SW2 5

Demons of the Burning Night (1989)

Demons of the Burning Night (1989) came out the same year as the Shadow World Atlas and re-establishes what to expect from a Shadow World module (structurally, they are very similar to the older Loremaster modules and, honestly, many of the MERP books, which should be unsurprising since Shadow World creator Terry K. Amthor had a hand in all of that as one of Iron Crown’s founders).

The focus of this book is the island of Aranmor, which is kind of like the Isle of Dread from D&D but with a black metal soundtrack. Everything living there is evil. Like, really, really evil. To the point that most adventurers avoid the place, despite the fact that it is a treasure trove of first age technology and magical artifacts. You kind of get that sense from the Tony Robert’s excellent cover.

Even the good stuff is kind of terrible. There is a horn that when blown, basically annihilates whatever is in front of you. But if you blow it twice before the moon Varin turns fully (ten days) the thing explodes, basically nuking everything in a 50’ radius. It’s beautiful, really.

The majority of the book is given over to detailing the ruined city of Tarek Nev, a horrible place full of danger. Even the trash pit is deadly (it’s a demon, concealed by sand, that just exists to digest garbage and whatever adventurers happen to step into its mouth). A fantastic resource, if you’re in need of a demon haunted city.

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