OSR Commentary On TWO BRAND NEW FIRST EDITION modules Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One and Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich

 Congratulations on my buddy Mark Taormino for snagging  legendary AD&D artist Erol Otus for his latest kickstarter TWO BRAND NEW FIRST EDITION modules Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One and Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich! 
Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #10: Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One is for PC's levels 3-6 which means that it's going to be both challenging and deadly; "
Deep inside a hidden mountain exists a peaceful, magical world of underground caverns filled with colorful oozing slimes, living plants, and a vast array of enchanted creatures. This subterranean paradise was recently corrupted by a mysterious evil creature named Discordia, who appeared from a crack in the depths of the realm, turning the land and its inhabitants into horrible abominations. One lone survivor, an eccentric outcast wyrm named Huffenpuff, managed to escape to the upper level. In a chance encounter with your stalwart group, he explained that his world needs your help. You must retrieve three powerful artifacts; and, if successful, he will gain the courage and power needed to aid you in the final battle against the wicked one. Together, you and this unlikely hero will restore peace and save his mysterious land by undertaking the Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One!"

It sounds like the first edition Fantastic Quest of the Whimsical One module would be perfect for a fairy tail style Castles & Crusades or AD&D first edition campaign with a Fey bent to it. The whimsy and horror of it oozes from the pours of the module. Personally I'd place this module deep within the confines of a Castles & Crusades Greyhawk. It has the feel of an adventure that James Ward or Gary Gygax would do. 

Yes Virgina there is a log floom  ride in MMD#10 art by Jacob Blackmon

The second module Maximum Mayhem Dungeons #11: Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich has my interest. This module has a bit of everything of the classic Dark Wizard modules and that's deep adventure plot, diobolical tricks & traps, and deadly dungeons. All of this is reflected in the  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich's adventure plot; "A recent earthquake has unearthed the hidden tomb of the long-forgotten Pharaoh Ankhen-Hotep. Deep inside the ruins, a dark cult has taken over the site, worshipping the mummy. With his new followers, the lich has awakened from sleep and is now raising an undead army to march on the living, seeking to use his evil magic to dominate the region. A fearless band of heroes is needed to infiltrate the dungeon, navigate the deadly traps and monsters, thwart the cult's wicked plans, and destroy the undead Pharaoh before his dark reign begins anew. Fortune and glory await the brave souls who can survive and escape from the Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich!"

 The  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich's adventure has a bit of everything for the DM on the move. You've got an uncovered dungeon, an underground cult, powerful monsters, and a baked in NPC vile villain. MM#11 is perfect adventure to add into the world of the Hyperborea rpg. Take  the  Lost Tomb of the Mummy Lich & add it into the Dimond Desert. The Diamond Desert is perfect as a blank slate for the DM to add in the Tomb of the Lich King as both history and kingdom. Add in the cult and things get very 'Sword of Conan' like very quickly. 
The Lich king had a giant kingdom in the ancient history of Hyperborea. This means that the Tomb of the Lich King can act as a touch stone for both this dungeon and other massive mega dungeon locations. At the center of it is the lich king himself who could act as a massive NPC villain just waiting to burst into the lives the PC's! 
You can support  Mark Taormino's Kickstarter right here. 

Retro Review WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun For AD&D 1st Edition & Your Old School Campaigns

 

 WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is one of my all time favorite modules hands down, there is so much occult bleakness and darkness set within the bounds of Greyhawk. Perhaps the over all sense of menace and dread hanging over the temple itself.  WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun is flat out creepy and dangerous even more so then the Tomb of Horrors. I dug out my copy of  WG4 as soon as I had picked up the Hyperborea rpg.  This adventure is basically a prequel to the legendary S4, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. This adventure is a grinder in some respects and does a quite nice job of featuring monsters from the Fiend Folio.

