CREDITSORIGINAL GERMAN VERSION

Publishing DirectorMarkus Plötz

AuthorNico Mendrek

Special thanks to Mháire Stritter,as well as Heike Kamaris and Jörg Raddatz,

whose classic adventure, Brogar’s Blood,served as the inspiration for this adventure.

Design and 3-D Models (Game Master Mode)

Edouard Imbert, Larian Studios

Support at Larian StudiosMichael Wetzel, Sabine Kaiser, Michael Douse

Layout, Composition, and DesignRalf Berszuck

LayoutdesignThomas Michalski, Nadine Schäkel, Patric Soeder

Interior Illustrations and MapsMarcus Koch, Larian Studios, Ben Maier, Nathaniel Park, Matthias Rothenaicher,

Nadine Schäkel, Fabrice Weiß, Malte Zirbel

PlaytestersBenjamin Welke, Reinhard Rosin,Mháire Stritter, Bernd Teichert

ENGLISH VERSION

Ulisses North America Studio DirectorTimothy Brown

Managing EditorKevin MacGregor

Editing and InterpretationKevin MacGregor

TranslatorFelix Deckers

LayoutRalf Berszuck

Copyright © 2018 by Ulisses Spiele GmbH, Waldems.

THE DARK EYE, DERE, MYRANOR, RIESLAND, THARUN and UTHURIA are trademarks of Ulisses Spiele GmbH. The title and contents of this work

are protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems,

or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without written consent from Ulisses Spiele GmbH.Sample

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With thanks to all who helped create Aventuria.

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Prison of Shadows

Table of Contents

Introduction 05 Chapter 1 - Aftermath of Battle 10 Chapter 2 - The Forgotten Mountain Kingdom 20Chapter 3 - The Decision 32About this adventure module 34

To make a scene easier for the heroes, use the suggestions in this paragraph.To make a scene more difficult for the heroes, use the suggestions in this paragraph.

• Read-Aloud Text: You can read or paraphrase these sections for your players. They contain no GM-only information.

• GM Information: This information is for the GM, and is not meant for the heroes. It is sometimes just use-ful background information.

• Rumors: When heroes try to gather information, they might hear gossip and hearsay. Rumors are marked with a + (true), a – (false), or a +/– (partly true, partly false).

• Regarding NPC Stats: The stats given for NPCs contain all information relevant to the scenario but might not be complete, as we do not necessarily include every skill with a rating higher than 0. This is especi-ally true for NPCs with a large number of skills, such as spellcasters and Blessed Ones (for example, the stats for a powerful mage NPC might not include SR in Prepare Food). Feel free to add applicable

Quality, Prices, and BedsTaverns and Inns are rated by levels associated with their (Q)uality, (P)rice, and (B)eds. Quality indicates the establishment’s overall condition, Price modifies the prices listed in the Core Rules for services and goods by the given percentage, and Beds indicates the maximum number of beds available.

Level Quality Price

1 Miserable hovel Very cheap (50% of normal price)

2 Dirty dive Cheap (75% of normal price)

3 Simple inn Normal (normal price)

4 Good middle-class tavern Expensive (150% of normal price)

5 Exquisite hotel Very expensive (200% of normal price)

6 Luxurious hotel Extremely expensive (400% of normal price)

These boxes containimportant informationabout the game!

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About this adventure modulePrison of Shadows was originally written for Game Master Mode (GMM, for short), a set of game master (GM) tools packaged with Divinity: Original Sin 2, a popular computer roleplaying game by Larian Studios.

This publication allows you to run Prison of Shadows as a traditional pen-and-paper roleplaying adventure. Because the scenario is relatively linear in nature and uses only basic concepts and rules, it serves as an excellent introduction to Aventuria, the setting of TDE. Experienced GMs also will find much of interest here, and may easily adjust the encounters to suit their gaming groups’ preferences and abilities.

