The goddess Erathis has never seemed the sort to demand the sacrifice of mortals in exchange for safe trade routes, but that’s exactly what her high priest has demanded. When a local ruler asks the characters to investigate the high priest, a chain of events is set in motion that could shake the city of Wyllea, and the church of Erathis, to its core. This adventure makes extensive use of roleplaying encounters and skill challenges, with fewer tactical combat encounters. There is a substantial focus on politics and intrigue. The Tariff of Relkingham is written for 3rd level PCs, but contains advice for lowering or raising the starting level from 2-4. It also contains a system for calculating an advantage or disadvantage in the final fight based on the players' actions during the adventure. Pgs. 83-103
The necromancer Tal Lorvas has unearthed an underground tomb that dates back to the height of the ancient tiefling empire. Lorvas has been terrorizing the surrounding lands with his vile experiments, and now he hopes to find a ring, hidden in the tomb, that is tied to a ritual he wants to perform by the rise of the next full moon. The PCs must enter the tomb of Empress Nemeia, deal with the servants of the necromancer, and confront Tal Lorvas before he can claim the ancient relic and move one step closer to ultimate power over the undead. Pgs. 36-41
There was no greater scholar, explorer, or collector of antiquities in the area than Hallomak Stromm. The enigmatic Stromm recently passed away, and the PCs have received personal invitations to appear at the public reading of his will. Pgs. 72-77
Numerous towns sit in the shadow of Rak’Sarn, a mountain of flames and death. Each day near sunset, the volcano lets loose a blast of molten rock and ash, and the ancient red dragon Dal’Sarnquin swoops down the mountainside. By the time dawn breaks, another settlement has been burned to the ground. The PCs must track the dragon to his lair and defeat him before more towns are destroyed. Pgs. 196-191
A flameskull lord that calls itself the Bright Lord of Everburning Fire has taken control of a primordial node deep within the Elemental Chaos. It long ago shrugged off the control of its original creator and now follows its own plans and desires. Top among these is the desire to tap into the power of a fire primordial and increase its own status from undead creature to demigod. Pgs. 156-161
“Siege of Bordrin’s Watch” is the sequel to “Rescue at Rivenroar,” continuing the unfolding story of the Scales of War campaign. This adventure features exploration, roleplaying opportunities, and combats in dynamic environments. In this adventure, a new threat looms to the west: A vast horde of orcs and their despicable kin emerge from the barren lands bent on plunder and conquest. While the Elsir Vale and other lands mobilize their meager forces to respond to the danger, a call has gone out to those heroes of the Vale to join forces and help to push back this new evil before it’s too late. Pgs. 4-55
Long ago, a powerful lich threatened the kingdom and was destroyed by mighty heroes. Though its phylactery could not be found, a powerful curse was laid upon the lich, trapping it inside its phylactery. This fading magic can’t hold the creature muchlonger, so the PCs must enter the phylactery itself in order to destroy the lich before it escapes back into the world. Pgs. 144-149
Centuries ago, a green dragon terrorized the civilized lands near its lair. As the beast grew in power, countless cult followers gathered. With the help of its worshipers, the dragon transformed into a runescribed dracolich. The dragon and its cult grew larger and more powerful over the centuries. This, of course, led to war with the surrounding nations. After terrible battles and much loss, the cultists were slaughtered and the dragon destroyed, but its phylactery could not be found. The beast reformed, gathered cultists anew, and again was defeated. The phylactery still could not be found. This time, the powers of civilization decided not to destroy the beast, but to trap it, locking it away and setting various guards. Recently, a divination ritual performed by someone the PCs respect revealed that great peril will arise if a creature lairing in Mount Sorrowspire (the dracolich) is not destroyed. Pgs. 180-185
A proud paladin’s quest for glory against marauding orcs ends in tragic failure with his disappearance and presumed death. Worse still, an artifact of his faith entrusted to him has gone missing. Can the adventurers reclaim the artifact and force an end to the hostilities, or will the brightest beacon of good in the Western Heartlands be extinguished? Pgs. 28-43
Long ago, when the Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia thrived, the flying citadel Ustraternes was undone by tiefling magic. Now, a dragonborn zealot with dreams of renewing the lost glory of his ancestors explores the ruins—and unleashes a plague of rampaging drakes on the terrified locals. The story offers PC's the chance to tame a Warwing Drake, disperse a mob, parley with undead, and battle within an alpine meadow that defies gravity.
When the fires smoldered in the belly of an ancient red dragon tyrant, and his thirst had been slaked by the blood of countless innocents, the old wyrm made a deal with a succubus to spawn him a son and ensure his name would live forever. The demon held true, though she imbued the wyrmling with her own infernal blood. Those who fear and serve the abominable spawn of this pact know him as the Wyrm Prince. Cast into the abyss centuries ago by the legendary Three- River Paladin, the Wyrm Prince licked his wounds and recovered his strength. The Three-River Paladin has passed into legend, and the Wyrm Prince has resurfaced, his vengeance awakened along with his hunger. The Wyrm Prince sacked the high city Zhaldanis, slaying its people and claiming the greatest gift from the gods — the Soulstone. At this late hour, you must venture into the catacombs of the Wyrm Prince before the Soulstone loses its power and all mortal souls are damned.
