I’ve stated this earlier than, however I’m actually grateful that sport strains might be supported electronically between bigger releases. There are quite a lot of video games that I actually need to see stay seen, and these digital assist releases, both on an organization web site or on a spot like DriveThroughRPG, show that the sport remains to be being actively supported.
At this time we’re going to have a look at an journey for Fantasy AGE 2nd Version. If the title Return to the Valley of the Whispering Titans sounds acquainted, which may be as a result of your familiarity with the Fantasy AGE 2nd Version journey, The Valley of the Whispering Titans. That is each an up to date model of the unique journey, in addition to a sequel, with a brand new observe up state of affairs included.
Disclaimer
I used to be despatched a evaluate copy of this journey by Inexperienced Ronin Publishing. I’ve not had a possibility to run or play the eventualities on this product, however I’m acquainted with the AGE system and have performed it previously.
Fantasy AGE Journeys: Return to the Valley of the Whispering Titan
Writing and Design: Jesse Decker
Growth: Jack Norris
Enhancing: Matt Click on
Graphic Design & Artwork Path: Hal Mangold
Artwork: Rael Dionisio
Cartography: John Wilson
Journey Via the Product
Return to the Valley of the Whispering Titan is a 20-page PDF, with the pages breaking down like this:
- Cowl–1 web page
- Title web page–1 web page
- Background materials–6 pages
- State of affairs 1–4 pages
- State of affairs 2–4 pages
- NPC Statblocks–4 pages
The PDF is in a two-column format, in full shade, with the background, textual content, and header in mild tans, browns, and greens. There’s a map of the valley, and 5 items of paintings detailing NPCs, areas, and potential encounters.
What Are We Returning To?
Within the background info, we discover out concerning the location, its ongoing curse, and a number of the malefactors presently inhabiting the valley. On both facet of the valley, there are numerous huge skulls, three on one facet of the valley, and two on the opposite, with one close to the passage out of the valley. The rationale the valley known as the Valley of the Whispering Titans is that at any time when somebody is touring by means of the area, they’ll faintly hear the voices, the voices of the beings to whom the skulls as soon as belonged.
The oldest of the potential adversaries within the Valley, until you rely the titans themselves, is Mallorsa. Mallorsa would have been a mountain nymph, however as a result of she was bonded to the land, and didn’t come into existence till after the titans’ skulls discovered a house within the valley, she’s turn out to be warped by the titans. She doesn’t straight work for Callem, however she does work in what she considers the final pursuits of the titans.
Callem Ressmil is a druid who was involved about how the native settlements make the most of nature, and after wandering into the valley, Callem started listening to the voices of the Titans. They satisfied him that they might give him the facility to guard nature. After years of dwelling within the valley, his connection to the titans started to bodily change him and has warped his perspective on what it means to guard nature.
The Valley Huntsman is the spectral stays of a hunter who died throughout the Valley, cursed to proceed haunting the area. Each time an animal dies throughout the Valley, the Huntsman feels it, and might journey to that location. He may also animate the physique of the lately fallen animal for his personal functions.
Along with the three NPCs above, there are animated vines, swarms of big mosquitos, corrupted animals, and the vinedolls, humanoid-shaped plant troopers being grown for a push into the environs close to the Valley, to develop the affect of the titan skulls. Every of the skulls has its personal traits. The skulls are:
- The Studying Cranium–spell-based stunts and a few spells like divinations are cheaper to buy right here
- The Cranium of Concern–characters can embrace corruption to summon corrupted animals and shadow and dying spells are cheaper to forged right here
- The Reaping Cranium–at this web site, you may spend stunt factors to trigger wounds that may solely heal naturally and never with magic
- The Cranium of Fortune–characters can commerce well being or magic for stunt factors, and destiny spells are cheaper right here
- The Shaping Cranium–characters can warp themselves to make themselves extra bodily highly effective, and spells that remodel one thing’s type are cheaper right here
The three foremost NPC villains are all stable, evocative archetypes. I particularly just like the recurring hazard of the Valley Huntsman inhabiting animals and utilizing the animals type to assault the PCs, then leaving as soon as the physique has been worn out. Modifying stunt factors and spell factors is a stable solution to mannequin the subtler results being brought on by the presence of the skulls, and I like that the PCs might warp themselves or contact the corruption of the skulls to achieve entry to some skills. It helps to underscore the concept that whereas it is probably not potential to achieve Callem, his story is a tragic one that might doubtlessly occur to others who wander into the Valley.
Into the Valley of the Titans
For characters of stage fifth by means of eighth
The primary journey is a regular location-based journey. There are some hooks that will give the PCs extra causes to discover extra of the Valley than they’d in the event that they have been simply making an attempt to journey from finish to finish, however for now, there isn’t one particular nefarious plan they’re making an attempt to thwart. Because the PCs journey by means of the Valley, they might determine that they should restrict the flexibility of the evil to unfold.
