''Nightmare Keep'' () is an
adventure module for the fictional
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
for the second edition of the ''Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
''
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
role-playing game.
Contents
The 64-page booklet is wrapped in a removable gatefold cover. The adventure takes place in the Veilstone Peaks northwest of
Cormyr
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...
, 50 miles west of the Farsea Marshes. It takes place after the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
and the death of the god
Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
.
* Background: Icelia of the Witches of Rashemen desired to extend her dominion over the world. Now exiled, her insatiable lust for power has turned her into a
demilich. In her secret tower, Icelia has spawned an army of horrors that will soon be ready to be unleashed.
* Prologue: ''Flies and Lizards'': The
player characters are summoned by Balko Verdemeer, an emissary of the King Azoun IV of
Cormyr
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...
. A strange, evil-looking insect was found near the Veilstone Peaks, next to the mutilated bodies of a man and a horse. The king wants the party to discover if there are more insects like this, and to destroy them. There is a hefty reward of gold and land. No adventurer has yet returned from the Peaks.
* Chapter 1: ''Squirrels and Wasps'': The party explores the poor villages around the Veilstone Peaks. The party hears rumors about the good magician Amry Wolover and nearby Wolover's Keep. Wolover has not been seen for some time. While exploring the tower, the party encounters monsters and a strange orange mist in the basement.
*Chapter 2: ''Goldfish and Turtles'': The party arrive in a large cavern of jagged walls, filled with bats. A stone bridge stands high above an underground lake. While exploring this dark labyrinth, the party learns the fate of some of their predecessors.
*Chapter 3: ''Leeches and Butterflies'': The party ventures deeper into the maze, where they find the remains of more unlucky adventurers, and one arrogant survivor who is willing to trade information grudgingly. This second area is dark and chilly and smells of rotting meat. The party is assaulted by insects, oozes, shadows, and various undead. Slowly, they learn of Icelia's evil plans and how she means to achieve them.
*Chapter 4: ''Spiders and Worms'': On the final level of the labyrinth, the party arrives inside the cold, petrified husk of an enormous creature. Large ducts and organs filled with strange fluids are connected by valves. The party discovers the haunted spirit of Amry Wolover, who tells them the true horror of Icelia and the spawning grounds of her unholy army. Finally, the party challenges the demilich Icelia and her ghostly companion Zhorach.
This module includes a fold-out color poster map of the labyrinth.
Publication history
The book, with product code TSR 9341,
FA2 Nightmare Keep
from TSR Archive was published in 1991, and was written by Rick Swan
Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR.
His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995.
Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pr ...
, with cover art by Brom and interior art by Valerie Valusek and Terry Dykstra
Terry Dykstra is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.
Works
Terry Dykstra produced interior illustrations for many ''Dungeons & Dragons'' books and issues of '' Dragon'' magazine throughout the 1990s.
Dykstra also illustrate ...
.
Reception
References
{{D&D topics
Forgotten Realms adventures
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1991