Ravager of Time

Intermediate #I8

by Graeme Morris, Jim Bambra

So this is the Ffenargh? Mile after mile of stinking bogs overlain by a swirling mist that clings to the skin and chills to the bone. Ahead, a decrepit causeway rises scant inches above the fetid waters and meanders its way through the twisted forms of stunted trees into the depths of this forsaken land.

For years, these blighted fens have been ignored by the outside world, but now an urgent summons brings you into the Ffenargh, to the Court of the Lords Spiritual at Eylea. A foul murder has been committed. Geoffrey D'Arcy, Lord of Myrkfast, has been slain by his own son and you are called upon to find out why.

Death has always hung heavy over this mire, but now an ancient evil has returned to haunt the mist - an evil whose icy fingers reach out to crush any who dare delve its secrets. You who have faced death a thousand times, meet it now in ts most terrible guise. Can you defeat it, or will you fall victim to the Ravager of Time?

Genres: Fantasy

24 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

Reviews

[Pádraic]

An adventure with mood coming out its wazoo; reeking fens, dilapidated towns, ancient grudges and curses, and a villain who prematurely ages the player characters. Reduced to doddering elderly versions of themselves, they must fight young and enhanced duplicates to regain their former vitality.

The pieces here are all good, and it culminates in a pleasantly open battle setpiece (I don't know how powerful characters are in this system at this level, but, um, the odds seem stacked against them), but the link between the pieces is pretty weak. I was often confused in particular sections about why the PCs would be there at all. Nevertheless I appreciate the attempts, mostly successful I think, to constantly put the players in interesting and new situations--the immediate personal stake of stolen youth would be a pretty strong personal motivator to finish the adventure.

[Louis Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty complex adventure with a unique challenge (old age inflicted on the PCs) and a massive battle near the end. I would imagine that it requires the right attitude from the players and has a high difficulty factor - a TPK seems realistic. Still, I give it 4 stars for creativity and a fair amount of content for its small size.