The Sunken Sisters

By David Henley
David Henley Productions
OSE
Levels 1-3

For weeks, your expedition has trekked through the overgrown jungles of these islands in search of antiquities. At last, you reach the crumbling ruins known locally as “The Sunken Sisters” – named for the twin weathered statues guarding the entrance, draped in vines. What looks like a massive stone door once barred entry into the shadowed interior. But it has long since fallen, leaving an unbroken gloom within that puts your torches to shame. A darkness that raises more questions than it answers. What civilization erected such monolithic stonework here, only to become lost to the ravaging jungle? You’ve heard legends of an ancient apocalyptic event known as the Atuang (Sky Fire) that reshaped this region – could that cataclysm be the key to unraveling this archaeological mystery? More importantly, are you prepared for what primordial secrets or perils may lurk unchallenged in the lightless nadir of this forgotten temple complex? One thing is certain – those depths were never meant for the unprepared. Venture inside at your own risk and solve the enigmatic riddle of The Sunken Sisters…if you dare.

This 35 page single column adventure uses about fifteen pages to describe twelve rooms. The dungeon is empty. The titular Sunken Sisters do not appear. You will die in this adventure. Of boredom.

I don’t know what to say here. I guess I try to start with something good? This thing has a void entity in it. I’ve liked that as a concept ever since I saw The Void, as a supplement in a local game shop back in the 3.0 era, when everyone was releasing niche products. This concept of nothingness, more than a sphere of annihilation but more lovecraftian, either in its chaos or in its implied order, has a certain appeal. A violation of the laws of nature. 

So, we’ve got that marketing blurb, above. It talks about the Sunken SIsters. The name of the adventure is The Sunken Sisters. As far as I can tell, they don’t appear anywhere. No where. There are no twin statues flaking anything. The entrance has “A weathered statue of a jungle spirit guards the entrance” That’s not the sunken sisters. It is a rather abstracted and generic description of a statue. One that should have had a description. What the fuck is a jungle spirit? No specificity. Whatever, I guess. They are not inside, they are not outside. I have no fucking clue. The adventure intro is on the last page, weirdly, but it doesn’t say. And the entrance room, full of backstory about the temple, doesn’t say either. I have no idea.

Speaking of inside and outside, I have no idea if this thing is underground or above ground ruins. Lots of stairs down and so on. But, also, there’s this room “• This room’s ceiling is a cracked, partially collapsed glass dome.” So … we’ve got an above ground roof to it? There is, of course, no description of the temple ruin above ground or this room as a secondary entrance. It just is. This makes my heart heavy.

The writing is abstracted everywhere. “Ancient frescoes, marred by cracks and water stains, depict figures who seem familiar yet remain unknown – heroes and heroines of a bygone era.” No specificity to it at all. Specificity is the soul of the narrative. Tell us about the frescoes, not the conclusion drawn from the frescoes. Another room has the description “Linked to the previous room by an open doorway. This circular room lies empty, except for a trapdoor on the floor.” That surly conjures the imagery of a jungle temple, yes? Repeating things we know from the map, like the entrance and circular nature of the room. And yet providing nothing to actually tell us about the room at all. 

The encounters are almost all “roll on a table and see what you get.” And the treasure, what little is present, is the same thing. Roll on a short six entry table and hope you get something. I can’t STAND this. Pick a fucking encounter. A trap, whatever the fuck. And tailor the fucking room to it. Make even the SLIGHTEST amount of effort to provide value. But, no.

There are, I think, four different rooms in this adventure each with a circle of pillars in them. None of them have any special significance. You do get to roll on a random table in one of them. But no special effects or interactivity. In. Any. Of. The. Four. Rooms. It’s like putting a chasm room in a dungeon with a very well constructed bridge over it, with massive safety railings and a current inspection sticker, and well lit so you’re sure there are no monsters nearby to shoot at you. Why the fuck does this exist? Certainly not every room has to be a funhouse or set piece, but the dungeon should have SOMETHING in it, yes?

“While accommodating rituals, the circular Columned Chamber’s primary role was likely as an antechamber through which supplicants entered the grandeur of the main temple’s inner sanctum through the ornate gate passage.” Oh boy! History!

There is nothing here. 

This is $10 at DriveThru. The preview is broken. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/485297/the-sunken-sisters?1892600