checks. Its maximum hit points increase by 5 for each 
  growth point it gains. For every 2 growth points, the DC for 
  its burn special ability and its CR increase by +1. When a 
  Tiny ragefire elemental gains 1 growth point, or a Small, 
  Medium or Large ragefire elemental reaches 4 growth 
  points, it increases in size, losing all of its growth points (and 
  bonuses) but gaining the stats for a ragefire elemental of the 
  next larger size. A Huge ragefire elemental loses this special 
  ability but gains the create spawn special ability. It is not 
  known how a greater or elder ragefire elemental is created, 
  but it is speculated that a Huge ragefire elemental that 
  causes a large enough loss of sentient life may advance to 
  these states.
  Heat (Ex) A ragefire elemental deals fire damage equal to 
  its burn attack whenever it hits in melee or in each round 
  during which it is in a grapple.
  Water Vulnerability (Ex) Contact with water or 
  nonflammable liquids deal 1 point of damage per 15 
  gallons. Anything less than 15 gallons is insufficient to deal 
  actual damage due to the tremendous heat causing 
  most of it to evaporate before making contact, but it does 
  anger the elemental. If a ragefire elemental is forced to 
  enter a space that is covered with water without some 
  flammable barrier to protect it, the water deals 6d6 points 
  of damage per 5-foot-square of exposure per round, 
  though one 5-foot square of water is evaporated per round 
  of exposure. A ragefire elemental will not purposely expose 
  itself to a body of water, not even a small one in order to 
  evaporate it.
  If a ragefire elemental is fully immersed, the water is not 
  evaporated, the elemental is staggered, and the water 
  deals damage to the elemental equal to one-third of its 
  maximum hit points — a ragefire elemental reduced to 0 hit 
  points in this manner is permanently destroyed, even if only 
  a summoned creature. A ragefire elemental immersed in 
  water or some other nonflammable liquid cannot swim and 
  is forced to move along the bottom of the water-filled area 
  with all normal penalties to speed for being underwater.
  Ragefire Elemental Sizes
  Elemental
  Height
  Weight
  Heat
  Tiny
  2 ft.
  1/2 lb.
  1d3
  Small
  4 ft.
  1 lb.
  1d4
  Medium
  8 ft.
  2 lbs.
  1d6
  Large
  16 ft.
  4 lbs.
  1d8
  Huge
  32 ft.
  8 lbs.
  2d6
  Greater
  36 ft.
  10 lbs.
  2d8
  Elder
  40 ft.
  12 lbs.
  2d10
  RAGEFIRE SPAWN 
  CR 3
  XP 800
  CE Tiny outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4
  AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 
  natural, +2 size)
  hp 22 (3d10+6)
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +3
  Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 40 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +7 (1d3 plus burn and attach)
  Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
  Special Attacks burn (1d3, DC 13), heat
  Str 10, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +3; CMB +3 (+7 grapple); CMD 14
  Feats Dodge, Improved InitiativeB, Iron Will, Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Acrobatics +8 (+12 jump), Climb +4, Intimidate +4, 
  Perception +4
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  SQ feed
  Attach (Ex) When a ragefire spawn hits with a claw attack, 
  it latches onto the target. An attached ragefire spawn is 
  effectively grappling its prey but the target does not gain 
  the grappled condition. The ragefire spawn loses its Dexterity 
  bonus to AC and has an AC of 15 but holds on with great 
  tenacity and burns the target’s flesh. A ragefire spawn has 
  a +4 racial bonus to maintain its grapple on a foe once it is 
  attached. An attached ragefire spawn can be struck with 
  a weapon or grappled itself; if its prey manages to win a 
  grapple check or Escape Artist check against it, the ragefire 
  spawn is removed.
  SMALL RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  CE Small outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire)
  Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
  AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 
  natural, +1 size)
  hp 30 (4d10+8)
  Fort +6; Ref +7; Will +3
  Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 50 ft.
  Melee 2 claws +8 (1d4+1 plus burn and grab)
  Special Attacks burn (1d4, DC 14), heat
  Str 12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +4; CMB +4 (+8 grapple); CMD 18
  Feats Dodge, Improved InitiativeB, Mobility, Weapon FinesseB
  
