Side-Trek adventure When your PCs gain access to the teleport spell, their whole world changes. That simple spell opens up instantaneous, long-distance travel. No more long overland journeys or dangerous retreats through hostile territory. All it takes is clasped hands and a word from the wizard, and poof! The PCs are where they want to go. Except that it isn’t that simple, because teleport isn’t foolproof. The off-target teleports are a matter of scattering your PCs someplace else on the map and forcing them to get their bearings and make the long overland journey anyway. But this Side Trek focuses on the really intriguing column on the teleport chart: “similar area.”

This module is designed for characters who have made their way through the Freeport Trilogy. Characters new to Freeport are at disadvantadge, however. Hell in Freeport sends the characters to the depths of the Hell as pawns of an undead duke. When they discover the truth of their mission, they must race against a sinister clock to save two cities. Act 1 kicks off with a battle against a cornugon on the Freeport docks. The characters are hailed as heroes for defeating the fiend, and are summoned to the Church of Retribution to help in the battle against Hell. Tee old inquisitor who greets them is actually Jalie Squarefoot, an infernal lich who took this form to search for the perfect cat's-paw. Squarefoot wants to take the souls of Freetown, a city in Hell, but must first get around a contract poin: he can't take the city until the Tyre tower clock-now stopped- strikes midnight. He sends the party to Devil's Cry, an inslan off the coast of Freeport, with instructions to close the gate to Hell hidden inside. In truth, he knows the party will be transported straight to the Third Circle when they try. Inside Devil's Cry the party finds the remnants of a great battle fought between an invading devil's army and the Church of Retribution, and battle their way past undead defenders until they reach the gate itself and unwittingly trigger it. Act 2 begins with the party in a twin of the complex they explored in Devil's Cry, but now they are deep in Hell. They fight their way back to the cavern entrance, only to find that they are not on the Prime anymore. When they voyage back their homeport, they instead find themselves in Freetown, a city of scaped slaves in a dark mirror image of Freeport. Once in Freetown, they make the acquaintance of the city's mayor Wycleffe-a servant of Jalie Squarefoot-who persuades them to go on a quest to Tyre to restart the tower clock. They travel the Styx to the Eight Circle and fight their way into a long-buried vity, and then into the tower clock itself. They restart the clock and begin the trip home, but are waylaid by devils and taken prisioner. Act 3 opens with the party naked and in chains in the infernal prison called the Forge. They learn that Jalie Squarefoot and Wycleffe have duped them, and that the supposed rebels of Freetown are actually its protectors. The characters must escape or win their freedom in the gladiator pits before the tower clock they restarted destroys both Freetown and their home city of Freeport. They battle back to Freetown, taking revenge on their captors in the process, and capture the city from Wycleffe with the help of the rebels. Finally it falls to the PCs to enter the tower clock and stop it and Jalie Squarefoot before the fiend's plan can come to fruition. After being tricked and manipulated throughout the adventure, the party finally has their revenge on the duke and his minions.

Lost within the ruined House Cannith citadel of Whitehearth, an arcane workshop somewhere in the perilous Mournland, is the key to constructing a terrible magic weapon. Agents of the Emerald Claw will stop at nothing to recover the ancient device. As malevolent forces hunt for the artifact, only the most resourceful heroes will reach Whitehearth first and discover the secrets that lie within. "Shadows of the Last War" is a stand-alone adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons game that will immerse your characters in the Eberron campaign setting. Designed to challenge 2nd-level D&D heroes, it pits them against one of Eberron’s most nefarious organizations.

"The Devil Box" is a D&D adventure suitable for four 2nd-level PCs, although it can be modified for parties of 1st or 4th-5th levels as noted int the "Scaling the Adventure" sidebar. Characters completing the adventure are likely to advance to 3rd level. Much of the action takes place in a small town during a festival; this town can easily be dropped into an existing campaign. Since "The Devil Box" expects the PCs to deal with kobolds as temporary allies, it throws in some ethical dilemmas for good-aligned characters. Paladins and good-aligned clerics my have difficulties with such an alliance, but kobolds are definitely the lesser of the two evils involved in this adventure. If the party spurns the assistance of potential kobold allies, you may wish to modify the adventure to make it a bit easier on the player characters, as encounters have been written with the assumption that the heroes have a little help. Uploader's note: A hilariously creepy adventure involving a circus (freakshow), with in style illustrations! (Grid maps included, but not separate maps.)

