Pathfinder Map Pack: "Cave Tunnels"

 So there I was, minutes until the session started.  I had a tenebrous worm ready to attack the PCs in some tunnels deep under a d'ziriak hive, and all the flip-mats and map-packs I looked at had traditional constructed dungeon corridors instead of the natural tunnels I needed.  And then I spotted Cave Tunnels unopened on my shelf, and knew it would be perfect!  There's nothing fancy about it, but it does exactly what you need it to do: natural rocky tunnels in dim light with plenty of branches.  Certainly something one could use for all sorts of quick random encounters underground.  The players might not have been happy about the resulting slaughter, but for a
harried GM, it was gold!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 77 [RPG]

 [Oathday, 6 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

 

The quest to break the curse of Castle Scarwall—and thus the source of Queen Ileosa’s invincibility through her mysterious crown—continues.  As their exploration of the myriad hallways and chambers of the second floor of the castle continue, the Harrowed Heroes decide to try a stealthy approach.  Anorak, taking the lead due to The Reckoner’s perceived vulnerability, turns himself invisible to scout ahead.  The dwarf soon finds himself on a balcony overlooking the courtyard the group trudged through previously.  He also discovers a lone skeletal minotaur, obviously a sentinel, in a watch station on the balcony.  Anorak quietly backtracks to the group and shares what he’s seen.  The decision is made for everyone to approach stealthily and try to subdue the guard.  Anorak, The Reckoner, and Goldcape move on tiptoe through the hallway, while Yraelzin stays around the corner with Eldritch.  Everything seems to be going well until Lorien’s armor begins squeaking, instantly drawing the sentinel’s attention!  It begins ringing a brass bell, surely alerting everyone and everything in the vicinity, before Anorak blasts it to fragments with an electricity spell.

 

In seconds, skeletons and zombies begin pouring forth into the hallway from multiple entry points.  Yraelzin and Eldritch are in dire straits, but Goldcape rushes over to protect them.  Rocky smashes three skeletons with as many strikes, while The Reckoner uses a magical wand to take control of a zombie left unscathed by the black tentacles Anorak conjures out of thin air.  The group decide to retreat out of concern that other defenders could be on their way.

 

In the chamber the group has used for multiple days as a makeshift campsite, The Reckoner asks Anorak to check his sapient armor, Plate, for curses.  The dwarf reports nothing awry with his creation.  For its part, Plate says it feels great and just wishes they could break the curse quickly to keep Ileosa from wreaking further havoc in Korvosa.  As the group converse, they realise drops of what looks like blood have started trickling down the wall, one by one.  The Reckoner calls out in alarm, readying the group to run, until the blood drops begin to form an image of perhaps the last person the Harrowed Heroes would expect to see: Glorio Arkona, patriarch of House Arkona, a wealthy aristocratic family that has become the de facto ruler of Old Korvosa, the Black Tower, and Trail’s End.

Glorio looks to be in high spirits as he addresses the explorers each by name, awaiting an introduction to Lorien that comes with little information.  When asked about how his image has manifested, Glorio says only that “the old magicks are the best magicks!”—though it’s clear from the bloody knife and the open wound in his palm that once his bleeding stops, so will the spell.  After some attempts at genial chit-chat that the Harrowed Heroes don’t reciprocate, Glorio sighs and gets to the point.  He says that although one prong of the invasion by the giant armies of the north was repulsed at Urglin (something that makes Yraelzin puff out his chest with pride), it’s clear the enemy has regrouped with a new plan: a knockout blow to take Magnimar (the region’s largest city), split the defenders of Varisia in half, and then easily mop up the rest.  Glorio says the alliance of Varisian city-states, their holdings, and the independent cities in the region are meeting in Ilsurian for a defence summit to plan a strategy to repel the expected invasion.  But Queen Ileosa has refused Korvosa’s participation in the alliance or even to send a representative to the summit, a choice that puts the whole region at risk of being conquered.  However, Glorio is excited to announce, the city’s three rebel factions (his own, Grau Soldado’s, and Cressida Kroft’s) have agreed to jointly send a representative to the summit, promising Korvosa’s aid as soon as Ileosa is overthrown.

