When I originally saw this I wasn't that this would be a resource that I would use. That will change! It is apparent that a great deal of focus went into this resource's presentation and also meal selection. I appreciate that the level of meta presented is not crunchy at all. To my surprise, the meta was applied accross several RPG systems through their respective Creative Commons-not just 5e SRD! Yes!

It would be nice to go into a tavern and not only be presented a menu, but have some meals with a bit more cultural zing to them. A fun way to really incorporate meals into your games, beyond drink menus. NGL- I was hoping for the recipes too. I hope those are on a "road ahead" for this fun product.

UPDATE: I ran this as my Annual Holiday AL Game from my local supporters. Dropped Mid-Winter snow on the ground. My players were a party of 6 players at APL (Average). The players enjoyed it. I did not provide the magic items to the players as designed, but revealed them at the Troll and Tankard so the players could see what was 'on the table' (all pun intended). My players were able to deal with the undead through clever use of the pits and interaction by one of the Thayan (Apprentice Wizard using a Firebolt spell; I did mention the deus ex machina feel in my previous review). I was pressed for time and used the last Wave as the encoutner here. I also made the space a bit more Thayan (added dread warrior bodyguards as a presence). My players offered to help the Thayans corral and deal with the undead. I enjoyed that there were waves to continue the combat if necessary. But presenting the final encounter in waves does make it easier to manage if pressed for time--you don't have to use all the waves and can head to the Conclusion. I was a bit confused as to the purpose of the Int (Hist) check that reveals the history of Hurlburg. I am not sure what the lore reveal's purpose was other than a "red herring". In this case, it is a good practice to clearly inform DMs of red herrings. I appreciated that some encounters could be handled narratively. I am adjusting my review. My players enjoyed this product with slight narrative modifications. There is enough here to run a fun adventure.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Just from reading UBCON01-01, I enjoyed the background. The adventure hooks seem a bit specific and one of them has a great tie to location history. The Call to Action is enjoyable but granting treasure before the adventure really starts is never a good thing. Part One has a bit of a snafu in the taphouse concerning tables spacing and difficult terrain in the same sentence. Part One is all social and exploration pillars. It seems like a map is needed somewhere because it offers a Cartography proficiency check to learn geographic knowledge. Part Two’s beginning is confusing. It describes dealing with the enemies narratively vice rolling dice and captures how arduous your travel to the area of the final encounter with a dice roll that forces players to expend HD. The loss of hit dice is something I have not seen in other adventures yet. It’s frequently Con Saves for exhaustion levels. You may want to consider adjusting the damage on the pits .. a Lower APL party are doomed if they fall in any of the pits. A mage and a necromancer will be a challenge to most tier one parties and be the demise of a lower level party quick. The big takeaway in Part Two is that if your player have buy-in at the CTA, then they will do so when it comes to allying with The Red Wizards here. When you finally face the undead horde, I like how they have deus ex machina if its needed. It could be depending on how challenging the undead horde is. I don’t believe that I’ve seen anything by this designer before, but I hope with more opportunity the designer will add more brevity and clarity to narratives and Area Information and get a second set of eyes on it during edits. There is some good content here to give players a great time! Good Gaming!

Hello all-

I had the opportunity to present this adventure at my local game store. I thought I'd share my players comments as well as my observations:

The players enjoyed it! They were thouroughly 'concerned' with the encounter with fomorians. These beings are preavalent in the Moonshaes regions, but this was the first time most of them had been here, so they were excited to see the creatures. The temple "crawl" held their interest. One comment was from a player was like "it felt old school". They unfortunatley did not want to attempt to purify the moonwell but did defeat the necormancer and their minions. We wrapped up there. I ended with a narrative that Ffurgh and other servants of the Earthmother finished the job (they do anyway in the plot; so this isn't steering away from the story flow).

As a DM, I will say that there is enough here to piece an adventure seperate from the awesome overarching RISING SHADOWS storyiline if your game is better suited for that. There is an aventure flow chart makes navigating this adventure easier as well. A good purchase for adventurers focused on Exploration and Combat Pillars.

