Years ago the valley was green, and animals ran free through golden fields of grain. The princess Argenta ruled over this peaceful land and the people were secure and happy. Then one day a warrior riding a red dragon appeared in the skies over the princess’ castle and almost overnight the tiny kingdom fell into ruin. Now only ruins and rumors remain, and what legends there are tell of a fabulous ruby still buried somewhere within the Palace of the Silver Princess TSR 9044

Dungeon Masters Kit - Number 1 Palace of the Vampire Queen For three centuries the peasants of the Dwarvish island of Baylor have feared the raids of the Vampire Queen and her minions. Sweeping down at night from the palace in the shrowded peaks of the island, they range even further in their search for blood. And not only blood - the children of dwarf peasants often disappear if they are so unfortunate as to be out at night. Even the cities are no longer safe. The most recent victim was the Princess of Baylor, daughter of King Arman, who was taken in a midnight raid on the capitol city of At Toe within past weeks. King Arman has offered fabulous riches and land holdings with titles to the person or persons who can brave the stronghold of the Vampire Queen and return his daughter to him alive and well. But, in truth, he holds little hope. For even King Arman, Ruler of Baylor, Defeater of the Ten Orc Tribes, is afraid in his heart to face the Vampire Queen. Published by Wee Warriors, Distributed by TSR

Adventure in a wizard's highly magical tomb. While still in college, Jennell Jaquays, writing as Paul, started The Dungeoneer fanzine. For the first issue, Jaquays wrote F’Chelrak’s Tomb. The pioneering adventure and its successors proved memorable. Looking back at The Dungeoneer, Jaquays said, “It’s the adventures that stand out, and not simply because no one else was doing mini-adventures in 1976. When I read comments about the magazine or talk to fans (old and new), no one talks about the monsters, or the art, or the magic items and rules variants. It’s always the adventures.”

"It shines in the night. Ogres run in terror of it. It kills by sight and by touch. It never stops hunting - and it's hunting for you." Vengeance denied in life is reborn in death. Druida Glanadyl, a female elf adventurer, seeks aid from the PCs in avenging the mysterious deaths of her family members. The horror that haunts Elfswood can be attributed to a spirit (odic) of a vengeful cleric, Irkthorn Balin. Pgs. 16-28 & 64

An emissary from the dwarven community of Hearth-Home approaches the player characters, beseeching them to aid the dwarves in finding a powerful mage who might bring disaster upon not only their mountain fortress, but all of the Thunder Rift! Escape from Thunder Rift adventure leads the heroes into a dark dungeon where they may discover a gate between the valley of Thunder Rift and the World of Mystara. Packaged with a DM screen. TSR 9437

Alphatia, the most ancient empire, land of the arcane and obscure secrets. It has grown for centuries and its might now overshadows the cauldron of civilization. Some say the Alphatians come from elsewhere, but no one knows for sure. Beyond the scope of mortals broods an evil mastermind, still in darkness. Once a betrayed emperor of ancient Alphatia, now an entity of the Sphere of Entropy, he seeks revenge on the greatest empire and on the race of man. His plots brought a deathly fog on all of Norworld. Perhaps it will extend to the southern nations. The matter is grave, so much that lords of the spheres have now to show their might. For them, it is time for mortals to intervene. Man defends his cause for him to earn divine favor. A great armada has been raised and able commanders must be found. Prove your worth, and the eternal portals of the spheres may open for you. TSR 9159

Swamp creatures! They surround you now as you move slowly through the gurgling muck. How will you reach Quagmire now? Each day, the hungry sea swallows more of the ancient port city. A fierce fever ravages its people, and now - these foul monsters! Their beady eyes glimmer from deep within the tangled vines. Are these the creatures that have blockaded the city, turning away the ships that are the city's lifeline? Are these the scum that are starving the people of Quagmire, threatening an entire race with extinction? These creeps? Let's clean this jungle out! Quagmire includes a large-scale map that expands the D&D world and introduces new areas to explore. The adventure also includes new magic items and a special, expanded monsters section. Hurry! Hoist your colors, saddle your horse - go, before the city by the sea becomes the city beneath the sea! TSR 9081

Something is rotten in Rhoona... When the grotesque god, Cretia, casts his ugly shadow over the town, strange things start happening. First, Duke Stephen vanishes. Then bizarre proclamations begin coming out of the Ducal Palace... Dwarves are outlawed... taxes must be paid in beer... horses must be ridden backwards. Soon the entire town is in an uproar and a Dwarven army is marching on Rhoona. This is the situation when you and your part of valiant adventurers arrive in the suffering town. There you find... A ragged beggar who prowls the streets offering cryptic advice. A mysterious black-garbed cleric planning treachery. A trusted soldier plotting his master's overthrow. A sinister jewel casting its evil emanations over the town. You and your party are Rhoona's only hope. Only YOU can unravel the dark mystery that plagues the town and save Rhoona from...the Curse of Xanathon. TSR 9056