The problem, Glorio explains, is that the rebel factions can’t agree on who to send.  None of the leaders are willing to risk leaving the city, and they don’t trust one another.  But then they hit upon a possible solution: send someone from a group they’ve all worked with in the past: the Harrowed Heroes!  Glorio says he championed his “Royal Craftsdwarf” Anorak (something that leads the dwarf to roll his eyes), while Kroft suggested sending The Reckoner.  Grau, it seems, didn’t have a preference.  Glorio concludes that that leaves only two possibilities that the rebel factions could agree on: Yraelzin and Goldcape.  Yraelzin reluctantly volunteers to go, but says he has no way of getting there quickly—he had to bribe a shaman in Urglin to provide him magical passage to Scarwall. Anorak suggests teleporting someone to Ilsurian, but without having been there before and the risk of whatever magical defenses Castle Scarwall may have, it doesn’t seem likely such an attempt would succeed.  Goldcape bravely offers herself as the rebels’ emissary: she can fly at great speeds on Rocky’s back, has a contact in Ilsurian already, and can stay in touch with the group through Yraelzin’s magical sending spells.  Goldcape gives Yraelzin a dagger marked with a stylized B as a symbol that she won’t let the group—or Korvosa—down.

After Goldcape and Rocky’s departure, the group’s spirits are subdued.  Nonetheless, they decide to press on.  Anorak and The Reckoner have come up with a new plan to permanently destroy the spectral skulls that seem to keep the strange, chain-covered ghost in Scarwall’s throne room from being permanently banished.  For a third time, the group burst into the throne room, but their plan has overlooked a key element—light!  The dais on which the chained spirit and the anchoring skulls sit is too far from the door to be seen, even with a dwarf’s darkvision.  But the spirit has no such limitation, as it’s able to sense the living from hundreds of feet away.  It springs forth to attack as Anorak and The Reckoner fumble with enchanting a coin to glow and then hurling it toward the dais.  Aided by the added light, Anorak casts a spell designed negate the magic of objects.  But it has no effect on the spectral skulls!  Everyone retreats, but the spirit’s ability to burst through walls without restraint means the group doesn’t make it out unscathed.

 

Back at their campsite, the group debrief.  Anorak confirms he cast the spell correctly, and that another attempt along the same lines isn’t likely to succeed either.  Lorien speculates that she could magically hide the group from the senses of undead, while Yraelzin argues that there’s no point in the group hitting its head against the wall since there’s no reason to think the throne room ghost is important.  Changing the subject entirely, Eldritch adds his speculation that the whole visit by Glorio was just a trick to weaken the party.

 

The magical camping spike is used to once again camouflage the group’s location as Anorak uses his newly-crafted wand to allow everyone to rest while still awake.  But several hours into the night, zombies and skeletons literally burst out of the ground at their feet!  Eldritch is wounded before flying high for safety, and the battle is prolonged by The Reckoner’s and Anorak’s insistence on trying to gain magical control of the creatures.  Just as the battle seems to be over, more undead arise!  It seems Castle Scarwall has been awakened, and it is not happy.

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GM Commentary

At the beginning of the session, the group briefly try out scouting, and gain information about what lies ahead.  Smart!  They follow up with a group attempt at Stealth.  Dumb!  There are ways to deal with the "noisy group" problem (silence spells, special feats, etc.), but they take some planning.  Most groups just revert to the "we all move together and kick in every door" approach.

Several commentaries ago I referred to Goldcape's player leaving so he could become Assistant GM.  That shows my shoddy memory, as it actually happened this session.  We get to see some scenes at the summit in later sessions though.

