It should have been the end. When the bloodthirsty adventurers burst into his throne room and mercilessly cut him down, the tale of Merlokrep, last king of the ill-fated Truescale Tribe, should have ended. But the fates weren’t yet finished with the Kobold King, and now a dark power has brought him back from the dark beyond to wreak his vengeance upon those foolish adventurers who destroyed his tribe.
Every year the Acadamae—Korvosa’s prestigious school of the arcane arts—opens its gates to the city to host the Breaching Festival, where the most skilled infiltrators are invited to enter the magically guarded Hall of Wards or die trying. Testing their luck against the university’s strongest defenses, the competitors pull out all the stops as they vie for a chance at a fortune in gold and magical treasure. This year, the school’s headmaster has invited the heroes to participate, against the contest’s longstanding traditions.
For years, the knights of Mendev have held back the evil locked inside the Worldwound, a vast, demon-tainted landscape. Every few years, they anoint a new protector, a sacred guardian charged with pitting his will against the teeming hordes bent on devouring the very souls of the living. This year, something has gone horribly wrong, and now a bloodthirsty demonic army has overrun the ancient fortress, and threatens to pour into the surrounding countryside.
What was supposed to be a simple prisoner transfer grows complicated when the PCs arrive at a prison that’s recently come under new management.
Lightning rail rides in Breland are never as relaxing as they should be, especially when the coach is being used to transport a monolith hauled from the mysterious depths of Xen'drik Can the unsuspecting PC's overcome their surprise in time to repulse the invaders from the inside, or will they finish their journey in chains? Pgs. 18-27
Clues discovered in Diamond Lake lead to the Dark Cathedral, a forlorn chamber hidden below a local mine. There the PCs battle the machinations of the Ebon Triad, a cult dedicated to the three vile gods. What does the Ebon Triad know about the Age of Worms, and why are they so desperate to get it started? "The Three Faces of Evil" is the second installment of the Age of Worms Adventure Path, a complete campaign consisting of 12 adventures, several "Backdrop" articles to help Dungeon masters run the series, and a handful of poster maps of key locations. For additional aid in running this campaign, check out Dragon's monthly "Worm Food" articles, a series that provides additional materials to help players survive this campaign. Issue #334 of Dragon provides comprehensive lists of all the things you can find for sale in Diamond Lake's (often) dubious shops. Pgs. 16-47
When an ill-favored orb drops from the sky and devastates the countryside, only the PCs stand between an ambitious wizard, a cult of dragons, and a dark ambition that could bring an army of fiendish wyrms into your campaign world! "The screams became overpowered by the sound of the terrible falling star--a black orb of malign energy hurled from the firmament in the dead of night. In that instant, the village of Rhale was utterly destroyed, reduced to a hollow crater of flaming decay. Now, frightened talk of a dark presence descended from above has taken root, though none can put name to the faceless fear that might reside within this terrible orb." While traveling the countryside, the player characters witness an explosive event - the falling of a meteor into a distant hillside. Soon thereafter, they encounter several mercenaries menacing some refugees. From them, the PCs can learn, that a group of dragon worshippers called the Black Covenant are in the area and intend to use the fallen star for their own nefarious purposes. Upon arriving at the crater, the PCs find that the falling star is in fact a massive sphere of iron with an opening in its side. They enter the sphere to find a small complex of rooms protected by numerous traps and guardians. They also battle several members of the Black Covenant, until they make their way to the heart of the complex, where they discover the source of the Covenant's interest in the Black Egg, they try to use it to create a half-fiend red dragon. The PCs must succeed if they wish to prevent the creation of an army of fiendish dragons. Lot's of monstrous NPCs with class levels and templates for enemies (half-black dragon orc warriors level 7, for example) are used in this adventure. Pgs. 57-78
The Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path continues! A sudden string of brutal killings terrorizes the town of Sandpoint, and the killer's mark bears a familiar shape. Investigation leads to the Lost Coast's most notorious haunted mansion, a dilapidated ruin that has become the lair of a monstrous murderer. Yet this killer is but one of many, a member of a group of fanatic cutthroats calling themselves the Skinsaw Men. To defeat the cult, the PCs must travel to the bustling city of Magnimar to unravel the sinister source of these murders before they become the Skinsaw Men's next victims!
For decades, the tiny village of Ravenmoor has existed quietly on the upper reaches of the Lampblack River. Linked to the outside world only by an overgrown, mostly forgotten trail, the villagers are comfortable with their isolation. Certainly, the lack of a village inn, the oppressive humidity, and the bug-infested moors and swamps that surround the village do little to encourage visitors. When a clerk in the city of Magnimar discovers that, due to a clerical error, the village of Ravenmoor hasn’t paid taxes in years, a tax collector is sent to the distant community to settle accounts with its mayor. When the tax collector fails to return, however, a group of adventurers must travel to the town during its Founders’ Feast celebration to investigate his disappearance.
