This is an optional 'side adventure' that may be run between Face Down in a Muddy Road and Smoke on the Horizon, the party getting the choice in-game to continue straight on to Bray's Bay or to follow up on a map they might have found. If you don't want to run this adventure, just don't let them find the map! However, this is a lot more than just an opportunity to poke around a mine and beat up a few Kan Demon, so it's worth considering its inclusion.

The Kan Demon raiders have gone, according to the map, to Argot Hill after demolishing the settlement at Siver's Mill. Here there is an iron mine and the basic objective of this adventure is to chase them out of it. Naturally, there's a bit more going on... explained here for the DM, with background detail about clan politics and different factions within the Kan Demon. There's also advice on how to let it be the party's decision whether or not to go to Argot Hill - the campaign is designed to present the party with tough decisions, this is just the first one.

The trip to Argot Hill is unpleasant - a muddy track with plenty of insects to plague the party - and once there a map of the settlement and descriptions of key locations are provided. Once the party has dealt with matters there, they can move on to the minehead - again a plan is provided - and venture underground (also mapped out). Everything is well-described in a fairly realistic description of a typical mediaeval mining operation. Clearing that is relatively simple, but with a neat twist in the tale. The locals are likely to be pleased at the party's intervention, and this adventure goes some way to cement them as the 'good guys' in the invasion.

Although simple, everything is put together neatly and it makes a nice addition to the ongoing plot, even if not being strictly necessary for its advancement. It introduces some minor goodies - there's more than iron ore down there, shall we say - that won't make much of a difference to the overall game, but which are rather nice from the story point of view.

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Reviewed: 22 May 2017