  55
  The Crucible
  Skills Acrobatics +10 (+14 jump), Climb +6, Intimidate +5, 
  Perception +7
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  SQ feed
  MEDIUM RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400
  CE Medium outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, 
  fire)
  Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
  AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural)
  hp 51 (6d10+18)
  Fort +9; Ref +10; Will +4
  DR 5/—; Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 50 ft.
  Melee bite +11 (1d8+2 plus burn), 2 claws +11 (1d6+2 plus 
  burn and grab)
  Special Attacks burn (1d6, DC 16), heat
  Str 14, Dex 21, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +6; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 24
  Feats Dodge, Improved InitiativeB, Iron 
  Will, Mobility, Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Acrobatics +14 (+22 jump), 
  Bluff +5, Climb +9, Intimidate +7, 
  Knowledge (planes) +3, Perception +9
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  SQ feed
  LARGE RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 9
  XP 6,400
  CE Large outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, 
  extraplanar, fire)
  Init +11; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
  AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+7 Dex, +1 dodge, 
  +5 natural, –1 size)
  hp 95 (10d10+40)
  Fort +11; Ref +14; Will +5
  DR 5/—, Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 50 ft.
  Melee bite +16 (2d6+4 plus burn), 2 claws +15 (1d8+4 
  plus burn and grab)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks burn (1d8, DC 19), heat
  Str 18, Dex 25, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +10; CMB +15 (+19 grapple); CMD 33
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved InitiativeB, 
  Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Acrobatics +20 (+32 jump), Bluff +7, Climb +15, 
  Escape Artist +14, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (planes) 
  +6, Perception +13
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  SQ feed
  HUGE RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 11
  XP 12,800
  CE Huge outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, 
  fire)
  Init +12; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16
  AC 23, touch 17, flat-footed 14 (+8 Dex, +1 
  dodge, +6 natural, –2 size)
  hp 136 (13d10+65)
  Fort +13; Ref +16; Will +6
  DR 10/—, Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 60 ft.
  Melee bite +19 (2d8+7 plus burn), 2 claws +19 (2d6+7 plus 
  burn and grab)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks burn (2d6, DC 21), create spawn, heat
  Str 24, Dex 27, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +13; CMB +22 (+26 grapple); CMD 41
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, 
  Improved Iron Will, Iron Will, Mobility, Spring Attack, Vital 
  Strike, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +24 (+36 jump), Bluff +11, Climb +23, 
  Escape Artist +19, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (planes) +13, 
  Perception +16
  Languages Abyssal, Ignan
  
  56
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  GREATER RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
   
  CR 13
  XP 25,600
  CE Huge outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire)
  Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +19
  AC 26, touch 18, flat-footed 16 (+9 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 
  natural, –2 size)
  hp 184 (16d10+96)
  Fort +16; Ref +19; Will +7
  DR 10/—, Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 60 ft.
  Melee bite +23 (2d10+8 plus burn), 2 claws +23 (2d8+8 plus 
  burn and grab)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks burn (2d8, DC 24), create spawn, heat
  Str 26, Dex 29, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +16; CMB +26 (+30 grapple); CMD 46
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, 
  Improved Iron Will, Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Mobility, 
  Spring Attack, Vital Strike, Weapon Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +28 (+40 jump), Bluff +19, Climb +27, 
  Escape Artist +28, Intimidate +19, Knowledge (planes) +20, 
  Perception +19
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Ignan
  ELDER RAGEFIRE ELEMENTAL 
  CR 15
  XP 51,200
  CE Huge outsider (chaotic, elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire)
  Init +14; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
  AC 29, touch 19, flat-footed 18 (+10 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 
  natural, –2 size)
  hp 218 (19d10+114)
  Fort +17; Ref +21; Will +8
  DR 10/—, Immune elemental traits, fire
  Weaknesses vulnerability to cold, water vulnerability
  Speed 60 ft.
  Melee bite +27 (2d12+9 plus burn), 2 claws +27 (2d10+9 plus 
  burn and grab)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
  Special Attacks burn (2d10, DC 25), create spawn, heat
  Str 28, Dex 31, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 11
  Base Atk +19; CMB +30 (+34 grapple); CMD 51
  Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Greater Vital Strike, 
  Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Improved Vital Strike, 
  Iron Will, Lunge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Vital Strike, Weapon 
  Finesse
  Skills Acrobatics +32 (+44 jump), Bluff +22, Climb +31, 
  Escape Artist +32, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (planes) +23, 
  Perception +22
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Ignan
  Ragefire elementals embody the chaos and evil of their Abyssal 
  heritage, manifesting in demonic forms of living flame, smoke, ash, and 
  cinders. They exist to incinerate life and, in so doing, grow stronger and 
  more destructive.
  A ragefire elemental cannot enter water or any other nonflammable 
  liquid. A body of water is an impassible barrier unless the ragefire 
  elemental can step or jump over it or the water is covered with a flammable 
  material (such as a layer of oil).
  
