The Harlath Theater lies not far from the center of the suburban village of Khuronton, its lot surrounded by a screen of trees and a sagging wrought-iron fence which, while locked, is easily scaled. Weeds push through the cobblestone walkways and crude graffiti are scrawled at various points across the stonework. Inside the theater, . Unless otherwise stated, the theater’s features are described as follows:

Ceilings, Walls, and Floors 

The theater’s exterior walls are built from hewn blocks of sandstone. Interior walls are paneled hardwood, and while the hardwood floorboards may complain under any movement, they remain sound. Ceilings throughout the theater’s backstage areas are 3 meters high.

Interior Doors

Doors within the theater are made of oak wood and open outward on their hinges.

Exterior Doors

All exterior doors to the theater have been locked and further reinforced with chained padlocks. The keys to both padlocks and doors are long missing, but the padlocks can be opened with a successful

Dexterity check using thieves’ tools; the doors themselves can be opened with a similar check or a successful Strength check.

Light

Heavy curtains are drawn over the theater’s few

windows, shrouding its interior in darkness even during the height of day.

These areas are keyed to the floor-plans:

1. Amphitheater

Semicircular rows of layered seating descend below grade toward a cracked stone stage. Pieces of litter and old food scraps are strewn about. A trio of staircases evenly spaced throughout the amphitheater provide access to row levels. Two tunnel entrances at the bottom at the steps lead presumably to backstage areas.

The litter left about the amphitheater has been left over the years by youths and other explorers who sometimes like to sit upon the steps at night and observe the theater from a safe distance. Characters might notice, in their peripheral vision, a few mice startled at the party’s approach and disappear into holes in the stone.

The two tunnels at the lowest level of the amphitheater each extend for a few feet before terminating at a pair of double doors. 

2. Main Stage

The main stage of the Harlath is barren save for crude graffiti and piles of litter. Multiple locked doors lead to the theater’s interior.

3. Fountain Plaza

Weathered stone tables and toppled chairs are scattered throughout this barren plaza. In the plaza’s centre is a parched, geometrically-shaped fountain. Kiosks flank the east and west ends of the plaza. Wooden shutters pulled over their service counters have been shattered through, exposing their interiors to the elements.

Patrons gathered at this plaza before and after shows to mingle and enjoy food and drink served from the kiosks. The kiosks have been used previously by explorers as entrances to the theater’s interior, as breaking through their shutters is easier than bypassing the locked and reinforced doors.

4. East Kiosk

The hole smashed through the shutter of this kiosk is big enough for creatures of Medium size or smaller to squeeze through with little effort. When the characters enter, read aloud:

The interior of this kiosk is a mess. A food preparation station is in disarray; some pots and pans still rest upon a large hearth against the far wall, but others are scattered over the floor, along with various other utensils that have been knocked off of nearby shelves. Open doors lead into a storage closet and a stairwell.

Any food items were cleared out shortly after the theater closed, and there is little else of value in this kiosk. The storage closet contains nothing but bare shelves and empty containers. The stairwell leads down to the main and subsurface levels of the theater.

5. West Kiosk

The hole smashed through the shutter of this kiosk is big enough for creatures of Medium size or smaller to squeeze through with minimal effort. 

This kiosk looks to have been thoroughly rummaged through. Dirt, debris, and rusting cooking utensils litter the floor. On the far wall, above two hearths, the words “Masa was here” are scrawled in red paint. Open doors lead into a storage closet and a stairwell.

The graffiti in this kiosk is the result of a completed dare by a youth a generation ago. The storage closet contains nothing but bare shelves and empty containers. The stairwell leads down to the main and subsurface levels of the theater.

6. Stairwell

These stairwells connect the balcony, stage, and subsurface levels of the theater. They creak heavily under any weight, but remain structurally sound.

7. Set Storage Room

Items of furniture and panels of wood painted to resemble various set pieces are scattered about this room, loosely organized. The room overlooks the main backstage area to the east. A winch hangs over the platform.

Furniture and set pieces were kept in this room when not in use. There is nothing of significant value to be found here. The winch is operated by a hand crank to raise and lower a wooden platform between the backstage area and this storage room. The noise of the winch’s operation will startle

a bat that hangs from the ceiling concealed behind a tall cardboard statue, causing it to fly screeching into the rafters of the backstage area.