This adventure is certainly has more than one interesting moment. Here were a few that I noted.

-- I can appreciate the designers' narrative flair throughout the adventure. As a convention DM, I hope to have brevity; however, if I'm running it under no time contraints, the exposition is less of a hindrance. -- Right off the bat with compelling meta. I really enjoy the environmental effects the designer presents in the Call to Action: Momentum Complications Tablel! Imaginative and Well Done! -- An hour long Call to Action (CTA). Yikes! I picture CTAs as a small part of the adventure. Your mileage may vary. -- I like the apparent moment "jaunting" in this adventure. I don't want to spoil it but I like how the designer takes us into different moments subtlely and strongly infuenced by past D&D adventures. This is the major and dominant highlight of this adventure. I appreciate that the designer recognizes that this could be too many encounters for a session and provides a sidebars to help DMs navigate this to accomadate their session/event timing. Superbly Done! -- I wish a more detailed description of Fugit, Momentum and Fey Crossing Information existed at the beginning of this adventure. However, it does exists in the Appendices for those that are not already familiar with the Domain of Momentum. -- Lots of Story Rewards and Handouts.

I'm not a frills-centric person, so I don't have an opinion on the maps. I'm after narratives and meaningful meta. This designing duo does provide both. It is MORE THAN ENOUGH to provide your players an enjoyable D&D experience. This is an adventure worth having in your adventure libraries. My overall rating is based off of no noticeable plot holes, overall well-designed adventure, variety of challenges presented, that MAJOR Nod to D&D adventurers and personalities past and the modular encounters. I left that last star out there because I'd like to know what this design team does to one up this product!

It's been awhile since I read this adventure. I re-read it to familiarize myself with it. to potentially present at a local convention. I made some observations that I thought I would share with you all:

-- I appreciate that the content warning was there. The background vibe of this adventure is mature and somber. The story of the archfey is a hopeful, honorable and tragic one. The adventure follows suit: somber and then it gradually rises to a place of hope and reconcilliation. -- The DC 17 Charisma (Insight) check seems a bit high coming right out the gate. I like that there is a check opportunity for PCs to discover that this 'graying' effect is spreading. This causes a bit of confusion as to the "why" though? As I understand this, the color is taken when the children pass and their memories are a taken from the archfey minions to the domain. This could go in different directions that the adventure flow doesn't prescribe. If the 'graying' is spreading, then are more children passing on? -- The background of the adventure mentions concerns of the Emerald Enclave, but other than that, makes no mention of them beyond the adventure. This could be a great adventure hook for PCs that are members of the Emerald Enclave. -- One of the adventure hooks is the Call to Action; not sure if this was intended or not, but presenting it to players as a hook and then presenting the Call to Action might have the player wondering "Why did I need an adventure hook then?" -- There are some vibrant NPCs in the adventure. This gives DMs the opportunity to present a different cast of fey creatures to their players! -- I believe what is in the Wrap Up of the adventure is moving. The interaction with Susana at the end should capture the tone of the adventure you present. The designer does provide a good supported description of Susana to capture ending dialogues in any way you wish.

My rating is based off of this being a first product I have read from this designer and common "first effort" editting and styling observations. I do hope to see more adventures from this designer throughout the Dungeoncraft Program!

Hi all.

I presented this adventure to my players last week and collected a few thoughts from them and myself about the experience. I thought I'd take time to share you our collective thoughts.

