From time out of mind, the standing stones known as the Circle of Cahervaniel have stood lonely vigil on a grassy hilltop. Sheepherders once moved their flocks over the hill and through the circle, sometimes resting in the cool shadows cast by the ancient stones. Everything changed when a stone finger fell, revealing a fissure in the earth. Now, dark shadows caress the circle after the sun sets. Creatures out of nightmare dance upon the hillside at night. Many swear that a unicorn of deepest ebony now hunts all upon two legs who draw near, while stunted creatures scurry in the shadows, abducting sheep from their sheds and drawing them down below ground for food. After the disappearance of a sheperd, fear grows stronger in neighboring villages. Who will brave the black hollow of the ancient Circle of Cahervaniel? Heroes of stern mettle must descend into the cavity and explore the ancient spaces existing there. Product History "The Shattered Circle" (1999), by Bruce R. Cordell, is a generic adventure for AD&D 2e. It was published in January 1999. Origins: Another Generic. After Wizards of the Coast began publishing D&D, their first year and a half of generic adventures were all classic revivals: returns to RPGA tournaments, to classic adventures, and to Dungeon scenarios. Even "A Paladin in Hell" (1998) was a return in its own way, to the demons and devils that TSR had become afraid of. Wizards was staking out new ground by reclaiming the past. "The Shattered Circle" (1999) was the first generic Wizards adventure that was simply a generic adventure, with no deeper origins and no hidden motives. Artifacts of Note. the foundingstone and the harp Euphonious are both one-off named magic items. However, it's sword Icerazor that's the most interesting. It's said to have grown from a shard of Frostrazor — a sword that would only appear ten months later in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999). There, it's listed as one of Keraptis' four implements of power, alongside Wave, Blackrazor, and Whelm — meaning that Icerazor (and this adventure) are just one step removed from White Plume Mountain itself. Monsters of Note: Chitine. It's somewhat curious, given the Greyhawk and Neverness connections, to note that the chitine debuted in MC11: "Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix" (1991). The spider-humanoids have generally been a Realms creature, featuring in bestiaries and histories for that setting. However, they also received a more generic "Ecology of the Chitine" in Dragon #223 (November 1995), which introduced the choldrith, or chitine priestess. This is their major adventure appearance. When asked about pronouncing their name Cordell says that he "can't be 100% sure of the original designer's pronunciation", but he prefers "KI-TEEN". About the Creators. By 1999, Cordell was one of D&D's most prolific writers. He'd previously authored many slightly related adventures, such as The Gates of Firestorm Peak(1996) and the sahuagin (1997) and illithid (1998) Monstrous Arcana adventure trilogies. This conversion guide allows DMs to run the original module with 5th Edition rules. To use this conversion guide you will need a copy of The Shattered Circle, originally available in hard-copy and now for sale in Digital format at the DMs Guild. This adventure is a generic adventure, not specifically based in any existing setting. Suggestions are given in the conversion guide to place the adventure in the Forgotten Realms.

The Sleeper Awakes! At last, after languishing in its crypt for an age, the secrets of the slumbering city of Tsar burst forth in all their macabre glory. Poured forth from the eldritch furnaces and crucibles of the Necromancer and Orcus himself comes Frog God Games bringing you at long last The Slumbering Tsar Saga™. Something Stirs in the City of Evil Over the distant northern hills, beyond The Camp, and past the Desolation stand the pitted walls of Tsar. A hundred armies have crushed themselves against this bulwark in futile attempts to breach the city. Even the combined might of the Heavens and Earth were unable to break through in the final battle of Tsar. So why was the city suddenly abandoned on the verge of victory, and what waits for those foolish enough to enter the Temple-City of Orcus? The Black Gates Await Only the bravest and most powerful of heroes dare the depths of the Desolation and live to tell of it. But what happens when they penetrate that blasted landscape and look upon the gates of the very center of evil on the earth. Can even heroes of such renown breach the Walls of Death and live?

Zhentarim traders. Shadowy figures roaming the fields near Hillsfar. How do these all relate? Everything traces back to the recently unearthed grave-barrows. Rescuing a caravan from undead attackers, the adventurers learn of an ancient danger. An Adventurer's League Four-Hour Adventure for 5th-10th Level Characters.

Detailed encounter, easily convertible into an adventure. Starts from investigating ambushes on the mountain pass and quickly escalated into a more twisted story about duergars, alhoons, and treasure vaults. Setting-agnostic (classic fantasy - best)

Something strange is afoot within the Quivering Forest. So much so that even the elves of Greenhall have left their homes to seek out help from their newfound neighbors. But, their tales of a strange beast are not earning them any favors; especially among the Vistani, whom the elves suspect are to blame for their ills. Return once more to the Quivering Forest and learn the terrifying truth! Part Two of Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts.

