A11 — The Sunless Grove
Read aloud: An immense cavern — purple fungus light, barren iron-hard trees, altar mound, sludge pool. Bodies of Baskerwhel and Marshan. The Pnakotic Manuscripts lie open on the altar.
Creature: Yarresh the ghoul (feeding on Marshan). Treasure: cult gear, unique grimoire.
Demo subscene — all artifact types attached here.
If PCs arrive quietly, Yarresh is engrossed in the Manuscripts. Marshan's corpse shows circular bite wounds. Fossilized trees: Nature DC 18 — necromantically grown. Northeast iron bars breached (DC 24 Str to widen).
YARRESH CREATURE 6 UNIQUE Ghoul Rogue — PF2e adaptation of Richard Pett's Yarresh (Sunless Grove) Source: Monster Core ghoul family (https://2e.aonprd.com/Traits.aspx?ID=218) Perception +14; darkvision Languages Aklo, Common Skills Acrobatics +15, Intimidate +14, Stealth +15, Thievery +12 Str +3, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +0 AC 24; Fort +12, Ref +16, Will +12 HP 60; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious Resistances cold 5, electricity 5, slashing 5 Speed 30 feet, climb 20 feet Melee [one-action] jaws +16, Damage 2d8+6 piercing plus ghoul fever Melee [one-action] claw +16 (agile), Damage 2d6+6 slashing plus paralysis Sneak Attack 2d6 Consume Flesh [one-action] — adjacent corpse; satiated 1 hour TACTICS — Hit-and-run; flees below 20 HP toward northeast tunnel. DIPLOMACY DC 30 — trade Pnakotic Manuscripts for 6,000 gp magic items vs ghouls OR fresh bodies for several days.
HANDOUT — Pnakotic Manuscripts (excerpt) [Written in Aklo; stained parchment with insectile metal clasps] "...forcing open such portals draws forth the spiritual essence of the casters, and any entity contacted may consume that essence, growing more powerful—such that only the end of such essence can challenge the intruder's rights upon your world." Annotated margin (Keeper Crove's hand): "If WE are slain first, the spawn starves." Keeper signatures inside cover: Waldur Crove · Arlend Hyve · Rupman Myre · Sulm Marshan · Glem Baskerwhel
HAZARD: RESIDUAL SUNLESS GROVE PORTAL (Complexity 2) PF2e haunt — altar stone still linked to the Dark Tapestry. Trigger A creature touches the altar or attempts to disable the iron bars without warding. Stealth DC 22 (trained) Disable DC 22 Occultism or Religion (expert) to sever the link; failure triggers Effect Wisps of void-light lash out — 4d6 mental damage, DC 22 basic Will save. Critical failure: frightened 2 and stupefied 1 for 1 minute. Reset 1 hour
TREASURE — A11 Sunless Grove Keeper Baskerwhel (pool): cloak of resistance +1, ring of swimming, +1 scimitar Keeper Marshan (altar): bracers of armor +1, wand of chill touch (15 charges) Yarresh hoard: ring of protection +2 (on ghoul) The Pnakotic Manuscripts — unique grimoire (10 lb); +4 item bonus to Occultism checks on conjuration & Old Cult lore; contains gate, planar binding, teleport spells. Party treasure level 5 moderate parcel if book returned to Mayor Heggry.
RANDOM COMPLICATIONS — Sunless Grove (1d6) | d6 | Complication | |----|--------------| | 1 | Fungal spores — Fort DC 20 or sickened 1 | | 2 | Ghostly whisper — Will DC 22 or frightened 1 | | 3 | Sludge pool shifts — Athletics DC 18 or prone | | 4 | Iron bars groan — Perception DC 20 hears something beyond | | 5 | No complication | | 6 | Yarresh watches from rubble — Stealth vs Perception contest |
SIDEBAR — Weakening the Carrion Hill Horror Per EN World play reports and original module design: early PC choices determine final encounter difficulty. Each surviving Keeper the spawn devours removes 2 "negative levels" (use drained conditions in PF2e). At adventure start the spawn already consumed Baskerwhel and Marshan — 6 drained remain. PCs who kill Myre, Hyve, and Crove BEFORE the spawn reaches them lock in maximum weakness. Delay = building collapses, spawn grows, potential TPK. Corporal instability (chaos beast in Crove's asylum) requires restoration, remove curse, or heal heightening — stock Heggry's scroll cache accordingly.