To arms! To arms! The battle lines are drawn as desert men and inhuman tribes wait poised to strike on the fertile and rich lands of the east. The call has gone out through the civilized lands. The armies have been raised to match the invading foes from the west. Nobles and peasants have joined swords to greet the foes. But Fate or Chance has decreed another role for a small few. No glorious banners will wave on their march. No squadrons of knights will charge at their word. Instead, they will fight the war with stealth, secrecy, and cunning. The risks they will take are great, but the fates of both armies lie with them. It begins one night for your party far from the fighting. Suddenly you are entrusted with the most dangerous mission of the war. Can you cross the Sind Desert, occupied now by enemy armies, to find the Great Pass? Can you find the one known only as The Master? What will you do if you find him? So begins your adventure in The Master of the Desert Nomads, the first module of a two-part adventure that can be concluded in the exciting Temple of Death or played entirely on its own. Can your party do what must be done? TSR 9068

"A great cat sits upon the northern grasslands, my friend, waiting to pounce on adventurers just like you." As you part the tall grass with your sword, the words of the tavernkeeper echo in your head. "He was the mightiest wizard we'd ever known, and that Lion Castle was his home." Your friends' voices mingle with the tavernkeeper's. "He's but a ghost now, haunting those halls, and waiting for an heir." The ground rises slightly. A strong wind rushes through the field. Suddenly, the grasses part, and Lion Castle rises majestically before you! "Magical riches await those who enter!" "Beware of man-beasts!" Voices flood your head again. Will you brave the haunted castle? Can you afford not to? It's all up to you in this D&D Solo Adventure. Ghost of Lion Castle is for one player only, but that one player makes all of the choices and enjoys all of the rewards. An entire castle and courtyard await your exploration. The adventure also includes a complete solo combat system. TSR 9097

Your cousin Rolph is dead - and while there is cause for sadness, there is also cause for celebration. As his heir, you were willed his dominion: Fenhold. Of course, the Deep Swamp is threatening to engulf all of your new holding. People are seeing ghosts and disappearing mysteriously. Animals die without reason, and crops are suddenly blighted. The farmers don't like the swampdwellers, the swampdwellers don't like the farmers, and no one likes the halflings. The entire civil service of the dominion seems to have either worked for the failure of the dominion or resigned due to actions of the others. It's going to be tough task to make all this ship-shape once again, but you're 15th level now. Isn't it about time you settled down? TSR 9210

Part 1 of an Expert-level quest into a hostile wilderness. This adventure takes place in the Known World of the D&D game, as outlined throughout the D&D game rule books and modules. The DM may find it useful to consult the Companion and Masters Sets, as well as most of the X-series of Expert Set modules. D&D Expert Set module X9, The Savage Coast, would be especially helpful, as Tortles of the Purple Sage could easily serve and continue that module's direction and plot like, adding a previously undescribed area (the Great Northway) to the Known World. The DM may also place the areas and events of this adventure within an existing campaign setting, as long as the geographical areas of the campaign match those set forth here. Pgs. 40-62

An interesting and atypical adventure in its writing style. For one the module contains insightful "When things go Wrong" sections and DM guidance for sticking close enough to the rails for the story and fun's sake. Lots of DM hints about how to handle PCs' choices. Overall the story is fine too - a traditional hook, a mystery, some twists. There's a tower, a surprise pocket-dimension context, and a dungeon. It's mirror of life trapping, isn't it? Well, yes and no. People go in, and they don't come out. Nor can you talk with anyone inside. Somehow, that's not quite the way you remember those mirrors work. This Skarda fellow showed up a few years ago with a band of raiders, and no one in the land has been safe since then. Whole villages have disappeared into this Skarda's mirror. Your band is approached by relatives of one of the victims?and adventurer like yourselves. You have to get into that mirror of whatever-it-is, find this man, and get him out in one piece. The reward is more that adequate. Only problem is, no one out here can tell you what to expect once you get in? or even how to get there. TSR 9188

Introductory Adventure that came bundled with some versions of the Holmes Basic version of D&D. Two powerful adventurers, Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown, have apparently deserted the stronghold they once occupied. The PCs have discovered a map which leads to it. First published in 1978, this is a basic dungeon crawl introducing players to many of the dungeoneering tropes. Location descriptions are provided but it is up to the DM to fill in the actual monsters and treasure for each one. TSR 9023