While Prison of Shadows includes advice for running this adventure with GMM, it does not explain the TDE rules. To run this adventure at the tabletop, you need The Dark Eye Core Rules or at least the Quick-start Rules. We recommend that new GMs read this entire scenario and familiarize themselves with the NPCs and encounters before playing.Once you play Prison of Shadows, you will know what

makes The Dark Eye so special. Your next journey is just around the corner. Adventure awaits!

What is Game Master Mode?GMM is a set of GM tools for conducting pen-and-paper tabletop-games. It resembles products such as Roll20, which are already familiar to English-speaking audiences. GMM, however, allows the players to explore entire cities, dungeons, forests, and anything else that their GM creates in GMM and populates with NPCs, enemies, and traps. As with traditional tabletop game sessions, a session using GMM involves live interaction between GM and players, with dialogue and other important pieces of information shared via (voice) chat. GMM’s graphics provide an exciting visual element for players. Furthermore, GMs may resolve combat encounters using either Divinity’s built-in mechanics or GMM’s custom dice-rolling tool that emulates the rules of The Dark Eye. If using the latter, however, the GM must manually remove the icons of defeated enemies from the battlefield.

GMM handles all possible interactions within a typical computer game environment, such as picking locks and picking pockets. However, the GM is not limited to the scripted mechanisms of a computer game. Even if the players decide to do something that GMM does not specifically handle, such as knocking down a wall, the GM can quickly remodel the scenery or just place the characters beyond the wall. No one is trapped in the strict confines of a computer roleplaying game (and in Divinity, said confines are not all that strict to begin with). Anything is possible!

Furthermore, GMM’s Vignette System allows GMs to display special art and a multiple-choice question at key points in the story. To proceed, the players simply select one of the options as a group. Of course, this can simply be handled by discussion and roleplay, but one of GMM’s strengths lies in its ability to present an exciting graphical atmosphere.

The GM tells players when to make rolls, declares which skills or attributes to use, and determines whether rolls succeed. GMM includes several die-rolling systems, such as that used by TDE, though this adventure presents skill checks in the format used for tabletop play. GMM also allows for simple attribute checks in place of skill checks, if desired. All checks in this adventure refer to

Introduction

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Prison of Shadows

the attributes and skills of characters made for TDE, but of course players are free to use the corresponding attributes of characters provided with Divinity. We leave this choice to your gaming group.

How Do I Use Game Master Mode?Many customers find GMM intuitive to use, and the Larian Studios team offers tutorials on their YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/user/LarianStudios. Note that this publication is not a how-to guide for GMM. Also, please do not mistake GMM for a computer game. Not everything described in this adventure appears in GMM, but GMM’s Prison of Shadows module provides instructions and tips on effective ways to make use of these elements, such as when and where to place NPCs in certain encounters, and what to do when heroes wish to return to a location they have already visited.

This publication includes tips for portraying the NPCs that heroes encounter in this adventure. While the authors tried to faithfully reproduce scenes in GMM, the platform cannot anticipate every situation and some locations do not include all the NPCs that might logically appear there as the story evolves. This was necessary to prevent overcrowding on certain maps. If desired, GMs may manually add figures (provided in the „Exported“ folder) to these locations.

As a special feature, GMM contains bonus content such as new opponents and other Easter eggs that are not mentioned here. The developers hid these goodies within the program because they liked certain monsters or because they wished to expand on certain elements of the classic TDE adventure, Brogar‘s Blood, which served as the inspiration for this campaign. Have fun discovering these hidden extras, and always keep in mind that they are not critical to the plot, so don’t worry if one escapes your notice. Adventure awaits!

A Brief Overview of TDE and AventuriaThe Dark Eye is the most successful tabletop roleplaying game in the German-speaking world, and has held this honor since 1984. Its key difference to systems such as Dungeons & Dragons is its more realistic approach. The fantasy setting of Aventuria is strongly grounded in the history and myths of Medieval Europe. Of course, Aventuria was influenced by Tolkien’s works as well, but in general the campaign strives for a more down to

earth feel than do many of its American counterparts. Other popular settings, such as Game of Thrones and The Witcher, use a similar approach.

