ISLE OF THE DARK
One of
WIZARD
Dark Shadows Rising – Part 1
Welcome to the first adventure in the
Campaign Dark Shadows Rising, designed
using the Open Game Licence (OGL) for the
fifth edition of the greatest game in the world,
in a unique campaign setting. This adventure
is based on, expands upon and updates to the
podcast “THACO and Things” by
PaperSwordPodcasting @PaperSwordPod and
is designed for 4-6 1st level adventurers, but is
easily adjustable for a differing number of
players or levels (we do suggest that the
maximum level for commencing this adventure
is 2nd so that the same types of monsters can
be used). A balanced party is always
preferable, but the adventure should work
with any mix of characters.
e convincing to come out. He was overrun by
ADVENTURE OVERVIEW
- STORY CHAPTERS 1-2
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CHAPTER 1
Starry Lake Town…
Using the name and legend of an evil wizard
called Hazsharad that once inhabited a small
island in the middle of Starry Lake, Ke’Heshor
has been undertaking experimentations into
undeath and combining it with golem creation
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over the last few years.
The wizard has his two sons working for him,
although truth be told he has no love for them
or anyone. Some time ago he subjugated a
tribe of goblins which he feeds and which
guard the only beach access to the island and
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the trail leading to the keep above it in which
he lives.
A year or so ago, using bits of wood from the
old keep and leather which he teleported
across, he had his goblins construct crude
boats called coracles. Using these, they travel
to the mainland and attack occasional
merchants or isolated farmsteads, bringing
back goods or corpses for their master to
experiment on.
Recently having used all his corpses, the
wizard sent his goblins to collect more dead
bodies from the graveyard which is about 3
miles Northwest of Starry Lake Town.
the boats unfortunately sank, the goblins
unable to swim, but the corpses floated
towards the shore and more goblins were sent
to retrieve them. They are spotted by the PCs,
and killed. The PCs see they are branded with
the symbol of Hazsharad the Dark, called that
for the dark shadows he commanded and his
power over death: he was one of the most
powerful necromancers of his age and used to
live on the Isle and spread his influence from
there. The PCs discover (they see dirt stains
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and scraps of burial cloth etc.) that they were
only recently exhumed, and there is a chance
they catch the disease Ringfever. Kendel the
innkeeper recognises one of the corpses as
Michek, an older man buried only a week ago;
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Kendel suggests that the PCs should take the
corpses back to the graveyard but should first
see the local cleric, Priest Markel. Markel will
heal the players of any Ring Fever disease sing
Less and also their wounds if asked.
At the graveyard the gravedigger Old Keb is
found barricaded in his hut, and needs
goblins but “kept them at bay” by running into
his hut and threatening he would attack any
that entered with his rake. The graves are
found to be missing another 6 bodies (8 in
total). The gravedigger says they should get
the other bodies back for reburial, or at least
make sure that they can’t be raised as undead
Back at the town, the Priest Markel requests
that they find and return the bodies or ensure
they can’t be raised as undead (probably by
fire). If asked, he will recognise that the brand
on the goblins is that of Hazsharad the Dark,
from the isle, but he assures the PCs that it
can surely only be a coincidence as the Dark
Wizard was slain over 10-score years ago (200
years). He can afford 70 gold pieces and 2
healing potions (2D4+2) as payment in total, to
be shared amongst the group; Persuasion
(DC12) to go as far as 80 gold pieces.
CHAPTER 2 The PCs investigate the island,
fight past the goblins that come from a cave,
and reach a trail upward, they are all branded
with the symbol of Hazsharad. At a plateau at
the top of the trail they fight the occupants of
two huts on the way to the old keep, which are
the sons of Ke’Heshor. They find in one of the
huts a brooch which (DC12 History, Local
Knowledge or Religion) they might recognise as
belonging to the Silver Guard, a holy order of
knights and paladins that worship Ixion in the
small kingdom of Toril. The lawful and just
 kingdom of Toril is a part of Baraben but
nestles near the border of Kavog to the West.
PCs then investigate the keep, it has orc
guards (all branded) as well as a few goblins,
and an impenetrable gate to the tower within.
There are other areas they can explore
however, such as the ruins of the stables,
workshop, a somewhat repaired garrison now
inhabited by orcs (branded) which serve The
Great One (wizard in the tower), and they can
get to the trap door in the open area with
stairs leading down, fight through orc forces
as well as other defences, and find various
corpses and medical notes that the last two
experiments would work well as assault forces
against the Silver Guard for the coming winter
assault. There is an impenetrable and
immovable crystal display cabinet box in a
private room on the lowest level in which floats
a book showing a page on golem making and a
horn from a powerful devil. To reiterate:
nothing in the crystal cabinet can be damaged
because it is impenetrable. They can destroy
the bodies by using the large barrels of oil they
find, which are used to fill the oil braziers.