  57
  The Crucible
  Lyme Angler 
  (Slop-Shark)
  This massive bloated fish has a glowing, fleshy protrusion that extends 
  from the top of its skull and dangles in front of its wide-mouth filled with 
  needlelike fangs.
  LYME ANGLER 
  CR 5
  XP 1,600
  N Huge animal (aquatic)
  Init +2; Senses blindsense 30 ft., low-light vision; Perception 
  +13
  AC 20, touch 8, flat-footed 18 (+12 natural, –2 size)
  hp 52 (7d8+21)
  Fort +8; Ref +7; Will +4
  Immune disease, poison
  Speed swim 30 ft.
  Melee bite +12 (2d8+12 plus disease)
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
  Special Attacks lantern lure
  Str 26, Dex 11, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 14, Cha 2
  Base Atk +5; CMB +15; CMD 25 (can’t 
  be tripped)
  Feats Alertness, Improved Ini-
  tiative, Lightning Reflexes, 
  Weapon Focus (bite)
  Skills Perception +13, Stealth 
  –8, Swim +20
  Environment temperate 
  ocean
  Organization solitary, pair, or 
  school (3–6)
  Treasure none
  Disease (Ex) Brine misery: Bite—in-
  jury; save Fort DC 16; onset 1d4 rounds; 
  frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Dex plus stag-
  gered; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC 
  is Constitution-based.
  Brine misery causes an extremely irritating 
  stinging itch at the point of the wound that 
  causes the victim to have the staggered 
  condition until the disease is cured.
  Lantern Lure (Ex) As a free action, a Lyme angler can illumi-
  nate the dangling lure on its forehead with a phosphores-
  cent glow that gives off light equal to a candle. All creatures 
  with an Intelligence of 2 or less within 20 feet on which the 
  Lyme angler has gained surprise must make a DC 13 Will 
  save or become fascinated for 1 round. A creature that is 
  not surprised has spotted the angler and is not fooled by 
  the angler’s lantern display. Once fascinated a victim can 
  make a new save each round that the lantern lure remains 
  in view to break the effect. However, while fascinated, the 
  victim does not view the angler as a potential threat and 
  remains fascinated until it actually attacks, which automati-
  cally breaks the effect. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
  Also known as a slop-shark to those along the River Lyme, the Lyme 
  angler is among the largest of predatory fish in and around that waterway. 
  Lyme anglers have a luminescent organ called its lantern lure at the tip of a 
  modified dorsal ray (or fishing rod). The organ serves not only the purpose 
  of luring prey in the warm, shallow, polluted waters of the Lyme, but 
  also serves to call males’ attention to the females to facilitate mating. The 
  source of luminescence in this organ is a species of nearly microscopic 
  symbiotic brine shrimp that lives in and along the Lyme and has an affinity 
  for the lantern lure organ of the Lyme angler. Through a complex chemical 
  reaction, the Lyme angler is able to agitate these brine shrimp and cause 
  them illuminate its lure at will.
  These diseased things of corruption and toxin are common in the Lyme. 
  They have enormous fanged-filled mouths, and their bodies are riddled 
  with sores, infestations, and chemical burns — proof that there are places 
  even they cannot swim safely. One of the most notorious man-eaters of 
  the river, the immense Lyme angler can reach lengths of more than 20 
  feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds.
  
  58
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Sough-Eel
  This massive eel, nearly 20 feet long, has pale hide almost translucent 
  like a fish’s belly that is marred by great areas of sloughing flesh that 
  hang loose in rotten folds. It is eyeless, with a row of small black nodules 
  extending back from its snout, and has several small vestigial fins growing 
  sporadically along the length of its body. Its mouth however, is the most 
  noticeable feature, occupying nearly a quarter of its length and splayed 
  wide with a crowd of jagged fangs.
  SOUGH-EEL 
  CR 6
  XP 2,400
  N Huge animal (aquatic) 
  Init +4; Senses blindsense 90 ft., blindsight 30 ft., scent; 
  Perception +7
  AC 19, touch 8, flat-footed 19 (+11 natural, –2 size) 
  hp 76 (9d8+36) 
  Fort +10; Ref +8; Will +4
  Defensive Abilities loose flesh; Immune disease, poison, vi-
  sion-based attacks
  Weaknesses water dependency
  Speed 10 ft., swim 30 ft. 
  Melee bite +13 (2d8+12 plus disease and 
  grab) 
  Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. 
  Special Attacks gnaw, swallow whole (4d6 
  acid damage, AC 15, 7 hp)
  Str 26, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 12, 
  Cha 8 
  Base Atk +6; CMB +16 (+20 
  grapple); CMD 26 (can’t be 
  tripped) 
  Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning 
  Reflexes, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stealthy, 
  Weapon Focus (bite) 
  Skills Escape Artist +12, Perception +7, 
  Stealth +9, Swim +20; Racial Modifiers +4 
  Stealth, +12 Escape Artist   
  Environment temperate ocean
  Organization solitary or school (4–8)
  Treasure none  
  Disease (Ex) Flesh Rot: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 18; onset 
  1 minute; frequency 1/day; effect 1d6 Con and 1d6 
  Cha damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is 
  Constitution-based. 
  Gnaw (Ex) If a sough-eel begins 
  a round with a grabbed foe, it 
  inflicts automatic bite damage 
  (2d8+12 points of damage). A 
  sough-eel possesses a second 
  set of jaws in its throat that aid in 
  swallowing—it can make a second bite 
  attack (+11 attack, 1d8+6) against a foe it 
  has already grabbed. After a sough-eel has 
  used its gnaw attack against a grabbed foe 
  for 1d3 rounds, it will attempt to swallow that 
  foe on its next attack.
  Loose Flesh (Ex) The rotten, loose folds of flesh 
  that continually slough off of a sough-eel provide 
  it with a measure of protection against certain at-
  tacks. In addition providing it with its racial bonus to 
  Escape Artist checks, it gives the sough-eel immunity to 
  bleed damage and precision damage such as that dealt 
  by sneak attacks.
  Water Dependency (Ex) Sough-eels can survive out of the 
  water for 1 minute per point of Constitution (after that, refer 
  to the drowning rules in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game 
  Core Rulebook).
  These vile predators are found exclusively in the dark, filthy waters of 
  the Great Lyme River and Fetid Sea in the vicinity of the City-State of 
  Castorhage. Some have speculated that they were once a temperate water 
  variety of moray eel that was indigenous to the area until the Lyme was 
  tainted by the noxious effluvia from the metropolis known colloquially 
  as the Blight. Unlike most aquatic species that were unable to survive the 
  poisoning of the waters, the sough-eel population managed to endure the 
  deadly influx but were changed in the process. Immune to most disease 
  and poison, the sough-eels as carriers of their own endemic pathogen, are 
  now affected by it chronically so that their hide is in a constant state of 
  dying and sloughing off in large swaths and layers. This has not seemed to 
  affect their ability to survive in their harsh environment, and every native 
  of the Blight knows better to enter the water of the Lyme for fear of the 
  voracious attacks of the ever-present sough-eels.
  