A lot of zombies and skeletons appeared in this session--simply the result of random encounters.  At the PCs' level, such foes (even in large numbers) aren't really dangerous, but they do interrupt activities and drain resources.

Pathfinder Map Pack: "Lairs"

I pulled out Lairs recently when a random encounter with a harpy showed up and I needed a good place for it to be feasting on some travelers.  In four groups of four (and one group of two), the tiles form the following lairs:  a cool mini-dungeon with an arcane theme and visible victims of previous traps; a nice-looking farmhouse (maybe for a surprise encounter?), a small cave extending a few dozen feet into a hillside (perfect for my harpy), a forest/jungle clearing with some huts (good for a tribal monster encounter), and a really evocative ancient stone temple(?) with steps, a pool at the center, and loads of bodies.  There's plenty to work with here, and I guess the key is to keep the tiles organised by group so you know what you have available and can quickly pull them out when the time is right.  They're all nicely detailed.  I can definitely see using them again in the future.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 76 [RPG]

[Oathday, 6 Arodus 4708 A.R.]
 
The Harrowed Heroes’ room-by-room exploration of the massive Castle Scarwall continues.  One chamber, perhaps once a formal waiting room, now contains only ratty, ruined couches interspersed by small tables and shelves containing broken bottles of wine and serving trays covered with sheets of mold.  A search of the room turns up nothing of interest, but as Anorak goes to leave, he suddenly exclaims in fear and sadness as tears run down his face! He embraces The Reckoner, saying it’s time for him (Anorak) to go—that Kazavon will never provide mercy, so the only recourse is to throw himself from the castle’s walls!  Although the strange impulse quickly fades and Anorak realises the emotions he was feeling weren’t real, the lingering terror of the Lord of Scarwall remains.

Yraelzin reminds the group that Goldcape and Rocky are still missing.  The others remind Yraelzin that he has a way to magically communicate with allies, leading the former priest of Razmir to cast the spell.  He reports that Goldcape sounds strange, saying only that she’s in the “big room off the hallway with the double-doors”.  The group backtrack, trying to see if they’ve walked past anyplace that fits that description.  At one point, Lorien looks back to see something startling—a ghostly figure seems to be hovering right behind Yraelzin!  Dressed in archaic, overly formal clothing, the spectral human is looking down at Yraelzin with clear disapproval on its face.  “Who are you?” Lorien calls out.  The figure speaks in response, but no words can be heard.  By reading lips, The Reckoner is able to annunciate a few of its words, though the language is strange to everyone—everyone but Yraelzin.  Shaken by the apparition suddenly dissolving into a pile of wet snow, Yraelzin says the words are Old Azlanti and refer to him being a “failure” and a “disappointment”.  And even more strangely, continues Yraelzin, the man’s clothing marked him as from the time of Azlant—a continent lost to a worldwide cataclysm almost ten millennia ago, well before Scarwall was built!

Although the mystery lingers, the search for Goldcape must go on.  Before long, the group find a set of double-doors in the same hallway where they fought the nightmarish horse.  When the door is opened, the group is at first pleased to see that Goldcape and Rocky are indeed there—but happiness turns to concern when they seem to be in a deep trance.  Around them is a massive hall, its ceiling supported by thick wooden columns.  Between the columns, in the center of the room exactly where Goldcape and Rocky are hovering, is a large fire pit, its ashes long gone cold.  At the far end of the hall, difficult to see with the darkness and distance, is a wide dais.  A terrifying sight floats above one of the two chairs on the dais: a ghostly torso bound by lengths of writhing chains connected to misty skulls on the ground at its feet.  With the subtlest of nods from the ghostly figure, Goldcape and Rocky streak forward to attack!  The Reckoner backflips away, but not before Rocky gouges him with talon and beak.  With a prayer to Cayden Cailean, however, Lorien is able to dispel the evil enchantment that had clouded Goldcape’s mind and turned friend into foe.
 