8. Workshop

Shelves stocked with tools line the west wall of this room. Piles of lumber flank the north and south walls. Dark brown stains cover large parts of the floor. In the middle of the room, laid atop a workbench, is a humanoid-looking figure of bone and wood. The room and a winch overlook the main backstage area to the west.

In better days, this workshop was used to construct all manner of set pieces and props for the theater’s performances. Now, it is being used by Argus Rapling, who is building himself a foul mannequin out of the remains of an explorer who broke his way into the theater a few weeks ago and was killed by the caretaker. 

The dark stains on the floor are old bloodstains from the caretaker’s dismembering and disposal of the rest of the body. Further inspection of the mannequin on the workbench reveals it to be of distorted humanoid proportions, with longer limbs than would be expected for the stoutness of its torso. Bits of bone have been woven with twine around slats of wood. A skull is mounted atop a barrel torso. A successful Physician check can confirm the bones are human.

9. Backstage Balcony

A raised scaffolding platform connects the performance balcony to the main backstage area below. Two sets of stairs in the middle of the balcony and a ladder on both the west and east ends of the balcony provide access. Multiple doors at the north end of the balcony likely open into the performance area beyond. 

Like the theater’s other exterior doors, these doors are locked and chained up from the outside.

Hazard: East Ladder. The ladder providing east balcony access is in poor condition, and will fail under the weight of the next Medium or larger creature that attempts to climb it. When the ladder fails in this way, the creature must make a successful Agility roll to avoid falling as one of the wooden rungs gives away. A character who fails

this roll falls 1d10 feet to the ground below.

10. Performance Balcony

This balcony was probably used as an extension of the main stage for performances. It is speckled with bird poop and littered with stones, likely thrown up from the amphitheater below by generations of bored children.

Trap: Swinging Axe. Argus has rigged both of these stairwells with tripwires that cause an axe, previously suspended from the ceiling above by a crude system of pullies, to swing downward when triggered. Those with a suitable light source can use passive Awareness higher will notice either the tripwire running across one of the stairs or the axe suspended to the ceiling. Anyone who unsuspectingly activates the tripwire must make a successful Agility roll or take slashing damage. Once triggered, the trap mist be reset manually by Argus.

11. Privies

These two stalls are filled with buckets beneath holed benches as well as empty washbasins.

12. Private Dressing Rooms

Ornate vanities trimmed with silver and gold filigree fill these small dressing rooms. Standing mirrors are noticeably free of dust. Clothing racks still hold some of the pieces worn during the last performance ever held at the Harlath.

13. Writer’s Room

The door to this room is ajar. On entering you see that it is in disarray. Books and the pages torn from them are scattered over a large oak table and its surrounding chairs, partially drape themselves over a piano against the north wall, and litter the floor. Half-emptied shelves line the walls. As you enter, the skeleton of a cat crawls out from under the table and begins to approach you at a lazy saunter, its eye sockets burning with pinpoints of soft blue light. 

Scripts and musical pieces were drafted in this room by Zamarin Imgarhol and her team. Argus, recognizing the room as representative of his bullying and exclusion, has trashed it and the majority of the works kept within it.

Scritches the Cat 

The skeletal cat is what remains of Argus’s pet, Scritches, who eventually died of natural causes and was animated by the same forces that keep the caretaker bound to the theater. Scritches’ mannerisms are identical to that of many living cats—Scritches is curious and somewhat friendly, and will approach party members in the room looking for pets and Scritches along its spine. A character who makes a successful Animal Handling (or similar) roll or Wisdom roll will quickly bond with Scritches, causing the cat to follow them around thereafter, until the character acts in a way that is hostile to Scritches.

14. Prop Storage

These alcoves backstage are laden with all manner of performance props — instruments, replica weapons, pieces of fake jewelery, and all manner of items, both interesting and mundane.

Encounter: Swords at East Prop Storage. In the east storage area is a box that contains six wooden prop swords. The swords, animated by the same magic that binds Argus, will fly into the air and attack any characters that come within 10 feet of the box, fighting until they are destroyed. The swords using flying sword statistics.