  59
  The Crucible
  Spider, Gable
  A spider the size of an alley cat scampers up the side of a tenement 
  building. In its mandibles, it drags what appears to be a clothesline, with 
  many of the garments still dangling limply behind.
  GABLE SPIDER
  Environment urban (The Blight)
  Organization solitary, pair, or colony (3–10)
  Treasure incidental
  Poison (Ex) Bite—injury; save Fort negates; frequency 1/
  round for 4 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 2 consecutive 
  saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Sticky Globule (Ex) Once every other round, a gable spider 
  to project a globule of the substance it uses to coat its webs 
  as a ranged touch attack. The attack functions like a tan-
  glefoot bag, except the sticky globule has a range equal 
  to the gable spider’s climb speed. The save DC is Constitu-
  tion-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
  Web Construct (Ex) Gable spiders are not web-spinners but 
  rather construct great, elaborate webs from the materi-
  als and debris they have available. They coat these web 
  constructs with their sticky fluids so that even though these 
  tangled constructions are easily seen, actually stumbling or 
  falling into one still causes the creature to become trapped. 
  A trapped creature is entangled and can escape with a 
  successful Escape Artist check or tear free with a Strength 
  check. Both are standard actions with a DC equal to 1/2 
  creature’s HD + creature’s Con modifier. Attempts to tear 
  a character free from a web construct by a character who 
  is caught in it suffers a –4 penalty. The trapped character 
  gains a +5 bonus if he has something to walk on or grab 
  while pulling free. Each 5-foot-square section of a web con-
  struct has a number of hit points equal to the Hit Dice of the 
  gable spider that created it and DR 3/—.
  A gable spider can move across its own web construct 
  or that of another gable spider at its climb speed and can 
  pinpoint the location of any creature touching the web 
  construct.
  Gable Spider Sizes
  Size
  Globule
  Save DC
  Web Construct 
  Save DC
  Poison 
  Save DC
  Small
  13
  13
  11
  Medium
  15
  15
  13
  Large
  18
  18
  16
  SMALL GABLE SPIDER 
  CR 1/2
  XP 200
  N Small vermin 
  Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
  AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 size)
  hp 5 (1d8+1)
  Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +0
  Immune mind-affecting effects
  Speed 20 ft., climb 15 ft.
  
