On, Borderlands!

Letters from the Dark 4: Borderlands · p.37-71 · 3p

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Overview
The rest of this zine comprises a Borderlands adventure meant to introduce new players and GMs to Shadowdark RPG.
First is Darlan Keep (page 40), a simple, one-session dungeon featuring a randomized villain and their lackies. If you’re GMing for inexperienced players, allow Darlan Keep to be a lesson in concepts like crawling initiative, surprising enemies, and using the environment to the player characters’ advantage.
Next is a brief Borderlands hex crawl (facing page). After the characters settle into the newly-liberated Darlan Keep, set up a hook that guides them toward the Caverns of Kowse (page 50). This is easy if the villain manages to escape Darlan Keep alive or if the characters find the villain’s map in Area 6. If the party spends too much time in their keep, the villain can send additional waves of henchmen from the caverns until the players think to seek out the enemy’s lair. Hex-crawl rules are on page 90 of Shadowdark RPG.
The map on the facing page only has two hexes filled out: Darlan
Keep and the Caverns of Kowse. Use any method (like the hex- mapping rules on page 132-33 of Shadowdark RPG) to fill in the remaining hexes. If the characters hit a dead end in their search for the caverns, insert another clue into their next random encounter. If you want to keep the game short and simple, you can skip the hex- crawl section of the adventure and focus on the two dungeons.
Finally, the characters will arrive at the Caverns of Kowse. It’s up to them how they want to enter the caverns and how they choose to deal with the rival factions inside.

Maps (1)

Hex-Crawl

VTT

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Rooms (58)

darlan-keep-intro Darlan Keep (Overview & Randomization) p.40

Darlan Keep
HOOK
The party receives a scroll bearing a fine wax seal:
Adventurers, Word has reached me that one of our outposts has fallen to the enemy. This fortress - known as Darlan
Keep - was a most strategic asset in our war against the monstrous Forces of Chaos that prowl the Borderlands.
Many soldiers have been dispatched to liberate the keep, but I dread to say that none have returned.
In our time of need, I must implore your crew to travel to Darlan Keep and vanquish whatever menace holds the settlement. I know not the nature of the challenges you will face there, but it is safe to say they will be formidable.
Should you succeed in removing the invaders from its premises, I intend to sign over the deed of Darlan Keep to your adventuring party in lieu of monetary payment. I have no doubt that anyone who can save the keep will be a most shrewd manager of the fort once it is rebuilt.
May the Forces of Law guide you.
SUMMARY
As mentioned in the scroll, Darlan Keep is a fortress in the
Borderlands that once belonged to the Forces of Law. One month ago, it was conquered by the Forces of Chaos. All its inhabitants were killed or captured.
The party’s mission is to travel to Darlan Keep and remove any enemy presence there. Once completed, the adventurers will own the fortress. They are then free to use it as their own keep (page 24)
while they explore the rest of the Borderlands.
RANDOMIZATION
Right now, little is known about what exactly happened to Darlan
Keep — even to you, the GM! Before preparing the adventure, use these tables to decide the current status of the keep:
ENEMY HENCHMEN

Invaded by…
1
Deep ones
2
Bugbears (LV 2, 10 HP)
3
Gnolls
4
Goblins (LV 2, 10 HP)
5
Lizardfolk
6
Orcs (LV 2, 9 HP)
VILLAIN MOTIVATION
VILLAIN

Who follow a(n)…
1
Drow priestess
2
Druid (C, LV 6, 27 HP)
3
Mage (C)
4
Manticore
5
Ogre
6
Reaver
7
Viperian ophid*
8
Weald hag
*Ignore non-magic immunity.
VILLAIN’S PET

And their pet…
1
Dire wolf
2
Gelatinous cube
3
Shambling mound
4
Void spider
And desire…
1
A powerful artifact
2
A strategic outpost
3
Chaos for chaos’s sake
4
Humanoid sacrifices
5
Magical knowledge
6
Material wealth
7
Natural resources
8
Revenge
9
To fulfill a prophecy
10
To please an evil deity
CRAWLING
• Light. Rooms with humanoid inhabitants have a lit torch in a sconce on the wall.
• Construction. Solid stone castle.
• Doors. Heavy wood.
• Risky. Check for a random encounter every 2 rounds.
ROSTER
Total number of NPCs. NPCs do not replenish and can be wiped out.
These include both keyed areas and random encounters.
• 1 villain and 1 pet
• 13 henchmen
• 5 prisoners (peasants) captured from the keep
KEYED AREAS
Pages 46-48 describe each area in Darlan Keep and the enemies that appear in each. If some of the enemies are defeated as part of a random encounter, you may have to reduce the number that appear in keyed areas accordingly. Room descriptions are left somewhat vague, as their status will depend on the type of enemy that has taken over the keep. Consider the sights, sounds, and smells that the randomly determined enemy would produce.
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

Details
1
henchmen on patrol
2
A henchman escorts an escaped prisoner back to Area 12
3
A giant rat carries a bone from one of the dead settlers
4
A random light mishap (SD 110) occurs
5
The villain’s pet and its handler (see Area 8) attack on sight
6
The villain tries to capture the player characters alive
GM TIPS
Keep track of the enemy’s forces in the “Roster” section on the previous page. Once all enemies listed there have died or fled, the mission is complete.
Encourage your players to fight intelligently in Darlan Keep. If they are new to Shadowdark RPG or “old school renaissance” games, remind them that they should use the environment and surprise to their advantage. They can bar doors, spill oil, set traps, and create diversions to gain the upper hand before combat even starts.
Remember to frequently indicate potential dangers to your players and allow them to formulate a plan to tackle each challenge. Even low-level henchmen can be deadly if they manage to catch the PCs unaware. If a player character listens to a door, they can hear if there are enemies behind it (especially the coughing henchman in Area 5).
To plant the seeds of adventure, allow some of the enemy forces to flee the keep prematurely, especially the villain in Area 11. Enemies who survive Darlan Keep end up in the corresponding faction’s area in the Caverns of Kowse (page 50). Bugbears and goblins both go to the goblinoid area (page 56). The villain can be found in the same area as the faction’s leader (page 51).
12.3
Tower 3rd Floor
DARLAN KEEP
12
11 and a starting POP equal to the number of surviving prisoners.
When used as a keep (page 24), Darlan Keep has FO , SZ 12, 12.2
12.1
Tower 1st Floor
Tower 2nd Floor
WALL = 20’ TALL
= 5 feet
= stairs
6
5
2nd Floor
7
1
2
3
1st Floor
4
= ladder
= door
= trap
T
Roof
11
9
10
3rd Floor
8
T