As a result of it’s location-based, this journey not solely assumes you’re operating for knowledgeable adventurers, nevertheless it’s assuming you’ve got a spot to place this Valley in your setting, and you’ve got a cause that the PCs have to cross by means of the Valley to the opposite finish. Due to the geography of the Valley, the PCs are going to move close to the Studying Cranium and the Cranium of Concern.
On the threshold of the Valley, they’re attacked by corrupted animals, which are supposed to be clearly performing in an unnatural manner. The animals that assault them are animals that shouldn’t be working collectively, like boars and wolves. That is meant to let the PCs know that no matter is happening on this Valley is a perversion of the pure order.
If the PCs journey to The Studying Cranium, they encounter Mallorsa for the primary time. She doesn’t disguise her nature as a fey creature, however she does really feel them out to see if they’re more likely to observe the need of the Skulls, or if they’re going to be an issue. Assuming they don’t give Mallorsa potential Titan Cranium Cultist vibes, she factors them towards the Cranium of Concern for extra solutions. If the PCs are already conscious that there are issues with the Valley, Mallorca is keen to painting herself as an harmless spirit trapped throughout the Valley by the facility of the Skulls. If the PCs head to the following Cranium as she suggests, the Huntsman has an ambush arrange for them.
There are just a few extra ambushes on the way in which by means of the Valley, some related to the Huntsman and his capability to inhabit useless animals. If the PCs make it to the Cranium of Fortune, they discover out that they’ll redirect management of the Cranium’s particular skills to themselves, and away from Callem. Mallorsa could go to the PCs once more at this cranium, frightened about what they’re going to do with their data, and she or he tries to persuade them that there’s a particular order during which they should redirect the Skulls, which is a lie to provide her time to arrange ambushes and warn the others.
In the event that they determine to make use of what they discovered on the Cranium of Fortune, they’ll cross again over the Valley to go to every Cranium once more, and if the PCs prevented the Skulls even after they have been proper subsequent to them on the path, that is the possibility for them to run into these encounters. They will additionally transfer to the Shaping Cranium, which is the place Callem will confront them.
Along with wresting management of the Skulls from Callem, the PCs can carry out a ritual at every Cranium to quiet the Cranium’s voice and reduce its management over the Valley. In the event that they do that at every Cranium, the Valley will probably be freed from overt evil and corruption for a very long time.
In the event you aren’t going to provide you with a cause for the PCs to enter the Valley, I believe you might have to juggle a number of the elements of this journey if you wish to current it as a location based mostly journey the place the PCs have all the data they should begin participating with websites. I believe the Cranium that lets the PCs know they’ll wrest management of the Skulls from Callem ought to be the Studying Cranium, primarily as a result of it’s proper subsequent to the stream the place the PCs are more likely to see it and work together with it with out going out of their manner. In the event you make this alteration, Mallorsa’s deception about visiting the Skulls in a particular order might be launched instantly.
Whereas the journey explains that interacting with the Cranium of Fortune they learn to attune to the Skulls, the ritual to quiet the Skulls is launched close to the tip of the journey and isn’t one thing they particularly be taught at any web site. It would work higher to let the PCs know that they’ll quiet the Skulls, and Mallorsa can attempt to deceive them to inform them that they should attune to the Skulls earlier than they’ll quiet them, or else the individuals “trapped” by the Cranium’s energy will endure. In any other case, it looks like the ritual to quiet the Skulls is one thing they’d be taught in the event that they requested round after they depart, and it could be difficult to maintain the Valley a recent encounter space in the event that they determine to return and crisscross it yet again.
Rise of the Loss of life Titan
For characters of stage fifth by means of eighth, with an intervening journey wanted should you performed by means of that one
In the event you carried out the quieting ritual, the baseline assumption is that the Valley is quiet for a century. This journey assumes that both you didn’t quiet the Valley, or in some way, Callem or whomever replaces him because the servant of the Titan Voices learns easy methods to reverse the quieting. Corrupt creatures begin coming from the Valley to the close by lands to harass them, letting the PCs know that evil remains to be there, and is shifting from passive to energetic.
The construction of the journey is to take the PCs to every of the Skulls once more. From the PCs’ viewpoint, they’re getting clues as to what Callem or his substitute is as much as. From Callem or his substitute’s viewpoint, they need the PCs to journey to every of the Skulls and shed blood there to seal within the ritual sacrifices which were carried out at every web site. Every Cranium has a clue to what’s going on:
- The Studying Cranium–”Blood turns into thought”
- The Cranium of Concern–”Blood turns into intuition”
- The Cranium of Fortune–”Blood turns into future”
- The Shaping Cranium–”Blood turns into the physique”
If the GM desires an extra encounter, there’s an space of the Valley the place a military of vinedolls is being grown, to serve the Titan because it’s conquering military. On this journey, the GM is instructed that some routes by means of the Valley can simply be clogged by animated vines, which is a little bit heavy handed, nevertheless it does make it simpler to maintain the PCs on monitor to have interaction with the content material within the Valley. I additionally suppose it’s extra acceptable to have this sort of “bumper” out there for a follow-up journey that’s meant to be an epic confrontation, as this journey is.