  60
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  Melee bite +4 (1d4–3 plus poison)
  Special Attacks poison (DC 11), sticky globule (DC 13)
  Str 5, Dex 17, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
  Base Atk +0; CMB –4; CMD 9 (21 vs. trip)
  Feats Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Climb +13, Perception +4, Stealth +11 (+15 in webs); 
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in webs), +16 
  Climb
  SQ web construct
  MEDIUM GABLE SPIDER 
  CR 2
  XP 600
  N Medium vermin 
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
  AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+4 Dex, +1 natural)
  hp 19 (3d8+6)
  Fort +5; Ref +5; Will +1
  Immune mind-affecting effects
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee bite +6 (1d6–1 plus poison)
  Special Attacks poison (DC 13), sticky globule (DC 15)
  Str 9, Dex 19, Con 15, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
  Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 15 (27 vs. trip)
  Feats Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Climb +15, Perception +4, Stealth +8 (+12 in webs); 
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in webs), +16 
  Climb
  SQ web construct
  LARGE GABLE SPIDER 
  CR 4
  XP 1,200
  N Large vermin 
  Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +4
  AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+5 Dex, +2 natural, –1 size)
  hp 42 (5d8+20)
  Fort +8; Ref +6; Will +1
  Immune mind-affecting effects
  Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
  Melee bite +7 (1d8+3 poison)
  Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
  Special Attacks poison (DC 16), sticky globule (DC 18)
  Str 15, Dex 21, Con 19, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2
  Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 21 (33 vs. trip)
  Feats Weapon FinesseB
  Skills Climb +10, Perception +4, Stealth +0 (+4 in webs); 
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+8 in webs)
  SQ web construct
  Gable spiders are different from other varieties of giant spiders, and 
  it is for this reason that the whole of the city isn’t shrouded in endless 
  sheets of webbing. Gable spiders are not web-spinners. They are still agile 
  climbers like normal spiders and still live in weblike structures, but they 
  lack spinnerets of their own. Rather they are instinctively master builders 
  when it comes to stringing together the detritus found in the city’s dumps 
  and alleys: frayed ropes, sail cordage, clothes lines, lengths of twisted 
  rags, curtains, sail cloth, and more. Even lengths of chain and bits of 
  lumber construction can be found in the weblike contrivances that the 
  gable spiders build. They combine these myriad materials in twisting, 
  knotted mazes of suspended lines that can shame the largest of spider 
  webs for complexity. They knot and anchor these mismatched lines 
  among the rooftops and with each other to create these swaying-but-stable 
  webs of junk.
  However, just because they are not web-spinners does not mean the 
  gable spiders are not masters of their domain. Rather than spinnerets, 
  gable spiders have large swollen glands that secrete a sticky fluid they 
  use to coat their rope and cloth constructions to provide the same benefits 
  of a natural web. Creatures become stuck within their depths and become 
  easy prey for the gable spiders who are able to move in and among these 
  artificial webs with great agility and speed.
  Animal Companion: A druid or other character with the ability to 
  select a vermin as an animal companion may gain a gable spider with the 
  following statistics:
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.; Attack 
  bite (1d4); Ability Scores Str 5, Dex 17, Con 12, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 2; 
  Special Attacks sticky globule (DC 13); Special Qualities darkvision, 
  tremorsense 30 ft.; CMD trip +12.
  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +1 natural; Attack bite 
  (1d6); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex +2, Con +2.
  
