Walking into a tavern for a drink one evening in the village of Hallow's End, the party walks into the middle of an ugly scene. A bunch of thugs - or are they the local law? - are beating up on a young farmer and his wife. Even if they are the town guard (as the tabards they're wearing suggest) they are not acting in an appropriate manner. The farmer's wife is screaming for help...

The DM's Background explains what is actually going on. Apparently the farmer, one Tinneas by name, has just moved into the area and has discovered a mysterious - and dangerous - tunnel on his newly-purchased land. He'd come into town seeking adventurers to investigate. The reason why it's there, and why it's so dangerous, is also explained. Hallow's End is a small village with but a single inn, suitable to be placed within any temperate rural area in your campaign world.

The easiest way to get the party involved is via the aforementioned ugly scene in the tavern... if they are the chivalric sort who won't ignore a damsel in distress. If they are not, a tavern-wide brawl ought to catch their attention! Eventually the farmer and his wife will tell the party their story and enlist their assistance. The rest of the adventure concerns the exploration of the passage, a first-rate delve, but you'll need to map out the surroundings for yourself (if you want to put it in context, that is.).

The passage is described atmospherically, and everything you need to know is explained clearly in full. There's also a good map. Basically, it's full of traps - so this is an excellent adventure for a party which enjoys figuring them out (and pure torture for those who hate traps). There are a couple of combats as well, and if added opposition is required set that bunch of thugs that were bothering the farmer on the party's trail... Overall, a nice puzzle-based delve to enjoy - all the traps are well-explained, and are delightfully sneaky.

Return to The Punishing Passage page.

Reviewed: 21 March 2018