 It was designed for characters levels five to ten and there are clear reasons why this logic was used.
GRAB IT RIGHT HERE



Once again according to D&D classics site; "Though "Tharizdun" was labeled as WG4, there were no previous "WG" adventures (and never would be). In the Glossography for the World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983), TSR indicated that T1: "The Village of Hommlet" (1979) was meant to be WG1 and that S4: "The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth" was meant to be WG3. Meanwhile, in Dragon #71 (March 1983), Gygax revealed that the adventure formerly known as T2: "The Temple of Elemental Evil" was to be WG2 - but he now said it was to be published in two parts.

As it happens, Temple of Elemental Evil would be delayed a few years more and eventually published as the T1-4 supermodule (1985).

In the forward to Dungeons of Dread (2013), Lawrence Schick further underlined the continuity between the modules intended to be WG1-3, writing, "there's evidence that Gary considered Tsojcanth part of a longer Greyhawk campaign, placing the adventure between T1-T4: The Temple of Elemental Evil and WG4: 'The Forgotten Temple oF Tharizdun'." When seen in that light, the four modules do form a nice adventuring continuity: T1 is "introductory to novice level"; T1-4 carries that up as high as level 8 (and possiblly higher); S4 runs levels 6-8; and WG4 goes from levels 8-10.

In his "Greyhawk Grognard" blog, Joseph Bloch suggests that Iuz might have been the lynchpin holding the arc together, since he's involved with the Temple of Elemental Evil and is also the son of Iggwilv from "Caverns."

The over all look and feel of WG4 is completely Weird Tales. From the cover art and interiors all the way to the essence of the adventure. There's a uniformity of Lovecraftian horror about The Forgotten Temple. According to D&D Classics there are several key reasons for this;"Temple of Tharizdun" was reportedly produced very quickly by Gygax himself, rather than the company's design department. Much of the work was done by Gygax's new Greyhawk cadre. Thus Eric Shook drew the maps, while Shook's mother, Karen Nelson, drew the evocative artwork. Gygax later said that he choose Nelson's artwork to highlight the "melodrama and pathos" of the adventure. An adventure being done by someone other than the design department was very unusual by 1982, as was having a single artist illustrate an adventure - that is, rather than the usual teamwork illustration done by TSR's art department"

Gary Gygax borrowed the god Tharizdun from Kuntz's Kalibruhn campaign and you can get more of the back history on that here This is one of the modules that I've DMed and played since the Seventies and it was a gift from a family friend whose now long gone. Because of this module's connections with the Southern Yatil Mountains its been a fairly easy fit to customize the entire module to other campaign settings one of the reasons for this was;" It is a combined wilderness and dungeon adventure set in the Southern Yatil Mountains, focused on a temple dedicated to the evil and insane Greyhawk god Tharizdun" Because of this  WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun can easily be used within the confines of AS&SH with a bit of work, this module could be used as a part of the centerpieces of the Spiral Mountains. Gods exist in multiple planar locations enabling a DM to port them into a wide variety of old school campaign setting set pieces. In fact I've connected Ksarul, Ancient Lord of Secrets, Doomed Prince of the Blue Room, Master of Magic and Grammarie from Empire Of The Petal Throne to Tharizdun

The battles with the humanoids and the epic uptick in the over all Lovecraftian feel of this adventure piece enables it to be used with other a gaming campaigns including Stormbringer style games with the Deities and Demigods style rules. I've also used this module with both Lamentations of the Flame Princess and as design fodder for the Dark Albion system. It is one of Gygax's most  demonic, sinister, and dangerous Gothic adventure, followed closely only by T1-4.

Over all this is still one of my favorite adventures to customize and play around with because its such a corner stone of a sword and sorcery campaign. There are so many ways that it can be used and go with WG4 The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun

Monsters & Manuals - The Care & Feeding of Dungeons In Old School Campaigns - AD&D first Edition Session Report

  I have to laugh at something I heard around the table when it came to 'monsters' in the dungeon. We had a bunch of very experienced & jaded players who were all dungeon masters in their own right. They run their own home grown campaigns & so have become a bit jaded at being on the other side of the screen. That all changed over the holiday when we got together. Its essential to play and get in time on both sides of the screen. Here's why.