  61
  The Crucible
  Wallow-Whale
  Something stirs in the sludge beneath; something swims through the 
  arsenic poison that passes for water. It is vast; a seething globe of flesh, 
  a mountain of rotting skin that hangs like a bridal train behind its back. 
  It has at least a dozen eyes oddly spaced on its foul body, and a vast maw 
  capable of swallowing a ship.
  GARGANTUAN WALLOW-WHALE 
  CR 12/BA 1
  XP 19,200
  N Gargantuan magical beast (aquatic, aug-
  mented animal, Between)
  Init +1; Senses blindsight 120 ft., 
  darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; 
  Perception +24
  AC 27, touch 3, flat-footed 27 
  (–3 Dex, +24 natural, –4 size)
  hp 173 (16d10+80 plus 5)
  Fort +17; Ref +7; Will +7
  DR 2/cold iron; SR 18
  Speed swim 40 ft.
  Melee bite +25 (2d8+19 plus 
  grab and disease)
  Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
  Special Attacks capsize, 
  swallow whole (2d4+19 
  plus 3d6 acid, AC 22, 16 
  hp)
  Str 36, Dex 4, Con 21, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 5
  Base Atk +16; CMB +33 (+35 bull rush; +37 
  grapple); CMD 40 (42 vs. bull rush; 
  can’t be tripped)
  Feats Awesome BlowB, 
  Diehard, Endurance, 
  Great Fortitude, 
  Improved Bull Rush, 
  Improved Initiative, 
  Iron Will, Power 
  Attack, Skill Focus 
  (Perception)
  Skills Perception +24, 
  Swim +29; Racial Mod-
  ifiers +4 Perception
  Languages Aklo 
  (cannot speak)
  Environment any ocean (Be-
  tween)
  Organization solitary or mated pair
  Treasure none
  Capsize (Ex) A wallow-whale can attempt to capsize a boat 
  or ship by ramming it as a charge attack and making a CMB 
  check. The DC of this check is 25, or the result of the cap-
  tain’s Profession (sailor) check, whichever is higher. For each 
  size category the ship is larger than the whale’s size, the 
  whale takes a cumulative –10 penalty on this CMB check.
  Disease (Ex) Filth Fever: injury (bite); save Fortitude DC 23; 
  onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage 
  and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save 
  DC is Constitution-based.
  COLOSSAL WALLOW-WHALE 
  CR 15/BA 3
  XP 51,200
  N Colossal magical beast (aquatic, augmented animal, 
  Between)
  Init +1; Senses blindsight 120 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light 
  vision; Perception +28
  AC 30, touch 0, flat-footed 29 (–2 Dex, +30 natural, –8 size)
  hp 266 (20d10+140 plus 16)
  Fort +21; Ref +10; Will +9
  DR 2/cold iron; SR 21
  Speed swim 40 ft.
  Melee bite +29 (4d6+25 plus grab and disease)
  Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.
  Special Attacks capsize, swallow whole (2d4+25 
  plus 3d6 acid, AC 24, 25 hp)
  Str 44, Dex 6, Con 25, Int 4, Wis 13, 
  Cha 5
  Base Atk +20; CMB +45 (+47 bull 
  rush; +49 grapple); CMD 53 (55 vs. 
  bull rush; can’t be tripped)
  Feats Awesome BlowB, Diehard, 
  Endurance, Great Fortitude, Im-
  proved Bull Rush, Improved Initia-
  tive, Improved Natural ArmorB, Im-
  proved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power 
  Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), 
  Vital Strike
  Skills Perception +28, Swim +34; 
  Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
  Languages Aklo (cannot speak)
  Environment any ocean (Be-
  tween)
  Organization solitary or mated 
  pair
  Treasure none
  Capsize (Ex) A wallow-whale can 
  attempt to capsize a boat or ship 
  by ramming it as a charge attack 
  and making a CMB check. The 
  DC of this check is 25, or the result 
  of the captain’s Profession (sail-
  or) check, whichever is higher. 
  For each size category the ship is 
  larger than the whale’s size, the 
  whale takes a cumulative –10 
  penalty on this CMB check.
  Disease (Ex) Filth Fever: injury (bite); 
  save Fortitude DC 27; onset 1d3 days; 
  frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex dam-
  age and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consec-
  utive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
  Originally found only in the Unsea of Between before some of these 
  great cetaceans somehow escaped and began reproducing in the mundane 
  world’s oceans, wallow-whales are now the terror of the Fetid Sea and one 
  of the primary threats for which the Castorhage Navy diligently patrols 
  those waters. Wallow-whales are offal, carrion, husks, leavings, and scum 
  given life. Stirges are frequently seen circling them when they surface 
  to launch a spume of oily brine, purulence, and clotted fluids from their 
  blowholes, and oozes capable of surviving in the acidic environment can 
  sometimes be found infesting their cathedral-like stomachs. Wallow-
  whales aren’t afraid to venture close to the city to feed upon the excrement, 
  rot, and flotsam that seethes like a gyre around its foundations. Yet despite 
  their foul body habitus, the ambergris of a wallow-whale is a thing both 
  rare and highly valuable selling for as much as 100 gp/pound. Daring or 
  foolhardy whalers armed with cold iron harpoons hunt these beasts upon 
  the oceans, and in some cases upon the Unsea, with typical Gargantuan 
  specimens typically yielding 1d6 x 10 pounds of the substance and a 
  Colossal beast yielding 3d6 x 10 pounds.
  
