Treachery & Forgotten Sins is an extensive one-shot for characters level 4 – 8. The town of Daghuidin has recently come under more and more bandit attacks, each of which seems more pointed and effective than the last. This has driven many to seek shelter in the town which, its supply routes disrupted, is now facing a food and water shortage. The leader of the town, Baroness Daghui, requests that the party seek out the invaders and, if necessary, light the beacons in the land to raise an army to drive the invaders off. What she doesn’t know is that her lord the Duke Terseten is actually dissatisfied with her and wants to remove her from power. He has sent the bandits, and he knows that the beacons will summon a horde of undead that will target the baroness and others who feel like her. The party must therefore either uncover and prevent this attack or save the baroness from the undead attack. It’s a race against time, a siege, the dead, and so much more.

The central idea behind Treachery & Forgotten Sins is actually quite interesting, and the NPCs and lore are complex and engaging. The party finds itself in the middle of political turmoil and intrigue, and they could unwittingly kill a noble woman. The numerous combatants and locations are also quite exciting and do truly keep you on your toes.

However, there is something lacking in the execution of this adventure. If you were intimately familiar with this world and its characters, you would probably be able to use this adventure more easily than I did. Much of it is summarized, and there are broad directions to follow as well as a few handy maps. However, the blocks of text and instructions also made it difficult to scan, and, as a DM, I felt like I was forcing my players do so something very specific rather than allowing them to dictate the story. It also felt like I had to skim through a lot of words to get to specific actions and outcomes. The race against the clock at the end was intense, but I still felt like that I had to make up a lot on the spot to get it to work.

Overall, this is a decent adventure. The world building and characters are excellent, and it has a lot of different mechanics and pieces to be excited about. However, organizationally it was a bit difficult to follow and use. In the future, I would recommend making the text larger and the page background paler, the read aloud text easier to skim and find, and the narrative instructions shorter and more concise. Doing so will more clearly convey the adventure and its instructions and outcomes.