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Then they can make their escape as the Great
Wizard and his companions enter; the players
will already know from conversations with orcs
etc that the Great Wizard is beyond their
power, so should flee. The Wizard’s
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companions are powerful… a dark Paladin and
a Fire Elemental (constrained to stay on the
isle) will pursue the characters but will not be
in time to stop them getting into the lake on a
boat; several will be struck with a reversed
Healing Word (Necrotic Word, a unique spell),
possibly rendering them unconscious, another
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by a firebolt, attesting to the danger of their
adversaries.
Back on land, the characters can level up,
before they consider going to (or suggested to)
travel to the West to warn the Silver Guard in
Toril.
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This ends the second chapter. The Third
Chapter commences with one of the players
attacked by a Lesser Stalker (a weaker version
of an Invisible Stalker) as they rest at night in
the Inn, and then will cover the trip to Toril,
meeting the Silver Guard and the City Militia,
the city itself, and adventures that occur
there. I hope you find these first two chapters
interesting enough that you want to continue
the campaign! Note: A product for Starry Lake
Surrounds will also be published soon, so that
GMs can use the adventure hooks and details
within to allow the same PCs to gain greater
experience or they can easily be used in any
other game the GM wishes.
Thanks for playing, I hope you get the next
Chapters
DOC
*
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A Note on Balancing the Adventure
The Game Master should reduce the number
of monsters for small parties. As a rule of
thumb for this adventure, for a party of 5-6 1st
level characters leave the enemy numbers as
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written. For a party of 4 PCs you may wish to
consider reducing the number of enemies by
25%, and give the party a total of two potions
of healing 2D4+2 from Priest Markel prior to
their journey to the island. For 3 or less, or
less you should consider lowing the enemy
numbers by 50% and give them each a potion
each from Priest Markel.
An old rule of thumb for a “moderate”
encounter was the monsters rated Challenge
divided by 4, so, for a rated Challenge 1
creature it would be a moderate fight for 4x 1 st
level characters. They could do a few of these
before all their resources such as spells and
hit points were used up. So, 1x ¼ rated
Challenge creatures is a moderate encounter
for 1x 1st level character, and you could expect
the character to win but possible be a little
damaged.
Based on the above, 4 goblins (each ¼) would
be a “moderate” fight for 4x 1st level
characters. 2 Orcs (each ½) would be a
“moderate” fight for 4x 1st level characters.
Based on that, 3 orcs in one fight would be
difficult for a party of 4 1st level characters,
but fine for a party of 6. 6 orcs against a party
of 4 would be extremely difficult, but possible
to win if the party were on maximum health,
had resources such as healing potions and
spells, and coordinated their attacks for
flanking and saturation of damage (taking
down 1 orc at a time quickly, rather than
sharing the damage out over all of them).
 STORY CHAPTER 1 - OVERVIEW
The party start off in the Inn Off the Lake –
sometimes called the Starry Lake Inn - a
pleasant inn catering to local townsfolk,
farmers, and passers-through alike. Just 100
feet from the edge of the placid Starry Lake, it
offers decent food and drink, average
accommodation, and a pleasant human
innkeeper called Kendel.
Starry Town Lake has no fish as such to catch
by line, but does have crabs that exist along
the Southern edge only. Even trying to stock
the lake with fish does not work, and it is
assumed this is because of dark magics in
ancient past or maybe the half-believed
legend of the Demon of the Lake (note the
crabbers fully believe it). Actually, it’s

GM/Players should discuss why they are here,
be it merchant guards that have finished their
hired time, travellers, or just simple
adventurers travelling from town to town
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because a giant catfish lives in the waters,
but it sleeps most of the time, arousing
rarely (every 3D6 days) to scour the lake

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looking for fame, glory… and gold. looking for food, which is normally crab. The
locals know not to go far into the water lest
It’s about 11 notches of the candle and they’ve the Demon of The Lake get them (none of
finally settled down for a late evening meal and them have ever seen it).
a flagon or two of the local ale. Most of the
other villagers have left already, especially
those that need to be up at dawn to tend to
A new wizard, using the symbol of Hazsharad,
fields and animals.
