This is quite a massive adventure, concerning a small but historic settlement called Serwin. If you want to use it as part of a long-running campaign, it's recommended that the party has opportunity to forge links with Serwin and the characters therein well in advance of this adventure being run.

There is an extensive backstory which sets the scene, explaining the dark secret that the local lordlings have kept over the centuries and which threatens the existence of the entire settlement... if not more! There's also an adventure synopsis that gives a basic outline of what ought to transpire over the course of the adventure. A few suggestions are given to get the party involved, but basically they need to arrive in Sarwin early evening... and find that the place has been wrecked by marauding orcs. From then on, it is a case of finding out who and why, and then dealing with them.

The resources available include a plan of Sarwin and extensive notes on what is to be found there. There are some clues as to what's going on to find, and the marauders can be tracked or magic can be used to discern who they were and where they are now. Notes are provided for the most likely spells the party might employ, a neat touch that enables you to respond effectively - always a struggle when someone casts divination for example. If they prove more inventive you'll have to react accordingly, of course. Opportunities for mundane research and investigation are also provided for parties prepared to ask around... and there's even an option to raise someone from the dead!

Once the groundwork and investigation have been done, the party ought to be ready to move on in the footsteps of the marauders who have gone to Sarwin Castle. The rest of the adventure involves gaining access to and investigating the castle and that which lies below... but first of all, the party has to get there!

There's a detailed timeline of what the marauders intend to do - indeed, will do unless the party manage to interfere, a nice touch that gives the impression that what the party does actually has an effect on the course of events. There are extensive notes on the major antagonists and a full description of the castle itself complete with a floorplan - it consists of two floors plus towers above and dungeons beneath.

Once the party reaches the castle they are pretty much free to roam and explore - although of course the marauders there will provide ample opposition, likely in the form of combat - negotiation does not appear to be on the cards. And what lies beneath? Interestingly, that's mostly left to you, although there are some suggestions in the unfortunate event that it is roused from its long slumber... which could put a massive twist into your campaign or bring it to a juddering halt.

It's a deceptive adventure: find ruined village, chase marauders to nearby castle and clean the place out sounds simple enough. Add in ancient secrets, an unmentionable horror, and potentially world-changing events - oh, and a handful of powerful artefacts - and it turns into something quite spectacular.

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Reviewed: 3 July 2016