But the danger is far from over.  Several spectres—the same type of creatures that nearly killed The Reckoner earlier—drift through walls and into the chamber.  Yraelzin hastily utters a new spell he learned especially for Scarwall—a spell to keep lesser undead completely at bay.  But although the spectres are barred from doing any harm (and soon incinerated by Anorak’s magic), the chained spirit on the dais hurtles itself forward, its merest touch leaving disfiguring wounds and shattered morale.  Strangely, the chains connecting the spirit to the skulls constantly snap it backwards to the dais like a taut bowstring being snapped.  The Harrowed Heroes decide to close the distance to the dais, putting themselves in harm’s way as the chains around the spirit lash out with more disfiguring attacks.  But The Reckoner’s enchanted hammer is unstoppable, and soon the chained spirit is completely dispersed.

Or so it seems.  The ghostly skulls remain on the dais, and barely a minute passes before the chains go taut and they pull the screaming spirit back from the Great Beyond for more torturous moments in the mortal realm!  Lorien’s magic conjures a silver-haired warrior from Elysium to aid in the struggle at the same time that Goldcape unleashes magical arrows, Anorak uses electrical spells, and The Reckoner continues swinging away.  Again, the chained spirit is dispersed.

But for how long?  The Harrowed Heroes try everything they can think of to destroy the four ghostly skulls remaining on the dais, but nothing seems to work.  Worried that the group can’t survive a third fight against the chained spirit, The Reckoner hurries everyone out of the room seconds before it reforms with an ear-splitting wail. 

 

The group retreat to the campsite, where, fortunately, Lorien has exactly the right spells prepared to help Goldcape and The Reckoner recover from the spiritual harms they suffered.  Yraelzin says they should just avoid the castle’s throne room—there’s no need to defeat every foe in the castle.  The Reckoner speculates that defeating the chained spirit could be part of lifting the curse.  Speaking of curses, The Reckoner and Anorak speculate that one or both of them may have been cursed, so they shed everything they’re wearing for a thorough magical inspection—but both turn up clean.  Afterwards, The Reckoner and Anorak debate whether to push on with exploring or rest for another 24 hours to regain their strength.  This time, Anorak’s argument wins the day, but with the proviso that he take the lead.

 

Sprawling Castle Scarwall holds many mysteries that test the strength and courage of all who would dare enter it.  One such mystery now seems prominent: how to defeat a foe bound to eternal battle?

------------------------------

GM's Commentary

The ghostly Azlanti figure following Yraelzin was my way of incorporating that he had the Vestige bloodline and had gained the Call Ancestor ability, which summons an ancestral spirit as a temporary ally.  Since Yraelzin was created, his bonded object was an otherwise non-magical ring with an inscription in Azlanti on it because I wanted to tie him into an adventure path I planned to play him in as an actual PC (Ruins of Azlant) before he quickly transitioned into being a GMPC here.  The idea of the spirit being disappointed relates to the fact that Yraelzin didn't fulfil his original destiny and connected to how (secretly) uncertain and self-doubting he was throughout much of the campaign.

This session is also notable for the first battle (of many!) against the chained spirit that rules Scarwall.  As the adventure provides, the spirit is attached to four "anchors"--other creatures--and cannot be permanently destroyed until those anchors are destroyed.  It's a fun concept and a good challenge for the players to figure out what's going on and what they need to do.  I also really liked the unique "yo-yo" movement style of the chained spirit (how it could charge forth a limited distance but at the end of its turn would automatically be yanked back to its starting point by the chains).