The Reaping Cranium doesn’t have a clue on the web site, as a result of that is the place Callem/Callem’s substitute is performing the ritual to permit The Reaping Cranium to rise as a 70-foot-tall skeletal colossus. In idea, that is simply the primary of the Titans to be animated on this method, however one is sufficient to trigger an unlimited quantity of harm.
What occurs if the PCs decide up on the concept that they’re shedding blood at every web site as a part of a ritual? Mallorsa is held in reserve on this journey, in order that if the PCs handle to skip a web site with out shedding blood, she’s going to sacrifice herself to activate that web site.
I all the time fear that “the ritual is ending simply as you get right here” stretches credulity, however the implication on this case is that the Titan remains to be powering up. Callem summons its full type, doing so earlier than it’s totally charged up, so it’s not a lot happenstance as it’s pulling the swap early. In idea, PCs can outlast the Titan by retaining it energetic for an hour, burning out all the facility that it’s amassed.
This second journey is an efficient instance of how tropes which may be issues, might be structured to repay. Mallorsa’s sacrifice is an efficient solution to present the fanatical diploma that she and the others have been manipulated by the Titan skulls. The Titan animating for a ultimate struggle isn’t simply in time a lot as, “okay, get up for now, end them off, after which you may sleep till you’re meant to get up.”
My largest want for this second journey is {that a} larger loophole than, “whoops, you didn’t banish evil for 100 years” existed within the first journey. Dropping a touch about some merchandise that might reverse the quieting, after which letting the PCs know that merchandise has been stolen could be an important precursor to this.
The journey mentions that you could be need to exchange Callem if he was killed within the first journey, and it implies that non secular creatures can’t attune to the Skulls, so Mallorsa and the Huntsman can’t take over for him. I used to be questioning should you might simply ensure he was some form of bodily undead to elucidate why he’s nonetheless round, so I went poking across the Fantasy AGE 2e adversaries part. That is after I realized that I’ve grown accustomed to the Fantasy AGE 1e adversaries part in addition to the 1e Bestiary.
I used to be trying both for an appropriate substitute, or for one thing that might allow you to current him as maybe being mutated and altered to carry him again. Within the 2e adversary part, you possibly can exchange him with a Warlock, both displaying him as having left his druidic skills behind or being changed by a brand new spellcaster. I used to be on the lookout for particular high quality so as to add, however none of them actually sung to me.
If in case you have the 1e books, there are just a few good candidates:
- Give him the Eldritch particular high quality from the 1e Bestiary, to characterize being mutated into an immortal servant of the Skulls
- Have it seem like Callem, however the physique is being puppeted by an Eldritch Crown loyal to the Skulls
- Substitute Callem with a Charnel Knight that represents the herald of the traditional Titans
- Substitute Callem with a Soul Harvester referred to as from “elsewhere” to help the Titans
As an apart, I’m trying ahead to a Fantasy AGE 2e Bestiary.
The Time Has Come
The journey has three very evocative, archetypical adversaries as the first antagonists, one among which has an important excuse for enjoying hit and run with the PCs, and one other that may be a nice conduit for roleplaying. The setting with the enormous Skulls is evocative, and the particular powers is simply sufficient mechanical reinforcement to provide them extra narrative weight. The second journey has “backup plan” to maintain the villain’s plot shifting ahead, with an related value, and frames the ultimate battle nicely.
Operating Up That Hill
There might be just a few extra “bumpers” constructed into the primary journey to entice the PCs to work together with the assorted websites, and getting false info from an NPC that prices the PCs extra time could not repay when measured towards frustration. The beginning of the second journey might really feel arbitrary if the ritual to quiet the Skulls was offered as a long-term resolution.
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The one factor that retains me from recommending this extra broadly is that it’s a little bit trickier to drop a complete valley right into a marketing campaign that has been operating for some time, and that each adventures are stronger collectively, however they require you to do your individual chopping and pasting of content material in between them to make them work.
Whereas there’s quite a lot of stable Fantasy AGE-specific mechanical results with the Skulls and the way they work together with spellcasting and stunts, the define of this journey works nicely with any fantasy RPG that’s okay with fantastical components like 70-foot-tall skeletal titans. It wouldn’t take an excessive amount of to adapt this for thirteenth Age, Shadow of the Bizarre Wizard, possibly even Dragonbane. In the event you’re on the lookout for marketing campaign settings the place this could match, the Previous Margreve forest within the Midgard setting could also be candidate. It’s massive sufficient to have some hidden valleys in it, and the bizarre sleeping titans, corrupted fey, cursed huntsmen, and fanatical druids all work fairly nicely with the themes of that place.
In case you are eager about having a look at this journey, or Fantasy AGE 2nd Version, must you be so inclined, the hyperlinks beneath are affiliate hyperlinks that may ship a small providing of energy to me should you sacrifice a few of your price range. Thanks!