Once every 10 years, the cosmopolitan city of Goka on the western coastline of Tian Xia hosts the Ruby Phoenix Tournament on an island off the coast. Infamous for its strange spectacles and exciting mix of fighting styles, the contest draws combatants and spectators from all over the world. The tournament’s winner gets his choice of a single item from the legendary treasury of an ancient spellcaster and earns a reputation beyond imagining. But this year, not all who have come to compete do so out of respect for the traditions of battle or even out of greed for the reward. They seek instead nothing so much as red revenge and political domination!
Trouble in Paradise The Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path begins with the adventurers standing on the deck of a ship ready to make landfall at their new home. However, dread settles in as they notice that the colony is empty and abandoned. Tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of the prior group of colonists, the adventurers go ashore and explore the deserted settlement. Uncovering strange evidence leads the adventurers across the island, where they encounter two survivors who can give them clues as to the fate of the rest of the first wave of settlers. Can the adventurers survive long enough to discover what truly befell the fledgling colony?
When the Black Marquis lost all of the men he could trust on a failed treasure hunt, he did the only thing he could: turned to the Pathfinder Society for help. Offering an ancient lost text in return for assistance, the Black Marquis of Deadbridge sends you deep into the spider-haunted Echo Wood of the River Kingdoms to track down his missing pirates and recover an ancient treasure for the Society. You'll face brigands, pirates, spiders and more—but will you survive the perils of the Pirate Pact?
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
The PCs must infiltrate a city ruled by monsters to search for the spymaster that holds the key to saving a besiged nation. Pgs. 26-50
When the iron mines that made Dustpawn so prosperous played out not long after the Goblinblood Wars of Isger ended, the city shifted its focus from mining to goat herding with quite a bit of success. Things have, as a result, been quiet and calm in Dustpawn for the past several years, but that quiet is shattered the night a strange falling star roars across the sky above town to crash somewhere in the hills several miles to the south. When several locals eager to find the fallen star and strip it of its ore go missing, it becomes apparent that whatever has fallen from the sky is much more than a mere meteorite. There are those in town who claim the falling star was in fact a ship, and now a strange malady is creeping through the townsfolk.
In this adventure the heroes invade Susurrus, the palace of the githyanki lich-queen and attempt to end Vlaakith's reign forever. The adventure begins when Zetch'r'r, a githyanki warlord petitions the heroes to confront and destroy Vlaakith. However, the lich-queen's spies know of Zetch'r'r's treachery and are preparing to deal with him and the PCs.
Take your first exciting foray into D&D's newest campaign setting with a deadly exploit in Sharn, City of Towers. Descend into the ruined undercity to face the legacy of the daelkyr, aberrations from the evil plane of Xoriat, and come face to face with the Queen with Burning Eyes! Pgs. 16-32
Panic grips Absalom when a huge crystalline sailing vessel appears suddenly in the harbor. Identified as the King Xeros of Old Azlant, the ship presents a great opportunity for the Pathfinder Society. You and your fellow adventurers are summoned by Venture-Captain Adril Hestram and dropped aboard the King Xeros to explore it and report back. Only, what you find isn't an empty vessel, but a sinister ship with a vile intent. Difficult and unforgiving scenario, typical of Greg A. Vaughan. Contains lots of monsters from the Ethereal Plane and a mysterious setting. If playing under Pathfinder Society rules, a six-player party is recommended, rather than the standard four for early PFS seasons. Using Pathfinder RPG versions of monsters reduces the lethality, as the constructs are no longer immune to critical hits and sneak attack damage, and the Xill no longer automatically bite for paralysis on a maintained grapple.
Deep below the anarchic city of Kaer Maga, someone—or something—has begun stealing corpses from the city’s most prestigious tomb, the Godsmouth Ossuary. Fearing the worst, the clerics of Pharasma in charge of maintaining the crypts quietly call for aid, not wanting to risk their own members in combating whatever horrors may have crept in from the tunnels and hidden chambers of the legendary Undercity. Beneath the infamous crypt lies a temple from an ancient empire devoted to sin, and a former Pharasmin cleric whose weathered his goddess’s wrath to create an army of undead minions, their dead flesh standing ready to support his heretical plans.
When the man who would be the Muted God wordlessly stepped beyond the gates of the Starstone's Cathedral, his thousand and one faithful ringing the Ascendant Court watched with the silent contemplation that is their highest sacrament. When he failed to emerge, many of his penitents abandoned their vows but a small sect remained loyal and worshipful. You and your fellow Pathfinders are sent into the mountains north of Absalom to follow the path of a doomed party and uncover the secrets of the Muted God. His loyal band of followers, called the Hand, will stop at nothing to keep you away from their shrine—even forming an alliance with some of Golarion's most evil denizens.