Set in any convenient area of your campaign world where there is mountainous terrain and an extinct volcano, this adventure begins when the party arrives in the settlement of Redciff which is all a-buzz because the mayor has vanished, after behaving a bit oddly for the last few days.

The background for the DM explains what is going on, and a couple of rather weak hooks are provided to get the party to Redcliff in the first place. You may prefer to come up with something of your own, or just locate Redcliff on the way to somewhere that the party does want to go and run this as a side-adventure when they pass through. Once there, however, there is plenty of background to help you bring Redcliff to life, nestled as it is just below the caldera of an extinct volcano. There's people to talk to and information to be gathered in the settlement.

An abandoned temple dedicated to Heironeous is up there in the caldera, rumoured to be haunted and generally avoided by the locals... and this, of course, is the location for the adventure itself. The plan provided is based on one of the Map-of-the-Week series from the Wizards of the Coast website (the original is still available at the time of writing via the link in the PDF), and there's a detailed description interspersed with more of the backstory. Interesting though it is, it is unlikely that the party will discover much of it as the main Bad Guy is not interested in talking, apparently he will fight to the death (or run away if he can), not being even interested in surrendering never mind any negotiation.

It makes for a neat interlude but given the near-impossibility of actually finding out what was going on, scope for further adventures is limited. Of course, the original plot behind it all may well still be bubbling along and erupt later if you so choose...

Return to The Temple of Redcliff page.

Reviewed: 30 May 2016