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 75 [RPG]

 [Wealday, 5 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

In a relatively secure chamber somewhere on the second floor of Castle Scarwall, Anorak spends several hours crafting a magical wand that will allow the group to stay up all night, thus hopefully providing some solace against the constant nightmares that plague their sleep.  As he finishes the work, Goldcape and Rocky show just how dangerous sleeping in the haunted castle can be—neither can be awakened!  The best Anorak can tell is that they’re under some sort of necromantic curse.  While the dwarf is examining the pair, Yraelzin and The Reckoner hurry over to a nearby staircase from whence the sounds of slow, heavy footsteps can be heard rising toward them.  The mystery of Lorien’s whereabouts is solved, as the warrior returns, but with blood on his hands and a glazed look in his eyes.  He comes out of the trance gradually, but reports no memory of what happened to him!  Anorak pronounces the trance has had no lingering effects, but while everyone’s backs are turned, Goldcape and Rocky disappear!  Deciding it’s too risky to go looking for them without resting overnight, the group use Anorak’s new wand to keep a constant vigil until morning.

[Oathday, 6 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

 

In the morning, Lorien surprises the others by fortifying himself with a shot of whisky.  When their exploration of Scarwall resumes, they soon find themselves on a parapet looking out east over the crater lake below—the direction from which the group made their first, aborted attempt to approach Scarwall.  On the northeast corner of the parapet, a tall tower looms overhead.  The Reckoner pulls out a small case of rarely-used tools and (noisily) manages to unlock a well-preserved iron door leading to the tower.  The room on the other side contains multiple staircases and doors, but it’s clear the intruders’ approach has been detected.  From one doorway massive skeletal minotaurs like those encountered near the courtyard issue forth, greataxes at the ready.  But their attack is blocked by a more fearsome threat: a pair of massive hellhounds charging up from a staircase below!

Anorak is burned badly by the gouts of flame breathed by the hellhounds, and even Yraelzin, standing far to the rear, is scorched.  But flame is only one of their creatures’ weapons, as The Reckoner can attest when one of the creatures tears a chunk of flesh from his shoulder with a bite like a beartrap.  But The Reckoner recovers quickly from the blow and manages to dispatch the two creatures, opening the way for the assault from the skeletal minotaurs.  Lorien steps up to help fend off the attack and soon only piles of cracked bones are all that are left of the undead foes.

Deciding not to chance either the staircase up or the staircase down, the group instead explore the chambers on this level of the tower.  One chamber contains nearly a dozen paintings on the wall, all depicting historical battles, but all diverging, in a particular way: an arrogant, cruel human with black-hair is leading the victorious side.  Whether leading the vanguard of the dwarves in the Quest for the Sky, rallying troops in the Shining Crusade, or leading an army of warriors against a demonic host in a blighted land, the same figure appears in each of the paintings.  Lorien notices that all the paintings are signed “Zev Ravenka, Bishop of Scarwall.”  Outraged by the blasphemy of a human purportedly leading the dwarves in the sacred Quest for the Sky, Anorak destroys that painting and then all of the others.  Another chamber must have once been a finely-decorated meeting chamber before falling into disrepair—even a high-backed chair built from a tangle of bones has not stood the test of time.  Little appears to be of interest in the room apart from a pair of mithral candelabras, but as Anorak and Lorien are talking, they realise that The Reckoner is looking very odd indeed!  He spins around and points toward the chair, proclaiming that a misty shape is sitting on it, urging him to do wicked things!  Quickly, The Reckoner pulls out a magic wand to protect himself and his allies from evil, but no one else in the room sees or hears anything unusual—and even The Reckoner admits the chair is now empty.  The group hurry out of the tower and back onto the parapets.

 

Lorien calls upon his divine magic to examine the constant dread and spiritual darkness that pervades Castle Scarwall.  He reports that the curse on the castle is the most powerful he has ever seen, so powerful that no simple spell could remove it—there must be a special procedure or ritual involved, if lifting the curse is even possible to begin with.

 

Finding that the only other interesting thing on the parapet is a long-unused forge with a gleaming, surely magical warhammer, the group look for a way from this eastern section of the castle into the main portion—but can’t find one.  The Reckoner decides to make his own doorway with an adamantine maul, and soon the group find themselves in a winding hallway.  A miasma of smoke fills the air here, along with the stink of burning flesh.  The cause appears instantly: a nightmare!  Lorien bravely charges in to do battle but The Reckoner destroys the creature with a single swing of one of his many enchanted battle-mauls.