Suddenly we were a group of adventurers again huddled in a tavern looking desperately for work, money, and to simply survive against an alien world. This was a sword & sorcery setting, there were lots of weird humans, cut throats, workers, & strange types. It wasn't just about breaking into a dungeon, it was about playing at the setting. And of course today this took place in the classic Thieves World setting so things got hairy very quickly. 


By the time we had gotten into the dungeon's ruin's were already knee deep in three plot hooks & looking into the deep end of some dire circumstances. The dungeon master's description dripped with details, the exotic sights & sounds had NPC's drifting through that would later on become important. The lack of Elves, Dwarves, etc. told us everything we needed to know & this wasn't a world inspired by Tolkien or Robert Howard or Lovecraft. This was a home brew world set on the edge of a crumbling empire where the lost, the desperate, the outlaw, & even the stupid all went as the last stop before death.


We had heard rumors of some ruins that had yielded treasures beyond imagination and this town had grown over night. Men had practically come on ships and then deserted them in the port's bay but operations were shut down and now they were desperate to restart but the cruel deaths had them wondering. Something was in the mine killing the men. We signed up with the mine owners as a part of the lynch mob that was going down into the mines. The DM had made a twisting bunch of weird tunnels on a map. We ventured into the darkness & kept track of our torches. Then we heard the first scream and it echoed off the walls. The second was followed by the first, on the ground we found a few scattered gold coins leading off into a side tunnel. One of our number was transfixed by the beast's stare & simply stared off as his guts were torn out!
And that's when we saw it! Our guns went off & for a brief moment the entire scene was illuminated! Then the monster closed and we died!



Yes that was this holiday's brief encounter with an Advanced Dungeons & Dragon's Umber hulk in my friend Tom's 1600's African inspired setting that's a spin off from Accursed & Ancient Terra. What did I learn? Well its essential to sometimes get out from behind the screen and actually play. The second thing is too go back and look at the iconic monsters of AD&D & for that matter even the retroclones to use them in new ways. Yes we died rather badly but that really wasn't the point to the game. It was to take a look at how Tom was setting up his adventures & the spins that he was putting to them. Once again a very valuable lesson at the cost of a PC but the lesson will stay with me.



Right now I still have no idea what's happening under Tom's boom town or why there is an Umber hulk killing adventurers, and miners. Seems I might have to go back to find out! As soon as I roll up another PC.. 

Retro- Review & Dark Fantastic Campaign Commentary - T1 The Village of Hommlet For Advanced Dungeons and Dragons First Edition - Updated

 

There are classics and then there are modules that you know someday will comeback to bite you in the ass. For me this is one of those modules, Hommlet is one that I grew up on and grew into playing it again and again. This is a module that seems on the surface to be a simple little adventure but its not. This is an adventure set in the World of Greyhawk that came straight from the foulness of time. I've had more PC's die here then the Temple of Elemental Evil. Why you may ask? Well let's peel back the layers of time and go back to Seventy nine. I'm nine years old and I've ready been playing the grand game since I was a seven year old. Does this make me a veteran or a fool? More the fool I at this time. Hommlet is supposedly this sleepy little pess hole of a pseudo European village written by Gary Gygax himself. Let me tell you something I'd had five PC's killed in that damn moat house then in any other dungeon. Over the years I've returned to Hommlet like a lone care taker to the Overlook Hotel in the Shining. The Village has everything dungeon master could want to flesh out a home base for his PC's. The entire village is filled to the brim with colourful NPC's their motives, quick cut stat blocks on them. Hidden little details and subplots straight out of a Gone With the Wind novel. Seriously its all there and the village is detailed quite nicely. So what's my problem with Hommlet? We'll get to that shortly don't worry let's begin our trip down to the Village and what's happening around the place. Hommlet was a big deal back in the misty annals of history because of the Temple of Elemental evil, yes that temple. The mega module that packs in the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons players time and again. Well what Keep of the Borderlands is to Basic Hommlet is to Advanced.  There are several classic bits at work here, Hommlet is supposed to be the base of operations for your PC's or is it? There are several key things going on in the village, you've got the Druidic faith clashing against the new upstart religion here the Church of St.Cuthbert. That's right out of the gate that this little simmering rivalry is going on. A bit of background on that particular god according to Wiki; " Gygax, with tongue in cheek, created two gods: St. Cuthbert—who brought non-believers around to his point of view with whacks of his cudgel"
Then you have the villagers themselves and they are fully formed NPC's with a full range of motivations, small NPC's sketches and more to them. And they happen to be a few tricky and cagey apples in the bunch as well. Those out to part you from your gold or your head as well. The village will live and breath according to the dungeon master's skills at role playing.