1. Another exciting background setting. I liked seeing the Fey of Sarifal leading the war effort. I really appreciated that players can experience interaction with each of the war camps, but don't have to.
2. Each one of the gifts that can be given by the camp leaders are creative, and a big help to lower APL parties.
3. There was a little bit of confusion for my part. Prince Araithe want the heroes to locate and destroy the portal, but then the narrative points out that the armies cannot approach Caer Callidyr until the goblin threat is eliminated. Then it continues by saying eliminating the goblin force is not necessary. I just went with "find the portal and destroy it" and advised the players that they'll have to figure out how to deal with Great Gark's army to get it done.
4. The players and I both appreciated the handouts on the culture, mannerisms and structure of each camp. Very handy for future adventures that involve these armies too.
5. The Triumph of the Goblin King was an interesting surprise! Players were fortunate that they had the potions they needed or else this had the potential to turn very challenging very quick. Player favorite challenges were The Chef's Tent and The Fighting Ring Tent!
6. The Crowd Reaction Table in the Fighting Ring Tent was great!
7. When my players finally met Great Gark and Maevensoot, they stalled. I didn't see anything that reveals where the portal is at, so I had the dragon do its 'thing' and had the party do an Arcana/Nature Check to determine where the portal was.
8. The battle was challenging for an 11th level druid, 12th level ranger, 12th level rogue, and 11th level wizard. The party fled the cavern, Maevensoot escaped. The party caused a cavern collapse as they fled. I added a chaotic scene of scrambling goblins and hobgoblin's in the camp to weave through to get to safety!
9. The players commented that the final battle was challenging. They enjoyed the adventure.
10. I'm not a big frills person; but the artist NPC renditions slowly are starting to make me come around.

This adventure was a great primer for the remainder of the series. I am already prepping 18-2! If running these adventures in order, I encourage DMs to note elements of the Wrap Up here to take into 18-2. If you're going to run this adventure, "go big, or go home!"; might as well pick up all three of the trilogy. I'm certain once you run this one, your players will likely want to know what comes next. Another Baldman Games Moonshaes gem!

Hello DMsGuild Patrons!

While preparing/reading this adventure, I made note of several things that stood out to me as a DM and as a designer. -- I needed something that projected "romance". The adventure's title effectively did this. The romantic elements were not veiled. Thank you. -- One of the last DC adventures I did read/prep had one of the NPCs in this mod highlighted. I enjoyed seeing Travelling M'agh. -- Creating an NPC at the table is fun--glad to see this opportunity here! -- Letting your DMs know that the potential for gaining NPCs in kinda sidekick-like roles was a good call. It gives DMs a heads up that adjustments may have to be made in narratives and meta. Be mindful that these NPCs don't take agency from players. -- I enjoyed the narratives on the domain and the archfey. The fey crossing to this domain is really 'involved'. It is one part of the adventure. -- One question I had for my prep is, "What does the archfey do all day if they have guardians taking care of the lands 'balance'?" While it may likely not come up in play, it was something that I pondered. I did not notice any narrative that speaks to this. -- There is a part of the adventure that involves taking an oath. I immediately wondered, "What if players don't want to?". If you think your players will do this, be sure to have contingencies in place to further the adventure flow. -- Many opportunities for player exhaustion as consequences. The adventure does mitgate this well (accessible plants and such). Very clever. -- The random encounter table was enjoyable. I grew up in a fam where durian was enjoyed ...often..but not by me! LOL! I chuckled and thought, "That encounter should have the Con save attached to it! Pee Yew! -- I liked the Lair Actions Sidebar in Part 4 as a potential challenge adjustment option for DMs. -- The confrontation in Part 4. could have alot NPCs and creatures involved. If your game is time-sensitive, be mindful of it. -- The Wrap-Up provides alot. Great for RP-heavy games--If pressed for time, pick out highlights that best summarize player's experiences.

'Two Hearts Apart' provides more than enough for DMs to present a game that players will enjoy. It is filled with many elements that could stretch playability. There is combat. Exploration and social pillars feature prominently. I believe this adventure captures Domain of Delight concepts/elements well. Also, it was an enjoyable read, and well-edited. I added it to my collection--you should too. My rating was based not completely reading other works by the designer to compare and contrast. I look forward to seeing other works by Shu Qing Tan!

Good afternoon.