Three months ago the township of Durgon’s Rest exiled Elia Fenfrost for practicing witchcraft. Now as the first harvest approaches there are signs that something is amiss. The crops are failing, local farm animals are becoming sick with disease, and all of the food stores have gone foul. The town’s folk suspect that the accursed blight is the work of Elia - exacting her revenge for casting her out into the wild. The PCs are the villager’s last hope, but can they find Elia and end the evil curse that has been laid upon the town before all comes to ruin?

The cry echoes across Torassia: the cruel tyrant fell in a battle with undead troops, abandoned by the two princes in his time of need. The empty throne creates anarchy and chaos, as the princes and the Tsar's advisor battle for the right to rule. As if that wasn't bad enough, the worst winter that Torrassia has ever experienced leaves frozen corpses in villages everywhere. It's a race against time as Sergei, the Tsar's commander in chief, gallops southwards to reach the capital before the forces of hell get there first. Will you brace the coming storm? Published by MonkeyGod Enterprises and Highmoon Press

Provost Nigel Faurious’s continued planar research has uncovered a reference to a sapphire amulet and a map with general directions to the entrance of the Shining Valley deep within the Graywall Mountains. He believes that the Valley is an Irian manifest zone, capable of charging the sapphire and granting unknown healing properties. The Provost has already acquired the sapphire and contracted Lhara, a female shifter within the Clifftop Adventurers’ Guild, to put forth a writ calling for adventurers to follow the map he uncovered and discover if the amulet’s properties are authentic. Unbeknownst to the Provost, a flight of harpies known as the Haunting Song is already living within the Shining Valley after escaping an attack on their lives by two other flights. The characters will have to convince these current inhabitants that they mean no harm. The harpies have already learned the healing properties of the valley and have been raising a new generation without any outside interference, but due to the party’s recent expedition, an oncoming war party has been spotted and the harpies now demand they assist in defending their home.

Jarl Aelfric Whitehand of Jotunspine, one of the Moonshae Isles, is not happy. His ward, Cordin Wainthrower, has disappeared. Clues imply that Cordin has headed for a ruined keep deep in the Giantspine Mountains. The characters are tasked by the jarl to track down Cordin and bring him back to safety – the Giantspines are filled with many dangers including the legendary Winter King, a fey of great power. Will the characters force Cordin to return to the keep or help him in his quest to restore a family heirloom? If they help him, they must face the chilling depths of the crypt of Icegate Keep. Icegate Keep is an adventure for the first tier, levels 1 to 4. The adventure includes full scaling recommendations for each level, as well as four pre-generated PCs at each of the four levels. The adventure is designed to be tough for the pre-gen PCs, who have little magic to brave the icy mountains. It is estimated to take 4-6 hours to play. The adventure has several new monsters including Ice Wights, Ice Zombies, Frostsnakes, and the infamous Winter King. New magic items are also included such as the greatsword Frostreaver, the ancient Snowbane dagger, the Horn of the Howling Wolf, and the Throne of the Winter King. There is a player handout outlining the legend of the Winter King and three battlemaps showing separate levels of the small keep.

In your many adventures since ridding the world of Sukits the Butcher you have heard whisperings of his boss in the area. The name Bromide the Wicked has been passed around as a greater threat to the freedom in the area as he is the slaver boss. The Plainsmen have given your party the general direction of this evil man and ask for your help in the matter. Is your party ready to deal with the slaver issue and take down the network of traffickers?

Evil is stirring in the tiny village of Akeley - an evil that reaches out to minds that drift through the inky void between the stars. However, not all that comes from the skies comes with malice. A band of rather unusual warriors have are resolved to deal with the infestation before it can spread, though they cannot conquer it alone. Perhaps it’s blind chance that brings together the players in this strange and terrible drama, or perhaps it was written in the stars long, long ago. Note: This adventure is intended to work with Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and requires a copy of the book to run succesfully.

