Sanctum of the Pink Pellars

Half a century ago, the Pink Pellars were servants to a queen who grew within her the little heir to a little kingdom. They helped her to escape the wrath of the Pinkhall Usurper, a wormy man whose wormier son now sits on the throne of that little kingdom. After 50 years, there have been rumors reported to the King in Pinkhall, the traitorous pellars have been found, all that awaits is their executioners. 

Hired by the King in Pinkhall, you are to be paid a total of 5,000 gold pieces to ensure the annihilation of the Pink Pellars. Kill them all.

Whenever a room is marked as having Treasure † in its description, roll on the treasure table below and present the treasure wherever it feels natural, such as in a chest, on a corpse, under rubble, etc.

Encounters occur every 30 minutes or at times when noted.

Squares are 5 ft. Halls which intersect with each other slope slightly upwards at the center. There are no doors, the Pink Pellars are not adherents to privacy. 

1. Entrance. A rope ladder descends from the surface 25ft onto the floor. The room is carved from yellow soapstone, glistening greasy in torchlight. 

2. Toad Hall. Bumpy backed toads squat dryly on the floor each a foot away from one another. They move for no one! Will hiss on approach. Stepping within a foot of them causes them to scream then pounce to bite. Mostly harmless, although startling. The toads' screaming alerts denizens nearby. 

3. Lizard Man Camp†. The ones who placed the toads. 2d4 lizardmen make camp here, burning coals with fur skins in the hallway between rooms to hide dim light and retaining heat. They will hide in their room and wait 20 minutes (2 turns) if the toads in Room 2 scream. Judging the power of the party, the Lizardmen may ambush the group if they enter their camp, otherwise roll Reaction -1.

As Lizardmen.

4. Fire Lure. An iron brazier is kept lit by lizardmen blazing bright enough to cast a great light. Placed around the brazier is a corpse with a spilled bag of d66 gold and 4 pink gemstones worth 50gp each. Anyone approaching will be confronted and shaken down by d3+1 Lizardmen. If the Lizardmen think they can't overpower the party, then they will suggest the party move along, this trap is not meant for them. They refuse to give up any treasure. 

As Lizardmen.

5. Centipede Lair†. Several hectically carved rooms and passages belong to a particularly ornery Giant Blue-Legged Centipede. This creature is stuck with broken arrows, spear and axe heads from previous scuttles. Its pensive eyes reveal enduring pain. Eats all who enter. Its poison excels particularly at killing other bugs, +3 damage vs insectoids. 1d6x100 gp dot the bone strewn halls. 

As Giant centipede, but make it tougher and angry as all hell. A wonderous thing made ugly by men.

6. Sepulcher of the First Brother†. A tomb to the founder of the Pink Pellar order; a unremarkable name of a hermit long dead before the mother even escaped the Pinkhall Usurper. The stone slab coffin houses the dust of a corpse, its cheek and jawbones swollen with teeth like seeds in a pomegranate. 

Remaining in the same coffin are gold toe and finger caps (d6x10gp) loose on crumbling digits as well as a talisman of silver and turquoise that sits within the caved-in ribcage. Carnivorous creatures are repulsed by the amulet's presence. 

7. Persisting Grow Room. All the crops of the Pink Pellars rotted long ago, but a certain fungus propagated on. Colonies of brown-capped edible mushrooms smother the walls of this former store room. Plentiful and safe to eat, recognizable by any naturalist or cook.

8. Chapel Room†. Heavy with incense smoke, this high ceiling chamber is dim despite the numerous lit candles. 5d6 Pink Pellars occupy this sullen place, swaying on flaxen matts, their soft pink flesh and veins stretched thin over their conical, nearly translucent skulls. Their cheeks are puffed with an excess of teeth, their eyes covered by rosy skin. Flaring, mole-like nostrils gasp for air, their only means of breathing. Under flesh sealed mouths they mumble, helpless to death.

A holy member of the party will see they have become faithless, and hold hope for nothing.