I recently ran this adventure as part of a Border Kingdoms Weekends effort I am committing to for the next few weeks. I thought I would provide my tables collected feedback. -- They enjoyed the adventure. The narratives were there to help deliver an enjoyable experience. I used the sound of hooting and grunting often. -- I like that the earthen areas of the burrows were loose and potentially a danger. Good environmentals. -- Players were a bit frustrated that they could only learn surface information about the roots. I tried to 'squeeze the lemon' on information that I could give. Once I provided descriptives of Netherese frescoes, etc. they started to get the picture. -- I appreciate the Bonus Objectives--they actually flowed well into the main plot line. I only used one, but could have used two if more time. -- The Crimson Fever? Yes. Good design. Thank you. -- The challenges presented by Anders stimulated conversation and interaction within the group. -- The dilemma. Not sure if it was intended, but the party got into some great RP (I also suspect they broke character as well) when discussing what to do with the little ones. They were torn between leaving them or putting them out of their misery. -- Amberees or Ambrees? Not a showstopper, but did have me do a double take for a second. -- Overall-fun adventure. Not surprising, considering the designer. Its a gem! DMs should add this one to their adventure libraries!

Hello all.

I just recently ran this adventure (I have run all three in this trilogy) for my weekly group. I thought I would present our collective thoughts for your consideration: -The adventure is well written. There were not moments for me where I felt like I did not understand what was going on -The designer gave some caveats to unsucessful checks in areas that were crucial to drive the plot. Something I am still learning to do well. -Another climatic encounter at a Moonwell that was a bit diffferent. The players commented that they like Kauth as as nemesis because they would defeat him and Kauth would continue to come back. Here they had an opportunity to drive th nail in Kauth's coffin. they enjoyed that. -The Call to Action is long. If your table is one that enjoys a lengthy lead in, this is perfect. My group was pressed for time. I presented the tarot card reading as Riwal (And showed them the illustrations-wonderful!), had Olivia explain what each card meant and what they needed to do, and off they went! -NPCS! Lots of them. I enjoyed that players that have played the Moonshaes adventures could reach into their memories for those NPCs they have crossed paths with in their journeys. It helped the process for ID the whose who of the ritual invovled in the adventure. For DMs that have favortie NPCs there are plenty to enjoy in this series. My favorites are Hyll, Alerelean, Snicklet, Riwan and Olivia. -Like the Call to Action, the ritual nuances in Part Three are perfectly presented for players and DMs that enjoy them. Again I was pressed for time- I gave a brief mention of the ritual. I merged elements of Scene B and C. Narrated the steps in the ritual each round while the characters fended off Kauth and minions.

• Didnt see this coming-but one of the plot points has you return to Caer moray. PCs with backgrounds there have the opportunity for interaction with those they have met through their adventures and indulge spellcasting services, etc. -The ending to the adventure was moving--and a perfect end to this trilogy. The overall rating was based off of clarity of design, good plot elements, engaging narratives, modularity and a great climatic battle with Kauth!

Good afternoon.

I had the opportunity to present this adventure to my players. I wanted to present out collective thoughts:

• The players enjoyed the adventure as did I.
• This module continues in a series that presents NPCs full of personality. The NPC were fun and easy to present
• The narratives are written in a a clear, concise manner.
• There is a Combat Encounter that has the potential to players to be unavoidable. Just be aware, the narratives provided do offer DMs a way to let players know that there is a non-combative solution. There is resolution if combat is pillar of play engaged by players.
• My players aren't big on puzzles; howevere, they thought that these puzzles were tolerable. They worked through them rather quickly.
• The Story Award was a welcome one. The players have not had one in a long time--none of the players had encountered a swanmay
• Numerous artists are in the acknowledgements--their talented effort brings these adventures to life!
• This adventure was a worthy follow-up to 16-1. I am printing 16-3 while we speak. If it is anywhere close to the quality that the others, my players and I will have a great play experience.

Resp.

Marcello De Velazquez

My players enjoyed this adventure.I only ran the two-hour version of it. The adventure was easy to prepare. Its highlight for me is at one point, there are challenges that permit the characters to use a plethora of skills to overcome the challenges. I did use the table to randomly determine two of the challenges, and then had the players consensus on the ability that they would like to be challenged against for the last challenge. I have not seen a medusa in an adventure for some time. I would have liked to know more about why it is that Ravinan became the guide of the MindFortress, although this knowledge is not necessary effectively present the adventure. Good job!