15. Cast Dressing Room

This larger communal dressing room is filled with vanities, clothing racks, and mirrors. The spectral figure of a young man hovers in the middle of the room, before a full-length mirror, gazing at his face, which looks to have been partially caved in. The figure turns to you. 

“Haven’t seen a living person in a long time,” it says,” sounding quite sad.

This dressing room was where non-star members of the cast got ready for performances. It has remained mostly untouched since the theater’s abandonment. The furniture is of fine quality, but there is otherwise nothing of any significant value to be found here.

The Ghost of Hakim

The spectral figure in this room is the ghost of a young man named Hakim, who was felled by Argus years ago while exploring the theater with his friends, most of whom managed to escape after Hakim was slain. Hakim poses no threat to the party, and is eager to have some living people to talk to after some lonely years in the theater. His face, contorted by his violent death, is marked by a weak smile. He hopes that the party may be able

to recover his remains and subsequently put him to rest. In exchange, Hakim freely shares his the story of his death with the party, as well as the following information:

Hakim has observed the corporeal spirit of the theater for long enough to believe that it is its former caretaker.

The spirit often groans loudly in a way that approximates singing, and moves through the theater dusting off its surfaces.

The caretaker has been using Hakim’s remains to build a mannequin as some sort of macabre arts and crafts project that takes place in the theater’s workshop.

An undead cat is present in the theater. Hakim believes the cat was the pet of the caretaker in life – and perhaps still is.

The caretaker spends most of its time in the depths of the theater’s storage room.

Hakim believes that one of his friends, who fled into the bowels of the theater, was also slain by the caretaker, but he’s not seen his spirit, if so.

Hakim doesn’t dare check the lower level for fear of the caretaker and what he might find. Hakim further explains that he would greatly appreciate

it if the party can recover his remains and arrange for them to be burned appropriately so that he may move on to the next life. He would prefer not to accompany the party during any further exploration of the theater, for he wishes to stay away from the caretaker, who still seems able to cause him pain, despite his own current incorporeal form.

16. Backstage

This area was kept clear for easy movement during performances. Staircases in the center of the room rise to the backstage balcony. A crank-operated elevator platform near the west end of the room allows for transport of large items to and from backstage to the storage areas one level below (Area 19). 

The elevator still works and can support up to three hundred pounds without failure, though the noise of its crank echoes throughout the empty theater. Its platform is currently lowered to the level below.

17. Lift Elevator

This elevator is operated via the hand-crank in the backstage area of the level above.

18. Manuscript Storage

This small room is a mess. Books and scrolls that had once sat on the shelves that line the walls have been pulled onto the floor and torn to shreds.

The team at the Harlath had written many plays and musicals, more than they could rehearse and perform. This room was used to file them away for future use or sale to other performance companies. Like the writer’s room, Argus destroyed most of the contents of this room in his rage.

19. Mannequin Storage

In the shadows you see several faceless humanoid figures, dark and menecing, arranged in various poses, huddled togehter into this cramped room—after a momentary start, you relaize they are just mannequins. 

The Harlath often used mannequins as background extras in larger scenes where live actors were not required.

Encounter: Swarms of Spiders. Any creature that steps more than two feet into this room agitates two swarms of spiders that recently hatched beneath a pile of mannequins. The spiders attack until reduced to half their hit points or fewer, at which point they disperse and flee. 

20. Dressing Room

Characters approaching this room can hear ragged breathing and scratching coming from beyond the door. When the characters enter, read aloud:

This dressing room smells of foul decay. Racks of clothing and costumes line the near walls. Against the far wall is a dresser, a standing mirror spattered with old blood, and a chair.

This dressing room was used as extra storage, and for when larger performances occupied the rooms on the upper level. The clothing here is stinking and dusty.

Encounter: Hakim’s Friend Davoz. The sounds from within this room come from a friend of Hakim’s, named Davoz, who was also slain by the undead caretaker after he discovered them exploring the theater. Unlike his luckier (or wiser) friends, Davoz fled to the lower level of the theater and attempted to hide in this room before the caretaker found him and put an axe through his head. 