Deicide is a campaign designed to begin with a party of four to six 1st-level characters, who should advance to 20th level by its conclusion. The Gods have abandoned Faerûn. Bringing loved ones back from the dead hasn’t been done in centuries, and communion with the deities is a spiritual exercise only. Holy warriors and messengers have lost their powers and have all but completely disappeared. In this bleak world, wars are frequent, crime runs rampant, and hope has faded. Rumours are abound of a mysterious crime lord taking control of the underworld. Monsters roam the lands and every road is increasingly more dangerous. Without guidance, the many civilizations of this world are plagued by greed and corruption. The only way forward is to bring the Gods back, or to take their place in the heavens. Deicide takes place across two islands, Aurora and Limdorkal. These landmasses are the westernmost islands of the Moonshae Isles, an archipelago located roughly 400 miles west of the region of Amn and to the southwest of the Sword Coast. Surrounding the Sea of Moonshae, these islands feature a wide array of cities, civilizations, climates, terrains, and monsters. Limdorkal is famously a harsher environment, home to exotic races, whereas Aurora is almost entirely dominated by the human kingdom. Elminster Aumar, the famous Old Mage of Faerûn, once visited these islands and claimed it surprising how such diverse environmental systems erupted here, and how varied were the people inhabiting them. While the Sword Coast is part of Faerûn, a continent of Toril in the Forgotten Realms, feel free to adapt these islands to any setting of your choice, such as Ravenloft, Eberron, Ravnica, or even on your homebrew world. The story told here happens some hundreds of years after the beginning of 5th Edition, and the Overgod Ao is trapped inside an artifact, which limits the workings of gods around Toril. The characters will be able to learn more about the missing Gods, about a mythical folklore artifact known as the Wand of Wonders, which carries the powers of the Gods, and about the crime lord Kaiser Soze. Through their adventures, they will be able to visit other realms, planes, and dimensions, as well as come into contact with different races and civilizations. In the end, it is up to them whether to ally with the Crime Lord, and whether to release the Gods or keep their power for themselves. This campaign can work as a loose set of modular adventures, which can be easily picked separately and played as one-shots of different levels. Even their locations on the map might be moved, and events happening in particular towns can happen on others. The adventures include dungeon crawls, murder mysteries, sandbox urban quests, exploration on land and in the seas, inter-planar travelling, among others.

With several adventures under your belts your party arrives at the small settlement of Goshen seeking a warm bed and full bellies. As you begin to satisfy both you hear rumors of some overdue mining Dwarves. These miners have been quite consistent about coming to town to move their gemstones to market and with recent sightings of humanoids the townspeople are concerned. Is your party ready for a well-being check?

Adventuring in the Principality of Lockerbie continues with Issue in the Canyon. Your party has enjoyed the advantages of being considered a hero but as the days’ progress, it is back to normal in Gormell. After having a bit of ale at the local tavern you notice a wagon caravan has arrived in town and the people are abuzz over their arrival. Noticing that some of employees are a little beat up, you find yourself in the sheriff’s office being told of a brazen, humanoid attack on the merchants. Looks like you just found a job opportunity!

SQ3 – Hatadage Cult takes a group of initial adventurers on their first challenge. This short adventure allows a group of new or low level PCs hear news of a kidnapping from a nearby thorp. Role playing will be key to learning more about the disappearance before heading into the hills near some old ruins. This is the site of a group of cultists that have kidnapped the young woman and mean to use her in a sacrifice!

A band of shipwrecked adventurers awake to twilight on an uncharted jungle island to the Northwest of the Nalanthars with amnesia, little do they know the amnesia is recurrent at the completion of each long rest until an ancient curse powered by an incomplete Mythallar is lifted.

You and your associates have been contacted by Janko Milosh, fourth Earl of Tambish. Apparently, he has come into possession of a cursed item and he requires it be delivered to someone he trusts to examine it. With no mounts and none for sale, you better hope your boots are in good shape!

In The Black Midwinter is a Festive adventure, designed to be played in one session. The PCs battle an ancient evil threatening a remote village in the subarctic north. Very much the same as most D&D adventures, only this time, it’s Christmas themed! The adventure includes a new Legendary Item, The Deck of Merry Things (with full printable art to create a prop deck), five new monsters including Krampus (obviously) and The Yule Lads (not so obviously, unless you're really into Finnish Christmas Folklore), ten additional magic items and four new alignments (really!). This adventure is ideal for a one off, not entirely serious game separate from your regular campaign. Mulled wine, stupid hats and holiday cheer not included, but very highly recommended.

Your previous adventures on in Denali has raised some questions about the ruling body. After an assassination attempt and the recovery of a note, the PCs are led east out of the city. Will their trip to the eastern lands fill in the blanks or end in disaster? If successful their fears may be realized or unfounded…

This campaign was created as a response to comments from some friends of mine. Though they were avid board game players, they didn’t want to try D&D because it seemed like too much of a time commitment with too many rules to learn before getting started. This campaign uses stripped down characters and a simple campaign, and was made to give them a chance to try it for half an hour on a regular board games night. I’m putting it online in the hopes that other people can do the same with it and expand the community. Inspired by /u/plaintreality of Reddit.