At the north end of the chapel, a 20ft statue was carved along the wall. It once depicted a mother holding a child, but the head has been smashed and its arms torn off. At its base, three Pink Pellars play twisting flutes which sputter out a dismal, brassy hiss. There is a mat for a fourth flute player, but it is no where to be seen. A secret passage is behind the statue, found by listening intently for the fourth flutist, who is playing in the chamber between Room 8 and Room 9. From here the party may access Room 9.

Pink Pellar 1HD, AC as clothe, -1 Attack 1d4 Damage (as Club)

9. Mother Chamber. At the center of this dark chamber two High Pellars attend over incant the holy story of how the mother escaped the Pinkhall Usurper and of how her child would retake their ancestral home. The last adherents of faith, they still praise the unnamed First blessed, who was to be born anew into a shimmering form, a little godlet upon the earth. Instead, the godlet died in its cradle, its coffin, unmoved in the world, never a conqueror, and a fibbed prophecy. All that fills the suit is a few bits of the mother's jewelry, worth 300gp.
 

Donning the Jade Suit and submerging oneself in the pink goo will lead to drowning. However, there is a 1in6 chance that the wearer will be reborn as a godlet, and be fueled by prophecy to take back a kingdom.

High Pink Pellar 2HD, AC as clothe, -1 Attack 1d4 Damage (as Club). Knows Spells as Level 2 Cleric.

10. Ear Room. Along the southern wall is a large stele of an ear carved into the stone the height of a man. The ear canal is large enough to fit a hand, and snakes further into the wall. A forearm length away is smattering of 2d6gp. An arm's length away reveals more treasure: 6d6gp, 1d3 large gems (80gp each), and 3-in-6 chance of a magic item. Each time these are pulled out, there is a 2in6 chance of pulling a taut wire which slams a heavy stone down trapping one's hand unless a Save is passed. Soon after (1 round/6 seconds), Boiling wax pours into the canal, burning for 1d6 damage each round. Appendages caught here are freed only by desperate means.

A careful observer of the stele will find the along the lobe written in dwarfish are the graffitied words "Wishful thoughts bring fortuity!" 

    Speaking a wish into the ear is a prayer to the failed godlet. +1 bonus to a single roll within an hour.

    Dropping a coin into the ear canal is a tithe to the godlet. +1 to all rolls for 1 hour.

    Players can benefit from either only once.

11. Perfume Chamber. A stone slab rises from the center of this intimate chamber heavy with fragrance. Atop the slab are 2d6 bottles of fragrant perfume, sealed away in silver and gold-gilt bottles, still holding their delicate notes after so many decades. There is an outline of one perfume bottle missing. Each bottle is worth d66 gold, with the higher value bottles more filled. Spraying this perfume upon yourself will attract the attention of the Pink Pellars, who will track down the scent and beat to death the person wearing it.

12. Makeshift Base†. Huddled behind makeshift cover, in waning torchlight, a weary adventurer is stuck. Tulula Kernnes is a 2nd level Fighter, crossbow at the ready to fire at any Lizardman, centipede or Pink Pellar that enters the room. 1d3 slain Pink Pellars already lay slain in the room.

A paladin of the Ennead Order, she was tasked with rooting out cults and sects from her master based in the eastern Basalt Peaks. She finds herself in a predicament, having in a moment of weakness, out of avarice in her heart, taken one of the perfume bottles in Room 11. Only after apply it did the Pink Pellars become irate, overwhelming and besting her where the centipede and Lizardmen did not. She has been severely injured, akin to being at 1 hp. She will request help leaving regardless if she is healed on the spot, and will offer the treasure found in this room as a show of friendship.

Upon leaving the dungeon, Tulula offers the party work as agents to the Ennead Order, rooting out cults and foul magicks.

13. Tar Room. This dark and dusty room is filled with barrels distinctly scented and darkened with tar. Out of the 16 barrels in the room, 1d4 of them are filled with combustible, viscous tar.

14. Cross Chamber. Domed ceiling meets over four wide hall arches, wave-like patterns of pink carnelian, topaz and garnet glimmer in the torch light. The mosaic appears to be incomplete, abandoned after some time as many sockets along the upper wall were never filled. Likewise, many gemstones close to the bottom to have been popped out too, but d666 gems (50gp each) remain in total. It takes roughly 10 minutes (1 turn) to collect 3d6 gems with the skillful care of a thief or dwarf. 

