Dawning Horror

Darrowshire Township

Dawning Horror

Dawning Horror: A Campaign in Darrowshire

Darrowshire Valley

Courtesy of Jeff Tuttle

Welcome to a land of uncertainty and betrayal. Darrowshire Township is a mid-sized town on the edge of the frontier. Beyond it, civilization has yet to take hold. Within it, civilization will soon collapse. This is the story of the region of Darrowshire Township, a series of 2nd Edition AD&D adventures that will take a new party from 1st to 5th level.

Dawning Horror takes an adventuring party to the region of Darrowshire. There they will encounter all the usual trappings of a town on the edge of the frontier, but there is something ... else there. Lurking. Growing. Spreading. An uneasy feeling. As if the food chain has been somehow reversed. Shady glances. Suspicious behavior. Dark conclusions. In Darrowshire, paranoia is not necessarily limited to the paranoid. In Darrowshire, they really ARE out to get you!

The Darrowshire Campaign Setting was originally a home game, and like most home games the DM (me) made frequent use of prepublished content when he (I) thought it would fill a gap or serve a purpose better than he (I) could have done by attempting to create my own material. Where possible, I have cited my source in the text wherever I have done so, and have even provided some links that should help you acquire the sourcebooks and modules that I used. I have also attempted to provide at least a brief description of what the content included, so that a DM wishing to make up his own, or unable to acquire the material I used, has at least something to go on. Regrettably, there are always bound to be some holes, and I encourage you to be creative in solving any problems my inevitable shortfalls may cause you. Besides, a certain amount of improvisation is healthy in a campaign, no?

Theme:

The overall theme of this module is one of dawning horror. This town is slowly being taken over by a Crowd (See Crowd on the files page). The town appears normal enough at first, with only slight hints that anything is wrong. Over time, however, things will begin to deteriorate rapidly, casting suspicion amongst the townsfolk. The DM should play the suspense to the hilt, as to maximize the tension and enjoyment. Start off small. The party has a variety of mundane and seemingly mundane things to investigate out of Darrowshire. As they begin to get into the rhythm of a typical frontier town with its share of wilderness and creature troubles, begin to bring in subtle hints of the evil that is being discovered. Perhaps when the party arrives in town, they see a mouse being eaten alive by an ant colony. Perhaps a few days or weeks later, it is a dog being devoured by a pack of mice, or a hawk being swarmed by a flock of doves. It is important not to give too much away too quickly. Allow the party to speculate as to the cause of the bizarre behavior in Darrowshire and the surrounding area. Ultimately, the success of the venture depends on the skills of the DM.

The Files:

Below are all the documents, statistics, pictures, and other files that are necessary to run this story arc. For your convenience, they are posted more or less in the order they will be needed.

Timeline of Events:

I'll be posting a timeline of sorts that helps to put all the documents and other materials I am providing into a sort of cohesive order. Obviously, if you think things would work better for you, do not feel constrained by this. It is simply the way that I originally ran it. The list will make reference to events, settings, people, and other things. Some of them (I will mark them as such) are events from the "Horror Clues [link it]" list. Most others supporting material will be posted somewhere within the main event heading it takes place in.

[timeline to follow]

The Town of Darrowshire:

These files contain the statistics for the town of Darrowshire, as well as other supplementary information.

The Town of Darrowshire

Courtesy of Jeff Tuttle

Town of Darrowshire:

This file contains all the statistics of the town of Darrowshire, including the population, local industry and areas, important NPCs, and other locations in the town.

Map of Darrowshire:

This map can be used to form a basic idea of how Darrowshire is laid out. Note that unlike the map shows, Darrowshire is not actually a walled town; it has only watchtowers. Feel free to find another map or draw your own; this one simply gives you an idea of the size and composition of Darrowshire.

Darrowshire Militia Statistics:

This file contains all the combat statistics of the Darrowshire Militia. These statistics will be required in many of the events that occur in and around Darrowshire. Despite being a militia rather than a professional army, the Darrowshire Militia are an organized fighting force that is more than capable of protecting the town against conventional threats, such as goblin and ogre incursions.

Militia Roster Sheet:

This document provides a convenient battle roster that is useful for any combat involving militia. Statistics are listed in abrieviated form for each rank, with a large space to list the individuals of that rank.

Adventure Segments:

These files contain the adventure segments for the first story arc in the Darrowshire Campaign Setting. The files contained below range from an introduction to the region, to the final stages of the collapse of civilization in the region. DMs are encouraged to add their own material, to help them develop a personality and feel for the Darrowshire setting.

Possible Adventure Hooks

This file contains some easy and convenient ways to introduce a new party to the town of Darrowshire and the horrors about to occur there. They are not particularly original, but they do all tie into the central theme and give the players their first taste of what is to come.

The Dig Site Mishap

The Digsite Mishap takes the party to the now-abandoned quarry, where a strange underground city has been unearthed. Though the monsters that have appeared there bear no responsibility for what is slowly consuming Darrowshire, this adventure will give a sinister and deeply forshadowing taste of the Crowd. Besides its Crowd introduction theming, this adventure is quite enjoyable, and will give the first taste of some classic dungeon exploration.

Quarry Valley

Courtesy of Jeff Tuttle

The Dig Site Mishap

This is the primary source text for running the Dig Site Mishap adventure.

Dig Site Entrance Read-Aloud Text

This file contains optional blocks of read-aloud text for certain events in and around the dig site. Use them to help set the mood of what is to come (that is to say dark).

placeholder for digsite map and key

This document contains the map and key for the subterranean city that has been unearthed under the quarry.

