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NO SPOILERS
Skeletons of Scarwall is the fifth chapter in the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path. I ran it in a traditional live tabletop campaign using the updated PFRPG hardcover collection, but this review focuses on the original 3.5-era adventure. This chapter has a heavy dungeon crawling element, which some groups will love and others loathe, but I want to emphasize that it's a really excellently written dungeon crawl with lots of creativity, flavour, and integration into the setting. It's also a bear for the GM to prep! Overall all though, my thoughts are generally positive. Anyway, there's a lot to talk about in this ish, and it happens to be moving day in Castle Jhaeman, so let's just dive right in! This first section, non-spoilerly section of the review will only discuss front- and back- matter, not the adventure itself.
Start with the cover. I really like the background image with the skeletal knight (notice the orc heads dangling from his lance?). Lini, the druid, may not have been the most fitting choice for the adventure within, but it's hard to argue with Wayne Reynolds art. The inside front cover continues the "Korvosan Hierarchy" chart, with some members of the hierarchy reddened to indicate they're dead! I have to admit I've never noticed the inside back cover until this very moment; it's a hierarchy chart as well, but of a very different (and even more ominous) kind, but has to do with the adventure itself so I won't talk about it here.
The foreword by Wes Schneider talks a lot about drawing inspiration from gothic horror, and provides tips for GMs on making things atmospheric. I can confess I tried *really* hard with the atmosphere by making everyone play in the dark by candlelight to really amp up the oppressive feel of the adventure, trying to can the OOC chatter, etc., but--the players hated that style of play! After a few sessions I was forced to give up. It's hard to find a group that is simultaneously a) into the extreme crunchiness of Pathfinder and b) into deep atmospheric role-playing.
The back matter consists of four major parts (or a fifth, if you want to count the two pages containing stats for Level 12 Iconics).
First is an overview of the Hold of Belkzen (6 pages). It contains a really nice, detailed map of the region, with just one flaw: no scale bar! The text provides a ton of great adventure hooks, however, and it remains a solid gazetteer. I know there's a full campaign setting that expands considerably on the material, but as an overview, these six pages remain quite useful.
Next is an entry on Zon-Kuthon (6 pages). It's a detailed, grisly, and frankly great description of the Midnight Lord and his devotees. The artwork of Zon-Kuthon himself is pure nightmare fuel! And indeed, there's some elements (like the Joyful Things) that I don't think would be deemed appropriate in today's more PG-oriented Paizo. The text is broken down into headings: Temples and Shrines (I'd like more location-specifics here), A Cleric's Role, Two Myths (the myth about Nidal and the "first shadow" is really cool), Aphorisms, Holidays, Relations with Other Religions, Priests of Zon-Kuthon (two capsule descriptions), and Planar Allies. I'm sure much of this material has been collected and reprinted, but it remains an excellent overview.
Third is "A Friend in Need", the next short fiction chapter describing Eando Kline's journey in pursuit of a mysterious object (frankly, I forget what the Macguffin is he's chasing after; this tale is more about the journey than the destination). In this instalment, Eando and his new half-orc companion Joskan travel through the Hold of Belkzen on the way to Urglin. However, as outsiders, they need a tribal chief's token to avoid being murdered on site. Negotiations take place with a nearby tribe for such a token, when a (genuinely) surprising betrayal occurs. This story shows why it's really handy to speak multiple languages in Pathfinder! There's also a great depiction of an ankheg stampede. I'm looking forward to reading all of these instalments as an e-book someday.
Last up is the Bestiary (14 pages). The first two pages are flavor text and a wandering monster chart for one of the major regions the PCs are likely to traverse in the adventure. Next up are two-page-long entries for several new monsters. The Chained Spirit is a cool, original concept (a ghostly creature that is "anchored" to the Material Plane by living creatures). But watch out for those four Charisma-draining chains (nasty!). The Danse Macabre (a pack of ghostly dancers haunted by the grim reaper) is also pretty cool and pretty scary--with a scythe that does Constitution drain! Gugs are Lovecraftian beasts with terrifying maw-heads. The Prince in Chains is the Herald of Zon-Kuthon, and certainly not something you want to encounter. The section ends with a four-page-long entry on the first new true dragon to be introduced to Golarion: umbral dragons! It's pretty neat that they feast on incorporeal creatures!
SPOILERS!
Part 1 (6 pages) contains the Sun Shaman's Tale, as he explains to the PCs that they need to venture to Castle Scarwall to retrieve the legendary sword Serithtial, a holy weapon forged to combat the followers of Zon-Kuthon that will be crucial for defeating Ileosa and the Crown of Fangs she wears (the Crown of Fangs itself is tied into the history of Castle Scarwall and its former ruler, Kazavon). This section of the adventure is mostly exposition and, presumably, PC preparation. Castle Scarwall is located in the Hold of Belkzen, far away from Korvosa. The adventure assumes that, by this level, the PCs will be using magical means of transportation, so there are no scripted encounters along the way. Indeed, my PCs windwalked their way there. In terms of preparation, it's interesting that the GM knows Scarwall will be a truly massive dungeon and exploring it will take up the entire remainder of the chapter, but the players aren't really sure what they're in for; some of mine apparently initially assumed it'd be a quick in-and-out! Two members of the Brotherhood of the Bone are waiting for the PCs outside of Castle Scarwall, and they propose a truce. This is a good opportunity for some role-playing and the adventure definitely changes depending on whether the PCs accept or reject the truce, and which member of the Brotherhood they befriend.
Part 2 (4 pages) is "Approaching Scarwall". It details the Deadwatchers, an orc tribe devoted to ensuring nothing goes in or comes out of Scarwall. I like them, and they have a good backstory, but at this level they're nothing but a forgettable speed bump to the PCs. Of more importance, this section has a description of what different dangers await the PCs if they approach Scarwall by land, by air, or by water (as it's surrounded by a crater lake). What this section urgently needs is an art piece of what Scarwall and its surroundings look like from a distance. It's really hard to piece together how exactly the castle sits in the lake, how the different levels look from outside, where the various exits and entrances are, etc. I found a handy 3D model on Youtube and showed it to my players, and that was a tremendous help (to them and to me!) in trying to conceptualize the place.
Part 3 (40 pages) details Scarwall itself. This is by far the *largest* and most complex standalone structure I've ever had to prepare. I've got a lot of blank flip-mats, and this one stretched my resources to the limits! There must be something like 200 rooms (even more in the hardcover!) and a *lot* of encounters. (In a way it's equivalent to Chapter Five of Rise of the Runelords, which was also a combat-heavy way to get the PCs a lot of XP to prepare them for the final chapter.) But the thorough backstory informs which foes are chosen, so Scarwall is certainly not just a lazy exercise in stocking empty rooms with generic monsters. There's a lot to love about it, including the potential soul trapping if a PC dies within! The presence of a Chained Spirit means the PCs may face a steep learning curve (mine did) before realising just what they need to do and how to do it. This is certainly an experience that will test the PCs' resources (and perhaps patience) and the GM's preparation and game management skills. Online, I know that some groups were frustrated by having another chapter set completely away from Korvosa, so some GMs reworked things to bring it closer to home and the AP provides an alternative too. In any event, assuming (a big assumption!) the PCs are successful, they'll break the curse of Scarwall, retrieve Serithtial, and be ready for a big (and dangerous) homecoming in Chapter Six.
There's a lot more I could and should say about Skeletons of Scarwall, but time and space are limited so I'll just sum it up by saying it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I for one enjoyed it. And as either a GM or a player, it's not an experience you'll soon forget.
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