------------------------------------------------

GM Commentary

This session was more general exploration of Castle Scarwall without anything particularly memorable about it.  Lorien's player was back but Goldcape's player was absent, so that's why there were some shenanigans at the beginning.

I liked the image of The Reckoner just smashing holes in walls with this adamantine maul to create his own doorways!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 74 [RPG]

 [Wealday, 5 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

The Harrowed Heroes have made the fateful choice to spend a second night in Scarwall, a choice that brings with it great danger.  Goldcape, standing watch with Rocky, sounds the alarm as long fingers of black smoke somehow press through the walls all around the ostensibly-disguised campsite!  Two vaguely-humanoid shadowy shapes and a translucent ghostly figure emerge.  Rocky panicks at the unnatural sight and bolts, carrying Goldcape (and the room’s only source of light) with him!  “Hammer . . . bearer . . . “ croaks the ghostly figure, pointing a long, skeletal finger at The Reckoner.  Blinded by the total darkness and still wrapped in his bedroll, The Reckoner’s completely unable to defend himself as the shapes swarm and begin to drain his life force with the merest touch!

Anorak leaps to his feet, ready to do battle as The Reckoner pulls on his mask of the mantis so he can see his attackers.  Severely weakened, he nonetheless manages to pull himself up and race from the room.  Yraelzin utters some arcane words to make his robes glow, shouts “spectre!” and attacks with a volley of glowing missiles launched from a nearly-drained wand.  Goldcape bravely rushes back on foot, her blessed longsword at the ready, and joins the fray.  Once Rocky’s initial panic abates, he flies back in and together he and her master destroy one of the spectral haunts.  When The Reckoner returns, having had time to recover thanks to the others’ intervention, he quickly dispatches the remaining foes.  Magical scrolls and wands manage to assuage the wounds—physical and spiritual—incurred in the early morning assault.

Nonetheless, The Reckoner is frustrated and angry that no one detected the attack, that Rocky panicked, and that somehow the attackers knew to target him.  He proposes the group should leave Scarwall, purchase more supplies, and return.  Anorak, however, is reluctant to leave—he says he’s not even sure it’s possible, and even if it is, wonders if it would be possible to return. Goldcape and Anorak, who both suffered intense and unnerving dreams overnight, discuss whether there’s a safer way to rest in Scarwall.  Anorak comes up with the potential solution of crafting a magical wand that will allow everyone to stay awake, all night long, while feeling as if they’ve had a good night’s sleep—at least until they exert themselves.  The decision is made for Anorak to start on the project immediately.  Although it will take several hours, Goldcape can rest while The Reckoner and Yraelzin stand guard.

 

But after the traumatic attack and angry debate that followed, one crucial question has been forgotten.  What happened to Lorien?

----------------------------

GM Commentary

This scenario seems very short (just one encounter and some RP about crafting a wand), but I honestly can't remember why.  There must have been an interruption of some kind that forced us to call it short.

A lot of GMs forget about the Unnatural Aura ability of wraiths, but they can wreak havoc on mounts and animal companions, as we saw in the opening round here.  Similarly, this encounter showed the advantage of having darkvision because The Reckoner's need to don and activate his mask of the mantis in order to fight the attackers left him very vulnerable.

I think the wand that Anorak intended to craft was for the keep watch spell, which has always been a problematic spell for the game.  The rules for sleep and fatigue aren't detailed well, and the addition of a low-level spell that allows PCs to bypass one of the key limitations in the game (the need to rest) is problematic because it then opens the door to players asking questions about what other activities they can do while magically awake on watch all night.  It's also an example of "magical trivializes all obstacles" in the game.