Furthermore, TDE does not emphasize crawling through labyrinths and slaying monsters. Instead, the game focuses on the evolution of societies and solving minor and epic conflicts with diplomacy, investigation, skill, wits, and heroism. The setting and the rules are intimately intertwined. The past 30 years have seen the release of hundreds of adventures, novels, live-action roleplaying campaigns, play-by-post campaigns, and numerous computer games. In fact, one such (unfinished) project served as the foundation for Divinity 1. What started as a simple desire to produce roleplaying games in Germany has blossomed into a living world known for its fascinating characters, detailed history, and immersive mythology.

Aventuria is a comparatively small continent that nevertheless embodies all conceivable climates. Its cultures are primarily based on those of Earth’s Middle Ages and Renaissance, ranging from the hardy northerners of Thorwal and the classic knights of the Middenrealm, to slavers operating in the Empire of Al’Anfa and other kingdoms in the south. Most humans worship the Twelvegods, a benevolent pantheon that reigns from the heavenly city of Alveran. Dwarves and elves recognize this faith but don’t necessarily practice it, and orcs worship their own bloodthirsty idols. A nameless thirteenth god, who works to overthrow the Twelve, is sometimes known as the Adversary or the Destroyer.

Twelve Archdemons are twisted mirror images of the Twelvegods. For example, the lord of the Twelvegods, Praios, represents Justice, while his demonic counterpart, Blakharaz is known as the Lord of Vengeance. The Archdemons exist outside of Creation, ruling over their respective domains in the so-called Netherhells. Until a few years ago, most people encountered demons only in scary bedtime stories.

Aventurians received painful reminders of the existence of these entities just a few years ago, when Borbarad, the Demon Master, opened numerous portals to the Netherhells and plunged the Middenrealm into war. Borbarad preached that anyone could gain the ability to use magic if they were willing to forge a pact with a demon, a prospect that had, until then, remained the preserve of a scant few humans on the continent. Borbarad quickly conquered the imperial province of Tobrien and established a realm where terror and demonic magic are an everyday occurrence. Though Borbarad was eventually defeated, areas of Tobrien have yet to be liberated. These areas are known as the Shadowlands.

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Few in Aventuria know that their continent is part of a bigger world. Explorers discovered Uthuria, the southern continent, only recently. Far to the west lies Gyldenland, also called Myranor, where demon-summoning is commonplace, and mages rule without pity. A high elf known as Pardona or Pyrdona, whose followers believe she is the goddess of Magic, retreated to Myranor after her early defeat in Aventuria. She is the driving force behind many of the great ills that have befallen Aventuria over the past 5,000 years, and she remains one of the greatest villains in TDE history.

These events were the subjects of TDE adventures and campaigns for decades. In many cases, gaming groups played decisive roles in these conflicts. Now it is your chance to make a difference. With Prison of Shadows, your story in Aventuria begins today!

Loose Ends and Further ReadingFew of the newer TDE adventures are completely self-contained. Instead, they build upon the living game world of Aventuria by expanding regions within the setting, providing new takes on old mysteries, and sometimes even wrapping up loose threads from classic adventures. This does not mean, however, that you cannot play unless you know all these backstories. We provide context where necessary, and we hope you will conduct your own research on these topics and perhaps discover new sources of inspiration along the way.

Prison of Shadows can and should be played without prior knowledge of the setting. It builds up on a wealth of living history and strongly links the pen-and-paper universe to other media, as follows.

Those familiar with 2011’ DSA fan movie Leuenklinge will recognize one of the film’s characters in this adventure. That no-budget production is not considered canon, but since nothing about that character contradicted the setting, we are happy to welcome him into official Aventuria canon with this adventure. The events surrounding three canopic jars and the fate of an artifact called Borbarad’s Shadow are currently being explored in the official TDE LARP campaign, which has been underway for about a year. By its nature, however, fewer than a hundred players have been able to participate, and then only in Germany. We feel it is time to elevate it to a new medium and open it up to TDE fans across the globe. This story has ties to Mháire Stritter’s upcoming series of novels based on her Myranor adventures and several classic TDE adventures written by Bernhard Hennen.

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