The Shackled City Adventure Path enters the home stretch as the forces of evil take direct action against the heroes of the Cauldron. Dangerous secrets are revealed, important NPCs bit the dust, and your heroes will never know who to trust again! This adventure is seventh part of the Shackled City Adventure Path that began with "Life's Bazaar" (Dungeon #97). Pgs. 36-67

Within an ancient necropolis a pool of alien slime grasps the minds and bodies of the people of Exag with wispy tendrils of madness. Those transformed by its power invariably seek the crypt, but what fell power draws them there? Part two of the Seeds of Sehan campaign arc. Pgs. 26-41

Deep in the jungles of Xen'drik, a relic of great power has lain hidden for thousands of years. Now, determined adventurers race against time and the nefarious agents of the Order of the Emerald Claw to locate the relic, overcome unimagined obstacles, and unlock its ancient secret. The Order's hunt for the parts of an ancient creation pattern nears its conclusion, but other groups also seek this powerful item. Once all of the pieces come within close proximity of each other, the ancient intelligence awakens. Suddenly all parties have a new and powerful enemy to contend with...

The city is gripped in fear! The Ripper has returned after a 125-year absence and is once again carving a trail of blood through the slums of Millers Court. Also returned is the ghost of Mari Kell, his last victim from more than a century ago, and she haunts the streets where she was killed. The city watch is at a loss to solve this supernatural mystery, much less apprehend the Ripper himself. All the clues point back to the hovel where Mari Kell was slain long ago. If the heroes are brave enough to enter, will they find the Ripper himself there?

A treasure map leads to deadly peril amid the remains of a lost civilization. NOTE: The Tales of Freeport that contains this adventure is NOT one of the versions currently available in the Green Ronin store. Those contain short stories. This is an older item that appears to no longer be available from Green Ronin. It is possible that the adventures within it have been included in other products since then. But I have linked to the original product on DriveThru RPG.

Long ago, a local priest created a warded graveyard on a remote hillside. As the years passed, it gained a reputation as a spot whose defenses were powerful enough to keep undead in and tomb robbers out. Adventurers began to bring the remains of any creatures they suspected might become restless in death to the Tomb Steppe for interment, and in time they also sought aid against such creatures from the friendly priest. After his death, a brief spate of undead activity commenced, then died away once again. As the years passed, the tales of undead activity in the Tomb Steppe faded into legend, and colonists began to move into the lands nearby. The town of Night Falls was founded a short distance from the graveyard, and it grew quickly into a thriving trade center and farming community. Realizing that the Tomb Steppe was safe enough during the day, the citizens began burying their dead there rather than building new crypts on pristine farmland. Because this method of interment was cheap and easy, people from many surrounding communities brought their dead to the town as well. The business of burial brought new prosperity to Night Falls, and a guild called the Funerary House sprang up to control the trade. But it seems that the threat from the Tomb Steppe has not entirely been laid to rest. The Great Mausoleum -- the largest and finest tomb in the steppe, has been unsealed, and an apparition has been seen within. Who will go to the Tomb Steppe by night and reseal the tomb? Lest Darkness Rise is a short adventure for four 7th-level characters. In keeping with the season, it has a stronger horror theme than most D&D adventures. This scenario can be used as the climax of a series of adventures featuring its secondary characters, or it can simply be a site-based adventure that the PCs stumble across at the right moment. The scenario is set in a semi-civilized area in the far north, far from cities and churches, where winters are harsh and summers never get very hot. These inhospitable conditions have resulted in a low humanoid population. The scenario need not be set in such a wilderness; a rural farming community far from cities works just as well. The only real requirement is that the area have few settlements. The action takes place in the small town of Night Falls and a nearby necropolis of tombs, mausoleums, and graves known as the Tomb Steppe. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.

The Beastlord Malar has had enough of the people of the Silver Marches trying to "civilize" the Northlands. Now, with the help of a powerful new weapon, his followers are set to cleanse the stain of Silverymoon from the land. Faerun’s Northlands have always been a dangerous frontier. The frozen woods and treacherous mountains are home to orcs, trolls, lycanthropes, and worse. When the Lady Alustriel brought the northern nations together, the Beastlord Malar could no longer watch as his wilderness was slowly civilized. The god chose his most worthy follower, anth-Malar, suffused him with divine essence, and tasked him with bringing devastation and chaos to all who defiled the wilderness. This adventure is a sequel to "Forest of Blood" which originally appeared in Dungeon #103. Pgs. 70-88