  62
  The Blight: Richard Pett's Crooked City
  BETWEEN RING
  Aura faint evocation; CL 5th
  Slot ring; Price 36,000 gp; Weight —
  DESCRIPTION
  This plain, unadorned ring is typically made of iron or 
  some other common metal and bears signs of tarnish, rust, 
  or some flaw that cannot be polished away or repaired. It 
  also includes something of the tainted essence of Between 
  in its composition, giving it a slightly greasy feel to the touch. 
  When a Between ring is worn, the wearer must make a DC 
  16 Will save or be unable to voluntarily remove it. It never fits 
  well: sometimes it feels too loose (though it never falls off), 
  and sometimes it squeezes much too tightly, causing pain 
  and a discolouration in the finger. Each day there is a 1-in-20 
  chance that it tightens, causing 1 point of damage from the 
  constriction. If a Between ring ever constricts for 5 days in a 
  row without the wearer receiving any magical healing, the 
  finger it is worn on dies and becomes necrotic, eventually 
  falling off in 1d4+4 days. The loss of this finger deals 2d4 
  points of damage but is one way for a wearer who has 
  failed his Will save to remove the ring.
  A wearer of a Between ring gains a +2 luck bonus to 
  AC against any creature with the Between subtype or 
  Between Creature template. In addition, the wearer can 
  make an unarmed attack against such a creature with the 
  hand that is wearing the ring as if he had the Stunning Fist 
  feat and dealing lethal damage three times per day. This 
  does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If the wearer is 
  already able to deal lethal damage with unarmed attacks, 
  the ring gives an additional +2 luck bonus to the attack 
  and damage rolls. If the wearer already has the Stunning 
  Fist feat, the ring provides the Stunning Critical feat once 
  per day.
  CONSTRUCTION
  Requirements Forge Ring, divine favor, greater magic fang; 
  Cost 18,000 gp
  MANUAL OF THE CRUCIBLE
  Aura Moderate abjuration, conjuration [chaos, evil], 
  enchantment (lesser), Strong abjuration, conjuration 
  [chaos, evil], enchantment (greater); CL 9th (lesser), 11th 
  (greater)
  Slot none; Price 20,000 gp (lesser), 28,000 gp 
  (greater); Weight 5 lb.
  DESCRIPTION
  A manual of the crucible contains information, 
  incantations, and magical power that help a character 
  craft a searing crucible. The instructions therein grant a 
  +5 competence bonus on skill checks made to craft the 
  device. The tome also holds the prerequisite spells needed 
  to summon and bind a ragefire elemental within the 
  crucible (although these spells can be used only for this 
  purpose and cannot be copied), effectively granting the 
  creator use of the Craft Wondrous Item feat and 9 ranks 
  in Knowledge (engineering) during the construction of 
  the crucible, and an increase to her caster level for the 
  purpose of crafting the searing crucible.
  The spells included in the manual of the crucible require 
  a spell trigger activation and can be activated only to 
  assist in the construction of the Searing Crucible. The cost 
  of the book does not include the cost of constructing the 
  crucible. Once the crucible is finished, the writing in the 
  tome fades. When the tome is fed to the crucible, the 
  searing crucible is finally complete.
  A lesser manual of the crucible contains dimensional 
  anchor, dismissal, geas/quest, lesser planar binding, and 
  magic circle versus evil. The reader may treat her caster 
  level as 2 levels higher than normal for the purpose of 
  crafting a lesser searing crucible.
  A greater manual contains banishment, dimensional 
  anchor, geas/quest, planar binding, and magic circle 
  versus evil. The reader may treat her caster level as 3 levels 
  higher than normal for the purpose of crafting a greater 
  searing crucible.
  CONSTRUCTION
  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, caster must be of 
  a specific level (9th for lesser, 11th for greater), lesser: 
  dimensional anchor, dismissal, geas/quest, lesser planar 
  binding, magic circle versus evil, greater: banishment, 
  dimensional anchor, geas/quest, planar binding, magic 
  circle versus evil, creator must have 9 ranks in Knowledge 
  (engineering); Cost 10,000 gp (lesser), 14,000 gp (greater)
  SEARING CRUCIBLE
  Aura Moderate abjuration, conjuration [chaos, evil], 
  enchantment (lesser), Strong abjuration, conjuration 
  [chaos, evil], enchantment (greater); CL 9th (lesser), 11th 
  (greater)
  Slot none; Price 50,000 gp (lesser), 70,000 gp (greater); 
  Weight 12 tons
  DESCRIPTION
  This vast iron object allows the user to conjure a ragefire 
  elemental from the Abyss that may subsequently grow 
  if fed non-evil sentient humanoids. The structure of the 
  crucible includes a chamber into which creatures can 
  be placed that a bound elemental will be able to feed 
  upon and thus grow in size. If the bound ragefire elemental 
  reaches huge size, it can then be forced to create spawn if 
  fed 10 tons of combustible material (coal, wood, etc.) and 
  a non-evil sentient humanoid creature with at least half the 
  elemental’s HD within the space of 1 week. The crucible 
  holds the ragefire spawn in a separate internal chamber, 
  and only one ragefire spawn can be held in the crucible 
  at any one time, but it can be drawn out by opening a 
  tap and speaking a command word. The ragefire spawn 
  pours out like liquid flame in a single round, but it can be 
  captured in a sealed container capable of holding at least 
  a liter and withstanding the elemental’s heat. Ragefire 
  spawn created in this way are under the control of the 
  user of the crucible, and not the bound elemental. At any 
  one time, the user may have a number of enslaved spawn 
  totalling no more than the bound elemental’s Hit Dice; any 
  spawn created that would exceed this limit are free-willed.
  The bound ragefire elemental can be released by 
  opening the tap when no ragefire spawn are held in the 
  crucible and speaking the command word. It takes 1 
  round for a small or Medium elemental to pour out, 2 for a 
  Large elemental, and 3 for a Huge elemental. Alternatively, 
  by speaking a different command word while touching the 
  crucible, the user of the crucible can dismiss the bound 
  ragefire elemental back to the Abyss. The elemental 
  Appendix B: New Magic Items
  