The country of Rhyl has been beset nearly every night for many years by a large, terrible creature that flies out from the mountains near the city of Asereht. Nearly a year ago the creature broke through the wall of King Namreh’s castle and carried off the king’s son, Prince Laechim, along with a large amount of the royal treasure. After the creature’s raid on the castle, King Namreh ordered his army to search the mountains and discover Astylis’ complex. The soldiers made two forays into the mountain wilderness, but each time were harassed and eventually driven back by goblin raiders. Since the failure of the second assault, the king has taken to commissioning small parties of mercenaries and adventurers, sending them into the mountains with promises of great reward upon the completion of the rescue mission. For reasons which the king has never found out, none of these rescue parties has ever returned to Asereht. Your party is now attempting to be the first. Pgs. 37-44

Riverton is in Peril! Chaos has reared its ugly head in the troubled town of Riverton! You and some new friends have left home to seek your fame and fortune. Brace yourselves, opportunity is about to hit you right between the eyes! The time has come to show you were made for better things than scratching out an existence on some hardscrabble farm, or slaving away in the hold of some perfumed and effete Peer of the Realm. Grab your sword, don your armor, ready your magic wand; adventure awaits!

Arson, rioting, sabotage, murder - and no suspects. Watchmen are murdered, ships explode and sink in their berths, and savage monsters are summoned in the streets - but no one can catch the killers. The party must navigate the growing tensions between rival factions in the city. After following clues to a tavern, The Flying Hamhock, the party will need to defeat a powerful Hivemind which is behind the attacks. Pgs. 47-64

Kidnapped! The cursed Baron von Hendriks has kidnapped your betrothed. Now the madman wants as a ransom your Alandah's weight in unrefined gold! How are you going to pay? The baron himself has been kind enough to provide you with that answer: streams of raw gold gush from a burning mountain somewhere in the Sea of Dread. All you have to do is find this mysterious mountain. Unfurl the sails! The open sea awaits you and your crew as you sail from the city harbor. But beware! The Sea of Dread has more than earned its title over the centuries. Can you survive the perils of the sea? Will your crew mutiny before you reach the Burning Mountain? Or will you have to throw crew-members overboard just to make room for the gold? Solo adventure. "Lathan's Gold" is a real innovation in solo adventure design, considerably more complex than any of the gamebooks then being produced. Though the adventures uses the typical trope of numbered paragraphs, its paragraphs are divided into six types: "S"pecularum, "U"rban", Island "E"xploration", "C"oastal", "T"rade Routes, and "V"oyages. Players can jump between the sections, then return, in slightly freeform ways. Players are also required to keep track of hit points, money, and treasure (which were typical for the more advanced gamebooks), and rations, days remaining, and hull points (which were not). Another freeform element, quite unusual for gamebooks, is the "wandering monsters" table, which introduces semi-random encounters. TSR 9082

The Well of Souls. . . That's what Zugzul babe the Afridhi call the evil artifact that he had taught them to make. They must call it the Well of Souls, and they must carry it before them into every battle? and they would be mighty. Thus said the god of the Afridhi, Zugzul the One. So the Afridhi did as they were bade. Seeking the volcano called the Hill of the Hammer in the far Barrens of Karsh, they built in its heart a great forge. There, as Zugzul had promised, efreet came to help them make the mighty artifact. There, amid vile, unholy rites, they bound the souls of men into its very substance, and, for the red-handed work that must surely follow hard upon its completion. Many were the men who guarded the Hill of the Hammer during the days of making? for their foes in hated Blackmoor would try to unmake that which they had wrought. Yet, it was not men that would keep the Well of Souls from destruction, but a prophecy? that the artifact would be unmade only by the hand of one as yet unborn! TSR 9205

A goblin warband has found the secret tunnel which leads from the dwarven keep of Hearth-Home to the nearby hills. The tunnel is intended to be a means of escape if the keep ever falls to attackers, but now it has provided goblins with an easy way into the Underkeep. So far, the goblins have confined their attentions to the various underground rooms that make up the Underkeep, but sooner or later they will find a way to the surface. They pose a serious threat to Hearth-Home - the goblins must be cleared out of the Underkeep so this breach in security can be repaired before the orcs hear of it and overrun the dwarven keep. This adventure is slightly more challenging than Red Hand Trail, and it is recommended that it is played after that quest and before Palace of Dread. However, the scenario in Trouble Below can easily be played independently from the rest. Part of TSR 1076 The Goblin's Lair