Lorien's player was absent from the session, but I think returns in the next one.

Pathfinder Module: "The Demon Within" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

 

I’ve run a lot of 3.5-era Pathfinder modules in my long-running “Roots of Golarion” campaign.  Sometimes it’s a challenge to integrate them, like forcing a jigsaw puzzle piece into the wrong place with the help of some scissors and tape.  The Demon Within, however, slotted perfectly thanks to a happy coincidence with one of the campaign’s PCs.  We ended up having a great time, with the events in the module creating a potential retirement opportunity when the campaign is all over.  Not every module will work the same for every group, but all I can say is that it worked for ours.

 

Some general points: the adventure is written for level 11 PCs, but it’s still pretty tough with a lot of encounters in a short space of time (depending on how the PCs proceed).  The writing and detail are fantastically gruesome, which fits the circumstances of the adventure perfectly but could offend some squeamish sensibilities.  In terms of art, I love the front cover (its thematically appropriate), but the interior art is mostly mediocre.  Maps are very good, though very large (in terms of 5’ scale) and may be a challenge to represent on the gaming table.  One of my favourite things about these early Paizo modules is the “Designer Sidebars” throughout, in which the writer discusses potential snags and provides tips for the GM to overcome them.  The adventure itself takes up 26 pages, with the remaining six pages devoted to appendices that I’ll discuss in the next section because they might be a bit spoilery.

 

SPOILERS!

 

The Demon Within is set in two locations in the city of Kenabres in Mendev, a country adjacent to the demon-infested Worldwound.  Because countless teleporting demons are impossible to fight and contain through normal means, salvation for Mendev came in the form of the wardstones: a linked chain of artifacts along the border between Mendev and the Worldwound that prevents demons from teleporting across.  I’m not sure whether the concept of the wardstones first appears in The Demon Within, but they certainly receive their earliest full development here.  The module goes into great backstory detail about the heroic warriors of Iomedae, led by Saint Clydwell, who discovered the wardstones and how they could be linked and empowered by a powerful artifact from the Worldwound called The Demonscope  However, keeping The Demonscope (and thus wardstones) operational requires constant vigilance by a trio of the most faithful and selfless of Iomedae’s knights: the Order of Holy Sentinels.  Even if a GM doesn’t run the adventure, the module is great for the amount of lore and depth it adds to Mendev and the Church of Iomedae, and could probably (I’m guessing) be fitted into a side adventure for Wrath of the Righteous.

 

The adventure’s premise is that a danger has arisen that no one in Mendev realises: one of the Holy Sentinels has been corrupted!  Plagued by doubt and constant fears of failure, Sir Holton Albright, the newest Holy Sentinel, has been tricked by a demon into removing one of the sacred relics that keeps The Demonscope operational.  And at the public ceremony where he’ll be formally consecrated to the order, all hell (or, should I say, the Abyss) breaks loose!  This is where the adventure starts for the PCs, as they’re guests during the consecration ceremony when a massive glabrezu, disguised as Albright, transforms into its true form and begins wreaking havoc, while mobs of dretches appear to attack the various emissaries and guests, and a pair of vrocks crash through the temple’s stained-glass windows.  It should be a scene of utter chaos (fitting for demons) as the PCs try to figure out where to go and what to do first when pulled in so many directions.  In other words, an exciting start to the adventure!  (Getting the PCs to the consecration ceremony could be hard part; for my group, it was a snap, as one of the PCs is an inquisitor of Iomedae.)

 

Following the battle, word spreads that Clydwell Keep, home of The Demonscope, has fallen!  Kanebres’s official demonologist, Kutholiam Vuere, notices how (presumably) well the PCs fought and says there’s a secret tunnel from the temple into the lower levels of Clydwell Keep, and that perhaps it’s not too late.  Vuere only appears in the adventure in this section to give exposition—he has a lot of it and it’s important, but the PCs may understandably feel pressure to take action instead of talking and miss much of it.  In any event, I imagine Vuere could be a very useful NPC for other adventures set in Mendev.