has over the last year or so taken up residence
in the wizards old keep. He has a tribe of
Either the PCSs- Player Characters - (DC12

vague shapes that can just about be seen

down by the shore…
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Perception roll) or a villager will point out
goblins working for him, and he himself is a
part of the Tribus (GM NOTE: The Three
Voices), a coming-together of three powerful
wizards that work for the nation of Kavog and
were sent to create unrest and develop the
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It’s no more than a large village really, as the
means to aid in the attack on Toril (a small
total permanent population is only
but powerful Kingdom that has a prominent
approximately 200 but there are often just as
number of noble paladins protecting it). In
many passers through, heading either to other
actuality, the wizards have become much more
parts of Baraben or maybe even as far as the
independent, and wish to create unrest and
deserts of Eshán to the East, and some few
war so that they can work undisturbed and
even go to the West and Kavog lands. The
eventually rule their own lands free from
town sits on the Eastern edge of Starry Lake,
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restrictive practices. PCs will not directly

and is fairly peaceful. The lake itself is only 5
combat the Tribus wizards in this adventure,
miles across, and at its centre lays the island
as direct confrontations will take place
known simple as Dark Wizard’s Isle, Dark
through published adventures at
Shadows Isle, or Isle of the Dark Wizard.
approximately levels 10-12. More will be
Ancient legends tell of the wizard of dark
discovered about the Tribus in later
shadows called Hazsharad that once called the
publications. Ke’heshor had been working
isle his home, and although that was over two
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diligently to further a means to aid in the war

centuries ago the locals still avoid the place
against Toril, until he became involved with a
where he once cast his foul magics.
devil and began to use the war against Toril to
gain personal power in line with the others of
The lake itself is devoid of fish, although
the Tribus… a Captain (Captain Dotega) of the
crustaceans can be found along the shores.
Kavogian army – and a mid-level Noble –
Locals say it is because of the demonfish that
became aware of his plans and is now
lives in the water… There are no docks for
imprisoned whilst Ke’Heshor decides what to
fishing owing to the fact there are no fish to
do with him. If the PCs let this Captain free,
catch, a few “crabbers” make their living by
he will seek to bring the knowledge to his
throwing in cages tied to spikes on the shore
superiors… other forces will quash his
with food to attract the fish, they drag these
accusations, however, the PCs now have an
cages in at dawn and catch enough to make a
ally and at a later point he will come to their
modest living. They will tell that sometimes
aid in Kavog.
the ropes have been bitten in two by the
Demon of The Lake.
 In this Chapter, the PCs are mostly unknown
to each other, sitting outside the Inn on Starry
Lake on a balmy evening finishing their meal,
perhaps having an after-meal drink and a puff
of tabac, when they notice something down on
the shore in the deepening shadows.
Upon investigation, they encounter goblins
trying to pull in a body. Battle ensues, the
goblins are defeated, the players then need to
try and find out what is going on. The goblins
are branded with a dagger above a book – the
ancient symbol of Hazsharad, whose ruined
keep lies on the island.
People in town will tell the PCs to take the
bodies to the cleric, he will put them back in
coffins with a holy wafer in the mouth to stave
off any chance of rising as undead, and as
payment for his healing ask that they PCs take
the coffins back to the cemetery the next
morning.
At the cemetery they find the grounds keeper
barricaded in his house, they convince him to
come out. He advises he was holed up e impenetrable tower, ruins of a stable and store
‘bravely’ to keep the many goblins from getting
to him – 8 of his graves were opened up the
yester-evening. He didn’t see, but there was
one with a deeper more powerful voice
directing the goblins, he did hear the word
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“Hazsharad” mentioned.
PCs row the goblins rickety boat to the island,
avoiding the rocks or having to swim/wade the
way if they went to the closest side – the
landing beach is on the far side. When
landing they can see another 7 or 8 boats
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pulled onto the shore near the entrance to a
cave, and at the far end of the beach is a steep
trail heading up the side of the small
mountain. END OF CHAPTER 1.
ADVENUTRE OVERVIEW
- STORY CHAPTER: 2
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- Back to Town, & Off Again
GM – The PCs have fought and beaten the
goblins. Any goblin survivors can be handed
over to the town (via Kendel, or anyone will
hurry off and get Gorbin the town-appointed
guards, he will lock goblins up in his brick-
built cell overnight, and will execute the next
morning. NOTE: the goblins will not survive
anyway unless put to sleep or similar.
The PCs have the opportunity to purchase
provisions, equipment and the like from the
various locations in the town, or they can
simply have a rest and use the coracle/s to get
across to the island.
On route across the water, they must make a
Perception DC 12 roll or the bottom of the
coracle will be damaged from the sharp edges
of the peaks of small mountains under the
water – the water is choppy around the
Eastern side of the Isle due to rocks and low
mountain peaks just under the surface which
might result in the PCs swimming to the local
beach where they are attacked by Giant Crabs.
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If the PCs land on the safe beach, they have
goblins to contend with and can even explore
the goblin cave system, from here they can go
explore crab beach again, or go up a (trapped)
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trail to a plateau high above. There, there are
two houses, both containing a son of
Ke’Heshor, one is a fighter the other a wizard,
and they will have to fight these whilst
avoiding orc patrols from the ruins on the
East.