Wicked forces conspire to usurp the power of the Raven Queen, god of death, by unraveling the foundations of reality. To prevent this cosmic coup, mighty heroes must survive an epic journey into the Shadowfell's timeless core, where all things find their end. The beginning of the end of the original 4th edition adventure path (although ties are very light to the heroic and elite tier adventures). The PCs must first prove themselves worthy to act as the Raven Queen's agents. They will then be sent to Death's Reach, a graveyard and dumping ground from the Dawn's War. There, they must fight through the Black Star Host- powerful elemental beings, to prevent Orcus was resurrecting a primordial, Timesus the Black Star. One notable encounter is a random encounter with the Worm of Ages. This huge worm has the ability to swallow and rules for moving creatures from its maw to its throat, gullet, and into the stomach.
In ages past, the wizard Karavakos made a deal with devils, which resulted in him being trapped in an extradimensional pyramid, unable to escape. His only hope for escape is to lure adventurers into the Pyramid, in hopes that they will destroy his splinters and return his power to him. But his wife Vyrellis, whom he slew in a rage when the Pyramid formed, still lingers in spirit and wants nothing more than to see him laid low... Although set to allow PCs to just fight through each encounter, tips are included for PCs negotiating with the factions trapped in the pyramid.
As the story goes, worshipers of Bahamut and worshipers of Gruumsh spent years warring. As the dead piled up, a Bahamut faithful crafted a weapon of devastating power. Most of the inventor’s peers balked at its use, but some felt it was justified. Those few who used the weapon were twisted into mad, dark beings by its corrupting power. The rest of Bahamut’s flock locked them and the weapon away in a dungeon prison. The dungeon and its terrible secret were long forgotten—until a group of rakshasas happened across the ancient tale. Now they seek the weapon for their own designs. Pgs. 132-137
A deathpriest hierophant of Orcus has turned the lower catacombs of a cemetery into a base for the undead and demonic horde it is gathering. The deathpriest loses control, however, with the arrival of a balor, and its carefully orchestrated forays to snatch victims have turned into wholesale slaughters. The PCs arrive in a nearby town to meet with a merchant who promised to sell them a long-coveted magic item. They are not altogether pleased to arrive to find the aftermath of a brutal attack—and no sign of their item. Pgs. 150-155
From The Magazine: "Every summer, Duke Hightower holds a competition quite different from the traditional jousting and archery tournaments held by similar lords of his station. The rules of his tournament change from year to year, and, to oversee the games, the duke has appointed two wizard brothers who help choose the setting and create the rules and challenges of the competition. This year the competition is called the “Owlbear Run,” an overland race that requires each participating team to escort a live owlbear from the town of Telvorn to the town of Milvorn. The teams will face a variety of challenges; some are devised by the wizards, others by the competing teams or their sponsors, and some occur entirely at random. All of these tests are in addition to the challenges inherent in motivating a temperamental owlbear. Fortune and fame await the first team to cross the finish line, and the local lords sponsoring the race are eager to enlist skilled champions for their causes." Pgs. 2-27
The Auburn Desolation is a forsaken waste of treacherous sand and unbearable heat within the Shadowfell. Gloom-wrapped serpents and foul undead haunt the wastes, striking out at unsuspecting travelers from sandy graves. Pgs. 88-95
In Treasure of Talon Pass, the player characters explore an ancient mountain garrison in search of a jade chalice reputed to be worth a small fortune. But the path to the jade chalice isn’t easy. A dragon and its kobold minions have taken up residence in the garrison, and some undead soldiers from long ago still haunt its halls as well. Nor are the PCs the only ones seeking the jade chalice. A band of orc mercenaries known as the Nightfists are after the chalice . . . and they arrived at the dungeon only minutes before the PCs
In times ancient, an infamous paladin-artificer named Khaldun unearthed a cursed tome bound in the flesh of the first medusa. Driven to madness by its secrets, he used the necromantic magic contained within to call forth an army of dread warriors from the Netherworld. Though his assault was devastating, he was ultimately unsuccessful, and the mightiest crusaders of the realm banished Khaldun to the Netherworld, where he would rot for eternity at the bottom of the River Dis. Unfortunately, rather than perishing in that bleak plane, Khaldun escaped his silt grave and thrived, amassing a legion of undead followers and erecting a Tomb in which he could perfect his mechanical craft without interruption. It was not long before he shed his body and became a demilich. After several centuries of scheming, the undead warriors under the command of the ‘Iron Lich’ have burst free of the Netherworld, laying waste to not only the mortal kingdoms that exiled him, but also the exalted domains of the gods themselves. The crusaders’ quest is simple – stead the Tomb and destroy the Iron Lich. Published by Defy Danger and Save Versus Death
Will the adventurers be able to thwart the machinations of a mad dragon in the hopes of saving the city of Sharn from certain destruction? Is the slinky elven maiden really in trouble or working for the enemy? Is the body in the morgue really the center of this whole puzzle or merely one piece? This adventure, in the style of a Dashiell Hammett novel, will certainly test their skill and resolve. This is the first full adventure for Eberron with the 4th edition D&D(R) rules. This adventure builds on the sample adventure provided in the Eberron Campaign Guide but is also playable as a stand-alone adventure.