The Village of Hommlet has grown up around a crossroads in a woodland. Once far from any important activity, it became embroiled in the struggle between gods and demons when the Temple of Elemental Evil arose but a few leagues away. Luckily of its inhabitants, the Temple and its evil hordes were destroyed a decade ago, but Hommlet still suffers from incursions of bandits and strange monsters.
Now in my mind, the ruins of the Moathouse are completely separate from the Temple of Elemental Evil, there was a six year gap before we say the Temple as an adventure. So like many other dungeon masters my friends and I connected the Hommlet with village from Keep on The Borderland. Because Hommlet breathed and pulsed with life in the hands of the right dungeon master. This means that in the hands of a good DM Hommlet can live on in retroclone games such as Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Labryth Lord, OSRIC or Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. The reasons for this are very simple the history, backdrop, and locations of Hommlet translate over into back part of each of your campaigns. Because the NPC's, setting, etc. are so well done. This also means that the adventure itself stands on its own merits.

There's no reason really given for the PC's to go to the ruins of the moat house once an outpost for the Temple of Elemental Evil. Well, actually there doesn't need to be. The PC's own greed over the years will do it each and every time. Mention treasure and they'll be over there quicker then spit. Sigh, the moat house has haunted my dreams for more then thirty years. Its shaped my dungeon design more then almost any other modules except for Keep on the Borderlands and In Search of the Unknown. The place is a vermin infested pess hole of the worst type and easily one of my favorite dungeons. Undead, horrors and  weirdness abound in its layered rooms. There are weird connections between the main NPC villain and Lolth something that I would exploit for the Queen of the Demon Web Pits. Basically the Moat house is a mini snap shot of  what a dungeon can be. A foreshadowing dire evil and chaos rising from itself again.



As other reviewers have said the moat house is really the center adventure location here;
"The adventuring locale provided here is the Moathouse - a ruined outpost of the Temple of Elemental Evil, some two miles away. It is a small keep-and-dungeon environment of some 34 encounter areas in size, containing 17 combat encounters: the upper level contains some bandits and a lot of animal-type encounters; the lower levels contains humanoids, undead and the New Master: Lareth the Beautiful."  or is it?
Taken as a whole the module provides just about everything that the DM needs to flesh out his own locations for the PC's to adventure within a 200 mile or so radius with locations and NPC's looping back onto themselves. This is a techique that saw and still sees use today with adventures. James Raggi's Lamentations published  adventures uses it, as does Venger Satanis and even AS&SH uses a similar approach for adventuring.It gives the PC's an anchor and a way of having a stake within the local campaign setting. Gary Gygax might have noticed this techique happening within the more successful miniature wargames he was involved in. Play a four to six hour historical or fantasy based war game and they seem to take on a life all their own. And that right there is the essence of why T1 has endured all of these years because it makes the PC's have an investment within the confines of the setting as well as incredible greed.