Hello all,

I had the opportunity to run this adventure in my weekly, and these are the collected thoughts of myself and my players.

1. I enjoyed the background. I have always been amazed at how the Moonshaes are a small region of Faerun, and yet the Baldman Games bunch continue to create engaging stories. The primer is very appropriate--it grabs anyone that reads it.
2. Our players spent alot of time in the Call to Action. This group has played in the Moonshaes for awhile--they have met some of the NPC before. If you have players that have some time in the Moonshaes area, DMs may want to consider planning for RP with Pilark, Rhyss, Hyll and Snicket.
3. I enjoyed the Traveling Through Despair Narrative. Presenting ways that a travel pace can effect encoutnter without getting into numbers crunhcing is always a plus (at least for me). I appreciate that the designer thought to do this.
4. The Utilizing Antola Sidebar- VERY HELPFUL! Saved me page-flipping and permitted me to jot down meta notes next to the sidebar. Thank you!
5. I did use the ShadowFell Despair. I was not sure that in addition to the reconciliation for it, these effects leave at end after the adventure. I think that answer is just in general AL rules, but I brought it up because I was thinking about it.
6. There was more than enough material here to either meet timing. I had to cut out two scenes to meet my timing, but the scenes are written pretty compartemented. You could easily shift important elements between each one.
7. The Fountain of Fairie scene was more than appropriate: gripping. exciting, Yeth Hounds! Allips! Star Spawn Seer
8. Having Antola Pilark can let you help the party .. I did have her use faeirie fire and mass cure wounds.. but left the stage to the players. the battle took about 6 rounds with a rouge, cleric, barbarian, wizard and fighter.
9. Recurrent NPCs, a threat that is familiar to them but growing and a worthy final encounter are this adventures player highlights. I bet that if you add this to your collection, you will find many more things to like. Well done.

Hello all.

I recently presented this to my players and thought I would share our collective thoughts for your consideration:

--The adventures premise is fairly standard: benefactor wants uou to rescue a colleague (or his works) and return with proof of success. --The adventure was easy to read and present. --I'm a fan of gnolls. My players enjoyed the camp encounter--it was challenging to them. I had the BBEG use the magic item in the adventure and reskinned the damage like a bite. --I appreciate the nod to 4th eds skill challenges, but my players were already burned out on it after the second cycle of checks. Five migh t be a little over the top. Gauge your players--go from there. --I like the idea of the Border Kingdoms Historical Society. I wonder why it isn't actually a faction/group you can sign up with? We had some player RP asking questions about it--I winged it. --I did give out the Story Reward, but it did leave us scratching our heads. It appeared to us that the benefactor embellishes a little bit on the accomplishements of the players. But they did enjoy the overall adventure.

My rating was based on the easieness of reading, straight forwardness of plot and honorable effort to bring a skill challenge into an AL mod. If you are looking to something to quick-prep, this is it!

Resp

Marcello De Velazquez

This product presents some very interesting concepts based in some great Forgotten Realms lore. As a player that may dabble in higher-levels of magic, something to definitely add some variety to your spellcasting. As a DM, I see the potential for using the resource to add something a little different to spellcasting enemies. Overall, a well thought out and put together product. If you're on the cusp of buying this, do it. If you already own it, share with other spellslingers out there! I bet they enjoy it too. DM Marcello De Velazquez.

DMs, this adventure is a great straight-forward "hunt-the-beastie" adventure with just the right mix of social, exploration and of course beastie. Going on a hunt to gain renown in the Border Kingdoms, while potentially bringing closure to a regional legend brings about great opportunities for enjoyment. My players were concerned when they finally saw the 'prize'. One actually looked at me and said, "You know we are a tier one party, right?". Not surprisingly, Alan Patrick seems to be able to wrtie adventures that make players look at their DMs in concern or in excitement. that goes for DM's too! I'm a little late to the game with this review, but I just ran this adventure a few weeks ago. Add it to your collections if you haven't yet!

DM Marcello De Velazquez