Inspector Stillwell Brings a Secret Assignment

As the problem of the disappearing beggars becomes more obvious to the community, the Mayor has one of his agents approach the party. His agent is Inspector Stillwell, an ambitious and ruthless man who is much more interested in furthering his standing than getting the job done justly. The Mayor is unaware of this aspect of Stillwell’s character, as he hides it exceptionally well, playing the part of a deeply modest and humble yes-man when his boss is around. He goes to great lengths to ensure that the Mayor does not find out about his darker nature. Stillwell will be waiting for the party in a dark corner of the tavern a few nights after the beggar rumor is dropped on the party. As soon as the party leaves for their rooms, he will casually appear next to them, and very quietly tell them that he must talk to them, in private. Once they are alone, he will inform them that this problem of the disappearing beggars has come to the attention of the mayor, and he would like it handled, discretely if possible to avoid panic (this is true). It may appear that this is very cloak-and-dagger to the party, but despite what they may think, the Mayor’s intentions truly are honorable; he really is trying to prevent a panic. Stillwell explains that because of his position as a secretive undercover agent of the Mayor, he cannot be the publicly visible liaison to the party. Instead, he has arranged for the Mayor’s son, Private Thomas (Level 1 Darrowshire Militia), to be put on special assignment to help with the case. While the Mayor’s intentions are honorable, he is not a man who is afraid to use subtly. While young Thomas thinks he is merely on a special (and exciting!) case to catch a possible murderer, his father is in fact subtly using him as a go between for himself and the party. Neither the party nor Thomas are told this, but a smart party will figure it out. Thomas, of course, naïve lawful good young fool that he is, never suspects.

Interlude in the Badlands

This segment of the adventure sends the party on a wilderness adventure into the heart of the Badlands, a horrific desert, in search of a valuable flower. Along the way they face many hazards, both environmental and monster. Below are included "A Dark and Stormy Knight", a mini-adventure for the players on their way to the badlands, as well as the "Canyon Flood Encounter", in which the party has to survive a flash flood in order to collect their Sorcerer's Roses.

Interlude in the Badlands

This is the primary text for this segment of the adventure. For information regarding the Canyon Flood Encounter, see below.

A Dark and Stormy Knight

This module is provided by Wizards of the Coast (see my Credits page for link). It fits well into the Badlands setting, giving the party something to do along their long journey through the badlands. Make sure that Old Bill explains the relevant details of the land regarding "Storm Truce". Also, by this point the party may not be level 1 anymore, so it might be necessary to make the monsters more powerful than those listed in the module. As with everything else, you are encouraged to substitute your own material if you think it will be a better fit for your party.

[link to the canyon flood encounter, not yet written]

Regarding the "Canyon Flood Encounter". This encounter can be found in [the book, buy it here]. However, if you do not have access to that book, I have paraphrased the encounter [link to paraphrased encounter details] here. If you wish to create your own version of the encounter, these are the basic details:

The party is entering a long box canyon, several miles long, with threats of a storm brewing. The Sorcerer's Rose is several miles into the canyon, on a large pillar formation rising up from the canyon floor. In order to reach this pillar, the party must either walk along the floor of the canyon, or try to walk overland above the canyon and try to climb down near the pillar, which is difficult because of the rough terrain above the canyon, and the very steep cliffs along the canyon walls near the pillar. Most likely the party will choose to walk the canyon floor. The danger of this encounter comes from the gathering storm, which will cause a flash flood. The party will have several ways to survive this environment-based encounter, but they will have to think quickly and utilize their non-combat skills, such as climbing, running, or swimming to survive. It is also possible for the party to avoid the threat altogether by using skills such as weather sense, or trying to mountaineer their way out of walking around in the canyon altogether. It is a different kind of encounter designed to challenge the players to solve problems in ways they usually don't think to or have to.

Back From the Badlands, the Land Has Gone Mad!

When the party gets back from the Badlands, it will be quite clear that things have begun to change in Darrowshire. This is the first major shift in the region, as the dark forces at work are rapidly gaining ground. From here, things begin to heat up.

Back from the Badlands, the Land has Gone Mad!

This is the module text for running this segment of the adventure.

To Mystery Cave!

As it happens, an unknown person left a package for the party with Ogden. It is a copy of Ted’s Caving Journal. It should provide the party ample excuse to follow Marley’s recommendation. See the note on the Credits page regarding the original source of the journal.

Along the way to Hawkshire, the town that Ted lived in, the party should come across The Ravings of Insanity. This book could be inserted as simply as having a peddler sell it to them, or it could be a complicated mini-adventure in itself. Or, the party could simply discover the book in the library in Hawkshire. The book contains some interesting stories (see my Credits page for original source), and the final one is in fact a reference to a Crowd infestation. Also, if the party decides to do some research regarding the Hodag (mentioned in the journal), they learn the information contained in the following document: Hodag Research.

Something's Cooking:

This is the module mentioned in the Adventure Hooks section of the Hawkshire document. It was originally published by Wizards of the Coast. See my Credits page for details.

Caving Pictures

These are the pictures that are in the caving journal.

When the party returns from Mystery Cave, they will be intercepted by Corporal Norris well outside of town. Follow The Resistance encounter, but have Marley and Thomas waiting at the Morris Stead as well.

Resistance Adventures

Resistance Adventures

To the Keep on the Borderlands!

The Dawning Horror story arc is now complete, and the party is on its way towards the "Keep on the Borderlands" story arc. [include link to next story arc]