So how do you weave Hommlet into your favorite retro clone? Well, the adventure's 'short comings' become you the dungeon master's hook for reeling the party into the darkness of the Moat house.
"That is with the New Master, Lareth, Beloved of Lolth. At this point, we begin to wonder what Lolth has to do with the Temple of Elemental Evil. Alas, that was never answered: later releases derailed that plan, and we come to the greatest problem with the Village of Hommlet: as it stands, it's meant to be part one of two modules, the second detailing the Temple of Elemental Evil. Unfortunately, the second part never got released by Gygax, instead being completed by Frank Mentzer five years later, and much that we'd expected to see based on this adventure was missing."
Alright so Hommlet was meant to be a part of something great blah, blah, and that second part never got released. Alright so, simply take Lareth, Beloved of Lolth and grow a demon worshiping cult of chaos around her. Make the bandits her henchmen, the vermin and monsters of the Moat house mutants and mutations attracted by the black magick she's using and away you go. The Moat house suddenly has more then a simple reason to exist, its got history and a backstory to it. For a game like Lamentations of the Flame Princess Hommlet can easily be moved to central Europe around Romania, or Russia, perhaps Spain or France but it suits the material fine. And that's another thing about these modules the classic frame work spun within them remains classic. Hommlet remains vital because it flexes with the DM's needs for his players.



I've had two friends sneer that I wouldn't have the guts to give T1 the same treatment that I did for the 'U' series and L1. Well, guess again folks, this isn't as easy a module as you might think for four or five 2nd and third level  PC's this one is challenging as heck.
So what is the deal with T1 and Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea? Hommlet becomes much easier to deal with then you might think. Hyperborea has a very dangerous and deadly underworld written into its background. Underborea is about as dangerous an underworld as your going to get and the evil of T1 fits it like a glove, the cults and weirdness bubbling up from under the moat house can easily fit into the occult and weird happenings of AS&SH with little problem in point of fact they sort of demand it.
This module also features some of Gary Gygax's great descriptions of the moat house itself but there's a sense of the weird and perverse about the place.
"The bogs here stink, and the vegetation appears dense and prolific, but somehow sickly and unhealthy, creepers and vines throwing their strangling loops over the skeletons of dead saplings and living bushes alike. The rushes and cattails rustle and bend even when only a slight zephyr blows over the marsh, and weird bird calls, croakings, and other unwholesome sounds come faintly across the fen."
And yes I totally stole that from belst8  from Grognardia. There are several reasons why here; 1. Its a great quote but it also illustrates something I've always believed that the underworld is the rotting birthplace of Chaos and corruption in dungeons. Go deep enough in a megadungeon and it will connect with the underworld of the Inner Earth of a campaign world. Two the Moat house is the first indicator of the deeper happenings and almost virus like birth of horror happening within T1. This sort of a thing would later be seen in another classic module from the Seventies, Keep of the Borderlands. Three the moat house foreshadows things to come in Temple of Elemental Evil or your own mega dungeon creation. There are monsters whose ecology we will look at tomorrow folks.


Do I think that T1 is still viable as an adventure? Yes, classic remain classic for a reason and my five dead or undead PC's can attest to that. There are some reasons why I love these modules. Flexibility, high octane sword and sorcery action, a sense of the classics and roots of D&D and AD&D and more. T1 the Village of Hommlet remains a favorite of mine and one that I return to again and again.

Legacies of Dread - X1 Isle of Dread by David Cook , & Tom Moldvay Campaign Commentary & Update

 When it comes to fall out from one module within my campaigns its got to be X1 Isle of Dread by David Cook , & Tom Moldvay , not only is this a great module for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. But its one of the modules that has the greatest impact by its connections deep into the Sea of Dread. 

Not only do you have deep connotations into a dinosaur filled realm but the opportunities of a lifetime. Because the Isle is on the lip of the Elemental Plane of Water it has a ton of adventure hooks built in. The Vaults of Pandius has Threshold magazine issue # 3 Sea of Dread, This OSR resource contains a ton of materials for bringing the party back to the Isle of Dread. 