Remember the golden days of role-playing, when adventures were underground, NPCs were there to be killed, and the finale of every dungeon was the dragon on the 20th level? Well, those days are back. Dungeon Crawl Classics feature bloody combat, intriguing dungeons, and no NPCs who aren’t meant to be killed. Each adventure is 100% good, solid dungeon crawl, with the monsters you know, the traps you fear, and the secret doors you know must be there somewhere. In Idylls of the Rat King, goblin bandits are once again attacking the silver caravans, killing innocent miners and stealing cargo. The goblins have taken up residence in an abandoned mine northwest of Silverton. Someone must get rid of them. But this is no ordinary abandoned mine. It was deliberately barricaded generations ago when the Gannu family, founders of Silverton, discovered an unspeakable evil on its lowest levels. And these are no ordinary goblins, for the curse of the Gannu family courses through their veins…

Decades ago, an Osiriani Pathfinder named Bossell locked his transformed lover in the vaults beneath the Sothis Pathfinder Lodge. He then vowed that no one would ever discover his secret shame. The old and senile Bossell now relies on his assistant Fendel for everything, and the hapless assistant has disapeared into the vaults after reading his master's journal. You've been sent beneath the Lodge to destroy whatever it is that Bossell's lover has become—will you survive his secret or find yourself transformed as well?

A top the crown of the Isle of Dread, a hateful monster broods. Spawned by the Price of Demons, the architect of the shadow pearls dwells deep under the ruins of ancient Thanaclan. As long as this vile monster lives, the threat of the savage tide remains, looming dark on the horizon. "City of Broken Idols" is the seventh chapter of the Savage Tides Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures appearing in Dungeon magazine. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon magazine's monthly "Savage Tidings" articles, a series that helps players and DMs prepare for and expand upon the campaign. Issue #354 of Dragon magazine features the totemic demonslayer, a new prestige class that focuses on fighting and defeating demons, be they at the heart of the Isle of Dread or encountered in the depths of the Abyss itself. The central mesa of the Isle of Dread is taboo to the locals, a place shrouded in mystery and cloaked in rumor. The time has come to confront the evil that dwells atop the island’s savage crown. Pgs. 54-84

When an old beggar shows up filthy and injured on the doorstep of the Augustana Pathfinder Lodge in Andoran and demands to be recognized as Andoran's one true Emperor, Venture-Captain Wallace is inclined to chase him off. But when the old beggar reveals a wayfinder and tells a tale of demons and portals to another world beneath the streets of Augustana, Wallace summons you from Absalom to investigate. Will you make it through sewers, swarms, and sanctuaries to uncover the truth or will the dangers of the Augustana underworld consume you forever?

Temple of the Gleaming Sands is a short adventure for four 5th-level characters that features monsters, spells, and items from the newly released Sandstorm book. You can use this scenario to introduce the new material on deserts and arid wastelands into your campaign, or you can just use it as a site-based adventure in a desert area. The scenario is set in a remote area of the desert that very few humanoid travelers visit. The temple from which the adventure takes its name has lain forgotten for centuries and is now inhabited only by monsters who use it as a base. The area around the temple should be inhospitable enough to discourage humanoid settlement.

Sekarvu is a typical beholder. It spent much of its youth exploring underground realms and killing everything it found. One day, it came upon a large cavern filled with violet fungi. At the edge of the cavern, it found a small band of adventurers who had all but succumbed to the toxins of the fungi's tendrils. They offered little resistance to Sekarvu as it approached and began to feed on their still-writhing bodies. With its first bite, the beholder's life changed forever. Pgs. 52-55

Rumors of an Eberron dragonshard of enormous size and power have reached the city of Sharn. Unfortunately, the shard is concealed winthin a Talenta Plains tomb located below a camp of cruel halfling nomads and their dinosaur pets. For centuries the Crypt of Crimson Stars has lain hidden in the vast expanse of the Talenta Plains. Now it has been found, and its legendary lost treasures draw adventurers from across the continent. Can you navigate deadly traps, fearsome guardians, and vengeful nomadic halflings to claim the prize? "Crypt of the Crimson Stars" is part one of the three-part "Shards of Eberron" Campaign Arc. Pgs. 32-41

Something's not right in the hamlet of Verdinica. Why do the locals wear such thick clothing, even in the midst of a heart and muggy summer? And what sort of "prisoners" could make the strange, sloshing noises that are heard some nights coming from the gaol? Pgs. 38-57

When the son of a famous Pathfinder gains control of his father's holdings in Taldor, the Pathfinder Society decides to build a new lodge there as a base to explore the many ruins of that crumbling empire. Unfortunately, the Taldan Phalanx has its eye on the holdings and an ancient curse has turned many of the residents into the walking dead. Can you survive the tangled web of Taldor's politics and fight off the echoes of the past or will you, too, see your glory decline?