 

There’s a cool scene in the escape tunnel when the PCs reach the door that leads into the keep’s mausoleum.  A few paladins—wounded, fatigued, and almost overwhelmed--hold the door from the PCs’ side.  Something powerful and massive must be on the other side and is slamming into the door—BOOM BOOM BOOM!  The PCs have three rounds to prepare before the door crashes in and a massive balban demon appears with a swarm of dretches underfoot.  The mausoleum itself is notable for three things: 1)  Statues, with plaques, naming the various holy warriors interred within—PCs who pay attention will gain a vital clue for the adventure’s endgame; 2)  A statue that provides unlimited magical healing to any good-aligned creature that touches it—making it a crucial place to rest and recover between forays into the keep; and 3) An invisible quasit spy named Frqazzikal who secretly follows the PCs, warning the demons in every chamber of their approach and generally harassing them at the worst possible moment. Devious!

 

The PCs emerge from the mausoleum into a chapel on the surface level of the keep.  As an example of the grisly writing I mentioned in the opening, there’s a demon-possessed paladin to fight, and he’s nailed his own squire (who’s still alive!) to his tower shield!  Jeepers.  A GM who wants a fast-paced adventure with elements of horror has come to the right place with this module.

 

The grounds of Clydwell Keep are divided into an Upper and Lower Bailey.  Here, different groups will make very different decisions.  Some will take it upon themselves to clear out every single building and tower, and there are enough demons to provide a dozen or more encounters (and a ton of XP).  Other groups will keep their eye on the prize (restoring The Demonscope to empower the wardstones before its too late) and bypass most of the optional encounters.  My group (I think smartly) chose the second option.

 

To reach The Demonscope, the PCs need to breach the keep proper and descend into the dungeons beneath it.  Here they have to overcome paladins turned into zombies, babaus, dretches, a demon-possessed Holy Sentinel, a new type of monster called chatterer swarms (a great and memorable monster that should be used again), a black pudding, succubi, a demon knight, a lesser nabasu, and more!  Saving civilisation from demon hordes isn’t easy, but a group with a paladin, lawful good cleric, or (as in my group) an inquisitor able to make their weapons into demon-bane ones will get plenty of time in the spotlight.

 

The module does a really good job with Sir Holton Albright—he’s actually a sympathetic figure as he’s now filled with remorse and disgust at himself for being manipulated by the demon.  Once found, he’ll help the group understand the problem with The Demonscope and how it can be fixed.  This involves locating and placing sacred relics in the correct location, which is where the clues from the mausoleum come into play.  Or, the PCs can try to brute force the solution, which can work, but the longer it takes them to figure it out, the more a CR15 balor demon emerges!  The balor has limited powers at this point, but it still filled me with joy to have its massive arm appear and take some swipes at the PCs in a very climactic ending.  Fortunately, my PCs reactivated The Demonscope and saved Mendev from becoming just another demon-infested wasteland like the Worldwound.  You’re welcome!

 

For back matter, the module contains three appendices.  The first is a few paragraphs on Kenabres, which really isn’t enough.  Although the module doesn’t give the PCs a chance to spend time in the city, a GM should see if they can find more on it elsewhere in case they want to do some stuff there before or after the adventure.  The second appendix contains two new monsters: the aforementioned chatterer swarms and sons of perdition; both good additions to the game.  Appendix 3 contains stats for The Demonscope and some other magic items, our favourites of which were faith orbs (holy hand grenades!) and water scorpions (squirt guns with endless supply of holy water!).

 

I suppose if one wanted to quibble, there’s not a lot of opportunity for role-playing or skill challenges in The Demon Within and, from one point of view, it’s pretty much a hack-fest.  But it’s a really good hack-fest, with a great backstory and excellent use of the setting.  I’d recommend it.