The 'Sea of Dread' isn't a normal sea instead its a full on planar sea and this get's into the heart of using X1 for Sword & Sorcery OSR campaigns. The fact that anyone can become a castaway on the Isle of Dread. But why?! Because the isle is an advanced highly advanced science laboratory. Where the Kopru actually an evolutionary off shoot of the Mind Flayers?! They seem to have many of the characteristics?! Possible because the PC's are in the middle of the former Kopru empire itself on the island.  Races such as the as the racoon-like phanaton and the cat-like rakasta give X1 part of its "Lost World/Skull Island laboratory feel'

The Elder Things from H.P. Lovecraft's 'At The Mountains of Madness' made interplanar war on a ton of alien races. But we as humanity don't know the scale of such a war which technically could be on going. The reason that the isle of dread is in the plane of water is because the Elder Things sent it there! The resulting disaster took out the Kopru. Now I've covered this before on this blog in 'Another Mini OSR Campaign Idea Using - X1 Isle of Dread By David Cook & Tom Moldvay & Some Free Old School Appendix N Downloads' 

And its these legacies of dread which lead to planar doors being opened up across the multiverse. And these led to the Rump family of Tegel manor fame discovering this & exploiting it as a part of the slavers organization. This ties into the Scourge of the Slave Lords. How?! Next time we dive into it! 

Retooling the Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 This blog post is going to pick right up from where the last blog post left off. And we pick up with the fact that in Hyperborea, the Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. But how & why are lost to legend & its simple as that. From here the campaign can easily kick into high gear. 

L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide is essential for what we're gonna talk about today.  This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area. L5B fits right into the classic AD&D first edition vibe; The L5B  Adventures  is the second in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide
L5B: The Kroten Adventures (this file)
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion

 

Classic AD&D author Len Lakofka provides everything we need to what is essentially the bread basket to the Hyperborea setting & this setting needs to be placed in an area of relatively stable volcano ridden land. The rich farm land provides for 'The Downs' of previous blog entries with all of the farm produce it needs.  L5B: The Kroten Adventures  is the Kroten Adventures manual for the L5 module, providing five adventures in an around the town of Kroten on the Lendore Isles. The Lenore Isles are not some back water providence on Hyperborea but a mini country within the Hyperborean campaign setting all with its own peoples, adventures, and government. Think of this as a sort of 'little Greyhawk'. 

The royals on Kroten on the Lendore Isles while paying lip service & taxes to the Hyperborean capital yearly are mostly independent. And the Hyperborean capital doesn't care. The Lendore Isles are convenient  scapegoats for both privateers & pirates. Those are all,' Lendore Isles matters'. Very provincial & no real concern to the Hyperborea crown. 
Traditional AD&D first edition monsters in  the Lendore Isles? No problem because these are isolated isles. So the demi human  races & monster species are on their own The town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers on Hyperborea.  They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans! The feel of the Kroten Campaign Guide is one of almost Walesh Arthurian England but with a twist up of Sword & Sorcery in the mix. 

Trade is the life blood to the Lendore Isles because of the incredibly dangerous & alien Winters of Hyperborea. The  Lendore Isles are a slice & call back to Greyhawk within the Hyperborean seas. 

The residents of the Kroten area  are aware of some of the rich deposits of gems around these volcanoes. But they are also aware of the legends of salmanders, effreeti, and other plane of fire horrors. This leads to legends of a gate way to the plane of fire. Something that Dwarves of the Kroten area know about! 
These 'Dwarves' are all too aware of the ancient Dwarves of Hyperborea who once used them as slaves & worse according to legend. They stay far off the radar of these creatures because the Dwarves will be used for slaves or even their souls becoming  material as a part of some magical artifact. 

The seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. And they often take a gnome or Dwarven warrior aboard who goes out into the world to act as a spy for their people. Most of the human population is well aware that Hyperborea is a dangerous world of sword, sorcery, & super science. They are pretty thankful that the greater Hpyerborean  world leaves them alone. Or does it? Next time we dive deeper still into L5B: The Kroten Adventures. 

The Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka is available right here. 

Retooling the Free Module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes For A Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "On the Equinox, a sacrifice of grain is offered to the Nature Goddess. However last year, during the ceremony, a horrid demon arose, demanding tribute. It did not want grain, but gold and gems! The friar made a stand, but it was not enough and now the hamlet is terrified! Will a band of heroes have the guts to face the Equinox Demon? An adventure for 4-6 characters, level 1-3"
Today we're gonna pick it up with module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes. Why this module!? 



