Darkness looms near Winterhaven! Kobold brigands have grown ever bolder in their attacks, marauding the once peaceful town, and a known explorer has been missing ever since their departure to the excavation site of a dragon burial site. When the party investigates, they will discover that the kobold's leader, Irontooth, bears a tattoo of a ram-headed demon. This is a troubling portent, for the townsfolk will report that this can only mean the dread god Orcus, master of death, has an active cult in that ruined keep! It is up to the party to enter the Keep on the Shadowfell and put a stop to the cult's fell machinations before it threatens all the realm. There they will fight the evil priest Kalarel, Scion of Orcus and seal off the vile portal to the dark realms he is master of. Should the heroes seize victory, glory and treasure are sure to be theirs. But first they must endure the challenges of that dreaded KEEP ON THE SHADOWFELL!
Centuries ago, the four deities worshipped by mortals – Kishar, Kotaresh, Lyth, and Asar-Segt – threatened to drown the world in a flood of saltwater to punish the living for their impiety. The oracles and witches of the realm struck a desperate bargain with the gods, however, and convinced them to spare the world. In exchange, the mortal kingdoms were bound to demonstrate their faith once every generation by sending their most courageous and adroit warriors to the Crucible, a ziggurat in the lowest valley of the land. Every quarter-century, on the first full moon of summer, an eclipse darkens the night and the sealed ziggurat opens. Many traps, tricks, and guardians lie within the Crucible to test those who enter. Few who heed the challenge of the gods survive – most find only quick death. If the races of the world are deserving of the gods’ affection, their champions will overcome the trials of the Crucible and light the Divine Brazier hidden in its uppermost chamber. If they are not, the flickering candle of civilization will be snuffed. Little of value will have been lost. Published by Defy Danger and Save Versus Death
A pall hangs over the frontier town of Wellspring, casting this once-vibrant place into corruption and death. Strange people stalk the streets and unexplained murders occur each night. Nagging fears that more horrors will spill forth from the Kadagast Mountains instill a pervasive paranoia within the townsfolk. Suspicious people watch their neighbors, and temple attendance has never been higher. Folk keep to themselves, hiding in their homes. They avoid darkened streets, lock their doors when night falls, and shutter their windows to close out the screams and shouts echoing in the dark. If the grim threats pressing the town are not stopped, the fl ame of Wellspring might very well flicker out.
In this adventure, the PCs discover that not all souls rest easy, particularly those spirited away to Nightwyrm Fortress. To learn the truth, players must pierce death's veil itself and enter the Shadowfell, where sinister echoes of life wing through eternal gloom. This adventure can be run as a stand-alone adventure or as Part Three of a three-part series of adventures (starting with P1 King of the Trollhaunt Warrens(TM) and P2 Demon Queen's Enclave(TM)) that spans 10 levels of gameplay.
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
Many years ago, Evard came to Duponde to destroy his rival Vontarin, a powerful wizard who lived in a manor at the edge of town. The two mages met near the walls of the abbey of St. Avarthil and dueled all night long with black spells, laying the old monastery in ruins with their magic. In the morning, the surviving friars found Evard dead in the wreckage and buried him in the town’s graveyard. Vontarin was never seen again. Now, almost fifty years after his death, Evard’s final curse is about to descend on the town and everyone within it. Also available in Dungeon Magazine #219 Pgs. 30-90
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.
The mine has been known as Tessount’s Folly for years, due to it producing nothing of value. Now Valmour, the youngest son of the mine’s late owner, has inherited the mine...and found something he should have left buried. Pgs. 56-81
In the aftermath of AD&D Second Edition's "Return to the Tomb of Horrors," the demilich Acererak was thought destroyed. In truth, his spirit lingered and now after eons he schemes once more to achieve divinity. The characters must travel to three extraplanar dungeons, in addition to the remains of the original Tomb, in order to stop this from coming to pass.
The PCs have traveled to the Nine Hells to confront an outpost of devils responsible for slave raids on their homeland. In this realm of burning ash and fire-streaked skies, the infernal legions prepare constantly for war. Pgs. 138-143
Reavers of Harkenwold pits the heroes against the Iron Circle, a company of cruel mercenaries that has seized control of the small land of Harkenwold. In this adventure, the heroes become daring rebels and lead the folk of Harkenwold against their oppressors.