  63
  The Crucible
  receives a Will saving throw with a DC equal to the DC of 
  the dismissal or banishment spell used to create the searing 
  crucible. If the saving throw is successful, the elemental 
  immediately begins to pour from the tap. An elemental 
  freed from the crucible may then escape or attack, but 
  may also listen to bargaining, depending on its relationship 
  with the creator.
  A lesser searing crucible can summon a Medium ragefire 
  elemental. A greater searing crucible can summon a Large 
  ragefire elemental, and the DC of the banishment spell 
  gains a +4 bonus due to substances anathema to ragefire 
  elementals included in the construction.
  CONSTRUCTION
  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, caster must be of 
  a specific level (9th for lesser, 11th for greater), lesser: 
  dimensional anchor, dismissal, geas/quest, lesser planar 
  binding, magic circle versus evil, greater: banishment, 
  dimensional anchor, geas/quest, planar binding, magic 
  circle versus evil, creator must have 9 ranks in Knowledge 
  (engineering); Cost 25,000 gp (lesser), 35,000 gp (greater)
  Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity as provided 
  in section 1(e) of the Open Game License: Any and all material or content that could be claimed as Product 
  Identity pursuant to section 1(e), below, is hereby claimed as product identity, including but not limited to: 1. 
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  Pathfinder Roleplaying Game GameMastery Guide, © 2010 Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Cam Banks, 
  Wolfgang Baur, Jason Buhlman, Jim Butler, Eric Cagle, Graeme Davis, Adam Daigle, Jashua J. Frost, James 
  Jacobs, Kenneth Hite, Steven Kenson, Robin Laws, Tito Leati, Rob McCreart, Hal Maclean, Colin McComb, 
  Jason Nelson, David Noonan, Richard Pett, Rich Redman, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber 
  Scott, Doug Seacat, Mike Selinker, Lisa Stevens, James L Sutter, Russ Taylor, Penny Williams, Teeuwynn 
  Woodruff.
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Keith 
  Baker, Wolfgang Baur, Clinton J. Boomer, Jason Bulmahn, Joshua J. Frost, Ed Greenwood, Stephen S. Greer, 
  Jeff Grubb, James Jacobs, Michael Kortes, Tito Leati, Mike McArtor, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Eric 
  Nelson, Jeff Quick, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Leandra Christine Schneider, David Schwartz, 
  Amber E. Scott, Stan!, Owen K.C. Stephens, Todd Stewart, James L. Sutter, Greg A. Vaughan, Jeremy 
  Walker, and JD Wiker.
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Magnimar, City of Monuments. © 2012, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: 
  Adam Daigle and James Jacobs.
  Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Rival Guide. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Brian Cortijo, Adam 
  Daigle, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, Colin McComb, Jason Nelson, Amber Scott, Neil Spicer, and Todd 
  Stewart.
  Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive © 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Amanda Hamon, 
  Philip Minchin, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Christine Stiles.
  Pathfinder Companion: Cheliax, Empire of Devils © 20009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jonathan H. 
  Keith, Colin McComb, Steven E. Schend, Leandra Christine Schneider, and Amber E. Scott.
  Pathfinder Companion: Gnomes of Golarion. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Hal Maclean, Colin 
  McComb, Mark Moreland, Jeff Quick, Sean K Reynolds, Steven Schend, and Owen K.C. Stephens.  
  Pathfinder Adventure Path #48: Shadows of Gallowspire. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Brandon 
  Hodge.
  The Blight: Richard Pett’s Crooked City, © 2016, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors Richard Pett, Pete Pollard, 
  Alistair Rigg, and Greg A. Vaughan.
  The Book of Lost Spells, © 2015, Frog God Games, LLC
  The Tome of Horrors Complete, © 2011, Necromancer Games, Inc., published and distributed by Frog God 
  Games; Author Scott Green.
  The Tome of Blighted Horrors, © 2016, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors John Ling, Authors Richard Pett, 
  Pete Pollard, Alistair Rigg, Jeffrey Swank, and Greg A. Vaughan.
  TB4: The Crucible, © 2016, Frog God Games, LLC; Author: Richard Pett.
  Legal Appendix
  
  64
  GM Map
  
  65
  Player Map
  
  66
  GM Map
  
  67
  Player Map
  
  68
  GM Map
  
  69
  Player Map
  
  70
  GM Map
  
  71
  Player Map
  
  72
  GM Map
  
  73
  Player Map
  
  Don’t go to sleep. Some say dreams of fire 
  are haunting the night, and that if you dream 
  of burning, you awaken on fire.
  People in the Blight begin to awaken at night burning with an all-too-real fire. 
  Most of them die horribly, spouses or lovers staring in shocked horror at their sudden 
  death throes in the grip of consuming flames. A few of the truly unlucky actually manage 
  to survive — if living in such a state can be called survival. There seems to be no rhyme 
  or reason in the victims of these incinerating dreams, as those among the high and low fall 
  victim to its touch, and the locals each pray that he or she will not be next.
  Now no one dares to sleep.
  The Crucible is a stand-alone adventure set in The Blight for 4–6 7th-level characters.
  TB4: The Crucible
  TB4: The Crucible
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Frog God 
  Games
  ISBN 978-1-62283-333-7
  TB4: The Crucible
  TB4: The Crucible
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  Richard Pett’s Crooked City
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pathfinder/1st Edition/3rd Party/Frog God Games/Lost Lands/The Blight - TB4 Crucible.pdf