So the idea here is to pick up right from where the last blog entry left off. Namely that the Downs, some of the other adventures in this campaign thread are indeed an actual Sword & Sorcery campaign. We've been using Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. With a bit of imagination that can & will continue in this vein. The HM - Village of Rashtan Modules are by Todd Hughes & are specifically centered around the village of Rashtan. This really isn't a problem at all because of the fact that Hyperborea is an artificial campaign world setting. That is to say that its a created world out a patch work of cultures, peoples, etc. from Old Earth. 
So why are we using this particular module?! The author's introduction sinks it; 
"This module is designed for novice and intermediate level players. The number of player characters should be between four and six. The recommended level of character experience is from first to third level. Magical items available to the party at the start of the adventure should likewise be restricted. Players may either bring in existing characters of the appropriate level with the DM's approval, or roll up new characters as suggested in Appendix P of the Dungeon Masters Guide" 
So right off the bat we've got the level perfectly established for the fishing & breadbasket region of Hyperborea which already resembles a volcanically fed rich late Roman England/Icelandic hybrid region. There are other perfectly good reasons to use HM6. Four reasons why HM6 The Equinox Demon is a nice fit for AS&SH. The module deals with Pagan sacrifice, this is a nicely put together low level module, & it has a Weird Tales factor written into it. This is put forth right in the introduction; 

"The Hamlet of Stallington is not preparing for the customary spring celebration even though it is nearing the spring equinox. Typically, a sacrifice of grain is made to the nature goddess, on the equinox, at the mouth of a cave in a forest glade. However, last year when the elders gathered to make the sacrifice, a great fog arose, and a horrid demon emerged from the cave entrance. The demon had many smaller servants with it, and they surrounded the elders. The demon spoke in a frightening voice that seemed to rise from the bowels of the earth itself. It demanded tribute or it would destroy the hamlet and slay the residents. The demon did not want grain however, it wanted gold, silver, and gems." 

For Hyperborea the village of Rashtan feels like its a million miles from the middle of everywhere. But given that HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes uses many of the familiar Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition monsters, NPC classes, and AD&D angles. This is an easy module to cast into the mold of AS&SH. The adventure elements in HM6 feel like they came out of a Clark Ashton Smith story specifically his  Averoigne stories. 

For my money move the module  in a completely different direction & make HM6 feel more like late Roman Britian when the empire has left. The whole of England felt vulnerable to raiders. There's an uneasiness to this module & it shows. You've got Hyperborea's bread basket established in 'the Downs' & with the Kroten area itself pirates & privateers. So then the village of Rashtan is one of the commodity distributing points. But all bets are off when the coffers run empty; "The local priest Friar Dane went, along with his acolyte Tames, to confront the demon. The Friar’s body was discovered outside of town the next day and Tames was never seen again. The elders gathered the villagers together and it was agreed that the tribute must be paid. In so doing the village drained most of its coffers and the people were left with very little to pay for this season’s supplies. As a result, the people are hungry and have very little food and much of the livestock died over the winter from lack of feed." 

So we've got all of the classic Sword & Sorcery elements. Starving villagers, a desperate situation, Weird Tales monsters, & no money in the coffers for the Winter. Winters on Hyperborea are beyond cold & again the Iceland analogy fits here quite well. This means that the people here in the village of Rashtan are fodder for any of the horrors of AS&SH. These people don't need a miracle they need adventurers fast! HM6 also sinks rather nicely with N3 Destiny of Kings which we've covered on this blog as a counter adventure to book end adventure & campaign events. 
HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes is a perfect beginning adventure for AS&SH. The module has all of the classic AD&D elements but all of these can easily be turned into a get up for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. 

HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes Is Available Right Here For Free 

Retooling the Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "This manual describes the Town of Kroten and the nearby area, which is located on Lendore Isle in the World of Greyhawk. Details include nomenclature used by the author, world background, and local features. Also included is a detailed description of the Town of Kroten, excepting three key areas: The Fane of Syrul, the Fane of Pyremius, and the Castle Kroten itself. These areas are described in L5B: The Kroten Adventures."

