Until recently, the village of Tonwell was known only for the magnificent cathedral that generations of villagers had laboured to build... but now the place has been overrun by barbarians! The party is approached by a priest who escaped the carnage, who pleads for their help in rescuing a magic sword, relic of a saint of his faith, that had been in the bishop's possession, hidden behind the altar in the cathedral.

The DM's background explains just what is going on and why the barbarians are there, then without ado launches straight into the adventure. Tonwell can be placed anywhere suitable in your campaign world, although you might wish to change the deity's name to one more appropriate - any popular good-aligned god will do. It ought to be rural, fairly near other settlements but close enough to wild territory that a barbarian raid is possible. It's in a valley, a hard day's ride from the nearest town.

The adventure proper begins when the party arrives above the valley in which Tonwell is to be found. They'll have to fight or evade barbarian patrols to get any nearer, then what is left of the village is described clearly with some atmospheric detail, particularly the interior of the cathedral and a surviving manor house - places where the main action takes place.

The climax is quite surprising, with a dark ritual to be stopped, set up to make for an excellent final fight. It's a fairly straightforward adventure, nicely presented, with a good scrap to finish it off. A few new monsters and a magic item (the sword the party was asked to find) are also provided, and everything hangs together nicely.

Return to Raid on Tonwell page.

Reviewed: 10 February 2018