While collecting gemstones, there is a 4in6 chance of encountering the Pink Slime. The Pink Slime is able to disguise itself as many gemstones at once that look like pink Mother of Pearls. A perceptive PC may notice something odd about these gemstones, as they are warm to the touch, like a droplet of flesh. The Pink Slime attacks by surprise, clinging to the skin of all who carrying pieces of it, and stinging. Those stung must Save vs. Fortitude (or Paralysis) or become paralyzed for 2d4 hours. After stinging, the Pink Slime reforms as a whole, a slightly translucent blob like a bucket of water with a splash of blood. It proceeds to borrow into the head of each conscious victim and dissolves their brains, taking 1 hour to fully dissolve one brain. Every two brains increases its HD by 1, its Attack by 1, and its damage die by one step.

Those who wear the Mother's perfume in Room 11 are not stung by the Pink Slime but are instead swaddled by it.

   

Pink Slime 4HD AC as leather, +3 Attack, 1d3 damage. Save or paralyzed for 2d4 hours.

15. Main Hall†. In the four alcoves are yellow soapstone busts of previous High Pellars. All their names remain intact with the exception of one. Close inspection of the defiled High Pellar's bust shows it to have been the one in charge during the mother's flight from Pinkhall. It is loose on its base and when turned 180 degrees, to face the wall, a secret passage opens leading to the chamber between Room 8 and Room 9, where the singular flutist plays.

Walking through this hallway and surrounding paths always triggers an encounter roll regardless of time passed.

†Treasure Table†         

1    Marble Wing of statue, traces of red pigment. When repainted red, increases movement speed.

2    Gold Bracelet coiled like a snake, emerald gemstones for eyes. d66+100gp

3    Cup made of purple river clay, an eye shaped at its center. Drinking tea from this cup cures poison.

4    Ancient wood carving of ghost nursing child. Wards off all spirits bound to earth by mourning.

5    An Amulet of shells and driftwood wired together. Secretes a saline solution, +1 to healing rolls.

6    A tobacco pipe with bowl and stem in the form of two clasped hands. d66sp.

7    Carnelian Ring, bearing the image of a sphinx. d66gp

8    Old Sea Raider Lock Pick Kit, largely outdated by still useful. +1 to Locks. 

9    Bronze Winged Helmet, aged but solid. Negates 1 critical hit.

10    Glass containers in the shape of wearable sandals. 2in6 chance being filled with wine.

11    Hilt of a Sword, made of gold and iron, belonged to a great warrior. Can be remade.

12    Amber Gemstone carved in the likeness of the beetle trapped inside. d666gp

13    Skull with a treasure map carved on it. Points to the eastern Basalt Peaks.

14    Exquisite painting of a peacock of camel bone canvas. d666+100gp

15    A silver and pearl studded tankard. Paintings of boar hunting on the sides. d66+100sp.

16    Crystal Rock Blade, fit for a dagger or spear, ancient stone used against the undead, +2 Damage.

17    A clay children's rattle in the shape of a cicada. When shaken, silences all insects in 1000 yards.

18    Mosaic Spiral Glass Bowl. Thin enough to gaze through. d666sp.

19    Gold face mask, diadem, necklace, and brooches worn nobility of Pinkhall. d666gp.

20    Brass Crown. First crown of Pinkhall, plain band of ornate brass embedded with pink gemstones. Nearly Priceless to historians, worth around 500-700gp to a fence.

Encounter Table - Reroll when necessary.

1    Prowling for a new lair, a Chimera scouts around.

2    A duo of Hobgoblin treasure hunters, carrying 800gp of treasure, seeking their way out.

3    2d6 giant jumping spiders.

4    2d8 bandits wander about bickering and scared, on edge. Easily picked off.

5    A sly fox exploring the ruins. In truth a forest spirit, grateful to those who help it in need.

6    2d4 Kobold Scouts.

7    A green robed magician named Julgia is escorted by four Armored Skeletons. Vain and haughty, she wishes to claim anything worth having her herself first.

8     Lost Healer. From a nearby village, was out in the woods gathering healing herbs before taking shelter here during a storm. Offers healing services, can make 1d3+1 Healing Potions.