SOS16 Sands of Sorrow

SANDS OF SORROW

A Fantasy Adventure for Player Levels 4 to 6
Intended for Use with Most Fantasy Roleplaying Games

Ancient evils stalk the nomadic tribes of the harsh and unforgiving Parched Desert.
Vile rulers from their people’s past have returned, released from their imprisonment.
These undead despots will rule the desert again unless stopped; will you face them?

Greetings adventurers and Game Masters! 

I am pleased to announce the release of the sixteenth adventure in my Old School Series, SANDS OF SORROW. Your players being this adventure in peril, having been caught unawares by a violent and sudden sandstorm while traveling the arid and deadly wastes of the Parched Desert. Having lost the trail and finding themselves wandering aimlessly in the dunes, they are rescued by a band of local nomadic tribe-folk, who bring them to their secure camp nearby. The players are fed and given every form of hospitality these folk can provide. But heroes should always be careful of accepting favours…because before the night ends the players will be asked by the nomad’s leader, a proud man named Vashti, to take on a quest in exchange for the hospitality he has shown them. For it seems an ancient evil has arisen from the dunes, dark ghosts from these folks distant past, and they are in need of heroes to root out this evil! This scenario is a mid-level adventure intended for 4 to 6 players of levels 4 to 6.

Synopsis: The adventure in this scenario takes place in the arid Parched Desert which lies between two fertile regions in the land of Terrans; the mighty empire known as The Imperium to the south, and a collection of five independent, allied nation states to the north. This desert is populated by a proud group of nomadic tribe-folk who can trace their lineage in this region back for centuries. They and their ancestors have dwelt here since before the great cataclysmic conflict between Law and Chaos which rent this once rich land asunder, and left it as it is now, a rocky, sandy desert kingdom dotted with small, hidden oases.

This adventure involves that legacy. Ancient evils, long buried but not forgotten, have resurfaced from the desert sands. Foolish outsiders, grave robbers with no respect for or knowledge of the history of this land, have plundered the wrong tomb complex and unleashed the Chaotic undead which were entombed therein. These cruel creatures have been stalking the desert from their ancient burial place, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

The tribes have been attempting to safeguard their people but this evil is beyond their power to contain. They are in need of adventurers to aid them; a group of nomads was sent out to try and find such heroes from the nearby lands. This is where your players come in; caught in a dangerous sandstorm late one evening, your players will be rescued by a band of nomads who lead them to the safety of their camp. Once back at their camp, the nomads will offer their hospitality and, in exchange, they will ask the players to aid them by seeking out and destroying the evil that has risen from this ancient tomb. So the question is:

Will your players answer the heroes’ call and help put down these undead servants of Chaos?

The Tomb of King Neb-tukufu and Queen Kissa-ari

Cartography by Louis "sirlou" Kahn, all rights reserved.   

This adventure was written to be generic and compatible with most fantasy role-playing games (FRPG), and minimal statistics are included in the text of the adventure to keep it as generic as possible. Complete OSR statistics blocks are included in the appendices for the seven (7) new foes presented in this adventure, including the several new forms of undead. This scenario also features three (3) new magical item, including the accursed Eye of Kissa-ari, as well as standard old world fare! 

PLUS with this purchase you also get a free copy of my 2022 Starry Knight Press Catalog, which has information on all of my modules and supplements, as well as maps of the known portions of my campaign world of Terrans, and bonus content (new monsters and magic items for OSR/5E) from my published books!

Louis “sirlou” Kahn
Starry Knight Press