Argus then left the room intending to return for cleanup later, closing the door behind him. Now, foul necrotic energies have reanimated Davoz as an angry corpse that attacks any and all living creatures. As soon as the party opens the door to this room, Davoz lunges forward in a frenzy of teeth and gnarled hands, fighting until he is destroyed. Davoz is a ghast with a 60 Constitution.

21. Below Stage Area

Barrels and other containers line the walls of this spacious chamber. Three lift mechanisms in the centre of the room rise to the ceiling and, by Toran’s estimation, the main stage above.

The lift mechanisms in this room were used to raise and lower actors and set pieces during actual performances. The containers around this room hold spare parts, cleaning supplies, and worn and broken set pieces, once scheduled for restoration.

22. Hallway 

This hallway connects to the tunnels that lead to the amphitheater. The tunnels and this hallway were occasionally incorporated into shows for more immersive performances.

23. Storage Room

The double doors to this spacious chamber are slightly ajar. It is dimly lit by the flickering of candlelight, which comes from several half-melted candles standing atop a table covered in a grey sheet in the middle of the room. Scattered across the table is an inkwell, quill, and several pages of parchment packed with script. Large set pieces piled against the walls cast long shadows across the room.

Argus the Caretaker. Argus spends most of his time here, reading, re-reading, and modifying the script that he originally presented to Zamarin years ago. When he notices the characters, he moves quickly to attack unless they can quickly make an appeal to him with a successful Rhetoric (Persuasion) roll or a successful  Wisdom–Religion check (see Appeasing Argus below). 

Alternatively, if Scritches is accompanying the party, Argus will not attack unless directly provoked for fear of upsetting his pet. Argus is a wight. He wields a felling axe instead of a longsword, but his statistics are unchanged. If his corporeal form is destroyed, it crumbles to dust and disappears entirely within moments as his spirit is banished from the theater.

Appeasing Argus. If he is not destroyed, Argus can be put to rest by having someone acknowledge the work that he has put into his script. The energies that reanimated Argus have preserved parts of his personality and most of his memory, though he is twisted by anger and resentment and can speak only in stumbling, fragmented sentences. 

If the party successfully appeases Argus by asking how they can help him, what angers him, or a similar sort of question, Argus will explain the following to the characters in as few groaning words as possible:

He was tortured and disrespected by the theater staff.

They ridiculed him for his script which he showed them.

If the theater will not value his work, then Argus will make sure that nobody makes use of the theater again.

He was pushed to his limit and did not deserve to be treated the way he was. He only wanted his work to be considered fairly.

Argus has written a genuinely impressive work—any positive acknowledgment of his work is enough for his spirit to rest. Depending on how the party communicates with Argus, this may be as simple as one party member taking the time to read it and providing Argus with honest feedback. Or, they may promise to Argus that they will shop it around to other theater companies in the hope of it being picked up for performance. It is important that the party is genuine in their appreciation, as Argus will notice disregard for his script or see through any lies about their feelings and immediately attack the party. If Argus is moved by the party’s acknowledgment of his work, he thanks them, sits down, begins to sob, and then slowly crumbles to dust. 

ALTERNATE (if adventure runs short) 

If Argus is appeased and begins to fade, his spirit visibly rising form his rotting corporeal form, then the young demon which has possessed him since before his death will rise to seize control, restraining the enslaved spirit.

The demon will attack with what powers it has, to stay in its host (the only one it has known). If the physical form is destroyed, or if Argus’ spirit is freed to move on to his afterlife, the demon will try to jump to a new host (Mental Combat).

If the Bowl of Barsol is present, or some other spirit trap, it will be possible to capture the demon wihin such a device, once it is free of its host

Aftermath 

Marliza Farim will be eager to hear of the party’s experiences in the theater. Before she delivers payment, Marliza will request a walk-through of the theater to confirm that it is no longer haunted. If the characters destroyed Argus or put him to rest, she delivers the reward as promised. 

If Hakim was not put to rest, the ghost remains in the theater, but does not make himself known during any inspection and is much less disruptive than Argus was. Hakim prefers to make his presence known only in specific circumstances, to play small tricks or provide minor assistance as he sees fit. He remains at the theater unless and until his bones are properly buried. 

If Argus is destroyed or put to rest, Scritches’ spirit is also put to rest.