The characters arrive in Fallcrest just as a blizzard starts from the gloomy black clouds. the villagers gather to discuss how to survive the untimely and unusual blizzard. Suddenly between the roar of the wind and thunder, a ship descends filled with undead with one message: Return the ice scepter!. Afterwards, the characters must decide, find and return this relic to the Winter King, or bluff and plan to dethrone him. As they reach the tops of the mountains, possibly injured, the whole of the Winter King's inner domain stands before them. If they fail, winter will claim the Nentir Vale forever. Group of 4-6 players.
"Blood Money" is a caper adventure in which the adventurers work outside the law to pull off a major robbery. Good planning is essential, and the characters need to stay cool under pressure.
The Raven Queen’s servants often seek out mighty allies. One of these is the black dragon Quetzallus, who resides in a deep cavern on the Shadowfell guarding a stream of souls flowing into the Raven Queen’s realm. But a death knight named Raxikarthus, betrayed by the Raven Queen in life, now seeks to enslave this dragon for his own purposes. He madly believes that he can stand against the Raven Queen, and seeks allies of all stripes—even her own servants—to do so. The death knight has found a pathway into the Shadowfell thought closed by mortals. Beneath a decayed keep, the undead dragonborn has reopened this portal and led his forces into the Shadowfell itself. The PCs are called in to beard the death knight in his lair. They find it abandoned, but discover a strange passage in the lower reaches. Pgs. 162-167
Ages ago, the tower stood as a bastion against banditry and marauders. But civilization has long since retreated from this area, and a band of goblin thieves has taken up residence in the ruined tower. Local woodsfolk beg the PCs to rid the place of the bandits before they are victimized again by the goblins of the Broken Tower. Pgs. 18-23
A group of snaketongue cultists has occupied an abandoned, partially sunken temple near a swamp. They grow impatient waiting for their yuan-ti master to join them, unaware that he has been slain by a rival faction of yuan-ti. Frustrated, the cult strikes against nearby villages in the hope of drawing the favor of Zehir. Investigating rumors of a serpent cult harassing a nearby town, the PCs have explored the swamp and discovered the overgrown temple. Its once-ornate stone door now hangs off its hinges, providing a narrow space for one character at a time to squeeze through. Pgs. 42-47
A group of mysterious, sea raiders— capable of appearing from out of nowhere, striking, and disappearing— has terrorized a group of coastal states for some time. Now the leader of the states has asked the characters to infiltrate the raiders, find out how they operate, and put a stop to their activities. But once the heroes join the raiders, things aren’t as clear as they were led to believe. Will they succeed at their mission? Or join the raiders themselves? Pgs. 54-82
Something stirs in the dark heart of the Warwood, and in response something stirs in the stars. A simple encounter with bandits on the road leads the PCs to a frightening place where even dreams are deadly. Cultists seek to free the soul of a terrible entity from beyond the stars. The PCs must retrieve the soul vessel of a long-dead evil paladin to stop cultists’ plan from coming to fruition. Pgs. 60-92
In the ruins of Kiris Dahn, a human town, lies a 'Slaying Stone'. The stone is said to have the power to kill any foe, though the stone is consumed in the process. The party will venture into the ruins which are the home to an assortment of goblins, hobgoblins, and kobolds. However, a mercenary band of orcs have been hired (by a benefactor who is not met in the module) to search the ruins for the Stone, and the party must find it first. The party must use caution and stealth to move through the town without alerting the denizens or the mercenaries while searching strategic points around the abandoned town to find the Stone. Eventually, the party should find the stone under the protection of an indifferent Brass Dragon.
Rising from the surface of a massive lake, an ancient ziggurat travels through time for purposes unknown. It’s up to the characters to enter this strange relic and discover what dark threat the structure poses. The Ziggurat Beyond Time contains advice for customizing the adventure for your own campaign. It also contains an artifact, the Deluvian Hourglass, that has time-related properties and wishes to witness the end of the world. Pgs. 23-55