The ruins contain an orc garrison, an
where they might find some useful items, and
a trapdoor leading downwards.
In the basement levels beneath the trapdoor,
they find orc guards, the exhumed human
bodies they were meant to find (which are
being experimented on in order to create
unholy golems with which to fight against the
Kingdom of Toril). They can also rescue
Captain (Dotega) of Kavog, who will be
thankful and will leave to inform his superiors;
Dotega will become an ally of the PCs if they
ever go to Kavog in the West (which they will if
they follow this campaign).
It is in the lowest basement that they find
Capt. Dotega, and also the golems nearing
completion… these golems are undead,
imbued with dark shadow energy such as
Hazsharad used to use, and there is a horn of
the devil wherein Hazsharad got these dark
shadow powers…
The PCs should hopefully flee before
Ke’Heshor and his two guards come down and
find them… one is a Death Knight the other a
fire elemental.
The PCs should burn the basement using the
barrels of oil, but whatever they do should flee
and get back to the town where the adventure
ends (and they can level up).
This is the end of the Overview
 ADVENUTRE
- STORY CHAPTER: 1
The Inn on Starry Town Lake is comfortable
with two fireplaces, one each on the North
and West walls of the Tap Room (common
room). The Western fireplace goes through
to the kitchen, separated by a grill.
The owner and bartender is Kendel Briarley,
a middle-aged human with dark hair going to
grey with a bald patch which seems to be
growing at the same rate as his paunch, he
has a friendly jovial voice and kind
demeanour. He is ably assisted by Maude,
his wife and cook, their daughter Kaude and
the orphan boy Maille – both of the
youngsters are 12 years old, Kaude red-
haired like her mother is kind but cheeky
whereas Maille is quite serious and strives to
do everything exactly as instructed.
Food is wholesome and 1 silver for a hearty
stew of meat and vegetables and two thick
slices of fresh bread, watered wine is 8
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coppers and ale is another silver. A room for
the night is 2 silvers and includes breakfast
and watered wine or half an ale.
Other Patrons of the Inn at this time
Orvitt Ironthew, Dwarf Blacksmith. One
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eyed, speaks gruffly, can repair and make
metal implements, armour and weapons.
AC:16 in chainmail or 12 in working leather.
HP:12, Attack: Hammer +5 Dmg:1d4+4.
Traille Longstrider, Female Halfling Ranger.
She’s retired now, but is 3rd level. She wears
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studded leather, and uses a shortsword and
shortbow. AC: 14 HP:28 Att:+5 Dmg:1d6+2
Pasett, human trader and 2 guards, on the
way to Toril. He leaves next morning; his
wagon carries grains and cloth. His two
guards are brothers, Bordo and Tordo, both
are tall, broad, and not interested in
speaking. AC:14 HP:11 Att:+4 Dmg:1d8+2.
There are generally up to another 20
patrons.
GM – Familiarise with the map at the end of
this document in case the players ask any
questions.
GM TO READ “You sit outside the Inn on
Starry Lake, just having finished a late
evening meal, it is already about the eleventh
notch of the evening candle. It’s a balmy
summer evening a fair few weeks before the
autumn is due to herald the oncoming winter,
the stars are easily visible above you although
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the moon is partly covered by some low patchy
clouds. You sit back and enjoy your after-
meal drink and possibly a puff or two of tabac
– halfling brown is quite common here, one of
four or five types commonly available and
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quite cheap per pinch. Around you another
few patrons are also finishing their meal; most
have however left for the evening especially if
they are expecting to be up at dawn to see to
crops and animals in the fields to the East and
North. If you would all like to describe and
possibly introduce yourselves…”
The players should describe their characters
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here.
GM – have everyone roll Perception Rolls.
Remember that those without Darkvision or
Lowlight vision are at Disadvantage. Success
is a 15, which is what the GOBLINS have
rolled for Stealth (they had advantage due to
the poor light). If someone succeeds, go to 1,
otherwise go to 2.
1) – SUCCESS Noticing the Goblins
GM TO READ “Your practiced eye picks out
something interesting on the shore of the lake,
which is perhaps 100 feet away. It’s not very
clear, but appears to be a smallish coracle
boat, with at least a couple of small figures on
it, nearing land. What do you want to do?”
GM – Those succeeding get advantage on their
initiative rolls.
2) – FAILURE Not noticing the Goblins
GM TO READ “It’s a beautiful evening, the
stars are shining, the sound of the small
ripples of the Lake hitting the shore… quite
pleasant.”
GM – It is probable at this point that the PCs
that noticed something (if any) tell the others
what they have seen. It is however possible
that they say nothing, or go to investigate
themselves (in which case they move their
normal movement towards the shore,
narrowing the distance from 100 feet
accordingly). GOTO 3.