This blog post picks right  up where our last blog post left off &  picks up with the free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by  Lenard Lakofka from Dragon's foot here.  We established that the The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith.  And this means that Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. The town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers on Hyperborea.  They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans! The Kroten Campaign Guide provides the DM with information on the L5 module;"
This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area." And it also gives detailed information on the following; 
This manual is the first in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide (this file)
L5B: The Kroten Adventures
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion
This details the region around Kroten but its actually U1 Sinster Secret of Saltmarsh  written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. This module provides the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea with the town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

And this makes  the Kroten Campaign Guide an excellent free download to add to a  Astonishing SWordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg campaign. The feel of the Kroten Campaign Guide is one of almost Walesh Arthurian England but with a twist up of Sword & Sorcery in the mix.  The  last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. Could the Kroten Campaign  have something similar?! The idea here is that Greyhawk in the past may have played host to a Hyperborean colony in the past. 
Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

The real secret might be the dangers  that the volcanoic areas around   the Kroten area itself. The residents of the Kroten area  are aware of some of the rich deposits of gems around these volcanoes. But they are also aware of the legends of salmanders, effreet, and other plane of fire horrors. This leads to legends of a gate way to the plane of fire. Something that Dwarves of the Kroten area know about.  But the seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. 

What really makes seas the Kroten area so dangerous is the abundance of undersea volcanoes. Not only do these claim more then one ship in the area. But also the fact that there are cities of Deep Ones & their cults in the area. Next time we dive below the surface to talk about some of the major factions of Kroten. 

The Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka is available right here. 

Retooling L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 
"Danger lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford, seeking unwary victims. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford."



Dreams are funny things & last night there was this dream about L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka. Personally about 90% of the time Len doesn't get half of the credit he deserves in old school gaming. Let's get the history of L1 out of the way here;" L1: "The Secret of Bone Hill" (1981) is the first adventure in Lenard Lakofka's "Lendore Isle" trilogy. It was published in 1981" Fantastic but how does any of this relate to the Downs from our previous blog entry on  N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne?! Well its got everything to do with it! The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith. Then 'L1 The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka is the mythic Icelandic & pirate venture throw in together. The town of Restenford with a bit of redressing could easily become the perfect pirate venture location for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. If we're talking about Icelandic fishing villages here why are you showing a Neolithic Italian village below?! The reasons are two fold, one is the melting pot of cultures that is this country. Remember Hyperborea is a place of the 'lost' as well refugee  settlers from 'Old Earth'. 

The photo is by Giuale - Own work of the  Reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Travo

This is a photo of a monument which is part of cultural heritage of Italy. This monument participates in the contest Wiki Loves Monuments Italia 2016. 

The second reason is the fact that the town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers of the town. They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans. The town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador control rich volcanic fields of ' The Downs' and the rich fishing grounds of the town of Restenford. But there's a bit of a secret to these kingdoms. Ship building, raiding, and much more but its the merchant trading that the town of Restenford's coffers full. The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador look the other way on a bit of privateering. But its the literal hundreds of trade ships that get get sent out & come into the port that keeps the coffers of the kingdom full. Sure you've got to have Sword & Sorcery action in Hyperborea. But there has to be places of stability amid the Lovecraftian chaos. 

Now last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. But let's kick it up a notch for a moment if these first or even fourth level PC's are assigned to a trading vessel & go out into the world then the events around the 'U series' of modules can unfold right when they get back! The Alchemist is actually a lich that's been operating for years in the town of Restenford & he's been stoking the fires between the Deep Ones & the tribes of Lizardmen. 

Why?! Because of AS&SH's planar connections with Greyhawk of course! Greyhawk plays a key part in this whole affair. Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

And yes there's a ton of Len's world on Dragon's foot for free. Sometimes a DM doesn't want to overwhelm his players with all of that yet. We'll get those next week.